Techspy

Quick update. Seems it was taking longer than usual for all oil etc to burn off the manifold. The next morning I found oil on the garage floor. Turns out the replacement O rings for the cam tower bolt covers from JAE are not the right size. They are too small and the covers bottom out without any compression of the O ring. I changed them with the old set and it took care of the issue.

Back together and test drive complete. Clean exhaust, lots of power and sounds even smoother than before (I think one of my valve adjustments wasn't exactly right from last time). Now to let her cool down, drain the water and put proper coolant in, wire up the audio amp and worst of all, clean the garage Thanks for all the help/input guys. Didn't think I would have it done for Cars and Cappuccino Sunday!

I have seen varied numbers but no real consensus on the blue belt. I know that 90 is too low (slipped a tooth) and 140 is too high (whined). I settled on 130 last time and seemed to have the right amount of twist (approx 90).

Thanks. I think I will run it as is. I checked with a turbo rebuilder and they suggested the same. At least if any shards come off it will only possibly contact the exhaust turbine and go out the exhaust.

Well crap. Spare has a crack in the same area. Seems this is a weak point? Anyone else inspected that area? Is this weldable?

I pulled apart my WCE turbo to replace the seals etc and found this crack. I imagine it has been there awhile. With the heat cycles this thing goes through I just don't know if it is acceptable or not. I have a spare OEM turbo and I have the exhaust bolts soaking in penetrating oil so I can pull it apart to see if it is in good shape. Otherwise what are the thoughts on running this one or having it welded? Thanks

Thanks. Yep, I got the latest lube with my parts so good to go there. Timing belt tensioned. Used 130hz like last time. Just waiting on my turbo parts now but discovered a small crack in the turbo exhaust housing. Will post in a new thread.

Thanks. Done. It just seems wrong putting that much torque on something that size. Re-assembly to continue. Waiting on rebuild parts for the turbo s well.

Ok so JAE sent me the angle method with the gasket even though they knew I was using the ARP studs. Do I use the 110lb per nut as recommended by ARP or the angle method as recommended by Goetze? I have found discussions about this but no definitive answer. I am guessing due to the different thread pitch, the arp method is correct. Thanks!

All valves adjusted (4 total were slightly out of spec but are good now). Belts installed (PITA). New tensioner bearing installed (definitely needed it) Thermostat replaced. And NIP checked. From back to front 0.00, 0.00 : +0.01 , -001 : -0.01, 0 : 0.00,0.00 so according to the manual all good. Cleaning head and block surfaces and installing head next. Still a bit perplexed being the gasket failure location is not ridiculously evident. For clarity it is probably more accurate to describe the coolant as "smokey" as opposed to oily. Like exhaust gas was in it. When I removed the coolant cap after returning home it has lots of small bubbles in it that lasted quite awhile and smelled "oily/gassy". Anyway, once I am at the point to reinstall the turbo I will pull it apart to see if any seals etc are obviously bad. I still have my stock turbo that was in good condition I can install for awhile if needed. Any other advice on failure places I am all ears.

Thanks!

Is this a Goetze gasket? Being it is unmarked, want to make sure. Still trying to decide what else I should check. Thinking of pulling the turbo apart to check all seals (WCE turbo) Anyway, checked valve clearances on intake and re-shimmed 2 of them to get back in spec. Doing exhaust today, measuring nip and may get the head back on.

Thanks Guys. A bit of an update. I do not recall the nip measurements from last time. I will measure and report back. I confirmed that JAE did ship me the Goetze THIS time but said they didn't last time and that they don't believe they even stocked it in 2018. Not sure what happened here. I vaguely recall having a discussion on it but don't recall the outcome. Suffice to say this is whatever OEM replacement they sold in 2018. They are providing the proper arp stud lube with the proper torque settings as well this time. A bit more on the symptoms. Driving along after a 3rd gear WOT pull (nothing crazy or near reline etc). Few minutes later under moderate load it started to stumble badly. Immediately turned around and went home. Total drive time about 20min. Pulled the plugs and they were pretty sad so got a new set, installed went for a ride. Seemed ok at first but as it warmed up (like 5 min later) had white smoke/vapor under any decent throttle with the stumble. Went home, pulled coolant cap and the water was full of oil. No milky substance to note in oil. Same symptoms I had previously without overheating but attribute that to very short drives when I noticed the issue. Anyway, if it isn't the head gasket I am at a loss. Turbo seals blown out? I have the chargecooler blanking plug and running an electric pump. Possibly a bad water or oil pump? I suppose I will pull both to check. More picts of the gasket, pistons, and head. I Figured combustion escaped between the head and gasket where the discoloration is (red arrows in pict). I looks like there is a trail right to the coolant journals. Nice indentation from the liner nip on the other side that doesn't seem to be breached at all.

Tear down complete, parts will be here in 3 days. Doing all belts, timing belt tensioner bearing, thermostat, plug wires etc. Anyway, looking at the gasket it was definitely not as bad as last time. Perhaps because I identified the issue immediately and took it off the road. I did notice that the head bolts (nuts actually) around the left 2 cylinders in the pict were not as tight when I removed them. I know I torqued them all the same last time. Not sure the cause but will be sure to pay extra attention this time. I may have the head checked for flatness as well. Any thoughts? Oh one other questions. Seems the crank rotated a bit removing the belts so it isn't at TDC now. I have hear horror stories about the liners coming undone rotating the crank with the head removed. I assume I can use a couple cross members held down by the studs to allow me to rotate it back to TDC or just wait until I put the head back on and before the cam towers etc. Any advice either way?

Well, with the stock boost gauge it is tough to tell the exact boost pressure so not certain. However, I found this while disassembling. Seems the "Non-Return Valve, crankcase breather hose" has come apart. Not sure what the consequences of that is but I imagine it could screw with the fuel pressure or boost. Also found one of the spark plug wires has been damaged. Ordering parts tomorrow and then pulling the cam towers and head.