Hi Guys,
I was driving my car home from the shop I left it in over night after doing my injector grommets since I spilt some fuel, on the drive home in 2nd gear under light load the car let out a load bang and started stuttering so I shut it off, I turned it back on and it seemed normal. However now it sounds like a cammed v8 at idle, can't pull any boost, and just has 0 ***** (I was a block from home when this happened so I limped it home). I think the turbo has totally failed, however I'm unfamiliar with rotaries, could this be apex seals? Here's a video of me pulling away from a light after it happened:

Thanks in advance,
Derek

1987 Turbo II
HKS Silent Hi-Power exhaust & Greddy BOV are the only aftermarket things on the engine

 

I realize that video isn't very good, here are some more:

 

I hate to say it but sounds like you should do a compression test

 

Okay, I'll try and borrow my shops compression tester tomorrow. Main reason I was leaning towards the turbo is that I checked it when I had the downpipe off to put the wideband in and there was some decent shaft play, plus there have been some clunking noises from that area of the engine bay

 

Sure sounds like it has a dead rotor to me, i wouldn't run it anymore to try and save some hard parts.....if theres any left that are good in the dead housing

I got a feeling when you compression check you're gonna have 3 dead faces on one rotor, and being you heard a bang, probably took out your turbo too if its a stock motor with the 3 piece seals

 

I appreciate the quick responses. It's not leaving my driveway until I get that sorted out, fortunately I work close enough to ride my skateboard

Going to do the compression test tomorrow when I get home from work, and then I'll look at pulling the engine out and doing a rebuild

 

Double check the work you did prior, did you do anything else with the injector grommets? Any chance something managed to get into the engine while you had the intake off? missing nuts?

I agree with the above it sounds and looks judging by the shaking like a dead rotor. Good luck with the compression check.

 

Hey guys, sorry for the late update, haven't had power at my house since Monday morning. Anyways after the test it appears I have no compression on the rear rotor, started getting ready to take the engine out and I'll keep poking at it after work this week. Hoping to have the engine out by this weekend. There's a local guy my coworkers know that is going to help me with the rebuild. Once we get it all tore down I'll update with my findings.

I double checked the work I did the night before it blew, since I broke a fuel line and spilled fuel all over the engine bay I opted to let it sit overnight so I wouldn't burn it down lol, checked it again in the morning, had my friend check for any loose connections/things i missed, cranked it up, backed out of the shop, shifted into second gear leaving the parking lot and when I slipped the clutch out I guess the apex seals let go. I talked to the guys at Pettit Racing and they said these engines don't typically fail in that manner, and that I most likely got a washer or something in it. Either way I'll find out soon.

I appreciate the help!

Thanks,
Derek

 

My engine blew when I casually shifted into 5th..so they can go anytime.

Don't order parts until you tear it down if you are rebuilding it.
There is no sense in getting stuff you do not need.

 

That will be a bummer if that's the case. Good luck hopefully you have some salvagable internals still. Just tear down before you start buying stuff.

 

Quick update, just got the engine separated from the transmission and pulled out, we just brought it over to the shop where I work for me to start stripping the block of accessories. I'll get some pictures up in a little bit