Some of you may recall last week I posted my first start up experience for my new rebuild. The last time I started it up I had an engine fire, which was quite a suprise. Over the past week I tore apart the top end of the engine, and reseated the primarys, and replaced the fuel pulsation dampener. Yesterday was the big day again. I started the car, and it fired right up like the time before. It was ideling smoothly, and was running strong. I discovered a minor coolant leak, while sitting and watching it idle. The thing that got me concerned was I went over and looked down at the top of my downpipe, and it was glowing orange. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the whole centersection of the turbos were orange as well. So I decided to shut off the car. I recently bought the turbos from a forum member, and they seemed to be in incrediable shape when I put them on. I have no idea why this would happen, and any insight on this problem would be greatly appreciated. Im not sure that this matters, but my mods are as follows...DP, Catback, new/used stock twins with 30,000, Pettit Unlimited ECU, large street port, apexi intakes, plus some others. One thing I might want to add is I think my cat thats in it is shot. I dont know if that would effect this problem at all, but who knows. One more thing I noticed was right before I noticed the glowing orange exhaust parts, the coolant overflow released a lot of fluid onto the ground. Well thanks in advance.

 

Yes, a shot cat could easily cause your problems. Exhaust gasses are building up, barely squeaking past your dead converter, so they are building pressure, and a butt ton of heat, which is running through your downpipe, and into your turbos. Change/remove the cat, and you should be fine.

 

Your overflow tank shouldnt be spewing either, may want to fix the cat and look into that a little further...

 

Agree, clogged exhaust.

And, um, you shouldn't be belching coolant. I know it's a new motor, but possible bad coolant seal?

 

Alright, I was thinking it would be the cat. Is there a way to do a visual inspection if I were take it off the car?

Another thing, when I got the Dp, the person I got it from had an O2 sensor on it, could it possibly be that the sensor is bad, and it making the engine think its too rich, so its leaning it out waaay bad, which in turn is causing too much heat?

About heat, my coolant temps seemed fine. I think the peak it would reach was like 228 or so. It would bounce between 200-228, when the fans would kick on. Is this normal temps to be seeing as well?

 

Just to add to this a little bit...

I just pulled the codes off my computer, and I got an 11, 12, 18.

11: Intake air thermosensor (engine)
12: Throttle sensor - full range
18: Throttle sensor - narrow range

Would any of these be a possible cause for the extremely hot exhaust mani?

Another thing to add is, my car was shooting bits of black metal. I think its parts of the cat baffeling, but im not positive. Im 99% sure that my cat is bad.

 

The spewing coolant is probably a result of him just refilling the system without proper burping. I have never been able to refil this radiator without it doing this a little.

I have seem many a glowing downpipe and turbo. I'm pretty sure the consensus is that its caused by an overly rich condition, probably a result of your thermosensor. Fix the sensor, adjust your tps, and reset the codes. Get back to us after that.

 

Oh, and replace that damn cat, high flow cats are cheap.

 

Thanks. Ill get right on all of this.

 

listen to bee, and definitely replace that cat asap

 

Alright, so I just found out that I forgot to put a ground on. It was the one comming from the harness that the things that threw codes were in. I hooked it up, reset the codes, and checked them again. No more codes.

So I get it ready, start it up. It was running great, i let it warm up. No glowing DP or exhaust mani. I have one more tiny coolant leak, and i know exactally where it is, so Ill fix that right after dinner. I also just pulled the codes just to make sure the same codes from earlier didnt show back up. They didnt which is a relief. Amazing what a little ground can do.

So, the only code it is throwing now is...25: Solenoid valve - pressure regulator control. This is a solenoid that controls boost related issues...correct? I actually have a replacement sloenoid for this in the mail, and it should be here tomorrow. The question I have is, would it hurt the car to still run it now with the broken solenoid in it? Or is it some type of fuel controller, and I should just wait till I get my new solenoid?

 

which ground was that man???

cuz i got those same codes except mine was the tps and CAS

but i replaced those and still the same CEL pops up

 

On the rear engine hook, there is a ground that us supposed to go under the bottom bolt. It comes out of a small wiring harness out the back of the rats nest area. Good luck.

 

The pressure regulator control solenoid increases fuel pressure to help with hot starts. It has nothing to do with the boost control. You shouldn't have a problem with out it.

 

thanx