Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How does TurboLink hook up to my car?

Hook up is very simple. All GM cars made since about 1981 have a diagnostic connector that is usually either under the center of the dash, under the steering wheel, or by the driver's side fuse box. Our tool simply plugs into this connector and your laptop PC. No permanent wiring or connections are necessary, making this extremely easy to move from car to car.

Question: What information is displayed by TurboLink?

Every GM vehicle model presents a different set of information. Some are more comprehensive than others. Typical vehicles will present important/vital diagnostic information, such as:

Malfunction codes - these are displayed (all codes, even if multiple codes are present) along with a brief title, detailed description, and suggested troubleshooting steps.
RPM
Vehicle speed (MPH)
Throttle Position (TPS)
Coolant Temperature (CTS)
Mass Air Flow (MAF) if equipped.
Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) if equipped.
O2 sensor voltage
O2 cross counts
ESC (knock) counts
Air Control (IAC)
Spark advance (on some models)
Spark retard (on some models)
Gear position
TCC lockup
Block Learn position (BLM) - long term fuel corrections
Integrator (INT) - for short term fuel corrections
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)
Injector Pulse Width (BPW) on some models
Commanded Air/Fuel (on some models))
Spark Advance (some models)
Vacuum (some models)
Left and Right Bank fuel trim on some models
TPS percentage on some models
Many more advanced parameters, depending on vehicle ECM/year/model

Question: Will TurboLink tell me Fuel Pressure?

Typically this is something you need a mechanical/electrical gauge for. It isn't returned to the ECM, except in rare models that may be dual fueled (i.e. CNG or Propane)

Question: Will TurboLink tell me Oil Pressure?

Typically this is something you need a mechanical/electrical gauge for. It isn't returned to the ECM. Some late model vehicles (such as the LT1 equipped F-Bodies and Corvettes will tell you OIL TEMPERATURE.

Question: Will TurboLink tell me Timing?

Some sort of timing information is returned to most models/ECMs. Depending on the model, it may be timing advance or timing retard.

Question: Can I use TurboLink instead of dash mounted gauges?

It can if your car only needs to be monitored occasionally and you want to retain a factory stock interior (for car shows/concourse judging, etc.).

However, in most cases it is recommended that a good set of auxiliary gauges be used (if your car doesn't already include an oil pressure gauge, for example).

Question: Do I have to watch the laptop all the time?

No! That's the beauty of TurboLink's record triggers! You can hit the space bar to manually start recording a session and when you finish, it will save to the disk for later replay and analysis. An added bonus is that you can program AUTOMATIC recording, based on record triggers or events that are important to you.

For example:

You can tell TurboLink to start recording if you see the RPM above 4500 RPM and more than 3 degrees of timing retard. This frees you up to just drive the car and concentrate on the road. Later, you can review the data captured at your leisure on the laptop or on your desktop.

Question: Can I change things on the car from the laptop?

Not with this tool, other than some minor things, such as clearing codes in some vehicles or switching ECM modes. Reprogramming the ECM parameters is accomplished in a variety of ways, depending on the vehicle/ECM. Some vehicles use a flash EEPROM that needs to be updated and reprogrammed from a special device. Others have removable EPROMs (chips) that have to be physically swapped.

Question: So if I can't change things from the laptop, what good is it?

This is a very sophisticated tuning tool, and it is like a Brain Scan for your vehicle. It allows you to gather information and tuning data so you can make changes or "tweak" things to be optimal for your car.

For example:

You may see a failing sensor before the ECM sets a code by noticing that it is starting to wander from normal readings or starting to have readings that fall at the extreme edges of the normal ranges.

You can quickly and accurately determine any stored or historical ECM codes for quick diagnostics and fixes.

You can monitor changes you make to the car (a new air filter, new injectors, a cam, etc.) and adjust parameters, such as fuel pressure, etc. to optimize the changes.

You can use the data to provide to a custom chip burner/tuner to make changes to recalibrate your ECM for your modifications

If the Service Engine Soon (SES) light comes on, you can diagnose and at a minimum have information for your mechanic to help him fix the problem quickly (and more cheaply). With some vehicle models, you can reset the stored codes right from the laptop! Ideally, you will have enough information to fix the problem yourself (sometimes it's as simple as tightening the gas cap!) TurboLink pays for itself in savings on your repair bill with just a couple of uses!

Question: My laptop doesn't have a serial port, now what?

No problem! You can use a USB/Serial Converter sold via many different outlets.

http://www.saelig.com/easysync.htm

This USB/Serial converter has been tested and verified to work with both P4 cars (Vettes, F-bodies, Sy/Ty, etc.) and C3 cars (Turbo Regals, Fieros, Pickups, etc.).

Other converters on the market MAY OR MAY NOT work with one or the other (or both). We have tested many that do NOT work, including some of the popular ones.

The Easysync has been tested and WORKS!

The Easysync is part of an excellent family of converters that use the FTDI chip set (http://www.ftdichip.com/).

Question: Do I need the boost sensing kit for my car?

Boost sensing is only available for the following vehicles:

1986-87 Turbo Regals
1984-85 Turbo Regals/Rivierias that have been converted to the 86/87 ECM with a MAT wire 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am Indy Pace Cars
Other vehicles either already provide boost/vacuum information in the data stream without external hardware, or they are not supported.

Question: Do I need the 3 BAR MAP for my car?

Only if you use the boost sensing harness with the Turbo Regals or Turbo Trans Am. Even though the 1989 TTAs already have a 3 BAR MAP (to drive the boost gauge on the dash cluster), it is highly recommended to have a second 3 BAR MAP to allow for uninterrupted use of the dash gauge)

Question: Is v4.0 available?

We are shipping right now!. Check back frequently for VehiclePaks (tm) and bug fixes.

Question: What vehicles does v4.0 support?

1986-87 Turbo Regals
1986-1987 Turbo Regals with Extender Chip Fast Datastreams (Y,W,Z Extender)
1985-85 Turbo Regals
1984-1985 Turbo Rivieras
1986-1989 VIN 3 SFI FWD Buick, Olds, Pontiacs
1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am Indy Pace Cars
1991-1992 GMC Syclones
1992-1993 GMC Typhoons
1986-1990 L98 5.7L and LB9 5.0L TPI F-bodies
1990-1992 L98 5.7L and LB9 5.0L TPI F-bodies and Vettes
1993 Corvettes and F-Bodies
1994-1995 3800 Series I and Supercharged 3800 engined cars (some models)
1994-1995 5.7L LT1 F-Bodies
1985-1988 Fieros

More vehicles being added as they are debugged.

For a full list, please visit:

CLICK HERE FOR VEHICLE LIST

Question: What is the price of v4.0 ?

Full kits with everything you need are available for only $295.95 + S&H!
Upgrade kits for owners of v2.xx or v1.x are only $169.95 + S&H!
Upgrade kits for owners of v3.xx are only $69.95 + S&H!

For UPGRADES, you must trade in your old cables/hardware so that we can upgrade/replace it with the new style hardware and vehicle connectors.

If you have a special PROMO code, be sure to enter it in the PROMO box at the TOP OF THE ORDER PAGE or CALL US at 970.226.3867 to place your order!

Question: Will v4.0 run on my laptop?

You must have at least a Pentium 166 laptop with 32Mb of memory. This is a Windows application, and as such it competes with all the other resource intensive things associated with Windows. More memory is HIGHLY recommended (at least 128Mb) and a faster processor (300MHz or more) can really help as well. Windows brings it's own baggage with it!

This is one of those cases where you need a relatively decent laptop.

We've found a couple of sources for good quality used laptops, such as :

* DPV, Inc.
* tel 914-923-5100
* fax 707-202-0400

They sell refurbed laptops. We bought a "lab rat" PII300 Dell with 64Mb of memory for about $350 shipped. They had a bunch of inventory and the one we received look like brand new!

Question: Does Version 4.0 support the Boost Harness?

Very definitely!

Question: Does V4.0 support a faster data rate?

Well, sort of ... the ECM controls the data rate (not the software), but it will support the "ScanMaster Fast Update Patch" (to your EPROM "chip" which gives the appearance of about 3 times faster data (at the expense of not seeing some data) for the Turbo Regals.

For other vehicles (such as the Syclones/Typhoons, F-bodies, etc.) you will see much more data at a faster rate (approximately 10 frames/second with over 100 parameters).