Well I bought an entire system off of ebay. I went against my better judgment and bought it without a seeing a picture of it(just something sneaky about that). I got the entire system, wiring, computer, everything.

It's supposed to be from an '89 Trans Am. It's got the cold start injector, it's got '85 on the bottom of the plenum and the bottom of the TB.

Are there any year casting numbers on the base of a TPI system? Tomarrow I will put it up against the head off of my '89 so I can see if the bolt holes line up or not. That will tell me if it's an '85-'86 or '87-'88 base.

The computer is a NAPA rebuilt unit. How can I tell if this car has the '85 wiring system? I'll post pics tomarrow, and I might have the answers by then too.

 

they 85 ECM had a second smaller box(burnoff module )attached to it riding piggyback on the ECM.

 

If it's got the cold start injector it is not from a 89. It was eliminated that year.

1985 ECM # 1226870
1986-1989 ECM # 1227727

 

Could any other year have a box on the side? I've got the box on the side of the ECM. The fuel rail is '85 305. The TB and plenum are '85, this sucks. I had an '85 IROC with this system, if I had wanted an '85 system I would have grabbed it before I sold it to my buddy, grrr.

I'm not sure what I'll do with it now. I had wanted a "non burnoff" non cold start injector MAF system.

Is the '85 system more restrictive than the later model systems? What is different? I now the base is different from '87 up, are the runners smaller than what is say on an '89 350 IROC? Is the TB smaller than a later model 305 TB?

 

Here are some pictures. I'm not sure if I really got my money's worth or not. What do you all think the value of this '85 system would be if it worked?

 

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don't know how much you paid..... can say if you got your money's worth....??? i believe some people on here have modified their 85' MAF system to 86' and later type MAF system.....

 

85's are just like all the other years, except the mafs and relays related to it are different. The computer's baud (believe that's it) is slower as well, incase you ever hook it up to a scan tool. Also, the 1985 systems are cheaper than all other systems due to them being very common and also because they are all alone, much of what they have won't work with other systems, like the wiring harness, ecm with piggyback, the maf. The connection to the dist. from 85-86 on the wiring harness is different as well.

89 would have also had a different throttle body linkage and IAC passage. But if all of it says 85, then that's what it is. The plenum is stamped underneath it, the throttle body has two stampings on under the plate and one on the 6 bolt thing that holds the IAC motor.

If it's an 85 intake, you'll probably have the number 14081005 written across it and with most of them, they have a notch that goes down pretty far near the EGR valve. I've only seen 85's do this.

You may want to talk to him and see if he can help or refund you.

 

I paid $250 + $43 shipping. Ouch. So the MAF sensor won't work with a newer ecm? What distibutor does the '85 computer need?

 

If that had been an 89 system, you have gotten a great deal. For an 85 system that is about average since that is about what the hard parts normally cost. I used 1985 TPI system, blocked off cold start and changed over to the Speed Density style ECM and wiring.

Sorry to say, you got taken by that guy. I wish people would be more honest. My suggestion would be to hound the guy about the fact he sent you something other than what you intended to buy. Or you could hunt for a 89 harness and ECM and build from there.

Runners are the same size as the rest of the years. The Throttle body is also the same. All the heard parts are essentially the same except the bolt hole change(around 87).

 

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it. I might convert the wiring harness to a newer one and get a newer computer. Not sure yet.

I might just resale it.

 

I sold a similar setup on ebay for about the same amount, but it was an 86, I included a computer, and a maf sensor.. I thought the kid got a pretty good deal.

I think you got an ok deal as well. What you should do is consider yourself lucky that you got the intake and stuff, and hunt around for a speed density ECM and harness.

-- Joe

 

1986-1989 thirdgen f-body tpi ecm = 1227165

 

Well I asked him for a $30 refund. He said he will send it tomarrow. I came up with $30 because I guess that would make it a fair price to pay for an '85 system. Plus I'm giving him the beneift of the doubt that he really didn't now it wasn't an '89 system. He still says it came off of an '89 car.

 

it _MAY_ have come off an 89 car, that was originally throttle body.. Whats the VIN the car came off??

-- Joe