....Since there is a resurrection going on, again...

Consider the new viton kit. It kinks much less easily than silicone, is resistant to oil (which breaks down Si), and is superior in every way. As long as the nipples are clean, the viton grabs and HOLDS.

 

I changed my engine the other day (due to a blown o-ring) and During the change, I did the hoses. Unlucky me, I crossed a couple. I also eliminated the smog pump and AC as well. So during all of this I managed to screw up. Now the car runs rough and smells super rich but shows lean on the AFM. I get to now take the intake and rats nest back off and change the hoses around. I only broke one solenoid during this but luckily I had a complete other engines worth laying around. This was my first 3rd gen engine swap and it was a learning experience. My engine had 40k on it and the hoses were toast.

It's not that hard of a job, it just takes time. So ditch any dates to the movies or tell the wife that the "You time" light is on and dinner shall be served in the garage.

 

I am doing the job this weekend... I've put off the upper half of my engine at least 15 times, so I can get my UIM and intake section off in about 7 minutes, lol. Anyway, as for the hose job, I read the whole thread... and I am not sure if I am alloting enough time...but I need to get it done, because I am driving to Phoenix the weekend after next (memorial day weekend), and thats a 5 1/2 hour drive, and I'm having hella boost issues.

I am giving myself Saturday from 9am-4pm, and Sunday from whenever. Thing is.. the hobby shop here on base is only open during those hours... and they have all the tools that I will need to do this, and adequate working space.

I say I have about 14 hours to get done what I need to get done, so if I pack a little lunch and get my *** in gear, I should be fine.

I have 35ft of the 4mm, and 15ft of the 6mm, I am also doing the poor mans boost controller (using the valves)...

Anyway... any useful tips would be an extreme help.... an extra hand would be an extreme help also... (I'm in SoCal)...but here is what I have so far:

On the solenoids cut the hose from the tip of the nipple upward, and peel back so you don't break the nipple. THis worked for Tom93R1 he said he didn't break a single solenoid.

Cut hoses the PROPER length, match them to the originals if possible.

Replace the check valves (aka Restrictor Pills, aka Boost Pills) - Which I am doing also.

Replace Gaskets if Necessary.

Check for kinks in hoses, and use a lot of zip ties... or 3M Adhesive (I'll probably use the adhesive)

Anything else? Do you guys think 14hours of work is good enough? I have no problem putting in 8 hours on the car in one day....

Peace
-Darren-

 

Off the top of my head (got done with hose job last weekend)...

Make sure you have an ACV gasket, since I needed to remove it to get to the lines running, and mine was destroyed on removal. Get some 3/16" to 1/4" reducing couplings, they make your life much easier dealing with the hoses that connect to different sizes (catch can under the TB, the .25" hard pipes leading from the turbos, the metal check valve).

(Link to McMaster-Carr, Part 5463K152)

Use saliva as required to get them on the tube ends. I did not use many zip ties since the viton hose was wo secure. Buy (12) M5 x 10mm socket head cap screws and replace all the philips head screws on the solenoid rack. Replace the coolant hose from the TB-to-block if necessary.

Print the hose diagram as big as you can, post it on the wall, and label parts as you remove them. Some people prefer to leave as much in place as possible and replace hoses one-by-one, instead I took it all apart at once and put it back together according to the diagram. I wrote the length/diameter of the hoses I removed on the diagram, and labeled every solenoid or check valve. Leave some extra length for the hoses that attach at the back of the UIM since the extra can just push down toward the tranny. Take extra time to ensure the check valves at the front of the UIM route carefully and don't interfere with the throttle cable mechanism.

Dave

 

You are doing this to hopefully fix a boost problem right?

If so, make sure to test all your solenoids while you are at it. It would suck to do the complete hose job and still have your boost problem because of a bad solenoid which was never checked.

 

How would I test a solenoid anyway? i dont have a clue...it boosts, just really rough after 7psi... and it sounds like the air is going nowhere... bogs down the engine and runs like *** when i boost over 7.

ALso, on the reducing couplings, anywhere I could get these locally? I am going to pick up the pills from NAPA, but the couplings I have no clue. I have to get them by friday cause i am working on the hoses friday morning.

 

The couplings might be at home depot or lowes. My local hardware store had a bunch of brass fittings, but they didn't have the reducing kind.

Pick up a 12V DC power supply (500mA is plenty), a vacuum tester (Mityvac with metal construction and the pressure/vacuum gauge is best), and test them according to the service manual. To test the actuators you'll need one with 15psi pressure capability - the one I bought only does 10-12psi. The test procedures are all scattered through 'Fuel and Emission Control Systems' section F of the FSM. Usually it involves applying vacuum or 12V DC to the input and seeing if the valve opens/closes.

Have you read through Vanditmar's turbo troubleshooting page? You really should so you know what components to watch for.

As far as Mahjik's point about not fixing what ain't broke, I agree, but this is a judgment call. My car was fine, but I wanted to do it and change some other stuff. It helps if your car isn't as old (mine has 59k) so the solenoids and hoses aren't as brittled. I think you could do yours in two steps: 1) rats nest, etc under the UIM, 2) the turbo actuator lines and lines on the turbo side of the IM.

When you mention pills, are you talking about replacing them? Mine were brass and definitely don't require replacement.

Dave

 

Alright, I'll do hoses, if that doesn't fix it, I'll test the actuators. As of a couple months ago, they were good when I had taken them to the shop, and everything was boosting fine, until the car went under some hard driving on the way back to California, I detonated pretty bad too, I had like 225 on the knock gauge on the FC, which is normally around 30-40. The pills are the green/white ones, I want to replace them because they are likely to go bad, and might as well replace them along with the lines.

I dont think the actuators are bad, but if replacing all my vac lines doesn't fix the problem, I'm going to replace all the gaskets, if that doesnt' do it, then I'll go from there. ANyway, I think it's a vac leak. If the turbo can hold up to 7 psi (which is when the wastegate activates or whatever), it may be a line or actuator controlling the wastegate, like the WGC actuator. A line may have popped off or split on that. Anyway, replacing all of them will be something worthwhile, even if it doesn't fix the problem, I won't have to worry about a leak later.

I'll check home depot, I have to pick up some regulator valves for the boost and prespool controll anyway, and the bolts I need to replace the ones in the rats nest.

Like I said earlier.. when I say pills.. I mean check valves... NAPA has them for about $3 I'm told.

 

I just finished the hose job & my car has never run better. Along the way I discovered three soleniods that were bad by the way, including the turbo control solenoid. Every solenoid meets spec, all my check values are new and my boost is strong and seamless at transition.

I had a tie job done at 15,000 miles, 75,000 miles ago and my factory hoses were snap, crackle & pop, with loose ones all over the place. Get to work. Worth every hour.

Be VERY careful removing the hoses to avoid breaking the nipples.