I finally reinstalled the transmission on my 1990 TII, after I removed it to tighten the flywheel down (oil was seeping from the rear main seal and flywheel), and I attached all the ancillaries that I removed in order to remove the transmission. So I decided to start the car up for ***** and giggles, even though there isn't an exhaust installed and the driveshaft is missing.

The car started up on the first try. Great. There was also a TON of smoke which I attribute to the liberal use of Vaseline and motor oil when I put the motor together. However, what worries me is that when I looked into the engine bay, there was a good amount of BLACK oil splattered all over the firewall and dripping from the turbo outlet. I'd say there was about a 3x3 inch spot of oil on the ground along with the oil on the firewall. Now, remember, this car hasn't been driven in almost two years, and that turbo hasn't spun in that time as well. Could the turbo possibly have "died" in that time? Or is this something I should expect for a rebuilt engine that's been started for the first time?

I know some of you have started your engines without an exhaust or catalytic converter in place. Did this happen to you, or should I brace for the worst and expect to rebuild my turbo, or god forbid, rebuild the engine again due to faulty oil seals. The oil seals and springs are Mazda Comp Race Spec and are brand new.

If anyone has any ideas on what to check, let me hear them. I'm going to install the DP tomorrow and finish bolting stuff on, and then take the car for a spin around the block. Hopefully, the problem will clear away, but I'm 50/50 that it won't.

 

You said you just built the engine? Probably the assembly lube and such being burnt off and ejected through the exhaust.

 

Yeah, I built the engine back at the end of August, but I was unable to finish putting everything back together until recently.

Also, the engine sounded healthy and pulled a nice vacuum. Let's hope it holds up, and let's hope that you're right.

 

How much play is in the exhaust turbine? You could always pull the turbo apart and check...