ok here we go i got a 87 turbo II with a possible locked up turbo. i know it gets red hot real fast. and the engine is screwed up. i tried to get it started with the unflood method and like after 2 times of doing it it finally started. the previous owner had the fuel pump hooked up all wrong. when i stuck a tester light into the harness that came off of the car that went to the pump i got one constant power and one that come on and off. like a strob light. what does that mean? and the car says 167,000 miles on it. but the engine looks like way to clean. there is like no oil anywhere around the block of the engine. well when it started it smoked really bad and i had to like hit the gas to just keep it running. it wouldnt even rev past 2,000. there was alot of gas in the oil also. i did the poor mans compression check and it seems like there was 3 swooshes coming outta each wall. it sounds nice and strong to me. it was sucking in and blowing out my finger when i clogged the holes up. so what do u think it can be guys. do u think this engine is still good? is there anyway i can find out if it is the original engine. or if it blew a coolant seal and apex seal. and also will atf help any of this??? sorry about the long *** post. thanks

 

atf trick is always worth a try. It can't do any harm. Did the car sit for a while?

 

Well, like I said, its hard to diagnose without being in front of it, but here's the jist of it:

First, check the block for compresion on all 6 seals. I explained to you how to do this yesterday. You remove lower 2 plugs at same time, and 2 fuses closest to engine during the test. One pulse per hole per crank rotation, no skips.

Next you're checking for spark. Take an old plug and insert into one of the leading plug boots, remove the strut tower rubber boot, and lay the plug/wire beside it. Crank the engine and watch/listen for the spark/pop to the gound of the bolts.

Next, check fuel. There are 2 fuel lines on the engine, both on driver side above plugs. One is supply, high pressure line, one is return, low presure line. IF they are backwards(either here or at the fuel pump) the car will NOT run properly. The supply goes on the front input to the rail, and return on back. Even this is not a perfect way to check, because the rails can be bent easily. Sometimes you have to follow the rail to the fuel rails to see its in order: the supply feeds the primary rail, up to the 2ndary rail, and the fuel pressure regulator is the last item in the link before the ruel returns back out. TO check for fuel flow, loosen the supplyu hose fromt he rail, disable spark to the engine(2nd fuse from engine) and crank the car for a second or 2, ad see if fuel shoots out.

After you've verified the engine is getting compression spark and fuel it has the basic ingredients to run. Past that we need a more detailed description of what you did and what happened each time you ran a test(such as the above). Then I can help you further. Dont jus post some **** like "mu car wont start what do I do it has 167k on it...". Tell us that you've checked for fuel, spark, and compression, got these results, blah blah, and Ill do what I can to help yuo forward. BTW, you can bet this car has had at least one engine if not more already put in, so those miles done mean much except wear on suspension and tranny/rearend chassis stuff.

 

OK, if you look at the plug that is located on the rear strut tower, drivers side, toward the back, there is a blue and black wire going to the fuel pump. There must be at least 9V (preferably 11-12V) for the car to run decently. If there is not, you must find out why and fix it. Do the check first and we'll go on from there.

Irv, Keith's dad

 

ok i checked to see if it was getting gas and now it is. they fuel pump had been wired up wrong. but me and my friends fixed it. i ran power str8 2 the battery and to a switch.second. it is getting spark. i held the spark plug to the tower bolt. and third it has some compression just dont know how much cause i dont have a compression tester. after checking all of that it started but ran like ***. kept cutting off on me, and sputttering, and white smoke going all over the place. does that help anymore?? i just wanna know what can be possibly messed up or blown from me stating those facts

 

and live4boost. i know at sat for like atleast 6 months

 

also just for me to make sure which side is the hose that comes outta the filter suppose to go to. the right or the left? thanks

 

Can it be blown? Certainly. Is it? We wont know until you can run a compression test. IF you remove the 2 lower pl;ugs and crank it oer, you can hear each of the 6 seals distinctively., If you dont hear all 6, you have a blown motor. IF you do, you have a good chance of getting it to run ok for a while at least.

 

its just that its going so fast when i try to crank it over. i can concentrate on those six. i mean its haulin *** starting. is it possible to have the fuel lines switched at the top obove the plugs and it still start up?

 

Start and die, maybe. Start and run, no.

Well, for the test, try this(get a friend to help). Pull the plugs, stick your hand down by the plug holes now open, have a friend crank the engine and you can feel the air pushed out by each seal.

Basically, if the sound it makes is rhythmic, and does not skip a beat(ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch) vs. (ch-ch-puh-ch-ch-ch) then its likely youve got all the seals. A compresison tester is $25 at autozone, btw, and will allow you to "see" each seal then read the engine's overall compression numbers in PSI.

 

Do you mean the turbo get red hot? If this is the case and you cannot get the motor to run properly it is possible that either the turbo is stuck, ie won't spin at all, or the exhaust is partially blocked maybe cat blocked.

To check the turbo remove the intake piping from the air filter to the turbo and see if you can spin the shaft. It should spin easily, with a little sideways movement but no 'in-and out'.

It has been suggested to me that it might be possible to remove the cat and hold it against the rear of another running motor and see if it obstructs the exhaust .I cannot think of another easy way of proving whether the cat is blocked

If you have compression, fuel and a spark - at the right time- then she should run.

good luck