Maintenance Advice

[TB2K]

Sorry I haven't posted in a little while work has been crazy, and hopefully I should get a chance to go get some pics today. Well here's my questions for you guys. The guy I bought it from says he did;

"timing belt, balancer shaft belt, timing belt tensioner, crank position sensor, and power transistor were changed in January 2008. A new water pump with all new belts, including timing, were installed in Jan. 2006. New rear brake pads were installed in summer 2006. Front pads need to be changed and I believe I had them in the trunk. Oil change was done at 115K miles. The rear differential fluid was replaced with synthetic gear oil around March 2007. Coolant flush was done in summer 2006. The trans fluid probably need to be changed."

I know the maintenance is huge before I start modding just curious what is most critical. Also there is oil in the vents of the open vent BOV he has on there, and the threads on top of the coolant overflow are melted off. And it intermitantly throws the fuel trim code, I did some research and found it it could be exhaust leak (which it has due to system seals being broke lose for catback that never got installed but I have), bad front O2 sensor from what the seller said that has never been changed, and poor fuel deliver and fuel filter has never been changed. So I'm thinking I should replacethose three items first? Fuel Filter, front O2, and exhaust. And ov course get that BOV off of there I think he gave me the stock one in the trunk that should be ok for now right? there is a MBC set to 16lbs.

Thanks alot!

 

[architechnik]

Be sure to throw on a BOV that recirculates to the intake. That could be part of the fuel trim problem as you'll not get constant, metered, correct air flow.

Has the vehicle been sitting since '06? From the sound of it, it seems that there might be something else if it had such a long span since each of those intervals. What power transistor was changed? Is that the same as the ignition module?

It is also unusual that the rear pads were changed prior to the front, as the front are typically the ones that wear out faster... MUCH faster. If you have a regular brake change place, have them look at it and find out if the rotors should be replaced or if it's just the pads. It's not terribly difficult to do either yourself (pads are really quick).

The O2 sensor can be tested with a volt meter or using a datalogger. More commonly the rear goes out or reads incorrectly on the 2g because of bad cats. If the exhaust system has been modified or as it sounds in this case gone? then that might be the problem.

Go ahead and take care of all the basics first: plugs & wires, oil/engine flush, coolant flush 'n fill, air filter (clean or replace), and check the levels on the trans, dif, etc.

For some other basic maintenance, your Hanes manual should have specific mileage markers noted along with procedures to check everything.

 

[TB2K]

yeah I have the stock 2g BOV hopefully all the recirculation tubes are still there. The exhaust system isn't bad, just he bought a catback system and had a shop break loose all the seals so he could bolt it up but in the meantime decided he friend could hve the muffler and they cut it off, so I have th whole system breand new without a muffler, shouldn't be to bad to get one welded on. I'll do some searching on testing the O2 with a vm that sounds easy enough. Any ideas on the oil in the BOV vents? I know with that many miles the IC system needs to be cleaned out, could that be it? I'm already planning on all those basics for next payday, and already have the Hanes book and hav started reading through it.

 

[hdoerr]

Oil in the BOV sounds like blown turbo seals or a lot of blow by. Check the intercooler for oil, if it is saturated then the turbo may be gone.

 

[TB2K]

So the turbo could be bad even though it boosts up to 16lbs? Sorry for such a noob ? but this is my first turbo charched car, I've had 2 supercharged cars but totally different.

 

[architechnik]

Yes, the turbo seals may be bad even though it is able to handle high boost. This just means that it spins fine but is pushing too much oil through the seals and not back through the oil return line. It may be a good idea to check the return line passage for any blockage.

Likewise, depending on where the valve cover (VC) is venting, it may have excessive blow-by that is throwing oil out of the VC into the intake tube and through the system. You should probably check the PCV valve to make sure that it is properly venting into the intake and sealing when under boost.

You are correct, in that you should clean out the intercooler and you should also check all the piping. This will help to track where the oil is coming from.

 

[jake247]

16 lbs is too much for the stock fuel system. With a bunch of boost leaks losing air you'd probably be ok though.

15 lbs will max it out boosting at higher revs, hitting fuel cut.

It's all about pushing your luck, and knocking.

 

[TB2K]

Ok thanks, I'll turn that down, the previous owner did all this. What should I set it to for now till I get all the maintenance stuff done?

 

[hdoerr]

Run manifold pressure which should keep it at around 10-12 PSI

 

[TB2K]

What does run it at manifold pressure mean? And how doI do it?

 

[hdoerr]

There is a vacuum line that goes from the center of your intake manifold towards the air filter area. That should feed into your boost control solenoid. From there it should have one lead to the blow off valve and one to the waste gate on the turbo itself. If the boost control solenoid is bypassed for use with a after market boost controller then you will need to eliminate the boost controller and send vacuum to the blow off and waste gate. This will cause you to run manifold pressure or waste gate spring pressure. Let me know if you need any more help routing that.

 

[TB2K]

So just remove the MBC and replace with a "T" fitting?

 

[hdoerr]

Yup!

 

[TB2K]

Ok I'll try to get to a parts store today and get that vacuum fitting. Also how much of a project is taking out the IC and pipes to clean them out? Can it be done in a few hours with a basic set of tools?

 

[EclipseTical]

Ok I'll try to get to a parts store today and get that vacuum fitting. Also how much of a project is taking out the IC and pipes to clean them out? Can it be done in a few hours with a basic set of tools?

definitely can be done with some hand tools and a free few hours.

You'll want to do a boost leak test once you've got her all bolted back together to find any pesky leaks that pop up.

 

[TB2K]

Ok only 2 lines going to MBC. Here are some pics.

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http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn292/tb2kgsx/P1030780.jpg

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[architechnik]

Cleaning those IC pipes is one of the easiest things to do. It's actually easier to remove all the pipes than it is to change the filter in the 1g cans (where you often have to remove half the pipes anyway)!

There's just a few simple clamps that attach at each point from the filter/maf to turbo, the turbo to the IC and the IC to the bov then to the intake. Start at the top, what you can see, and work your way down. The intake snorkel and the throttle body tube first, then the lower tube will be in plain sight. It'll take you less than five minutes to remove and five more to reinstall. How long you want to spend cleaning is up to you.

The IC is a little more tricky to get off because you'll have to remove the splash guard and unbolt it from underneath after disconnecting the pipes. It helps to have that passenger side wheel off and the car slightly raised, but it's up to you.

I wouldn't even consider that oil as excessive unless it's only been on there for a few weeks. We have old cars and they spit oil, it's a fact of life. You can trace it by sticking your finger in the ends of the pipes and seeing where the most is sitting then consider if it's been there a while. If the oil was just slightly overfilled long ago or had a bad pcv and resulted in a bit of spit-up then it will just sit there until it is cleaned; unlike water it does not evaporate.

 

[TB2K]

Ok cool that sounds easy enough. the guy I got it from said it leaked oil from the VC but I haven't noticed. I have however noticed that I can't keep that overflow bottle full, does it not stay full or probably because those threads are melted off and there is no seal?

 

[architechnik]

My overflow bottle kept losing a lot of coolant and it turned out to be that the seal on the coolant cap was worn. When the car would heat up, it would push a lot of the coolant into the bottle and out over the top, then when it cooled it pulled it all back in.

I swapped the cap for a 16lb one, instead of the lower stock one (I think it was between 11-13 lb). If you choose to up the pressure, you run the risk of blowing a coolant hose, but the trade is a little better cooling system. Have you checked the thermostat to see if you're getting proper circulation?

If you've got a pull-your-part place around you then you could pick up a used bottle for a couple of bucks. If not, you could try getting a short length of hose just slightly larger than that opening. Stuff it in there about a quarter or half way and use gasket sealant around the edges. Instead of it lapping out the side, it will hit the outside of the hose that is inside the bottle.

 

[TB2K]

yeah I need to go get a new bottle, in the pic you can see that the lip on the bottle is melted/worn away and the cap doesn't seal at alljust kinda sits on top of the bottle. Also I just found a boost leak in one of the lines going to the MBC so I zip tied the fitting to stop the leak and it eleminated a strange sound I was getting right before the BOV opened. I have a long list for the bone yard,

Radio mounts (no longer in the car and I have a double din radio)
Metel clip for radio bezel (broken off)
Coolant bottle (no lip)
1G BOV (to get rid of the open dump)
Valve cover (to replace that,oil cap, and gasket to stop oil leak.)
Turn signal switch (wierd electrical probs like no left turn signal when head lights are on.)

 

[architechnik]

Maybe you should pick up the other gaskets for the head as well. If you've got a lot of oil coming from the valve cover, it might be coming from the seal for the CAS as well. If you want to brave the cam seals, it's a lot more work, but if you're doing the timing belt, it may be worthwhile.

 

[TB2K]

I hve an entire gasket set, but I do not have a garage and the previous owner did the timing belt in January so I'm going to try and keep it down to simple quick things I can do in the parking lot. It is not an excesive amount of oil, I was told it loses about 1q/month at most. So I'm going to try new VC, new oil cap, and new seals on the VC.

 

[Chicken Patty]

yo not bad man. For now remove your intercooler pipes and clean them out. Also remove your sidemount and clean it as well. While your at it, straighten any fins that are bent on it. Lotta people use diesel to clean the sidemount.

About recirculating the BOV, that is a must, although I am not, I do recommend it. If you don't you will loose metered air, and probably have driveability problems.

The reason why i'm venting is because since im near stock I dont care about performance, when I do upgrade I will go with a AEM standalone and be able to vent due to not having a MAF. Also luckily my HKS sounds great and my car drives like it did with the stock one recirculated. I don't know if it has to do anything with it, but its an older adjustable one.

 

[TB2K]

Ok found the stock 2G BOV in a bunch of stuff he gave me with it, I think I fould the bag from the MBC so I may try to remove that and put it back to stock. Tomorrow I will get that BOV on till I can get a 1G from a junk yard, and I'll try to clean the intake too. I think I am going to eventually go with a blow through system so I'll just clean and hold on to the Turbo XS that is on there.