soobscript

I have the same set from the same guy. Everything seems fine. Don't know if they'll last as long as others, but everything is better than what I had.

It's running on #1 and #2 only. Pulling plug wires or injector harnesses make no difference to performance. There is spark to both at the disty, and the wire resistance checks out, but I still haven't seen spark at the plug. What's the deal with the water in exhaust? (and why is it leaking before the cat?) I reinstalled the disty with Fox's directions in the last post and his article. Set rotor to 0 deg. Car started, but ran worse and wanted to die. I turned the disty nearly the full adjustment space while it was running. Fully advanced now and running just like before. I'm pretty sure there is a lot of knocking happening from the advanced timing. I have new codes: 14 and 15 - fuel injectors. Did all the tests for them. Strange that my #3 wires were opposite the others. I swithced the wires but no change in operation. All resistances and voltages are dead on. I think I heard them all ticking, but can't be certain with all the other noises and engine movement. No change if MAF wires are connected or not. No change if no air filter used. No running if the wastegate duty solenoid is unplugged. All vac hoses to it appear to be correct according to a great post by Skip. Didn't get a compression test. Injectors 3 & 4 could be plugged. By tracing fuel lines I see that they would be the first to get fuel. But... I hosed out all hard and soft tubing with brake cleaner before installation. I got some good chunks with a q-tip out of the curvy firewall hose, but anything in there would have to got thru the filter (new purolator). Injectors were also professionally cleaned and flowed before installation. Other possibilities are bad valve job/installation, bad cam job, unhooked emissions stuff, and... WTF is up with the WATER pudde?

I am doing some troubleshooting of my own on an 88 ea82t. Can someone tell me if this is okay? Key off, 12V on both wires to injector. Key on, 12V on +red and 0V on -white. Engine running, 12V (rapidly fluctauating) on both wires. (crap! I'm not sure if that's correct) Injector resistance and resistor pack values are good.

Lots of new info. No improvements. I could use some more feedback... I'm still at the same rough idle. Messed with some stuff. Pulling the 1 or 2 wires off disty kills the engine. 3 & 4 have no effect - but they are sparking at the disty. Wire resistance checks out. All plugs are brand new from same box. I haven't got conclusive proof of spark or no spark from plugs. 3 is getting fuel for sure. I can't really hear the valve tick noise anymore when hand cranking. When I heard it before one valve cover was off, but I could hear both sides. I am getting code 23 and code 44. MAF and Wastegate Duty Solenoid. I did the checks in Haynes for the MAF. Resistance good. With key ON base voltage good, flow voltage increase good, power good. Contacts clean. Only issue is that the ambiguity of the Haynes instructions says to check the power wire and it should have over 10V. I have no power to MAF without key ON. Unplugging MAF while running make no change. Engine starts and runs the same without MAF connected. ALL grounds are excellent (I re-did them all and have under 1 ohm from any point-to-point in the engine bay). Duty solenoid contacts are good. I can't find any diagnostics in my 4 books or the online PDF. One of the connectors has nothing when key OFF; when ON it has 12V and 0.02V (200mV) - I'm guessing that is the low end of its boost scale. The 5-wire connector has 12V on the middle terminal when OFF and nothing on the rest; when ON has same 12V power and that 0.02V on the other four wires. I might have the wastegate and turbine vac lines switched. I am also getting water dripping from the DP-cat connection. A new OEM gasket was used. The springs on the bolts bottomed out so it's as tight as can be. It is water with soot from the inside of the exhaust pipes. It has only been running for 1 minute with antifreeze in the system, was just filled with distilled water before. No gas smell detected. So I don't know if it's water from combustion/misfire, leaky turbo, or bad gasket. Right now egr and purge control solenoids are not present, because they are open resistance (no good). Some vac lines are plugged up. I don't know if they should/shouldn't be, but makes no difference to the idle situation. Haven't hooked up the evap canister yet, but have tried every combination of plugged connections with no results. Anyone know of a how-to for bypassing the emissions stuff? (I don't want to, but my equipment isn't any good.) Distributor installation: what's the correct procedure for a turbo? I have been slipping it in where #1 @ 20 deg is near the center of adjustment area. It that good? Should I make the gears mesh at 0 deg, then rotate adjust to 20 deg? #1 is on compression stroke, valves closed, passenger cam dot at about 11:00, belts are correct. Should be getting compression check this afternoon. ...that's a lotta typin. Is this all because I stuck the disty in wrong?

After messing around a bunch I found out why it wouldn't start... The disty wire harness wasn't connected, but looked like it was. Musta pulled it loose one of the times I had the disty out. It's running. Not well, but much better than berfore. Started out at 1100 rpm (cold idle) and ~65 psi, then dropped to 500-600. To smooth idle I moved the disty around while running, didn't really help. Then I started pulling wires. #1 sputtered and almost died before I pluggged it back in. #3 did nothing, but there was spark. #2 it died instantly. #4 did nothing, but there was spark. When I had the plugs out #3 looked brand new. 4 looked almost as good. 1 & 2 already looked well used. They were all spankin new when the engine started running. There's still that noise on the 2-4 side, maybe belts aren't tight enough. 1-3 side has some tapping/clicking noises and what sounds like exhaust puffs. Time to investigate!

I think HTKYSA pinpointed the wierd noise I heard by #4 when I first started the engine. "Knocking sounds: ...OHC models: A thwapping-type knocking sound from the distributor means the cam belts are loose and need to be adjusted. The thwapping come from the camshaft banging on the inside of the cam box. ..." Don't know if it's still there, have to get engine started. I'm headed out to test spark alone. Hope my water didn't freeze last night...

Heads were pulled from junkyard and taken to machine shop. The shop pressure tested, cleaned, resurfaced, did valve job, and installed valves. The old valves and springs were used with new OEM stem seals and keepers. Heads came back to me in plastic, then I cleaned again and finished assembly. They said the valve guides looked good. They said the opposite on my original cracked heads. They had 2 full sets of valves to choose from. I don't know if they checked spring height or tension, and I don't have any specs of any of the measurements they did.

I noticed on the Delta cams that the lobes (some or all?) are not completely "round." At the edge of the "peak" (top of the tall area) there is flat spot and corner, relative to a smooth curve. Is that bad? I haven't looked at stock ones that close, but will tomorrow. It might be normal, and it might be the result of a re-grind. I have no experience here. I also didn't measure them with a micrometer. Is XSNRG the only person that has gotten a bad set? Search time, gotta check his symptoms... *edit* I think it was subaru_styles... anybody have a link?

I can't find any evidence of threadlocker on the cam pulley bolts. Maybe I didn't torque them the first time. :-\ Then the shaking from bad timing loosened the bolts. I found the source of the nasty noise that developed on the 1-3 side. The loose pulley was getting slammed forward and backward in rotation. Bolts were hitting the walls of their holes. Holes started to get oval. Bolted the cam pulleys on, did the belts again, and moved the disty. Took care of some other stuff then tried to start the engine. Nada. Just cranking. Made sure I connected power to the fuel pump. Checked for disconnected wires. R&R all the disty wires, bent tabs to better connection. Temp at 20 degrees and lots of cranking on a battery that hasn't been used for 3 months, so I hooked up the charger/starter. No start at 40A charge setting. Same at the 200A start setting. Look at stuff then quit for the night. Did not check for spark everywhere. It's also possible that spark plug wire(s) got broken during the whole process. Need to check. Not sure if I got enough tension on the t-belts (but certainly enough to start). The ECU O2/code light flashes a lot on u-check. For some reason the light stays lit for the same amount of time on each flash (all SHORT), but the time between flashes varies. It's not doing the LONG and SHORT flashes like it used to and should. What's up with that? Longer pauses could be the LONG flashes, but it's hard to decipher them. Will the codes repeat with the key on, or run through once then stop?

The disty was off by a tooth (I think). The rotor was hitting #1 with its trailing edge. I adjusted it so the center of the rotor hits #1. Firing order is correct. Both sprockets have been pushed toward the front of the car. Cams are in correct position, but the bolts are backing out. Followers look fine. There is a strong tap/clack each time a valve pops back up. Is that normal? I have been turning the engine by hand with the crank bolt. (Engine is cold, sitting for 24 hours, no oil pressure.) Is that just unpumped hvla's or is it mis-shapen camshaft lobes? Could the bad timing make the vibration and cause the cam spockets to come loose? The shaking was in a side-to-side motion. Engine was being tossed on idle. I did get oil pressure first. No plugs in, coil connected, or fuel pump power. I don't know if I let it warm up enough before revving for the cams though. Doing the timing belts again now. Access isn't quite as easy...

Car is a turbo, sticker under hood and all manuals say timing is 20 deg. So should rotor point to #1 at 20 or 0? Rotor is also arc shaped - so should it point to #1 on the leading edge or at the center. I did everything with the engine on a table in front of me for easy access. I'm quite sure that it is set to the compression stroke. Belts are as close as I could get them to exact, left (driver's) side is no more than half a tooth off, no picture in my head of the right belt. Rotor is currently set so the center is at #1 button at the 20 mark on flywheel. This being my first time for everything, I tried a lot of different combinations of teeth on the disty and stuff like that. Also turned crank with belts and everything lined up after several rotations. I'm heading out now to check for that nasty noise on the 1-3 side, proper spark, and re-do the cam sprockets and belts. Hopefully it's something obvious and easy . A timing light and compression gauge would be nice right now...

I know the timing belts are positioned correctly. Did a lot of checking and testing before dropping the engine in. What about checking if they are a tooth off?

Thanks for the tips. The disty rotor should be pointing at #1 when the flywheel says 20, right?

Distributor off a tooth? Bad set of reground cams? Cam bores too worn? Main bearings? The noise really scared me. I really don't want to restart it without some good info. Belts should be on correctly. One up, one down. Even gave them some tension before tightening. My first time messing with a car with a distributor. Cap, rotor, and wires are relatively new. I don't think it matters but my EVAP canister/hoses are not connected at all yet, my EGR solenoid is also not present. Stuff done while engine was out: nothing to the block, except cleaning and lubing cylinder walls all new OEM seals new OEM oil pump new OEM water pump new timing belts, tensioners, idlers Mizpah reman HVLAs Delta cams (260) injectors cleaned by RC Engineering heads from JY with no cracks, pressure checked, resurfaced valve job new NGK plugs new O2 sensor new fuel filter new PCV valve all electrical contacts checked and cleaned new 2-row radiator newer smoother electric fan, no mechanical fan all new hoses new clutch, pressure plate, pilot and throwout bearings. flywheel resurfaced everything cleaned lots painted more stuff

NOW: Sounds like a diesel and cam sprockets are loosening themselves. Both spit out their roll pins and have some bolts almost completely out. Driver's side belt has moved back so it's only halfway on.... _____________________________________________ THE STORY: Freshly resealed motor. Just fired it up. Got oil pressure first. After some cranking she fired right up. VERY rough idle @ 500 rpm, everything shaking. Smoothed out with some throttle. Let it warm a little, did a quick visual check then increased to 2k rpms for the Delta cams. Still too much vibration and internal noise for my liking. Turned it on and off a few times. No issues restarting. No leaks. Oil pressure good. Temp good. Idles around 500 rpm. Only died once, and the turbo light turned on for an instant when it happened. Was hearing something weird from the #2-4 area. Then while idling it spontaneously started making a BAD ticking/clacking noise on the #1-3 side. Not normal hvla noise. Sounded like a diesel motor running. Got worse with rpms. I killed the ignition. Now I am at the opening paragraph. Why? Could off timing or a bad spark plug wire do the shaking thing? Is that what made the cams get loose and start the violent noise? The sprockets were torqued and had blue threadlocker applied. I know you'll want more info, but that's already a lot to read. HELP! --Ed

Very easy to do. Unhook any PCV hoses, remove the 10mm bolts, pull off valve cover. No adjustments needed. The torque spec is very low for the bolts beacause of the rubber washers. I don't know about oil loss, but I would like to know and will soon find out. Do the job with the engine cold to minimize oil loss. --Ed

Just wanna make sure I hooked stuff up right. 1988 MPFI turbo. On the ignition coil... black wires go to (-) and colored wires go to (+) right? I would think so, but couldn't find any verification. Plus there's this mysterious green dot by the (-) which is what you get when you mix the blue and yellow wires On the fuel lines... hose coming from the fuel filter goes to the center/highest rail, then the left/bottom rail right after the pressure reg. hooks to the hose going under the fuel filter Correct, right? (Someone once said there is no such thing as a stupid question) P.S. - Battery, EVAP, rear cat, and turbo heat shields need to be connected, then fluids go in. Then I get to slap on the front end...

Engine finally went in Saturday. Right now the passenger side is complete except for downpipe, heatshield, and EVAP. Center/rear is all hooked up, clutch and hill holder probably need adjusted. I have a socket prepared for head bolt retorquing. Any pointers on that? Will oil come out when the valve covers get taken off? The rubber radiator grommets had to be modified to account for the arch in the radiator support obtained while off-roading. There will be no EGR solenoid for a while. Skirts and other stuff probably won't be completed for the first drive. I hope it starts the first time...

EA82T Should I install the turbo before or after it's in the engine bay? With the exhaust up-pipe? Or just the oil and coolant lines? I have a lift and extra hands if it matters. --Ed

Stock is 192 degree. Many people use 180s.

I like the fog light holes...

Utility hose: the heavy duty multi-purpose red-outside stuff, reinforced and pretty stiff. I have some Goodyear and some NAPA brand. I think it would be better for coolant than oil. I had a buddy pick up some stuff for me while he was going thru town. He brought me 4' of heater hose instead of PCV-type. I wish they would just say what the hose is made of. :-\ Some hose compatibility links: http://mdmetric.com/tech/rbrcompat1.htm http://www.hbdthermoid.com/flex_strength.htm http://www.ammagazine.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/features/BNP__Features__Item/0,2606,6244,00.html

The legs great, thanks for asking. It's been fine for a while, very minor break. I can't wait to trade the Tempo for the RX. I need to check out your "new" ride too. Here's it is at the moment. Gotta run all new PCV hoses now. The old ones are hard, brittle, and full of chunks. I lost nearly 2 hours trying to fix one of the solenoids (the one closer to fuel rail). My original one had the vac fittings broken off. Found one at a yard. Cleaned it up and had it in the 'ready to go' pile. I go to bolt it on and a wire breaks near the base. I give it a couple attempts at crimping, then got it soldered. When I go to use it again, the other wire breaks. I "excavate" more wire from the casing and crimp it (I haven't found a good way to solder stranded wire - especially copper). Mount it temporarily to get all my hose routings right. Get the TB bolted on, wire breaks at base when I move the harness. grr. Back to work for a little while...

I used some fuel hose for coolant, heater hose for PCV, utility hose for coolant, and heater hose for oil. Am I okay?

That's what I was thinking. I'm also an EE major. Digital multimeter. Works perfect. But for troubleshooting I measured some resistors and used all like 8 scales, and everything checked out. Car ran fine ignition wise, but I've been checking everthing before I put it back together. The engine did overheat very badly before I tore it apart. I could see the extra heat in the wires making it tough for the spark to travel at the time, but I can't think of anyway the wires could get cooked and be bad with LOW resistance. Getting cooked and like losing a solder connection or something is another matter. Score one for Bosch! Good thing cuz I don't have the money for Magnecors now.