Resolved 2G Engine Rebuild

[RubyEclipse]

Hello everyone! I just purchased my 1996 Eclipse GST a few months ago, had some issues with a few different things. Most recent was car was smoking and running very uneasy, so I decided to pull the engine. I am going to do a full engine rebuild-ish, I bought new wisco heads, still looking at the rods I want, if there’s anything anyone thinks I should buy and upgrade I would love help! Trying to push more power but not an insane amount seeing how I want this to be more of a daily but not quite. Thank you guys!

 

[RubyEclipse]

So what does this mean now that I know there’s oil in my inter cooler? Does that mean my turbos blown and I need to rebuild it, or pay to have it rebuilt?

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

It is pointing to turbo oil seals. There's nothing between the turbo and the intercooler that can introduce oil other than them. Can you wiggle the turbo fins in and out or sideways? You can reach in with your hand, in the turbo, well fingers, and see if the turbocharger has any play in it. Remove the air intake from the turbo and you can see the blades. Wiggle them and see what you find.

 

[RubyEclipse]

It is pointing to turbo oil seals. There's nothing between the turbo and the intercooler that can introduce oil other than them. Can you wiggle the turbo fins in and out or sideways? You can reach in with your hand, in the turbo, well fingers, and see if the turbocharger has any play in it. Remove the air intake from the turbo and you can see the blades. Wiggle them and see what you find.

I tried wiggling them before and there was very little play, but it would make sense I saw how hard the other owner was on the car. Should I take off the housing to see? There’s no in and out play only side to side.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Well there is a normal amount of play that is acceptable on journal bearing turbos. I'm scratching my head too.....

 

[RubyEclipse]

Well there is a normal amount of play that is acceptable on journal bearing turbos. I'm scratching my head too.....

Yeah, I don’t really know. Could I have put too much oil in the car and caused this to happen?

On some other forums I’ve been reading, other people have had problems with kinks in oil feed lines and pcv valve clogs, leaking under boost and what not. Was wondering if I should just rebuild the turbo, kits aren’t much. I replaced the pcv valve not too long ago, and I wanted to get all new turbo feed lines anyway with how bad my other ones are anyways.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

It would be a kink in a DRAIN line that would cause oil to pool, which "could" make it smoke. Is your drain line good? Overfilling with oil will also make it not drain well so you should check the oil level and make sure it is spot on.

 

[RubyEclipse]

It would be a kink in a DRAIN line that would cause oil to pool, which "could" make it smoke. Is your drain line good? Overfilling with oil will also make it not drain well so you should check the oil level and make sure it is spot on.

I mean the drain line is that bendable one that goes out the bottom right? Straight to the pan? If so, I don’t think it’s even possible for it to kink. I will make sure I put enough oil next time I fill it up, because it’s all drained as of right now.

 

[CKOPOCT]

If you have the stock turbo drain, it would have to be very noticeably kinked or pinched to cause a problem. If it looks okay, then that isn't the issue. If you can wiggle the turbo impeller blades in any direction than in and out (and that only a very little bit), then the turbo needs to be rebuilt or replaced. If the previous owner ran the car really hard, meaning he ran it at high rpms and zipped around like he thought he was Paul Walker, or shut the car off without giving the turbo a chanve to cool down, then he may have damaged the turbo - including the bearing and seals, possibly through coking.

I say have the turbo checked and likely rebuilt or replaced.

 

[RubyEclipse]

If you have the stock turbo drain, it would have to be very noticeably kinked or pinched to cause a problem. If it looks okay, then that isn't the issue. If you can wiggle the turbo impeller blades in any direction than in and out (and that only a very little bit), then the turbo needs to be rebuilt or replaced. If the previous owner ran the car really hard, meaning he ran it at high rpms and zipped around like he thought he was Paul Walker, or shut the car off without giving the turbo a chanve to cool down, then he may have damaged the turbo - including the bearing and seals, possibly through coking.

I say have the turbo checked and likely rebuilt or replaced.

Got it, I will have that done. Thank you!!

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

The inside of your turbo will resemble this, but this is a Holset Turbos guts.
The shaft spins on a couple of journal "bearings". When they get wore out, it let's your turbocharger shaft wiggle. A tiny amount is normal. In/out should be minimal to none.
Pay no attention to the "HOT" side in this picture...... It is an interesting story tho.
Marty

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[RubyEclipse]

The inside of your turbo will resemble this, but this is a Holset Turbos guts.
The shaft spins on a couple of journal "bearings". When they get wore out, it let's your turbocharger shaft wiggle. A tiny amount is normal. In/out should be minimal to none.
Pay no attention to the "HOT" side in this picture...... It is an interesting story tho.
Marty

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Holyyy yeah mines not bad, I don’t know about seals, but it has very small play. I have a friend who’s a diesel mechanic and he said it was good on play, and it has no in and out movement. Would it be better to play it safe and have it rebuilt anyways?

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

I would trust a diesel mechanic, as they work with turbos all the time. If he felt it and gave it an OK, I'd trust his opinion.

 

[RubyEclipse]

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I would trust a diesel mechanic, as they work with turbos all the time. If he felt it and gave it an OK, I'd trust his opinion.

Ok got it, so what else could cause quit a bit of oil in the IC? It started to spill out as I barely tipped it to the right, and there had to be over 3 cups worth of oil in there.

 

[pauleyman]

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Ok got it, so what else could cause quit a bit of oil in the IC? It started to spill out as I barely tipped it to the right, and there had to be over 3 cups worth of oil in there.

Is there alot of oil/residue in the intake pipe leading to the turbo? The system is designed to pull crank vapors through the intake but oil is minimal. Only two possibilities for that much oil to get into the intercooler. Turbo itself or a ton of crankcase pressure feeding into the intake. I would say turbo is more likely. If it's a t25 you can grab another for cheap and eliminate that possibility. I wouldn't rebuild a t25. There is simply no point typically. If you want to eliminate the possibility first you would have to get the car running, cap off the intake from valve cover so the only possibility is turbo. Extra work but no cost.

 

[RubyEclipse]

Is there alot of oil/residue in the intake pipe leading to the turbo? The system is designed to pull crank vapors through the intake but oil is minimal. Only two possibilities for that much oil to get into the intercooler. Turbo itself or a ton of crankcase pressure feeding into the intake. I would say turbo is more likely. If it's a t25 you can grab another for cheap and eliminate that possibility. I wouldn't rebuild a t25. There is simply no point typically. If you want to eliminate the possibility first you would have to get the car running, cap off the intake from valve cover so the only possibility is turbo. Extra work but no cost.

Im asking my diesel mechanic friend again, he said he’s pretty sure the turbo is good, he thinks it is probably the crankcase vent, is the pcv valve? Because I replaced the old on, would I have to do anything if I installed a new one? I also see some people putting breathers on instead, would that be better to do?

 

[pauleyman]

Im asking my diesel mechanic friend again, he said he’s pretty sure the turbo is good, he thinks it is probably the crankcase vent, is the pcv valve? Because I replaced the old on, would I have to do anything if I installed a new one? I also see some people putting breathers on instead, would that be better to do?

No. crankcase vent has a purpose. if anything a catch can. Check out the resources page for some good pcv/crankcase writeups.

 

[RubyEclipse]

My next really big issue, the really big reason I was gonna pull the motor, is that the whole car is off timed. Should I try to do this myself or tow the car to a shop? Because I know that would be a crap ton of money in towing and getting timing done is pricey. What do you Guys think I should do?

 

[CKOPOCT]

Replacing the timing belt (and associated components) is not technically difficult. There aren't many tools required either. As long as you understand and follow the procedures and recommendations provided on this site, you can do the job yourself and save a lot of money.

Where most people seem to screw up is with aligning the cams and getting the tension correct once the belt is installed. Again, those procedures are covered in great detail on this site in various posts, as well as in the factory service manual (FSM). If you stick to the letter, you'll do just fine.

The various 2G FSMs can be found under the RESOURCES tab on the main menu --> DSM maintenance guide.

Search on the forum for 2G timing belt, or go to google and search "dsmtuners 2g timing belt replacement" and camp out with a big thermos of coffee.

 

[pauleyman]

My next really big issue, the really big reason I was gonna pull the motor, is that the whole car is off timed. Should I try to do this myself or tow the car to a shop? Because I know that would be a crap ton of money in towing and getting timing done is pricey. What do you Guys think I should do?

I wouldn't pull a motor for this. Timing is an in car job. As is cylinder head replacement. It's a ton more work to remove the motor. Somebody will probably disagree but I've done both. There are some gotchas to discuss. We will do so when you're ready.

 

[RubyEclipse]

I wouldn't pull a motor for this. Timing is an in car job. As is cylinder head replacement. It's a ton more work to remove the motor. Somebody will probably disagree but I've done both. There are some gotchas to discuss. We will do so when you're ready.

Ok perfect, sounds good. Thank you so much!

 

[CKOPOCT]

I wouldn't pull a motor for this. Timing is an in car job. As is cylinder head replacement. It's a ton more work to remove the motor. Somebody will probably disagree but I've done both. There are some gotchas to discuss. We will do so when you're ready.

100% agree with Paul. Pulling the engine to replace the timing belt is like pulling the mattress off your bed to put the sheets on.

Doing a T-belt isn't a walk in the park, and as a novice it will be muoy helpful to have us at the ready to ask questions of. But you can absolutely do it yourself.

 

[RubyEclipse]

100% agree with Paul. Pulling the engine to replace the timing belt is like pulling the mattress off your bed to put the sheets on.

Doing a T-belt isn't a walk in the park, and as a novice it will be muoy helpful to have us at the ready to ask questions of. But you can absolutely do it yourself.

Awesome!! I’m glad to hear that, should I replace the belt while I’m at it? I feel like I should it’s got some wear on it, like a decent amount.

 

[99dsmer4g63]

Timing belt, tensioner, both pulleys, cam seals, both front case seals and water pump should all be done at that time.

And all the balance shaft related parts if they are intact.

-Daniel

 

[RubyEclipse]

Timing belt, tensioner, both pulleys, cam seals, both front case seals and water pump should all be done at that time.

And all the balance shaft related parts if they are intact.

-Daniel

Ok got it. Would this be good enough? Is this what I need? I have the water pump in the cart too.

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[CKOPOCT]

Gents - thoughts on replacing the tensioner(s)?