The Rebuild! (90T)

[Cyrus]

started cleaning up the engine bay as best i could before i start cramming in all the big stuff (manifolds, turbo, fans, etc). replaced some really nasty crusty hoses for power steering and the oil cooler. while i was working on that corner of the car, i started thinking about my IC piping. i have an a'pexi intake, so there is a nice empty hole leading right to the IC where the old snorkel tube was. i am beginning to plot a cheap hard pipe solution. hoping to make it happen for under $100, thinking about using steel instead of aluminum because it is cheap. more to come on this as i flesh it out.

 

[Cyrus]

got the injectors, fuel rail, cams, cam gears, cam covers, and timing belt put on today. started trying to sort the nest of snakes that is my wiring harness and get some connectors put on.


also put the exhaust manifold on and, with fingers crossed, started torquing it down. surprise surprise, 1 of the studs started spinning too freely after 18 ft/lbs. the rest were able to hold 29 ft/lbs. kinda bummed about this, really dont want to deal with this, tempted to see if i get an exhaust leak before taking the manifold off and getting into helicoiling.

 

[Cyrus]

after i slept on it, i decided to fix the spinning stud. didnt feel like half-assing it, as it really isnt an expensive fix... just more work. took the manifold off and this is what came out with the center stud:



gonna order a driftmotion helicoil kit w/ the coarse/fine studs and do as many of the studs as i can get to easily. im gonna leave the back one alone for now, and if it continues to hold 29ft/lbs, then so be it. if it strips when i put the manifold back on, ill find a way to drill it and helicoil it. gonna try to do this with the engine still in the car... wish me luck!

 

[CyFi6]

Good luck. The driftmotion kit is nice, I used it on my head and it has held up nicely. Word of warning, there are two studs towards the center that locate the manifold, if you look at the manifold you will see that the holes are smaller. Make damn sure you get these two on there straight or you will have a hard time getting the manifold to slide on.

 

[Cyrus]

my manifold has already been a bitch to get on and off. it rubs on a metal bracket over near the water outlet, not to mention requiring some tricky manuevering to get it past the turbo water hardline (not sure if it is the feed or return, but it sticks out right by the #1 cylinder exhaust port in the head. tight squeeze, wiggling the manifold on.

glad to hear the driftmotion kit gets a thumbs up... all my research says it works well, so im looking forward to getting it and putting it to work. gonna have to buy an angle drill, unfortunately.

 

[Cyrus]

well, i finally got all the parts and tools for the helicoil'ing. drilled out the head and threaded in the inserts last night with red lock-tite. hoping to mount the manifold and turbo later today.


made the mistake of using a cheap-ass drill bit i bought from an online site drillsandcutters.com. almost disastrous. the teeth on the drill's chuck peeled up the shank of this drill bit like it was made of plastic. and then the whole thing bent and almost snapped while i was drilling the head. really pissed me off, i would like to jam this drill bit up the asshole of whoever created it.

so i went to a local tool shop and paid twice as much but got a quality drill bit. finished the job without issue shortly after.

 

[Cyrus]

installed my new manifold studs today, and then torqued on the exhaust manifold. that all went smoothly.

then came the turbo installation... spent a full 45 minutes trying to get that fucking oil banjo bolt to thread in. at one point, i had the turbo held over my head in a 2 handed grip and wanted to slam it on the ground hahaha. but instead, i set it down, walked away and drank some water, then came back and continued to wrestle with it. that was about half way in.

anyway, finally got it on. the accordion oil tube was a cinch. put on all the heat shields and the dipstick and the o2 sensor and the water outlet as well. hopefully i'll get my upper intake manifold on tomorrow, and then ill try to get all the various electrical plugs hooked up.

didnt take any pictures today. was pretty burnt out after my battle with the oil line.

 

[Cyrus]

hooked up all the connectors and vacuum lines on the intake side of engine and installed the upper intake manifold and throttle body.

getting close! really looking forward to starting this thing up, hopefully in the next week or so. one more big job left, and that is dropping the bumper so i can install a new IC and hard pipes.

things as they stand at the close of work today:



IC and hard pipes:


annnnd a little preview of my next project

 

[Cyrus]

getting very close to the end now!

got the IC mounted and am just waiting on a new silicone elbow and straight connector. got everything wired up and all the belts in place.



installed my catch can today also. my engine bay is packed tight, couldnt find any good spots for it that werent right next to the hot side of the motor. so i put it right behind the snorkel hole, above the passenger side foglight:



debating now whether or not i want to drop the fuel tank and try to clean it. how likely is it that the tank is full of rust and debris? the car hasnt been daily driven in years, but it has really only "sat" for a maximum of 8 months at a time. the fuel inside is probably 1-2 years old.

 

[IJ.]

How full was it kept?

 

[Cyrus]

half way or less. i mistakenly thought it would be better to have less fuel rather than more.

 

[IJ.]

High tide might be rusty

I'd drop it and check.

 

[Cyrus]

will do. thanks IJ.

i've heard of many cleaning methods, but i'm leaning towards dropping one (or several) lengths of fine chain in, along with some paint thinner, and then shaking the shit out of it. i'm leery of doing the chemical peel ("kreem" i think it's called?) b/c i dont want to deal with disposal, nor do i want to expose myself to any particularly harsh chemicals.

also, will i need to do anything to the fuel pump? and should i change the fuel filter while ive got the tank down?

 

[IJ.]

I've used Kreeme a lot in the past, it's safe enough if you're careful!

Personally I'd replace the pump with a Mk4 style Denso (I run 2x of these) Ditto on the fuel filter, you've come this far why risk leaning it out?

Nothing will kill a Turbo Engine quicker than a subpar fuel system..

 

[IBoughtASupra]

Mine's been sitting for close to two months now Ian. It's been in 60F degree at the coldest. Has a 1/4. Think it's rusty? I will be dropping it to do the fuel system.

Cyrus, great going man. What are you going to be using for tuning?

 

[Cyrus]

IJ, I'm reading up on this and apparently, the LPH rating for this mkIV pump is ~280-290. Why does it seem like a majority of people run a 255lph walbro?

I was hoping to install an MAFT pro and 550cc injectors down the road w/ a 57-trim upgraded ct-26. Am I right that this single mkIV pump should be adequate for my goal of 350-400rwhp?

also, is there anything tricky about the install? i.e. do i have to upgrade related electrical components?

 

[Cyrus]

Thanks, YouBoughtASupra.

I hadn't planned on doing any tuning at the moment. The car only has bolt on upgrades (intake, full turbo back 3" exhaust, 2.5" IC piping w/ spearco replica intercooler). I dont think there are any adjustments I could make even if I wanted to.

I am researching and planning for my next big upgrade now that I have a decent base to build on. I am thinking MAFT-pro w/ 550cc injectors. And I'll probably invest in a wideband o2. But that is some time down the road, and I am actually debating whether or not I want to do that first, or start building up the shortblock that is sitting in my garage.

 

[IJ.]

IJ, I'm reading up on this and apparently, the LPH rating for this mkIV pump is ~280-290. Why does it seem like a majority of people run a 255lph walbro?

I was hoping to install an MAFT pro and 550cc injectors down the road w/ a 57-trim upgraded ct-26. Am I right that this single mkIV pump should be adequate for my goal of 350-400rwhp?

also, is there anything tricky about the install? i.e. do i have to upgrade related electrical components?

The ones I'm using are 410LPH but more realistic Voltage/current/pressure sees about 305LPH for my application (58psi base), I always look at what I need for a fuel system then double it so I have plenty of overhead if something goes wrong.

 

[Cyrus]

went ahead and got a used pump from a fellow mk3 owner here on the forum.

also had the fuel tank reconditioned. hot tanked, then acid bath, then painted on the outside and sealed on the inside. also had the filler neck reconditioned. Just ordered 4 new gaskets for all the fuel tank attachments. Picked up the fuel tank from the radiator shop yesterday. I am going to put it all back together and get it on the car hopefully tomorrow.

i also found my coolant leak. turned out i left the hose clamp loose on the heater outlet connection right behind the head on top of the spot where the tranny and engine meet. luckily, i had properly rotated the hose clamp when i installed it, so i was able to get a socket on it without removing the EGR (or anything else, for that matter). I think i left it loose thinking i might need to connect a temporary hose there to flush out my cooling system. i ended up doing it from the heater inlet instead. so anyway, tightened up that hose clamp and boom! no more coolant leak.

hoping to start the car for the first time in YEARS on Saturday or Sunday. pretty excited, cant wait to hear that turbo spooling up!

 

[Cyrus]

well, i got the tank in and connected everything up.

cranked the engine and it started right up! threw a code 51, which led me to inspect the TPS. discovered i had forgotten to plug it in! plugged it in and code 51 went away. Was able to get the timing set and the motor is purring!

unfortunately, as soon as i hit the throttle a little, the motor died. started it again and floored it a bit and the rpms would go up but the car stalled when i got off the gas. checked the codes... sure enough, code 31.

i posted about this in another thread. i cleaned my afm guts/sensors with electronics cleaner, thinking that wouldnt hurt them. i was wrong! jetjock told me i had probably toasted the afm, and it looks like he was right.

soooo anyone in the bay area got some afm electronics/sensors they want to sell me?

EDIT: Update! AFM started working. who knew? car runs great now. no codes. time to get the bumper and hood back on, then it is off to the smog station and then hopefully ill be taking a cruise out to the coast to drive highway 1 with the targa top off! can't wait!