97 GST wont run in gear

[zimmyjim]

my car is a spyder convertible gst with the 4g63 engine..
it starts quickly, runs and revs smoothly in park, idle great..
but,,when i put it in gear, it struggles a bit...oddly, as the idle goes down,
the turbo meter goes up....normal??.... this is my first turbo.
when i give it gas
it gulps then tries to take off while smoking like crazy..
when i let off the throttle, it dies!
the car had been ran in a ditch and had right front wheel damage..
also..that "intercooler" in the front right bumper area looks a little beat up...
im assuming it was being drivin regularly till the accident...
its 100 degrees outside today ,so i cant do alot of troubleshooting right now...
i was hoping if this was a common/simple problem , somebody might point me in
the right direction and save me some time and get it on the road...thanks..zimmy

 

[92AWDHX40]

Do a boost leak test, for starters, lots of information can be found on how to do one, also is the car stock, if not any tuning devices.

 

[zimmyjim]

i think its all stock...it might have an aftermarket muffler, but im not sure..it has 2 tips that jutt upward

 

[feardafish]

Yep, definitely do a boost leak test first. That intercooler needs to be airtight.

 

[zimmyjim]

so, you guys are saying a leaky intercooler could make it fall on its face when in gear??
makes sense i guess..im new to turbo motors...
the intercooler looks a lil rough, but i didnt hear/feel any air leaking at idle...
ill try to test it tomorrow...