Hi, i just picked up my new project a 92 rx7
car was bought from a garage where it had been sitting for a few months with a suspected imobaliser problem. The story goes it was taken as a runner but was left to stand for ages. when they tried to start it the battery died so they charged it but is still would not go. I read that the rotarys can have trouble with flooding so i thought it might be just flooded. If not i would just rebuild the engine and keep the car as a second project. ( first project is a ZVH turbo escort cab)

Got the car home charged the battery tried to start it and it cranked but no life. pulled the fuse cranked it over. Stuck the fuse in and hey presto SHE LIVES
smoked for about 5 mins then ran sweet as so figured out how to set the turbo timer and switched it off.

came to start the car and started first turn smoked for about 2mins then not a bit of smoke from the exhaust. i thought how lucky can i be

let the car cool and started it again smoked for 2 mins and then nothing.
let the car cool and checked the levels oil is about half way up the dip stick not the max an min the the actual dip stick
the coolent was ok but a bit low so i topped it up

started the car smoking all the time from the exhaust then the temp light and annoying alarm was on and the car was running rough and the revs were all over. since all i had done was top up the coolent i thought coolent seals were shot so i will have to rebuild.

left the car over night topped up the coolent and started it up. this time the car smoked for 2 mins and then was fine no smoke coolent is not dropping.

removed the air filter box and its got oil in it
thought well it must be coming from the turbo split the intercooler pipes and it has oil in it as does the inlet manifold pipe from the intercooler. I have removed both the inlet and outlets to both turbos and they both have a fair bit of oil in

But what i cant get my head round if why its spitting oil back into the air box and why with the amount of oil in the inlet the exhaust is not pumping out thick smoke and why if the seals have gone why its not spitting oil straight to exhaust also is there an easy way to remove the turbos? should i split them on the car remove the manifold or am i missing something obvious?

sorry for the long post an thx in advance for anyone who manages to read all this

 

Your turbos are shot, and they are somewhat of a pain to remove (you need to remove the entire manifold). The stock turbos in these cars don't last long when pushed above 11-12 psi.

 

First of all its really not that hard to remove the turbos. I did it several times in my backyard with a $100 sears tool set. Secondly you don't need to remove the manifold to take the turbos off. you just have to take off the intake box the, downpipe and a few other little things that need to be disconnected then take the turbos off.

 

is there any way to tell if its one or the other ?
i have oil in both pipes or should i just go for a single turbo conversion?
any recomendations for a turbo? would like to hit 300-350bhp
can u make this sort of power with the standard fuel system?

 

You can make 300-350hp with stock twins, and close to 400 with BNR sequential twins.

Your turbo seals on two sides - the compressor side and the turbo side. Depending which side is leaking is where the oil will go. I suspect that eventually that oil in the intake will cause smoke in the exhaust.

Dave

 

Congrats, mr. shade tree....wanna cookie?

The point is the manifold must be removed and inspected, because 9 times out of 10 it is cracked and/or badly corroded (especially higher mileage manifolds) and won't last long if you just slap some new/rebuilt turbos on it and call it good. All turbo manfolds should be sandblasted, welded to correct cracks, and ceramic coated to reduce future heat cycle cracking. Port the wastegate and install a new stainless flapper while you're in there. I like to do things right, not half ***. Far too many of these cars are worked on by half-***, shade tree "mechanics".

 

^^ said the guy that doesnt build his own engine?
in all seriousness, dont you think you are a bit rough on him

 

thx again for the resopnses.
Now here come a dumb question i have searched the forum for seals aswell as google and i can`t seem to find much on the standard turbo seal kit, or even the reall name for them.

i found lots of stuff for the 2nd gen but not for the 3rd can anyone point me in the right direction as to who does a seal kit for them or who does a seal kit i can cannibalize. lastly what are the stock turbos ? T3/T4 or something else entirely?
sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question.
thx for any help

 

read the faq, all your questions are answered there.

 

First off... some oil is normal in the intake of any turbocharged car with some miles on it; those carbon seals don't seal perfectly.

Clean everything up and make sure it's the turbos. They are a pain in the *** the first time around and I worked on cars for a living for 5 years.

http://www.gpopshop.com/ is the only place that I've heard of recently that sells the kits. Turbo city stopped working on them.

Finally, rebuild success rates for first timers are pretty low. From what I gathered, if they are already smoking from the turbine (hot) side, then you need a new core for rebuild because there is too much wear on the seal groove.

If they actually are bad, your best bet is to get a used set from a reputable seller on the forums. Then take the turbine housings off completely to inspect for broken apex seal damage before putting them on the car.

 

I suggest you do a compression test before anything. Search up on how to do it properly.

That way you will know if your wasting time and money on turbos when its more than just bad turbos.

Just a note. deflood the engine with the plugs out to get any oil out before the test. Oil in the actual combustion chamber will falsely give you higher compression numbers.

 

Actually, the manifolds rarely crack. The turbine housing on the turbos is where all the crack action happens. That should be looked at, but if the cracks aren't bad enough, it will be just fine. If cracks get under the gasket sealing surface or compromise the wastegate flapper's sealing surface, then you have a problem.

If the turbo manifold (the part that bolts to the block) has a crack, just buy a used one. I have like 5 of them in my attic, all just fine with no cracks.

Dale

 

The manifolds crack all the time, especially where the cast iron is thinner. There are many pictures of it on this forum from several years ago.

 

Not the exhaust manifold. They rarely crack.

Agree with Dale, the thing that does crack is the manifold contained in the turbo assembly. Cracks there generally are not harmful, and questions about the severity, just post a few pics and get an opinion.

Dave

 

would the oil being halfway up the dip stick be giving me oil problems i really need to drain it off and start again. thx for the replys will try to get compression test done before the next update

 

Ok, "turbo manifold" to pick this apart

 

Get a compression test but it's very likely the turbos will need to be replaced. I would pull the manifold at the same time and inspect it thoroughly

 

How can taking off your turbos in your yard be half *** that makes no sense. What you do with them after that can be but it doesn't matter where you take them off. I think you could learn some things from shade tree mechanics so you shouldn't label people.

 

if your turbos are off, weather you think the manifold is leaking or not, this is still a good idea. it's a pain in the *** to take the turbos off so you might as well make sure everything is in good condition while they're out.

 

I 100% agree with you - see below!

I began my mechanic's experience in my parents' front yard under an apple tree on our farm with a '47 Desoto. Our main tools were a hammer, a chisel, a monkey wrench, and a rounded-off screwdriver. I managed to R&R a lower-front a-arm to get the spring seat welded back in because it had rusted out. The operation was successful!

 

Problem with taking the mani off the block is this: you run the risk of the lock nut seizing on the stud. Those exhaust studs on the engine can be IMPOSSIBLE to get out without snapping them if the nut seizes on them.

The manifolds don't crack as badly as the turbine housings. IMO, there are some things on these cars where if it's not broke, don't **** with it. You can easily open up a can of worms.

 

You're on the right track. Get the oil level straight and clean off oil accumulation, then see what happens.