Spyder Bought my first DSM and am in quite a situation

[Bladed]

This is a long story and a lot of stuff happened so bare with me, I’m aware I’m kinda at fault for most of this, it’s my first DSM however I have some experience with them from family who owned multiple.

So I went out and bought a 97 GST Spyder with 160k miles, replaced belts, replaced seals, replaced water pump, new Konig backbones and good tires, small oil leak on the right side (seller suspected cross threaded bolt or loose bolt of some sort), a power drain somewhere (suspected something with the convertible so I switched top to manual mode), automatic but it shifted fine, 100% rust free even strut towers, and bone stock besides a 16g turbo. I drove it for about a hour at highway speeds and long story short, I rear ended my friend at maybe about 10mph (owe him a bumper and scuffed up mine but it was super scuffed before so I wasn’t too worried).

The car threw a few lights up but they went away immediately and the car continued to chug along and my friend was in a rush to get home, cut to about an hour later I noticed the low oil light going on and off inconsistently. I went to the nearest gas station since I was also low on gas and picked up a quart of full synthetic that the seller said he was using, I top off the oil use maybe half the quart and then eventually get going again.

Well cut to me driving on the highway, acceleration wasn’t being great so I gave I slowed down and then gave it a little gas and then shortly after car starting being a bit rough then there was pretty distinctly blueish maybe whiteish smoke coming from the exhaust. I immediately pulled over and shut off the car and the battery died while waiting for a tow since I was worried about the timing belt or bent valve stems. I don’t recall hearing any bad mechanical metal on metal type noises but the cabin was so insanely loud at highway speeds I'm not 100%. The tow driver asked to look at the engine bay and there was lots of oil kinda everywhere near but not touching the timing belts and turbo.

Later I take a look at stuff myself and I found a coolant line disconnected from the radiator, at this point I’m suspecting either turbo or headgasket issue primarily and planned on removing the exhaust manifold to see if the ports were wet and to take a closer look at the turbo itself. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to that part because my neighbor in a large truck backed into the driver side of the car leaving their driveway which messed up my hood, broke the headlight, and messed up the bumper some more.

I do not yet have insurance on the vehicle but was told by an officer that essentially my insurance company should help take care of me with getting it insured even after this. I haven’t yet seen if there’s any structural damage but the neighbor was just backing out of the driveway so I don’t think so, but in this situation I’m not sure what the good ending is as I still need to charge the battery and see if the car even runs. I’m worried that the cost of repair will likely cost more than the car so not sure how I should approach this. I will try discussing with my neighbor and seeing if they are maybe willing to pay for the parts out of pocket and I might just do the labor myself regardless of it being 100% their fault as I found a replacement headlight and hood in the same color however not a front bumper color in the same color.

I would love to see this car live mainly due to the rust free factor and it really did seem like a great project to fix up but not sure which angle to approach this at. Any guidance is appreciated, I’m aware that I was kinda extremely stupid about a lot of this as to be honest I was only really looking out for crankwalk and replaced timing belt, tensioner, 60/120k stuff.

I suspect the coolant line detached when I hit my friend and it overheated but I think it’s more something with the turbo then the headgasket. Any advice is appreciated and im aware It’ll likely be deemed totaled but if it is then I’ll maybe part out some interior pieces and keep the wheels and move on, just really don’t wanna see it go since it’s totally rust free. (I’ll try to add photos soon)

 

[Bladed]

Where are you located?

chicagoland area

 

[Dericsh]

chicagoland area

Oh ok, not near anyone I know that does part outs but I’ll keep an eye open for you.

 

[Bladed]

Oh ok, not near anyone I know that does part outs but I’ll keep an eye open for you.

Would it be expensive to get a OEM black hood shipped? Also what price on average are OEM front bumper covers? I see OEM hoods for anywhere between 40-150 and headlights usually like 40-50 give or take but bumpers I can’t find a solid price on, since I can’t find that many for sale.

I plan on going to my neighbor sometime this week and seeing if they can cover the cost in cash and then I can buy the parts once I find them for sale.

I think I’m also going to keep an eye out for a new T25 instead of the 16g since the current one could be blown (or I suspect seals but not sure what kind of turbo yet, so unsure about planning a rebuild). I want something more reliable in the meantime while I fix up a lot of stuff in the car.

How much can I expect to pay for a rebuilt or good condition T25 I can rebuild myself? And would it be difficult rebuilding the turbo myself? I have minimal tools to be honest just basic stuff but have lots of friends who will let me borrow from them.

 

[Dericsh]

Would it be expensive to get a oem black hood shipped? And also what price on average are oem front bumper covers? I see oem hoods for anywhere between 40-150 and headlights usually like 40-50 give or take but bumpers I can’t find a solid price Since I can’t find that many for sale. I plan on going to my neighbor sometime this week and seeing if they can cover the cost in cash and then I can buy the parts once I find them for sale.
I think I’m also going to keep an eye out for a new t25 instead of the 16g since the current one could be blown(or I suspect seals but not sure what kind of turbo yet so unsure about planning a rebuild) and I want something more reliable in the meantime while I fix up a lot of stuff in the car. How much can I expect to pay for a rebuilt or good condition t25 I can rebuild myself? And would it be difficult rebuilding the turbo myself? I have minimal tools to be honest just basic stuff but have lots of friends who will let me borrow from them.

Yes, shipping any large item is usually pretty expensive.

You’re getting way ahead of yourself, we don’t even know if the turbo is bad.

Check out car-part.com you can search for bumpers and other parts from yards near you. There’s another junk yard site called row52 also.

 

[Bladed]

Yes, shipping any large item is usually pretty expensive.

You’re getting way ahead of yourself, we don’t even know if the turbo is bad.

Check out car-part.com you can search for bumpers and other parts from yards near you. There’s another junk yard site called row52 also.

True but I’m pretty sure it’s a seal or something, I checked car-part.com and found a hood kinda far like 2 hours away but still the closest black eclipse hood to me and inquired about it now I’m waiting to hear back. I think the only way I’ll find a black bumper is if I get it shipped because I’m having a extremely hard time coming across any even remotely close to me. I haven’t checked row52 so I’ll give it a look

 

[Bladed]

Update: been doing constant research and plan on figuring everything out soon but with temperatures in the negatives this week and with having to work on the car in my driveway I figured I'd just wait a few days for the weather to get just a little better before I start wrenching on it. Also found out I can order a new painted oem front bumper cover on paintedoemparts dot com for about 800 after shipping if it comes down to it but I'm going to continue to look for a oem one off a parts car (for less fitment issues ideally). As for the hood I've seen a few listed but none were painted oem black or even reasonably close enough for me to pick up. Will also update profile and add some photos for reference soon just haven't had the chance lately.

I was also wrong about the coolant line being disconnected from the radiator as after doing research I came to the conclusion that it's just the coolant overflow hose hanging so now I'm a little less worried about a head gasket issue or any overheating but still generally uncertain although I could swear.

Will likely clean underside and some of engine bay with degreaser and a brush so I can maybe have an easier time finding any and all oil leaks. Also considering some sort of underside rust protection since i'm in the Midwest so if anyone knows of an solid fast solution (like a spray or something that can last just a few months) to get the car through this winter feel free to let me know. I plan on prepping and applying Por15 properly to the underside once my wallet and the car are in a half decent position to do so but with the current weather that's likely a spring/summer project. If I can locate the oil leak without needing to clean all the gunk I'll probably just try to attempt to fix the leak and leave most of the oil and dirt there for time being so at least there's some sort of protection against rust.

Also I'm unsure about trying to start the car or not and could use some opinions. I'm mainly worried about a blown turbo as the previous owner installed a 16g (haven't checked what quality) but the rest of the car is essentially completely stock with the timing belt (can confirm), timing belt tensioner, water pump, and supposedly all seals being replaced by the previous owner. I just don't want to risk any pieces of the turbo going through the intake or any of that if I try turning it over.

Would my best option be to drain the oil and check for shavings etc and fill it with fresh oil and coolant and try to get it to turn over and start or would it be better practice to remove the intake piping going to the turbo (never did this before so unsure of difficulty/time to be honest) and then physically inspect it to check for shaft play or anything. If its messed up then ill just go from there with either a rebuild depending on the quality of the current turbo or possibly buying a remanufactured oem t24 for reliability () sake since I don't plan on doing absolutely any power mods until I get literally everything else maintenance related sorted out. I don't intend on driving the car right now I just want to see if it can run and want to try and fully diagnose the issue before getting my neighbor to purchase any replacement exterior parts for it so any advice is appreciated.

 

[CKOPOCT]

No offense, but you seem to be all over the place... which is understandable. But take a deep breath and tackle this wisely and in priority order. You shouldn't worry about a hood, anti-rust undercoatings, or new turbos until you get your car in known, stable condition.

You've said you are strapped for cash... so the first thing you should do is check the integrity of the engine. Your plugs likely won't tell you anything of value because of how the car changed behavior. Do compression and leakdown tests to determine if you have an engine that will need attention. Also pull the charge pipe off and check the turbo as previously recommended. Fix known oil leaks. If you are concerned about coolant, do a cooling system pressure test.

Perform all the tests you are able to so you can get a baseline. These are free or almost free and the data will tell you where you'll need to put your money.

A rusty or chipped hood can be replaced at any time and won't affect the running of the car. A brand new and beautifully painted hood on a car with a dead engine is just an $800 paperweight.

 

[Bladed]

No offense, but you seem to be all over the place... which is understandable. But take a deep breath and tackle this wisely and in priority order. You shouldn't worry about a hood, anti-rust undercoatings, or new turbos until you get your car in known, stable condition.

You've said you are strapped for cash... so the first thing you should do is check the integrity of the engine. Your plugs likely won't tell you anything of value because of how the car changed behavior. Do compression and leakdown tests to determine if you have an engine that will need attention. Also pull the charge pipe off and check the turbo as previously recommended. Fix known oil leaks. If you are concerned about coolant, do a cooling system pressure test.

Perform all the tests you are able to so you can get a baseline. These are free or almost free and the data will tell you where you'll need to put your money.

A rusty or chipped hood can be replaced at any time and won't affect the running of the car. A brand new and beautifully painted hood on a car with a dead engine is just an $800 paperweight.

Will be draining the oil and checking the turbo for shaft play and anything else today, can I do a compression and leakdown test safely even if my turbo is blown?

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Yes, they are only tests for the engine components.

 

[dwb]

Will be draining the oil and checking the turbo for shaft play and anything else today, can I do a compression and leakdown test safely even if my turbo is blown?

Get your oiling issue(s) figured out first and foremost then you should be safe to do your compression/leakdown tests. The turbo's condition won't matter for those tests. Would be wise to inspect the old oil/oil filter for shiny particles to determine if the engine was damaged.

As far as the turbo, just pull the intake snorkel and you will know right away by inspecting the compressor wheel. You're looking for damage to the wheel, loose debris, or the wheel rubbing the housing from excessive shaft play. Super easy to do.

Focus on getting the engine running, maintenance, maintenance, maintenance, then worry about turbos etc. Finally you can focus on appearance. It would suck to spend a bunch on turbos, paint, and body work only to find major issues with the engine.

 

[Bladed]

Get your oiling issue(s) figured out first and foremost then you should be safe to do your compression/leakdown tests. The turbo's condition won't matter for those tests. Would be wise to inspect the old oil/oil filter for shiny parts to determine if the engine was damaged.

As far as the turbo, just pull the intake snorkel and you will know right away by inspecting the compressor wheel. You're looking for damage to the wheel, loose debris, or the wheel rubbing the housing from excessive shaft play. Super easy to do.

Focus on getting the engine running, maintenance, maintenance, maintenance, then worry about turbos etc. Finally you can focus on appearance. It would suck to spend a bunch on turbos, paint, and body work only to find major issues with the engine.

Oil drain plug was being stubborn but my neighbor let me borrow his impact so I’ll be able to get it tomorrow, oil almost everywhere on the underside but I was able to get a picture of the turbo and the oil filter area where I believe the original small leak was.

Also discovered after looking closely that my original dipstick broke off and is stuck so I’ll need some skinny pliers to fish it out and I have a new oem dipstick I ordered on the way. The weather also got a lot better and should be above freezing until next week so I’ll probably clean up the underside with some degreaser and my pressure washer so I can locate the leak.

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[dwb]

What's this? Looks like a loose banjo fitting.
Also what is the black hose connected to?

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[Bladed]

What's this? Looks like a loose banjo fitting.
Also what is the black hose connected to?

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no idea about either but ill try and make sure the bolts in correctly and ill figure out about the hose tomorrow.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

What's this? Looks like a loose banjo fitting.
Also what is the black hose connected to?

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Thats just the stock flex area of the stock turbo drain but it does need some attention to make sure it is tight to the bottom of the turbo.

 

[dwb]

Thats just the stock flex area of the stock turbo drain but it does need some attention to make sure it is tight to the bottom of the turbo.

Not the oil return. It's up higher and behind the turbo. Need to zoom in on the pic to see it good. To me it looks like the turbo oil feed just hanging loose.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Ok I see "something" now and it does appear to be round. My old eyes didn't catch that but maybe all of the mess around it was hiding it from me.
OP, clean up behind the turbo and see what you have hanging behind it, it looks very sus.
Good Spot @dwb !

 

[dwb]

Here, let me help out those old eyes

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[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Its BLACK AND WET to my eyes

 

[Bladed]

Its BLACK AND WET to my eyes

Attached some better images of that area, drained the oil today no metal shavings or anything even after going through it with a magnet, should my next step be inspecting the turbo? Which pipes do I need to remove exactly to be able to check the turbo for shaft play? Or should my next step be a compression test

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[pauleyman]

Back to your original post....
You had an oil light come on? You're sure? Was it low on oil by a lot? The car does not have an oil level light. It does have an oil pressure light.
Tell us what happened.

 

[Bladed]

Back to your original post....
You had an oil light come on? You're sure? Was it low on oil by a lot? The car does not have an oil level light. It does have an oil pressure light.
Tell us what happened.

The car wasn’t that low on oil it still had a few quarts in it maybe 3 or more when I drained it. The oil pressure light came on for a bit but I pulled over to get gas and also topped off the oil and waited for the oil pressure to rise a bit until the light went off and that’s when I started driving again. I topped it off with speedway full synthetic 5w-30 since it was all I could get but the oil pressure was generally a bit low if I remember correctly.

 

[Mech Addict]

First if all, that’s some very poor luck. I sympathize completely that you’re in this situation.
But now some reality:
If you’re strapped for money to the point you can’t float an extra oil change, sell the car now. No joke. These things take maintenance. Not crazy expensive, but it adds up.
You should check yours (parents?) and your neighbors homeowners insurance, as they may cover such incidents. No fender bending? Just bumper/lights/hood?
You need to be methodical and follow the advise the members are providing you. Don’t worry about cosmetics until you’re running soundly. Don’t buy a turbo unless you know it’s faulty and the engine internals are good. I suggest you use a 1/2 ratchet on the crank pulley bolt and turn the engine clockwise a few rotations before you try to start it. Make sure nothing metallic is binding. You could even take the plugs out to feel it better.
You can remove the whole dipstick tube to get the old broken one out. Get that fixed, change the oil, and try to start it up.
Post updates on the progress, and give a day to see what the wisemen respond.
Good luck,

 

[Bladed]

First if all, that’s some very poor luck. I sympathize completely that you’re in this situation.
But now some reality:
If you’re strapped for money to the point you can’t float an extra oil change, sell the car now. No joke. These things take maintenance. Not crazy expensive, but it adds up.
You should check yours (parents?) and your neighbors homeowners insurance, as they may cover such incidents. No fender bending? Just bumper/lights/hood?
You need to be methodical and follow the advise the members are providing you. Don’t worry about cosmetics until you’re running soundly. Don’t buy a turbo unless you know it’s faulty and the engine internals are good. I suggest you use a 1/2 ratchet on the crank pulley bolt and turn the engine clockwise a few rotations before you try to start it. Make sure nothing metallic is binding. You could even take the plugs out to feel it better.
You can remove the whole dipstick tube to get the old broken one out. Get that fixed, change the oil, and try to start it up.
Post updates on the progress, and give a day to see what the wisemen respond.
Good luck,

I’m a little tight on cash right now but I don’t need the car as a primary source of transportation and I have plenty of time to acquire parts if needed but I should be fine for oil and stuff like that.
The damage is just bumper headlight and hood. The car that backed into was a kinda tall truck and it kinda like got on top of the hood of my car and broke the headlight in the process, I’ll attach a video of the damage but the body panel gaps are still even by the fenders and the fenders look fine. Even the hood looks like it could maybe be repaired but I’m not sure.
I’ll try turning the crankshaft but afterwards should should I try starting the car without checking the turbo or is that not a great idea?

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[Mech Addict]

Starting and idling should not put stress on the turbo, and if there is a turbo issue that bad, you’ll be replacing it anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to do as others suggested and simply pull the intake snorkel and inspect the impeller. Just button it back up before trying to start it.

 

[Mech Addict]

Damage definitely looks repairable. I have a 1g, so not familiar with 2g parts availability and price. Unless this was partially caused by you parking in some unusual location, or other compounding factor, your neighbor should make it whole again, no question. It should be his (her?) insurance that covers it, not on you. Although you should still investigate the homeowners policies. We upgraded to an umbrella coverage at my house because it was only slightly more annual premium, and it covers some kinds of liability even away from home.