you have a boost leak

What about the gap on your plugs?? sometimes that can cause detonation issues while under load.
It does for sure on a turbo car

Well, the timing COULD be off. Does ignition timing have to do with the distributor? I THINK they've both been checked but I'll make sure. I've had some work done since then so I should really take another video (the car still bogs at 4-5k). There can't really be a boost leak since the car is NA good suggestion though. As for the spark plug gap, I checked it last week and they're at 0.043 right where they should be.

Yes, ignition timing has to do with the distributor. It is definitely worth checking, as a lot of people do not set it properly in the first place. It's important that when checking and setting the ignition timing the engine is at operating temperature and the diagnostic box is jumped in the same way you do for checking codes. You then set your base timing to 10? BTDC.

Check here, borrowed this from BillUK in another thread


*Note: You will connect your timing light to the No. 1 plug wire on your N/A*

I have solved the issue. It was the freaking injectors of all things. Got the car running today (after a few hiccups such as forgetting to connect the starter wire.) Runs GREAT now. Thanks for everyone's input on the issue and I hope this helps anyone else in the future if they have the same problem. Woohoo! :bigthumb:

Glad to hear it's up and running strong.

The injectors.... what was wrong with them? Might help anyone who reads this in the future

All that I could find wrong with the injectors was that the resistances matched those of turbo injectors (3.8 ohms.) It was also a struggle to get any reading from them at all compared to the injectors from the donor vehicle. I swapped the fuel rail, injectors, and pressure reg from the donor as it was easier that way. The old injectors sounded like they were working properly when I inspected them. I suspect that they were either flooding or starving the engine at high RPM's.

Haha, that would explain the black smoke then...