It's Alive!

[Myetball]

Got my GA running tonight. Runs real smooth. Haven't taken it out yet but will get it out tomorrow.

It's got a new cam and lifters, rebuilt head, and rebuilt turbo. The turbo is off a Nissan 1.8 turbo and was a real PITA to get hooked up since all the oil/water fittings as well as the compressor side fittings are different. Also the wastegate actuator mounts different so it took some fabrication to get it to work. Junked the stock airbox for an HKS style filter and added one of those mini cone filters to the valve cover vent. Pulled the oil pan and was really glad I did since it was a real mess inside.

One thing I did have a problem with was the exhaust doughnut. The GM part (# 22551368) has been discontinued but can still be had in about a week from the company that bought out all discontinued GM parts.

All the other parts stores kept pulling out doughnuts for the non-turbo or listed it as Not In File. I ended up doing the old measure and guess and came up with a doughnut that worked perfectly. Felpro part # 85039 for GM V6 and V8 '87-'95 is an exact fit.

I'll post more once I take it out for a spin...gotta be careful since it's not registered or insured yet :angel2:

[ritzard]

i wouldent take it out cause it would suck to have your liscence suspended beacuse of no insurance its worth it to wait till its leagel to drive it.

[Myetball]

Too late. I couldn't resist. Took it up the street for a couple of full throttle runs. I'm gonna need to do some work on the wastegate actuator. I had to fab a connector since the GA actuator wouldn't reach the gate on the Nissan turbo. It lags like a big dog until 3500 rpm then it snaps my head back and screams up to 7200 and leaps into the next gear.

I'm back in San Antonio and the car is still in San Diego. Gonna fly out later this month and drive it back. I'll have Texas plates and insurance for it when I bring it back.

For some reason it feels like the car has no brakes...pads are good. Didn't have time this trip to check into it more but will definately look at it closely when I go back out.

[p8ntman442]

holy crap, 7200 is that the redline, your creeping up on my 7400 mark, I had no idea you guys had that much rev under the hood. Did you have to chip it to get it up that high?

[Myetball]

Nope, no chipping. I only had a few days in San Diego to get it all together and running. First time I stomped on it I wasn't watching the tach...just hanging on. Second time I watched as it creeped up to 3500 then zoomed to 7200.....a nice firm quick shift and it was still in boost range doing over 55mph...backed off and got to hear the wastegate flutter....kinda cool.

I'll be able to get more tuning done once it's back in Texas. For now it runs really well and should make the two day drive without any problems. I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunity to see what it can do as I'm crossing the desert. In all my trips to/from San Diego I've never seen a cop on I-8 between Tucson, AZ and Las Cruces, NM.

[Myetball]

Brought the turbo GA home this weekend. Had plenty of time to road test it on the drive from San Diego to San Antonio.

A few things I was mistaken on. The auto shift hits at 5700 rpm, not 7200. Also, on my original reassembly, the timing belt was off a notch. For some reason with the belt off a notch and the timing adjusted it ran like a raped ape. Once I got the belt properly aligned, it seems to have lost some getup.

Boost seems to be way low. My next mods will be a boost gauge and manual boost controller. I'm gonna build one like the one on THIS (http://www.lotuselancentral.com/mbc.htm) page. The one Scott built.

[Myetball]

Got the beast running pretty well. I've got a couple of video clips of the beast in action. If you wanna take a look email me at mr_wig2003@yahoo.com and I'll send them. File sizes are 546k and 712k.

[Myetball]

After being off the road for almost two months I got a real nice alarm system and a FMIC installed. Got it all together and took it out for a spin. After about 20 minutes I started hearing the gutwrenching sounds of a rod bearing on it's way out.

It still runs but I'm not driving it until I get the engine fixed. I went on ebay and got a complete brand new OEM shortblock...block, crank, rods, pistons...for $409 shipped. Going to build up a new bottom end then swap my recently rebuilt top end onto the new short block.

I want to drop in a couple little extras like a sport cam, new lifters and followers, and a performance chip from Mantapart. Also going to port out the intake/head/exhaust.

[Myetball]

Lucked out and found a set of Sealed Power "Speed Pro" Hypereutectic cast pistons on Ebay for $56 shipped. Saved a little over $150 over retail price. Ebay has also supplied me with a head set ($9.95), extra head gasket ($4.99) and two sets of Clevite head bolts ($4.99 ea.)

The place I got the head bolts from has an auction for 10 sets at $10 a set. HERE's (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33617&item=2463881314&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V) the auction. These sell at Napa for $50 a set.

Haven't started turning any wrenches yet but I will be soon.

[Myetball]

It's been a long time but I finally pulled my new short block out of storage. Pulled the pistons/rods out last night to get the speed pro pistons pressed on.

It's a real treat to pull apart a brand new engine. Never done it before. I'm not used to seeing bright shiney crank journals and flawless pistons.

If anyone needs a set of brand new stock bore pistons w/pins let me know.

I also got a new oil pump off ebay, should be here in a few days....then the build up can really begin. Still need to dismantle the engine in the car. Thankfully the weather is starting to cool down.

[Myetball]

Speed Pro pistons are in, oil pump is here. Just sent out a rod bolt to get a set of custom high-strength bolts made. Similar to mantaparts bolts but for less than $20 a set.

Forgot that I don't have the bolts to install the oil pump..hehehe..have to tear into my old motor soon.

[Myetball]

Finally tore into the bottom end of the bad motor. 1 and 3 rod bearings had spun, all four were in rough shape. Bottom of pan and top of windage tray were covered in a thick layer of ground up bearing material.

On a brighter note, all four pistons looked beautiful. Virtually no signs of blow-by on any of the pistons. Below the oil ring they looked new.

Still scrounging parts. Got a line on another head, gonna buy a new cam carrier, and a mantapart cam soon. Just need a conversion set and I'm pretty much done. Hopefully by the end January it will be done.

[Myetball]

Thought I made a nice little find at the local pic-n-steal. A beautiful set of injectors from a 92+ sunbird. They have a six-hole spray pattern so was counting on a better a/f mixture. Then I got home and slapped the multi-meter on 'em. DAMN! High impedence (13 ohms), the older style are low impedence (3.3 ohms) so I can't use these injectors :bash:

Did grab a real nice oil cooler off a '90 Corolla GTS. Ford trucks have awesome factory oil/tranny coolers, look just like B&M, but they were all damaged. Oh well, the GTS cooler will work fine. Also just won an ebay auction for a sandwich adapter for oil cooler fittings, $9.98 shipped :rockdude:

Also found 12 nice 16" Pontiac wheels. Six each of two different styles on a total of four cars. Go figure, all four cars had three wheels left. Will go back later to grab a set of five wheels, repaint them, slap on new rubber (205/50-16) and be ready to :drive:

[Myetball]

Not much progress. I did get a nice reman head. Has all new springs and hardware. Don't know if valves are new but it doesn't matter. It's not the 51 casting, it's the later model 89 casting with a much different combustion chamber. Promises to increase compression a good bit.

Been spending much time porting out the head. Porting it to match the gaskets and going to town on the chambers. Hopefully I'll get some pics up of the stock vs. finished version as I've still got the original head. Doing some port work on the intake manifold also. Finally, gonna hit the junkyard this weekend and see about a larger bore throttle body on a 2.8l Fiero that looks promising.

Also working on new wheels and rubber. Got a line on a complete set of 16's off an '03 Vibe that are real sharp and at a nice price.

Ended up buying the wheels/tires. (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4527997422&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT)

[Myetball]

Hit the junkyard today and scored a throttle body off an '86 Fiero 2M6 (2.8l), a set of injectors off a '90 2.3l quad four, and a turbo hot pipe off an '86 Sunbird Turbo.

The much larger throttle body off the 2M6 will bolt right up to the GA manifold and has the exact same TPS and idle air control valve. The only thing I'll have to swap over is the throttle cable linkage from the GA. Gonna have to port out the manifold and reroute some vacuum lines but all should work out well.

EDIT: FYI the stock throttle body measures 42mm while the 2M6 measures 50mm. Found a couple problems. The 2M6 t/b is so big it is right up against the fuel rail, no room for a hose and clamp. Also, on the back of the 2M6 t/b there is a vacuum channel that extendes beyond the GA manifold mounting surface. I see a custom spacer in the works.

The quad four injectors are 23lb/hr (240cc/min) low impedence and hopefully will work well with the added air I'll be getting with the bigger throttle body.

Working on a set of locking lugs and some oem center caps for the '03 Vibe wheels I bought.

[Myetball]

Figured out how to deal with the t/b mounting problem. Gonna head back to the junkyard and hack off the t/b mounting flange from the 2M6 intake manifold. Then Machine the cut side down to a nice flat surface. Finally, use a gasket on each side and put it in between the t/b and the GA manifold. This will also fix the problem of the t/b inlet being too close to the fuel rail to fit a hose.

[Myetball]

Well, got the t/b flange from the Fiero. Cut it pretty straight so there wasn't much filing/sanding to do. Got it mounted, then found out I needed to do some grinding on the throttle linkage, and a portion of the t/b to make it fit. After all was done, it works like a charm, completely dwarfs the stock t/b. It will take a 2 1/2 in hose which will work great with the modified Starion intercooler I'm gonna mount.

I'll get some pics as soon as I can.

Cam carrier came in also, mounting the head tonight......almost done.

[Myetball]

Motor is all together, intake and exhaust on, turbo on and all connected. Just a few small things to hook up and it'll be ready to drop in. Still need to spend a good amount of time degreasing the engine bay.

Now waiting for a modified Starion intercooler to arrive. Think I'll try and get the intercooler, oil cooler, and tranny cooler all mounted and hooked up in one day.

Still don't have all the intercooler plumbing...workin' on it.

[Prospeeder]

awsome, got the pics yet? so ur putting Vibe wheels on ur grand am? thats gonna be interesting

[Myetball]

No pics yet...haven't touched it in a while. Waiting until we close on our house so I have a garage to work in.

Vibe wheels look nice but the tires that were on them were way larger than stock. Stock is 205/50/16 and these had 235/50/16. The front tires rub on the struts so I'll need a new set of tires. Gonna get 215/45/16. Also, the center hole on the vibe wheels is too small so I put a set of 5/16" spacer on. Now I need to get some longer studs but I've got the part number so it will be a quick fix. Lug nuts was another issue, the vibe wheels don't use acorn style. Needed a set of short shank nuts. Found a set of 20 brand new ones on ebay for $35.

[99blackSE]

wow man you should make a journal or something of all of this.

[Prospeeder]

hey, u mentiond a site that sells discontinued GM parts, whats it called?

[Myetball]

Don't think there's a site. If you go to the dealer they should be able to give you a 1-800 number to the wharehouse. Had the number a while ago but it's long gone.

[Myetball]

After much work and many other things that needed to be dealt with, the Turbo G/A is finally in my garage. Going to start cleaning up the engine bay tommorow. Then mounting the oil, tranny, and inter-coolers. Welll see how long this takes. If all goes well it will be back on the road by the end of the month.

[Prospeeder]

awsome, keep us posted, the Turbo GA facinates me the most, seeing as i own a Turbo Grand Prix.

[Myetball]

Starion intercooler, Bronco II tranny cooler, and Corolla GTS oil cooler are mounted. I'll see if I can get some pics later on. Still degreasing, then gonna drop in the motor and start hooking everything up.

My '94 GA shit the bed today. 100 billion degrees out and my thermostat froze, caused pressure to build up in the system which blew out the heater core. All my coolant leaked out the A/C drain. Still runs, got it shut down before it got too hot.

[Myetball]

Well, the turbo GA is still up on jack stands. Right now both front and rear suspensions are completely removed.

I can install the engine whenever I'm ready but I'm going to finish the suspension/brake upgrade. Here's what I'm planning:

- Energy suspension front control arm bushings, swaybar bushings and end links

- Sprint spings 1.6" drop all around

- Springtech struts and shocks

- Slotted or slotted/drilled front rotors and carbon metallic pads. I still need to see if the steering knuckles from a '94 GA will fit. I'd like to go with the larger front brakes. I've got a '94 in the driveway but really don't want to tear it apart to find out.

- Debating on a rear K-bar, rear tower bar, front lower bar and front strut bar from Mantapart.

[Myetball]

Well, the steering knucles from the 91+ GAs work perfectly. The only issue with upgrading to the larger brakes is the brake hoses. Went to the junkyard and picked up a set of brakeline mounting brackets to I can bend my lines and mount them in the position needed for the later model brake hoses. Ened up going with ceramic pads. With the slotted/drilled rotors I'm hoping for some reliable braking.

Also finished all the suspension mods. Had to fab some custom rear swaybar bushing mounts and brackets but it all worked out. I would like to find the guy that designed the front swaybar setup and make him feel some pain.

Engine gets dropped in Monday.

[Myetball]

Engine is finally in :band:

Slow going since I got it in on Saturday...not enough time to work on it. Biggest problem is remembering where the heck everything goes.....it's been over a year and a half since I tore it apart.

Have found some wiring damage. Some kind of corrosive fluid got into some of the harnesses and literally disintegrated the insulation on several wires. Fixed all the damaged wires and am pressing on.

The polyurethane filled motor mounts are REALLY stiff. The engine sits in the bay rock solid....gonna be interesting when I get it started. Sure was interesting wedging the engine in with no flex in the mounts.

[Prospeeder]

ya, those poly motor mounts are stiff i hear, many w body owners get the Poly Dog bones from i think FPP, but it will cause more than usual vibration from the motor, im anxious too see a vid of it running, and what kinda times it runs

[Myetball]

I filled the dogbone on the tranny too. No need to buy expensive prefab mounts. I bought a pound of liquid urethane mix (shore 80 flexible) from McMaster Carr for about $30. Was enough to fill the two front motor mounts, the dogbone, and had enough left over to fill the main tranny mount if I wanted.

The big difference is the manufactured mounts use solid urethane, much stiffer and almost zero vibration dampening. The flexible urethane will dampen some vibration but is still stiff enough to keep the motor from twisting under torque.

We'll see, hopefully my 17 year old car won't shake itself to death.

[Prospeeder]

lol, i know what u mean, my poor 15-16 year old car, im afraid it will quit stopping on me someday, the brakes are crap

[Myetball]

I upgraded mine (fronts) but just yesterday decided I need a new master cylinder.

Making progress...slow but sure. The biggest obstacle now is custom mandrel bent exhaust, can't believe how tiny the stock exhaust was....total crap. Also have to order some mandrel bends for the intercooler piping.

[Prospeeder]

i have brand new fronts, its the Power master III braking system, it sucks ass, think of it as a little more reliable Teves II system

[Myetball]

Didn't know what either of those was so I did some research. Doesn't sound like the way to go. Especially since most places I looked provided instruction on how to dump the powermaster system for a conventional vacuum brake system.

I swapped out my steering knuckles for '91+ knuckles, drilled/slotted rotors, new calipers, ceramic pads, soon to have new master cylinder. I'll let you guys know if there's any big difference over the smaller stock brakes....THERE BETTER BE!!!! :)

[Prospeeder]

ya, the PowerMaster III sucks, its riddled with Accumulator and Hosuing problems, it has horrible feel to it, it feels Absolutly nothing like Vacuum brakes, they go, and there like, ahh, wierd, it has alot of pedal feedback, like, it will press the pedal back at u, or when braking hard, it will slam the pedal back at you and release the brakes, and u have to push real hard, and when ABS comes on, ohh man, better have a strong foot, it will ram ur foot up and down so freakin fast and hard, ull have a hard time keeping it depressed, its a horrible system, but u get used to it

[Myetball]

It's been a while but here's a few pics. Almost done. Waiting for a few mandrel bends to arrive in the mail then I can finish everything off. Last thing I need to buy is a battery.

http://bb.1asphost.com/Myetball/TurboGA/Car.JPG

http://bb.1asphost.com/Myetball/TurboGA/Engine.JPG

http://bb.1asphost.com/Myetball/TurboGA/I-Cooler.JPG

http://bb.1asphost.com/Myetball/TurboGA/Playing.JPG

http://bb.1asphost.com/Myetball/TurboGA/Susp.JPG

http://bb.1asphost.com/Myetball/TurboGA/T-Body.JPG

[Prospeeder]

do those wheels look good? nice motor, black to match the car! lookin good, did TGA's have speical badging? like TURBO Grand Am or somthing

[Myetball]

Hahaha....I'll take another pic when it's off jackstands. Everyone has their own taste when it comes to wheels. I like 'em...dat's all that matters.

Yes, there's a black badge with red letters TURBO on the fenders forward of the front wheels.

http://bb.1asphost.com/Myetball/TurboGA/gaturbo4.jpg

[way2crazy05]

lol your tranny loves you!!

[Myetball]

I'll guess ur talking about the size of the tranny cooler...a bit large. It's off a Bronco II. One of the biggest problems I had with this car was that under hard driving it would run at a constant 250 degrees. That's without any auxilliary cooling. Hoping the trans, oil, and intercoolers and removing the A/C condenser will bring it down to around 200 degrees under hard boost. Still thinking of installing an extra fan just behind the oil cooler.

[Myetball]

Almost done...really. I only have a couple minor things to do. Just waiting for an Optima yellow top to come in then I can fire it up. Going to get it registered and insured this week, should be driving it by this weekend.

[Myetball]

Hooray! Yesterday I got it running. Pumped out all the old gas, put in some new gas with Lucas fuel system cleaner, primed the fuel system and cranked it a bit to prime the oil pump then hooked up the coil wire and turned the key. Fired up the instant it cranked over. Runs smooth and strong. Haven't driven it yet as I'm still waiting for two aluminum mandrel bends to complete the intercooler piping, they'll be in tommorow. Plan to be driving it around tommorow evening.

More pics/video to follow.

[Prospeeder]

SWEET! thats awsome, get pics and videos soon! thats so cool u got it running

[Myetball]

FINALLY.........the beast is back on the road. After some trial and error with blown off I/C connectors and a P/S coupling I forgot to tighten I got it out for a good shakedown cruise. The thing is fast....not faster than my son's modified Prelude but it pulls real hard and I was able to keep up. Boost is only at 6-7 psi right now and it lights up the tires if I stomp on it and get it to drop from 2nd to 1st.

Still a few wrinkles to iron out but at least it's running well and there are no leaks.

Will try and get some video this weekend.

[ritzard]

i think it would be better off 5 speed what you think?

[Myetball]

I agree but finding a 5 speed Getrag tranny is gonna be tough, they only came in the turbo GAs and Sunbirds. I could run an Isuzu tranny but don't know how long it would hold up.

Any more mods will have to wait until next summer, this is my winter car. Have plenty of work to do on my SVX before next May.

[ritzard]

im selling my 5 speed from my turbo ga and motor.

[Myetball]

I should comment on the car's handling. It's friggin' crazy. Virtually flat in the corners, smooth ride, a bit stiff but not overly so. Also, with the tiny little Fiero GT wheel it really feels like a sports car.

Right now it's loud as hell. I've only got a thrush glasspack connected directly to the downpipe and then a turn-down. I've got the 2.25 ID mandrel bends to get an exhaust welded up just waiting for some more cash to have the work done.

I did lose a plug wire. I didn't install the heat shields on the spark plug boots and the #3 boot got cooked. I've got plenty of spare 7mm wires, just not any more 8mm wires. Have to buy another set.

I'd like to get the tranny but shipping from Ontario would kill my wallet.

[Prospeeder]

road trip? take the TGA for a spin allt he way up to ontario! How fast u think it is, think it would kick a 3400 GA? like 15 second car?

[ritzard]

i had mine doing 15.4 1/4 mile and his is much more built then mine.

[goredsox]

hey ya'll i read this entire forum a few days ago and wow! sounds like a great project. but i was wonderin, my grandfather had and old service manual, 1987 Olds Product line. and it had the 2.0L OHC motor in it there were two differnt ones an L-4 and a vin 1 i believe. i was wondering if either of those id your 2.0L? It has alot of good info in it and it is original (my grandfather was a GM mechanic for 44 years.) so if ya need any info or if that is your engine let me know if ya need any info.

[Myetball]

Glad you enjoyed my saga. This thing has the L4 vin "M". The non-turbo versions were vin K and H. I've got my son coming over next weekend to help pull the intake manifold off my SVX to find out where the coolant leak is....he's promised to brind his video camera. Hope to get out and get some video of me going up against his Prelude.

Still haven't started any of the needed body work but it can wait, I'm just happy to be driving it around .....just.....gotta.....keep....foot.....off.....f loor.....ah screw it, it's too much fun.

Pretty sure this thing would pull away from a 3.8. I'll have to look into getting it to the local track for a few runs.

[Myetball]

Sorry no new pics or vids yet...been way too busy. I've still got a couple things to work out on the monster. Today I wrapped the upper I/C pipe in fiberglass header wrap. Noticed that even though the I/C itself was nice and cool at all times, the pipe leading to the throttle body was hot as hell. Can only be picking up ambient heat from under the hood.

Also, I have an intermitant misfire. After the engine warms up it will only run on two or three cylinders following a full boost run. Doesn't happen all the time and putting it in neutral and revving to 2500 rpm clears it up. It is running rich so I'm thinking it's a problem with the 21lb injectors. Gonna put the 19lb injectors back in this weekend.

My stock radio decided to crap out on me last week. Now have a JVC head unit with 6x9 Xplodes in back. Much better.

Still no horn....just lazy, and I'm getting tired of the exhaust. Sounds fine from outside the car but with the dump under the center of the car it really resonates inside the cabin.

[ritzard]

have you decided what kind of exhaust your gonna get for it? i have a magnaflow straight thro exhaust on mine sounds pretty nice.

[Myetball]

I bought some 2.25" I.D. mandrel bends to make up the cat-back. I'm leaning towards buying a cheap 2.5" cat and running a straight piece of 2.25" I.D. pipe through it. Just so it passes visual inspection.

Probably run a 2.25" turbo cherrybomb muffler. It's a non-baffled muffler that looks like an OE oval muffler.

Since I've been running mismatched wires I ordered a new set last week. Came in yesterday. Cut-to- fit Accel 10.8mm wires for a V6. I'll end up with some extra wires but that's okay.

Still dealing with the poor running after boost. Gonna swap out the 23lb injectors tonight and put the 19lb back in. I'm not sure yet if it's a problem with the ECU controlling the fuel flow or if the used injectors I got a just junk. Got my eyes on a new set of aftermarket 23lb injectors. We'll see what happens with the stock injectors back in....may just leave them alone if it runs well.

[Myetball]

Well, my son had the original injectors...now he doesn't. Bought the aftermarket 23lb injectors just waiting for them to arrive. However, I think I may have found the root of the problem. Was inspecting the distributor and noticed that the strator is making contact with one of the tabs on the pick-up coil. Looks like a worn distributor shaft is the culprit. Will buy a reman distributor this week and see what a difference it makes.

[Myetball]

It was a seriously long day today. Last weekend I installed a Walbro 190lph fuel pump and a set of new Lucas injectors. It actually ran worse after I was done. However, I did discover a previously unnoticed problem that needed quick attention. A leaking fuel rail.

Of course it's impossible to locate a matching fuel rail so my brain went into overdrive and I figured I could just drop in a fuel rail from a 92 "H" series motor. Same motor, both fuel injected. Simple, right? WRONG!

It took me all day. Between going to the junkyard and pulling one from a '92 Sunbird to fabricating the mounts, fuel lines, and a new FPR retainer. The good new is that it runs real smooth and my rough idle and missing after boost are gone. This is definately not a simple bolt on mod but it can be done.

I should say that the stock 2.0 turbo fuel rail is a piece of junk. The billet aluminum rail from the "H" motor is far superior.

[Myetball]

Another day of trying to improve things. I got a mig welder earlier this week and welded up a BOV flange and pipe. I really need practice at welding but an angle grinder cleans up my messy welding nicely. Installed a 1G DSM BOV. I also installed a check valve in my manual boost controller (really just a pressure bleed valve).

I had previously used the bleed valve to get 10psi but it ran like crap since without the check valve it created a vacuum leak. So, I get everything hooked up and adjust the valve to the previous setting to get 10psi. Take it out, stomp on it and it instantly shoots up to 15psi. and the fuel cuts out. After some testing and adjusting I have it maxed out at 12psi. and it feels like the car finally woke up. Not that it was slow before but it pulls much harder now. Oh yeah, the DSM BOV is LOUD!

I've got my horn working too. Next job is to weld together the mandrel bends I have to make an exhaust. I want to practice welding a while longer before I make the exhaust. Would hate to screw up my nice tubes.

One other thing I'm working on but not finished with yet. Vacuum lines. I now know why most of the vac lines on our cars are hard plastic. The cheap "emissions" tubing you can get at any parts store collapses under vacuum and may even baloon out under boost.

I'll be using mostly 1/4" fuel line. Haven't checked to see what types of 3/16" hose is available but it will need to be much stronger than regular old vacuum line.

As you can probably tell, I'm still working out bugs. It runs pretty good but there are still some little things left.

[Prospeeder]

Thats awsome ur cars running, im not having such luck with my turbo car :(

[Myetball]

Shot some video yesterday....it was 90 friggin' degrees out...wtf...this is November. Anyway, waiting for my son to edit.

Discovered another problem while boosting hard in a 90 degree left-hand turn. Insufficient fuel supply. Got owned by G-force as the fuel pressure in the rail couldn't overcome the G-force and the engine cut out. Looking for an affordable used Vortech FMU, an air/fuel meter, and an electronic fuel pressure gauge so I can tune this thing a little better.

Also going to see about getting a 2.3 Quad 4 fuel pressure regulator. Supposed to have 10psi more base pressure than the Sunbird regulator I'm using. Depends on what kind of mixture I'm running under vacuum. Problem may be limited to boost condition where the Vortech FMU will really help.

[Prospeeder]

Awsome, post that vid ASAP!!!

[Myetball]

This weekend I welded together my 2.25" mandrel bent exhaust. Nice and smooth sounding now and the biggest surprise is that it is friggin crazy fast now.....sometimes scary.

I'm still having cold start problems. Strange thing is that when the engine is cold it takes 3-4 times to get it running. However, when the outside temp is below freezing it fires right up. Also, once it's warmed up it cranks right up.

Since I'm running a cylinder head off an H motor I'm going to drop in some H motor plugs (different heat range...colder) and gap them to H motor specs (.044). We'll see if there's any difference.

[TurboFreak]

Cool to see you are getting some enjoyment out of it again.

Did the mandrel bent exhaust make that big of a difference? What size pipe are you using?

[Myetball]

It made a huge difference. Before the exhaust I had a straight through muffler on the end of the downpipe...where the cat goes.

With the exhaust it runs stronger and any stalling after boost is gone.

It's 2.25" I.D. I don't have a cat on yet but even when I do buy one I'm going to by a 2.5" I.D. cat, hollow it out, slip it over my exhaust and weld it on. Will be purely for inspection purposes.

I managed to score a Paxton 6:1 fuel management unit off Ebay pretty cheap. As soon as I get some decent fuel lines I'll get it on. I have been owned a few times by the fuel rail running dry...not good.

[roksoc]

I just read through this entire thread and I must say I'm very impressed with the work you have put into this car. Cant wait to see it all done.

[Myetball]

Turbo took a dump yesterday. Blowing smoke like there's no tommorow and having a hard time spooling up.

On the bright side I scored a new OEM replacement turbo and it will be here next week. I also received a new radiator via UPS today. I'll get both parts installed next week.

Really wish I had a few hundred more to spend, woulda went for a Disco Potato. Oh well....there's always time for that later.

[Prospeeder]

oh i know how u feel, my turbo just took a shit on me today, blue smoke like no other out the back

[ritzard]

if your haveing a hard time spooling up i had the same problem it was a collapsed oil return line and a crimped oil in line. blew smoke like old hell and wouldent boost no mater the revs.

[Prospeeder]

yup, i replaced the oil return, it was partly colapsed, and it helped for a awhile, but now its blowing smoke again, so Turbo, I sat for 3 years before i got it, it was old lady drivin, before i got my license, i had it and idled it for up to a 1/2 hour every couple days wich now i find out thats horrible for the Oil seals and can un seat or damage them, and i ran old oil in it for a long time cause it was cold, so its my fault partly, and looks like i get to pay 300$ for it

[Myetball]

Mine will still boost, up to 12psi, although there's a little hesitation. When spooled up it also makes a pulsing sound...think it's the shaft wobbling. Will find out more when I get the turbo off. This was a rebuilt turbo, not new so there's no telling how well the job was done.

I'll be sure and double check the oil feed/return lines when I replace the turbo next week.

Here's a link to two more turbos from the guy I bought mine from. I got one for $265 +s/h but the buy it now price is still real good.

http://motors.search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZspectre40

[Prospeeder]

T25 is whats in my car, and i got a 3.1 V6! lol its a nice economy turbo, spools about instantly, very hard to get traction alot of 1st gear

[Myetball]

Pulled the turbo today. Definately a bad seal. Minor shaft play...no blade contact with housing but the exahuast pipe was coated with oil. Oil feed and return lines are fine.

Right now we're thinking of rebuilding this turbo and slapping it on my son's Prelude. The same Prelude we're in the process of installing a new clutch, stage III cams, stainless valves, race springs, and titanium retainers. Along with the normal stuff to change when the engine is out.

[Prospeeder]

Hey, www.cheapturbo.com also known as like Phenoix Turbo repair, 300$ for a basic turbo rebuild, iv been recommended many times on the TurboGP board

[Myetball]

It's alive again...dead again...alive again!!!!!!!1

Got the new turbo installed, ran great except for the huge cloud of smoke coming out the tail pipe. After the first test run I brought it home to figure out why it was smoking worse. Ran fine, so what was the problem? Pulled the dipstick and a stead series of puffs of smoke come out the dipstick tube.....CRAP!!!!!! This was the night of 4 Jan.

5 Jan: Get up early and get the daughter off to school (I'm on vacation all week) then tear into the engine. By 11:30 I have the head off and take it to the shop to get resurfaced.

6 Jan: Get up early again but don't pick up the head until 12:00. Finish getting it running by 6:00 then when I'm pulling the alternator to do the final torque on the head bolts the hot wire shorts out and fries a fuseable link......CRAP!!!!!! Probably why every maintenance procedure in the manual starts with "disconnect the negative battery cable..."

7 Jan: Get up early and replace fuseable link. Fire it up and rev it at 2k for a while to break in new cam followers. Timing belt is too tight, timing is off...all fixed. Runs fine

So, the real culprit was a blown head shim. Was a .020 copper shim. Probably cause was improperly torqued head. This time I have a steel shim and made sure to use plenty of copper spray sealer and torque it down exactly as it should be (used a dial meter instead of eyeballing it). I'm at 7psi now, I'm going to run it for a while longer before I go back to 10 or 12 psi.

One thing that amused my son was the fact I had everything I needed to do a headgasket swap on hand. I have been buying up any and all parts I can find on ebay for a couple years now. Not much left on ebay that I need but I am out of headgaskets.

[Myetball]

One more problem. My cam timing mark won't line up. I believe this is due to the fact I'm running an "H" head. I checked and the "M" and "H" timing belts are different numbers, water pumps as well. Car still runs but it could run better. I've got two options to correct this.

1. Pull a crank gear and cam gear from a 92+ sunbird at a junkyard and install with water pump and timing belt from the later model "H" motor.

2. Get an adjustable cam gear from Mantapart and set things right.

Option 1 will probably be cheaper but will be a bigger pain in the ass. Option 2 will be expensive but will look cool and be an easy fix. Also, I'm not 100% sure the two timing belts are different length so option 1 may turn out to be an expensive waste of time.

[Myetball]

Well, I may have answered at least one of my questions. Here are the dimension of the two different timing belts:

VIN M:
Part Number: 95081 (T081)
Length: 41.60
Width: 0.75
Teeth: 111

VIN H:
Part Number: 95163 (T163)
Length: 46.90
Width: 0.79
Teeth: 125



So, either option will work......decisions, decisions.

[ChevelleSSLS6]

if you lost power with the cam belt and timing adjested 'right' you probably had it set advanced a couple of degrees... or was it retarded a coupel degrees... anyways you can make more power/torque by adjusting it, every engine reacts differently.
-matt

[Myetball]

I found a guy in Brazil that advertises an adjustable cam gear for $67 + s/h. Much better than Mantaparts $275 + s/h.

LINK TO ADVERTISEMENT (http://www.automotiveforums.com/t399857.html)

LINK TO WEBSITE (http://www.mvaux.com/)

http://bb.1asphost.com/Myetball/TurboGA/C20GET%20Cam%20Gear.jpg

Sent an email, just waiting to hear back.

[Myetball]

Well, MVAUX is out of stock but is going to have some more made up. Price is now $100 + $35 s/h + $15 bank fee (for wire transfer). Total $150. That's about half the price Mantapart advertised ($275+s/h).

I will never contact Mantapart again. Bunch of greedy bastards that don't even stock parts for our cars anyway.

[99blackSE]

Good to see your still fighting with her!

Much respect for the amount of work youve put in for keeping the thing running... you have a dying breed on your hands, that's for sure.

[Myetball]

I'm not ready to give up yet. It runs strong right now but only at 7psi. It still leans out at the upper rpm range. Until I get my paxton 6:1 rising rate fpr installed I'll keep it at 7. After that it's back up to 12psi.

I think lean mixture (wrong injectors...too small) was the cause of the copper shim failure. Got too hot and melted the copper, good thing since next would have been aluminum (pistons, head).

[Myetball]

VIDEO (http://rapidshare.de/files/12564011/grand_am.wmv.html) is now up. Took my son a while to get it put together. I'm thinking we'll do another one later on.

Click the link, scroll down and click FREE then wait for open download slot to open and click download.

Oh yeah, the video is from before I got an exhaust put on.

[Myetball]

Nothing new in the way of mods to report. I did score a free AEM adjustable FPR and am going to fab it onto a spare fuel rail I have. I decided not to go with the Paxton 6:1 rising rate fpr after I found out the Walbro 190lph pump I have isn't good for anything over 60psi. So, I'll take the AEM up to about 55psi and see how that goes.

If I still lean out at the top I'll go with a Walbro 255lph and the Paxton...of course turn the AEM down a bit so final pressure isn't too high.

Still planning a DOHC swap but that will probably be 2007.

[Prospeeder]

theres dual overhead cams for the 2.0? or are you ditching the 2.0 all together?

[Myetball]

The Daewoo Nubira used a DOHC Opel engine, the Isuzu Amigo and Honda Passport used a 2.0 or 2.2 DOHC Opel engine. Heads from any of those engines will fit. Same blocks just another timing belt gear and tensioner.

I'm hoping a Nubira shows up in the local Pic-n-Pull soon. There's a Daewoo with a 1.6 DOHC there now but it won't work.

This has been done before, I haven't found alot of talk about it on the forums but I won't be the first to do it.

[Myetball]

Last week I got the AEM fuel pressure regulator installed with a liquid filled pressure gauge. Works real nice. I did find out I don't need much over stock pressure to run strong. At 50psi the thing would barely move. 45psi and it moved a little better...40psi still better....35psi even better.

I ended up installing a vacuum check valve on the fpr. I can tell what the pressure is at idle and at zero vacuum pressure but had no way to measure pressure at boost (since I'm in the car). Regardless, setting pressure to run well at idle made it run rich under boost. With the check valve in place it stops boost pressure from reaching the fpr. Much easier to tune.

Anyway, developed a nasty misfire under boost. Was pulling my hair out until I pulled out an old set of plug wires to see if there was any change. There was. The 10.8mm wires I put on crapped out.

Anyway, it's running well again just gotta mess with the boost and fuel pressure. Should be running 12psi tommorow.

[Prospeeder]

Oh what a coincidence, im running 12 psi right now, and i looooove it, do you have a K&N filter?

[Myetball]

No K&N but a cone filter. I have a different turbo on the car so the whole intake is custom made.

[Prospeeder]

like a Cold air intake? Im running a warm air intake at the moment

[88Grandamturbo]

Myetball, I saw the video regards to tremek.com. Beautiful car, would like to get in contact with you on some of the parts for your GA. I can't find crap anywhere. Not even lowering springs. I shall have my 2.0L running soon so it can live once again.

[Myetball]

Awesome! Just fire me an email at mr_wig2003@yahoo.com or start up a new thread about what you need.

[88Grandamturbo]

Yep I emailed you.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e96/halucinator/PICT0013.jpg

idk if you have ever seen this part on a GA before but it goes between the fuel tank and fuel filter. I am having a VERY hard time finding this at any normal parts store, idk if you have had to replace it at all on your GA or not. This is the piece that is preventing me from actually being able to start my GA since it is missing and this doesn't look like it would be a very good donor piece. Also any other suggestions for like the Turbo cooling lines. I have heard many different things on the t-25 ranging from being oil cooled, to being oil and water cooled and not being cooled by anything at all!

[Myetball]

Unfortunately, the best place to get that fuel line would be a junkyard. If it's coming off the tank they should all be the same, regardless of what engine.

The stock turbo on the Grand Am/Sunbird is oil and water cooled. I made sure to take extra special care of my oil/water lines to the turbo as I have no idea if they are still available. There was some talk on here a while back that someone found the oil return line could be had from the dealer for over $300 if I remember correctly.

[Mike94SE]

Time to make some SS ones....

[ritzard]

the lines in and out of the turbo are a tight fit and if you break them youll hate your self when u see the price to replace them most is the oil return line .

[88Grandamturbo]

Well I will be ripping my engine out now. Tried starting it up after I fixed the fuel line and such. Won't fire, checked the fuel pressure and getting maybe 5-10 lbs of pressure. Well seems like I know why the idiots before me couldn't get it running, they stuck in a TBI fuel pump and not a mpfi pump. Then when cranking it over, smoke started coming out of the coolant pipes. So now I would most likely think the engine has a blown head gasket. I guess its off to NC to pick up my turbo engine I won off of Ebay.

[Myetball]

Just a little update. I've been messing with the adjustable fpr and have it pretty much where it needs to be. Did discover that one of my biggest problems was bad spark plug wires. The 10.8mm Accel wires I put on crapped out. Put on some Bosch 7mm wires and all is good.

It's running real well at 10 psi and pulls hard all the way up to 120. That's as fast as I've got it, usually not enough room and more importantly not any good reason to go faster :D

[88Grandamturbo]

Yea I have heard that accel can be pretty crappy with their quality at times and using stock replacement are better. wonder if we could find some msd set of wires.

[Myetball]

I did some checking and I think I'm going to try a set of MSD 3114 universal wires. The area that failed on the ACCEL wires was where the core was bent back 180 degrees and crimped under the hei terminals on the distributor end.

On the MSD kit, it uses a dual crimp. First crimp holds the hei connector to the wire, second crimp squeezes the connector over the core. The core is not bent with the MSD kit.

Found the kit on Ebay for less than $40 shipped. HERE's (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8032172980) a link. The guy has 100 sets available.

[88Grandamturbo]

Not a bad price at all on those. I was thinking about running one of those msd ignitions or running that crane fireball system for the turbo. Ya know one of those that will retard the timing per psi of boost.

[DontPassTheFence]

Im subscribing to this thread, the saga of your badass turboed GA has got me hooked. I read EVERY post and now Im just waiting for that vid to download. Keep up the dman fine work on your turbo GA :thumbup:

[Myetball]

I guess I owe you guys an updated video. The most recent one does not reflect much work that has been done since. Namely, I actually have an exhaust, not just a muffler bolted to the downpipe. Also worked out my fuel issue with a AEM adjustable FPR. Maybe this weekend. Glad you like the saga...hopefully a DOHC turbo motor will be the next major upgrade.

[88Grandamturbo]

So was it your FPR that was giving you all that trouble from before? Yea good luck on the DOHC motor, especially finding the head, wiring harness and computer :P

[Myetball]

The FPR was part fo the problem, combined with the failed Accel wires. Remember, I have a fuel rail, and had an fpr, from an "H" motor (90+ non-turbo).

Finding a head will be no problem. There are always several on Ebay, not cheap though. What I'd really like to do is get my hands on a complete Daewoo Nubira 2.0 motor.

Engine management will most likely be via Megasquirt. Most economical system and easily tuned.

I still have my Subaru SVX in my garage, up on jackstands, engine torn apart, body being prep'd for repaint. No telling when that will get done :banghead:

Next is my son's '96 Talon TSi. We did a 6-bolt swap a few years ago with some interesting mods to the engine, turbo system, and suspension. Anyway, it needs to have the engine torn down and the mains align bored :dogrun:

After that, I've got a pristine JDM Nissan CA18DE (looks like the car it was in crashed on the way home from the dealer) we're going to put into an '85 Corolla GTS as we make a little drift car :party2:

Then, when that's all done I can get to work on my DOHC turbo GA......hope I live that long :dogtail:

[88Grandamturbo]

Yea good luck with all of that. Especially the talon tsi's. Those engines were known to have some pretty bad crank walk.

Kind of wierd how a Daewoo (korean) would have a brazilian motor.

[Myetball]

Yeah, the 7-bolt 2nd Gen (2G) motors were prone to crank walk. However, the motor that's in there now is a 6-bolt from a Galant VR4. Still a DSM motor no matter how you look at it. Good thing it's getting sold as soon as it's running again.

Opel sold their design to many manufacturers. Vauxhall was one of the biggest users, not sure if they're a branch of Opel. GM obviously with the SOHC motors in the Sunbird, Grand Am and some other car. I'm not sure if Daewoo actually makes their version of the Opel motor or just buys it from someone else. Isuzu uses another version in 2.0 and 2.2 form and the Honda passport used a 2.2 version. Pretty versatile little engine that has been in production for almost 20 years.

[Myetball]

Not much of an update. GA is still off the road. Three reasons, it's hotter than hell's kitchen down here and it doesn't A/C, a gallon of gas costs more than a pack of cigarettes, and I got a speeding ticket in June.....75 in a 45 (pretty sure I was doing closer to 85). That last one will end up costing me $302. Went to court today and as long as I don't get any tickets in the next 30 days it won't go on my record. I'm sure my insurance would have gone up a bit ;)

Anyway, before it went off the road I was plagued with missfires at the upper rpm range then I got random no-start situations. Finally pulled the distributor off. The three wires on the module were not very secure and another wire, I think the ground, was all jacked up at the crimp connector. Only two strands of wire holding it on. Anyway, fixed all that and no more misfire and it starts up fine.

Not sure when it will be back on the road. Just can't afford $350/month for gas.

[88Grandamturbo]

Don't worry Myet, My car is still in pieces.....I mean in pieces, suspension is all torn apart and the motor is torn apart and ready to be taken to be machined and checked out.

[Myetball]

Well, I've been trying to get it road worthy again. After sitting for several months the upper rpm misfire is back. Gonna hit the junkyard and pull a complete electrical harness for the distributor.

I'll probably end up spending a day with my shop manual and a volt/ohm meter tracking down where the problem may be. Should be fun.

[DontPassTheFence]

Thus the sage continues, Im glad mythread subscription is still working :D

[88Grandamturbo]

I do have a spare wiring harness from an 88 ga turbo......Just to let anyone know...

[Myetball]

Well, the diagnosis of my problem, engine breaks up at 5200 rpm under boost, has yielded the elimination of the ignition & engine management systems. The only thing left is fuel. A few guys from another forum with turbo cars are having the same problem and it's universally fuel related. Either insufficient flow or contaminated fuel tank. I'll test fuel flow this week, don't know when I'll be able to get to the tank. It's pretty easy though, done it before. Alot easier if the tank is empty.

Also planning on redoing all my vacuum hose and reworking how the vacuum/boost is distributed.

[Myetball]

Holy Cow it's been a while. Car is still not on the road but I've been plugging away at it. Sourced an OEM fuel rail and very nice used distributor on Ebay for way cheap. Pulled the intake mani today and will get everything reinstalled soon.

Ordered some OEM fuel lines, have to wait and see if they're still available.

Hoping with the fuel system back to stock, new fuel pressure regulator, replacement distributor, plugs & wires, and a rework of all the vacuum connections the beast will be running fine again soon.