Esprit Turbo project car - part3 - the further continuation

[LOTUSMAN33]

How has the S1 paintwork held up with that process Neil used? Thinking of using him on the Turbo if good.

You can't beat owning a decent DTI with mag base for your man cave!

Not sure with fuel pressure gauges as don't own one yet but good question.

Dave  

 

[Lotusfab]

Had a 20 year plus paint specialist check over my S1 and repair a can't rail crack and burn damage on my lower valance. He looked over the paint and said it was a very good job! High praise indeed for someone who sprays Astons for a living! So Neil could be the man! If he was closer I would get him to do mine. Maybe a job lot on two copper turbos?

There could be a run on Bond paint!

[Lotusfab]

Have had a chance to look into the wastegate operation. Seems simple. Remove the wastegate( tricky bit!), put upto 8 psi into the cartridge using a pump and a meter on a T piece. Observe the valve move. The max boost pressure is 8 psi, so if it doesn't move before this its knackered! This is the sort of waste gate I have. Just popping out to take mine apart!

Oh, might as well take the turbo off while I'm there!

[Lotusfab]

Et Volla, well almost if Lotus hadn't made a nut that is only remove able with a saw off spanner! The turbos off. There was no oil in the upper part of the oil line, although you might expect it to drain back to the sump. The turbo bearings rotate well. The turbines are dirty although it looks like someone may have worked on it. Will have to take apart and confirm! The wastegate is still on ran out of time due an impossible nut! Here's pics for anyone who attempts this in the future. Really I want to rebuild the whole thing!

[Lotusfab]

Well after a day looking at the manual I can't seem to find anything about the turbo? I have a paper copy coming so ths will be easier to read. Thank goodness for Google. A lot about wastegates and turbos on there. My wastegate test plan is above. Have ordered a Sealy pressure guage for the wastegate tests and fuel pressure setting. Now just have to get the bolt off! 

Boost Guage

can't find anything in the manual. May have to take the binaccle apart and see how the boost guage works. If it's a pressure line will be able to test it. Can't believe it's not in the manual. Maybe the electronic copy is incomplete?

[Lotusfab]

Gear linkage

just remembered I stumbled across the gear linkage system in the manual. There's a whole section on how to set it up and adjust it so it works correctly, taking all the guess work out! Will post some of it here if anyone is interested?

[910Esprit]

Boost gauge is mechanical - the pressure pipe is tapped from the front of the plenum.    That turbo has definitely been replaced/worked upon recently.  On my original, the turbine bolts were were corroded into what looked liked rivets.   If yours has zero axial play and upto maybe 10 thou radial its likely to be fine. 

I would suggest a pressure gauge that can cope with fuel and can read 20psi  (need to allow for circa 5psi ambient fuel pressure plus circa 8psi boost)          

[Lotusfab]

Thanks. Will locate  the pipe and test the boost guage. Reporting on the other things when I have got round to it. The turbo does look like it has had work and came off very easily. My only concern with it is there is no oil leaking within it. So will have to investigate further.

[Lotusfab]

Tool Kit

Can anyone confirm what tool kit the 82 turbo had? Pictures please! 

[ChrisJ]

Here you go - includes the wheel brace and jack as they go together.

 

[Lotusfab]

Thanks Chris, perfect. So I need a tool roll style tool kit.

[ChrisJ]

Yes, and those are all the original tools as well.

[Lotusfab]

Well done, the seller kept my set!????

dont suppose when your really bored you could photograph each tool?

Well my Esprit turbo is making its way slowly from my shed to my garage! It's very nostalgic lying in the freezing cold on my back, angle grinding Spanners into two to get bits off. Reminds me of being 17 all over again, except I now can afford parts and have better tools! ????

The wastegate is off. It appears to have a new membrane fitted and it's not seized???. However plan to test it and refurbish. The valve seat is another story. It will need sorting! After a closer examination of the turbo my professional opinion is its F...d! There is play in the shaft and I suspect it's leaking oil as a result which cause the smoke when I last ran the engine. The good news is the engine does appear to have been rebuilt. All the studs on the manifold are new, as are all the gaskets. Probably why it came apart easily. Think the turbo will have to be done by the professionals as the nut on the turbine is oval! I will never be able to balance this arrangement! 

You can't see it ver easily in the picture, but the valve seat has chips. For the boost function to be perfect it needs to be sorted.

[Lotusfab]

Mmm. Do some of them have a seat that presses in? Can't tell till I clean it up.

[910Esprit]

Buddsy is right TADTS.   The seat is not replaceable, its just part of the casting.   Based on the amount of recent work its clearly had in this area - If it were mine, I'd assume the turbo innocent until proved guilty!.   

That toolset is also consistent with my 84 model

Edited November 2, 2016 by 910Esprit

[Lotusfab]

My heads hurting! Have had a think about it! If the valve doesn't seal correctly some of the exhaust gas will leak reducing turbine rpm. The boost pressure with be reduced slightly for a given engine rpm. As the engine rpm increases further the turbine speed will increase and the wastegate will open. End result wastegate fully open at same boost pressure, but at a higher engine rpm. Probably a slight loss of efficiency and probably of no consequence as I'm not racing it. Think my turbo is leaking oil  internally which caused smoke. Saw Johns old thread, seems exactly what I have. Have been thinking in physics terms about the turbo balance. May have changed my mind again about it! If the shaft, compressor and turbine have not changed a new symmetrical nut may have little effect on the turbine balance. Why? The centrifugal force generated at the centre of the shaft is much less than that at the outer part of the turbo, where rotational speeds and centrifugal force are much higher. Provided Nothing has changed component wise the nut may have little practical effect. The only way to find out is to rebuild it without balancing and see. From the Internet it appears many people have rebuilt the T3 turbo successfully without balancing. Ps my wife has just seen this and says I'm a boring f....k!

[910Esprit]

Ahh but if the symmetrical nut is the counter balance to a symetrically imbalanced turbine? ;-)

Onto your other thought, above a certain threshold the engine will be capable of producing significantly more than 8psi - this must always be dumped, so there will be no loss of maximum performance, however, I do agree that below 8psi, its probably undesireable for boost to leak..   

[Lotusfab]

Agreed ref, boost etc. I have decided, I will take the turbo apart and rebuild it. If it doesn't work perfectly afterwards I'll send it away. ????

[LOTUSMAN33]

I am with Fabian on this and would be tempted to try the rebuild, I would get the seat re-cut though to make perfect. Any good machine shop could do that with ease.

I rebuilt a T2 Turbo okay once on a car with no value, it worked fine but sold it so never knew any long term effect.

Dave  

[Lotusfab]

Has anyone found a uk supplier of genuine Garrett parts? If not I will call Garrett and trace a list of suppliers.

[ChrisJ]

@Lotusfab Here are the tools Fabian

In the roll

 

Individual tools follow

 

 

[ChrisJ]

Individual Tools as promised. Most are King Dick.

 

Wording is: 9106316 ^ 81 KING DICK

EDIT TO ADD 02 JUNE 2020

Discovered I'd missed a tool.

 

Also it is a 3/8" drive

 

 

 

 

[LOTUSMAN33]

Chris

The extension bar won't be original as the little arrow means MOD property. Not an issue as loads of MOD tools are sold off each year but doubt Lotus would have put them in new cars. May have been added or swapped out at some time over the years. 

Dave  

[ChrisJ]

I've had the car since 1987 - and I haven't replaced it. This is the first time I've had them out of the roll that I can remember since I bought the car  

It is a King Dick as well - all bar the Screwdriver are King Dicks.

I'd never heard of them, but see that they are still going strong.

 

 

[LOTUSMAN33]

They are great quality heavy duty spanners hence why used by the MOD, all period as well. At least we know what to get, I have them but all from the wrong year so will hunt some 80/81 items down. I have a MOD surplus shop nearby so will pop in when time permits.

Thanks for sharing Chris, I know Fabian will be on the case now also.

Dave