When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So here goes fellas. I just rebuilt my engine and went single turbo and ported it. All was fine I put over 1500Km on her and had no issues, i recently got it tuned and got 380hp to the wheels at 12psi. So i took her out on the toll road to do some pulls and 30km later i have this terrible misfire and shaking thru out the whole car. Then all of a sudden it stops all is fine again no misfire no shaking. As I'm driving home i still get around 1bar of boost but she idles like ****. I got home put it on jack stands and did a compression test, results where not good less then 30psi front and back, weird thing is i turned it over without the bottom plugs and still get that 3 pulse sound like nothings wrong could this be a side seal? So with this data i assume my apex seals said F you. My question is how likely is it that they destroyed my new GT35R turbo when i shut down the turbo seemed fine no weird noises no oil no smoke and she spooled down just fine. Also 1-100 what are the chances i save the housing? lol I've heard people say they are trash and I've seen people rebuild by just replacing the seals.
Side note. now that I'm thinking and did some more research could i have just separated a iron or something? The reason I'm looking at this is because what are the chances i blow the apex seals and i get the exact same compression results front and back? Also when i crank it i still get the 3 pulses and it sounds normal like its sealing, lastly there is a puddle of oil under the car and it seems to be coming from above the spark plugs somewhere, a GAP perhaps?
To answer your questions.......I'm assuming stock OEM apex seals. You tuned the car yourself? That's not a ton of boost for pump gas, what octane are you guys running over there?
Your irons did not seperate, unless you're running like 10 tension bolts anyway. You probably chipped a seal or two which damaged all three apex seals in some capacity leading to partial sealing. The oil leak is most likely a separate issue, I recommend getting a bright flashlight and looking around.
Ok sorry guys been busy for a few weeks but tomorrow is the day ill be pulling this and figuring out exactly is wrong. GoodfelaFD3S the seals are RA super seals i did a break in of 1700km before having it tuned at a shop here locally in Japan pump gas out here is around 98-100 oct. Thanks for the input tho I'm really hoping the seal didn't give I'm 20k (total car) into this build and running outta money fast haha. Ill post tomorrow once i pull the engine and turbo manifold off see if i can see and cracks in the seals before i tear it down
98 RON equals 93 AKI US rating, so you're basically running the equivalent of USA premium fuel, maybe a bit higher. But more than enough for 12 psi.
The failure mode of RA Super Seals is to bend, not break. They'll 'banana,' so warp from end to end. Were you monitoring AFRs while wide open throttle? Curious if the tune caused you an issue.
Last edited by GoodfellaFD3S; 01-08-17 at 10:11 PM.
i have a feeling you just improperly ran the compression test and did it like Kevin Landers does them with your finger on the release valve, which will give low numbers normally.
does your boost gauge flutter in vacuum?
i wouldn't push the car until you at least run some diagnostics, if you have a injector issue you could do damage where there was none.
with 30 psi you wouldn't get the engine running again and you would barely hear any pulses even turning it by hand. why everyone missed that, i don't know.
Last edited by RotaryEvolution; 01-08-17 at 10:15 PM.
Alright so here we go! I took the engine out and checked thru the exhaust ports for any visible damage of a broken seal or something that would cause this, what i found was about 2-3tbl spoons of oil sitting at the bottom of each rotor housing. There was no signs of broken seals or anything like that, i started tearing down the engine. In the rear housing everything was fine, once i got to the middle iron i saw milky white oil in the oil neck, got down to the front rotor housing still nothing crazy all seals where in place. Once the E Shaft was out is when i found the bent/broken thrust washer this is the washer right under the front counter weight. This is the only part that i have found bad in the engine. Im assuming this caused the shaking in the car one this all started and maybe separated the irons somewhere or threw off the oil control rings causing the oil leak, as for the compression I think you guys are right and my tester is just crap or something, anyway i just ordered a new thrust washer, bearing, oil control springs and new water jacket seals hoping all this will sort out this whole mess and i can get to driving. Anyone have any other thoughts on this issue? I have no idea how this happened but then again this was my first ever rotary build, maybe i made a common noob mistake somewhere?
I think you made a noob mistake when reassembling your engine. When you are putting all that stuff back in the front, counterweight, thrust washers, bearings, the engine should be vertical on the stand and not horizontal. You put everything to together and measure in and out shaft play. It has to be within spec or you will need to put in the appropriate sized spacer. Usually you can reuse the same spacer unless you change main bearings out or other main engine components. If I had to guess, that Torrington bearing slipped out of place during reassembly and you crushed it. Poor little thing operated as long as it could before it died its painful death. Not sure what kind of damage you caused but it is most likely minimal. All that oil in your housings doesn't mean you damaged any oil control rings or springs and those springs cost a butt load. I'd be more concerned that your stationary gear bearings or your rotor bearings might have incurred some damage. You have to inspect everything. measure everything, and follow the FSM to a tee when rebuilding. Failure to do so results in costly learned lessons.
How did you build your engine
Stand , pallet , jug , coffee mug....?
I can see it falling if it's not fully vertical as stated before....
Other things that you wrote that made me
You said you found the Torrington/thrust bearing after you remove the E-Shaft....
To me that sound wrong...
When assembling the engine the front cover **** goes last.
So as matter of fact,when disassembling it should be first.
And not after you remove the rear iron,r-rotor , r-housing, c-irons, f-rotor,f-housing.
I wonder what's that milky white oil is by the filler neck...where do I see that kinda symptoms...
i think the noob mistake was in tearing the engine apart, not anything assembly related. that bearing would have been blued and needle bearings destroyed, it also would be more flat if it actually was running on that bearing.
it's pretty obvious it was destroyed during disassembly.
issue is, you may not have even had so much an engine issue, but the oil accumulation probably is hopefully something you will remedy. if the irons were lapped then it's rather common to have oil seepage internally until the irons smooth out to a mirror finish again.
Yeah that makes sense now i could see it slipping during reassembly. I Used a engine stand while rebuilding but i do not remember if i had it vertical when i put all the stuff on in the front. As for the milky white oil i know that happens when coolant and oil mix but when i drained the coolant and oil there was no signs of it anywhere else but that filler neck even when i broke down the engine i didn't see any other signs.
12-26-16, 12:29 PM
when i shut down the turbo seemed fine no weird noises no oil no smoke and she spooled down just fine. Also 1-100 what are the chances i save the housing? lol I've heard people say they are trash and I've seen people rebuild by just replacing the seals.
