i am completely fed up with dealing with the computer on my trans-am and i want to get rid of it. my question is this....what do i need to do to get it to run properly without the computer??? i have an 87 trans-am with the LG4 motor. is it enough to just disconnect everything from the carb and such and pull the ECM out or will i have to make any mods to get it to run right without the ECM??? what, if any, adverse affects might this have on my engine or transmission??? thanks for any help.

peace,
menace

p.s anyone that has any creative ideas for destroying my computer, please let me know.

 

Check out the tech article on the subject.

it even has a suggestion on how to destroy the ECM afterward:

 

thanks for pointing that out jester...i just got done reading the article and have a couple of questions still.....my engine is completely stock. what i am curious about is will i have to get any new parts??? the engine is already carbed, it is just computer controlled...will this carb still be sufficient??? will my current fuel pump and distributor suffice??? i will prolly need a new distributor seeing as how mine is computer controlled, but i need to know for sure. if i need a new distributor, what year f-bodies had the ones that will work??? now that i think of it, will i be able to take any parts that i need off of an older f-body and have that work???? thanks for the help so far.

peace,
menace

 

The 2 main parts you will need are:
1.) non computer controlled carb.
2.)Non computer controlled distributor.

These parts should be easy to find on a late 70s gm v8 anything.

A vacuum controlled quadrajet is a direct bolt on, as well as a vacuum controlled HEI distributor. You whould try and find a vacuum q-jet with electric choke, but if you cant find one, the electric choke from your computer carb will bolt onto a vacuum one. Also, you'll need the A/C fast idle solenoid from your car if the new carb doesn't have it.

 

thanks for the information....i was hoping that i could get away without having to buy a new carb, as funds kinda prohibit that right now...guess i will just have to wait for a couple more paychecks so that i can spare the couple of hundred bucks. thanks for the help guys..if anyone has any additional information, please post it. oh...just out of simple curiosity, why wouldnt the current comp. controlled rochster work ??? if i unhook the computer connections, isnt just the same as any other carb???

peace,
menace

 

not really. the reason being the CC q-jet carb's metering is controlled by the computer and not by vacuum load as metering on old sytle q-jets. thus meaning that the CC carb will be dumping a large amount of raw unmetered fuel. that will lead to plug fouling poor perfomance, and pitiful gas mileage. but to answer you question "it will work", just not very well at all.

 

Menace,

The lack of an ECM will also prevent the operation of the torque converter clutch, EGR valve, electric fans, EVAP canister, AIR injection, and the primary electric fan if you have two of them.

These are all just things you will have to deal with if you remove the ECM. You'll have to install a different control to operate the TCC, switch to a TVS for the EGR and EVAP, and a full vacuum controlled AIR system is you want to pass emissions. You can easily wire around the fans with an aftermarket control or temperature switch. It might just be easier and cheaper to repair the E4ME problems and live with the ECM. A new mixture control solenoid is only about $45.00, and takes about a half a day to install and adjust. You might only need to remove and clean the carb, then readjust the TPS, MC solenoid, and float. Since you'll have to remove the carb to replace it anyway, what's to lose?

I noticed you signature indicates your profession as "body piercer". There are several others here as well, but most of them have chosen to do their piercing at long range. It makes for a much more friendly Afghanistan...