Turbo Rebuild - Outsource or Use a Kit?

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M

Mide

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2008
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This evening was definitely the most frustrating "work on car" session to date. It was practically impossible for me to find a way to remove this b-pipe. 4 hours later I failed and called it quits. Researching some it seems like you totally need lift to pull this off. Sigh. I'll just leave it hanging there while I continue trying to get the catalytic converter off...
 
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J

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
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It's like one of those 3D 'take this apart' puzzles. It takes a seasoned touch to get the b-pipe out, but it can be done without dropping the sub-frame.

Where are you located? Are there any MR2 people near you?
 
M

Mide

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2008
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Oh most definitely like a 3d puzzle. I was suspending the part and slowly rotating it around. I got close but then I realized that I would still need around 6-12 more inches pull it off and that I had maxed my floor jack. I'm in Reno NV so it's the land of trucks and subies. I rarely see an MR2 driving around
 
J

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
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Mide said:
Oh most definitely like a 3d puzzle. I was suspending the part and slowly rotating it around. I got close but then I realized that I would still need around 6-12 more inches pull it off and that I had maxed my floor jack. I'm in Reno NV so it's the land of trucks and subies. I rarely see an MR2 driving around
Click to expand...

Hrm... I might know a guy...
 
M

Mide

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2008
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Cool hit me up if you're in town and want to view what slow progress looks like :)
 
M

Mide

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2008
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OK more progress and more questions. Good thing is that after buying some u-joints I was able to get the heat shield from the catalytic converter loosened so that I could remove one last bolt that was giving me a hard time. Now the turtle-looking catalytic converter is off. I had wanted to remove the "side" of the exhaust leading to the turbo, but the oil cooler got in the way.

As seen from these pictures it looks like a lot of oil came from the oil cooler area and I believe it to be the main source of the oil leaks. My guess is that if I were to replace all of the gaskets in that area, it might solve my issue. If that part was leaking like crazy would it have traveled all the way to the turbo side of the engine area?

cooler.jpg


Additionally I checked out all of the pipes going to and from the turbo and I don't think the main 2 suspected areas (turbo banjo bolt and long pipe leading from turbo down to oil pan) is leaking...so if I may try to just concentrate on the oil cooler and put everything back together and see...

banjo.jpg


But I noticed a the next problem. In order to get the cooler off I am running into problems with this hose. I have not drained the coolant but if I need to I will. I am thinking...can I get away with just removing the thermostat housing next to this tube and be able to access the clamp or will I need to tackle the AC compressor that is located under? I really don't want to deal with moving the AC compressor since it is a process that is not well documented online anywhere. The BGB does give instructions but it seems like nobody has taken any pics of it so thus I'm a bit wary of messing with AC pipes and "suspending and supposedly heavy object".

pipe.jpg


Last thing I found was this pic. So I knew that the flywheel was exposed and all but I didn't know that there was another sprocket item that was sticking out. Anyone know what it does? I can move it around 1cm in each direction but that's it. I looked at the exploded diagram of the E153 transmission and can't seem to find the part that is missing. I have a feeling that the clutch was replaced at one time and someone didn't do a good job putting things back together.

e153.jpg
 
J

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
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Looks like you're missing the whole flywheel cover.

It looks like it'd be a good idea to replace all the gaskets in and around the oil/coolant intercooler.
 
FuzzyDunlop

FuzzyDunlop

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2008
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Mide said:
So is the starter missing a cover of some sort?
Click to expand...

Should have a cover that looks like this
DSC00139.jpg


And I concur that it looks like someone had done a clutch replacement and neglected to put that cover back.
 
M

Mide

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2008
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Ah yes, that looks right. I'll look and see if there is a cover in the diagrams for parts.
Some areas of the back of that engine look similar to mine with regards to old oil and "crud", was there a leak back there?
 
FuzzyDunlop

FuzzyDunlop

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Jan 30, 2008
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I have constant slow leaking. Still chasing it. Its slow, so I dont worry too much. Im going to try putting Baby powder on areas of my engine to maybe trace where its coming from.
 
M

Mide

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2008
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Indeed. That corner of my engine is also damp. Will see how much actually is leaking after I put everything back together after the oil cooler gasket replacements
 
M

Mide

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2008
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Hey Fuzzy, thanks for the heads up. Yeah I'll be passing on this until my large toyota order for gaskets and o-rings come in next week. The plan is to put everything back together, and see how much oil is still leaking. I am "hoping" that my turbo is still OK since I never had any smoke or boost problems. But I'm sure I could be wrong...
 
M

Mide

Golden Member
Mar 27, 2008
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OK got the valve cover off and got a few more questions:

cold_start.jpg


1) This is the cold start injector after the throttle body is taken off. Lots-o dried oil in there. What does this cold start injector do and I'm just planning on taking throttle body cleaner and cleaning up that rod and try to wipe off any oil that my rag can get to. Anything more I can do without removing the intake manifold?

cams.jpg


2) Top circle. This hole connects to the EGR and there is a lot of carbon buildup here. Other than shoving a pick in there and scraping out what I can, is there some other way? Bad thing is that it is a downward slope so gravity will just take the stuff downwards to a location I don't know...

3) Middle circle. WTF is all this? So this is the center area where there is a spacer and 2 screws that go through the valve cover into this camshaft area. It was mud-like from what I could tell. I am guessing that the spacer had issues, dirt got in, mixed with water or oil and formed the muddy goo.

4) Bottom circle. You may not be able to see if, but there is some pitting in this area. Note that the car sat there for 9 years so anything could've happened inside this engine...but yeah at this point I don't think I can do anything about it right? Just clean up and proceed?

valve_cover.jpg


6) So the valve cover itself. These 2 nobs are covered in a thick layer of goo. Weird thing is that the goo can be removed in whole pieces. Kinda like when you were a kid and covered your hands with Elmer's glue and you could remove it in one piece. I am wondering if there was some gasket material or something that needs to be put back on when I put everything back together or is this just build-up that can be cleaned normally?

7) So last question is my plan for this area. I'm planning on just brake-cleaning the hell out of everything inside of the cam shaft area, using solvents and brake cleaner to clean up the valve cover, put FPIG in the areas that the BGB say to put, put on new external and internal gaskets, and put this thing back together. I will probably go to the store and try to pick up some hex bolts instead of the phillips head nuts that come with the engine. Am I missing anything with this area?
 
J

JCH13

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2010
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1) Try carb cleaner and/or alcohol with a spiral wire brush. You can get them in brass, stainless, nylon, etc.

Wire%20spiral%20brush.jpg


2) Again, spiral wire brush, but with a drill. If you run the drill in reverse (depending on the twist of the wire brush you have) the brush will draw all the shit out, instead of letting it fall in further.

This is also fantastic for cleaning out threads.

3) I think that's part of the PCV system. Clean it out and call it good, it's likely just residue from blow-by in the crank case.

4) If it's not on a sealing or bearing surface, clean it and call it good. Make sure nothing is ready to crumble and drop bits of metal into your engine. It could just be a minor casting defect.

5) THERE IS NOT NUMBER 5! SHIT!

6) No idea.

7) I wouldn't use brake cleaner. Some brake cleaners can damage some rubbers, be careful. I would try something like mineral spirits or seafoam and a scotch-brite pad. This has the side benefit that you won't get cancer and die from the fumes. Alternatively you could just reassemble everything, do a seafoam treatment or two on the engine right away, and call it good enough. I went so far as to run an ATF/Seafoam/Oil mixture through a used engine I installed in my Miata. That definitely cleaned out a lot of shit without much effort.

Any time you do a bunch of de-crudding in an engine like this be sure to change the oil and filter not too long after you're done. You don't want any residual goop running around your engine for very long.
 
FuzzyDunlop

FuzzyDunlop

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2008
3,260
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81
Everything JCH said and...

1.The cold start injector works the same way a ‘choke’ on a lawnmower does. It just adds a little fuel while the engine is cranking in order to help get it started. If your car is ever hard to start, this is one of the systems that may be the culprit.

2. I don't have this hole. Must be part of EGR sytem. JDM engines didn't have EGR’s.

3. just oil/dirt/crud built up over time. Most likely due to a cracked center gasket as you said.

4. Pitting Shouldn’t be a problem here. No gasket sits there. I can see pitting all along those edges.

5/6. IIRC there was a small amount of gasket around the top of those nobs. buuuut, this might be a question to post on the MR2 forums.

7. Throttlebody cleaner. Get the stuff that’s safe for sensors. Get these. Just don't over tighten.


Seafoam instructions from Texas_Ace at MR2OC
It will clean a lot of that crud out.
 
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