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Problems with the wagon - all related?


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Car: 87 Turbo Wagon. 9.0:1 CR, TD04, 5 speed FT4WD

 

Problems -

 

Gas milege - only have about 100 miles on the new motor so far, but it seems to be sucking the gas down rather quickly.. And I have been babying it for the most part.

 

-Surging, general lack of accelleration from 2-7 psi. First gear seems fairly smooth, but 2nd and third just seem weak at the same levels of boost. Right now, until a few other bugs are ironed out, boost is staying around 7 psi. I have had a couple spikes up to 15-17 psi when the line to the wastegate split, the car took off like a raped ape.. but those were short duration spikes (less than 2 seconds).. So at high boost, it just goes, but at normal boost, it almost feels like theres a big hand in front of the car holding it back

 

Vacuum - had another thread a while back talking about how I was only getting around 18 inches of vacuum.. now I seem to be steadily sitting in the 16-17 inch range.. Hosed the whole motor in carb cleaner today and didn't find any vacuum leaks

 

CEL - cruising at 70 mph or so this evening, my CEL came on. as soon as I let my foot off the gas, it went away.. Here's the weird part. No codes. No stored codes, nothing but the normal blink on the o2 monitor that the car alwasy has that designates model or whatever

 

 

 

 

Side note, unrelated - cooling system seems to be sucking rump roast too.. Everything is fairly new except the radiator.. So thats getting replaced soon

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you should check the gas mileage just to be sure.. how do the plugs look? i suggest checking the coolant temperature sensor, especially if it seems to start OK. also try disconnecting the catalytic converter and next check the valves maybe..

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.... at normal boost, it almost feels like theres a big hand in front of the car holding it back....

 

There is, that's me, ok I'll stop....:grin:

 

 

I don't know what to tell you about the gas mileage but as for the seeming wimpyness....

 

does this feel like "turbo lag" or something else...?

 

exhaust leak, pre turbo?

 

I know that I had to learn to drive my brat with the combination of Delta cams and the TD04. You don't have cams right?

 

My whip feels like a pig until you put your foot into it then the wheels spin, people run for cover etc, etc

 

The bottom line is that although not a bad match for an EA, it is a bit big and prone to some laggyness.

 

garner

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I don't think its lag.. It seems to spool up ok.. even under boost its just a little .. blah

 

After driving it a bit more, the CEL came back on for a minute and I finally got a code stored...

MAF

 

Going to clean it and clean the contacts and see what happens. I have a spare I'll toss in there if I have to. Hopefully that takes care of the problem.

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  • 1 year later...

My 87 GL wagon turbo was doing the same. It was also iddling down and I had to pump the accelerator several times to get the RPMs back up after stopping. Yesterday I popped the top on the air filter to give it more air, so far it is running great. I am looking for a KLH type open air filter to try. All of my problems have seemed like a fuel/air problem. Computer showed no codes. I am hoping this solves them all.

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Issue was solved by straightening up the airflow across the MAF, and by ditching the crappy IC piping. The new stuff works much better.

 

Ran well enough for me to beat the piss out of it for a while and blow it up :lol:

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Mine never did start knocking.. It ran fine all the way home. Just pissing copious quntities of oil, and a couple of times, ticking like hell.. Thats the part that hurt the worst. This is the first EA82 I have ever heard that didn't tick.

 

But man, you should hear it tick when it tries to run out of oil.:mad:

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Mine never did start knocking.. It ran fine all the way home. Just pissing copious quntities of oil, and a couple of times, ticking like hell.. Thats the part that hurt the worst. This is the first EA82 I have ever heard that didn't tick.

 

But man, you should hear it tick when it tries to run out of oil.:mad:

 

yeah mine ticked real loud right as the oilpump went out. Heard it get really loud but it was too late for it.

 

Oh and I also have a shovel, wanna go dig up some more old posts?:D

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Issue was solved by straightening up the airflow across the MAF, and by ditching the crappy IC piping. The new stuff works much better.

 

Ran well enough for me to beat the piss out of it for a while and blow it up :lol:

Well, glad you solved that problem!!!! :eek:

 

Murphy, the $500 87 T-Wag also got bad mileage. It was a combo of things. O2 sensor, engine coolant temp sensor. At one point I was only getting 16 - 17 mpg. Replacing those helped a tick or two. My temp on the digi-dash (yetch) always read on the very warm side. Turned out my rad was very clogged, causing the engine to work hard to pump coolant 'round, and that also explained why I was popping cooling hoses left and right. My mileage with the 3 spd auto-tranny (more yetch) is now around 20 - 21. Can't wait to swap in the 5 spd hi / lo. That should give me a few more ticks on the gauge - if I can just get the lead out of my accelerator foot, as I find it on the floor way too often!!! :grin:.

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why not put an ej-22 in the gl??

 

im not trying to suggest, as much as beg the question. you folks are obviously MUCH more knowledgeable than i, but why not put a pwoerplant that can, from what i have read, reliably produce 250 hp into the 2400 lb vehicle? probly, 200 without the driveline, the later driveline/motor =~ what, 700 pounds??

 

because you seem to like the older skool here, and that seems to me to be the no brainer.. sorta like that wonder brumby from the post, yanno?

 

anyhow, once again.. im not trying to suggest, im assuming you have addressed this idea as much as anything else. if im wrong, and the idea hasnt occurred to you, then nevermind, and i take full credit :lol: but why not? what are the downsides, what reasons do you have for not doing this?

 

ive got my sports car (75 280Z) and i need to work on that, and in the meantime im delivering pies in my soob. i dont want the datsun to be a DD when i finish, but i dont want a neutered DD either.. so LONG-term, im looking at options for that other car.. thinking maybe small pickup, maybe older BMW 3-series, but the longer im a USMB member, the more i think (doubtful) fix up my rusty soob (bad rust) or pick up a soob i like.. im thinkin a 4wd 5speed turbo GL10 would be nice, but in the long run, i would like the EJ22 conversion even more.. so i am curious why you seem to ignore that option, you know?

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why not put an ej-22 in the gl??

 

im not trying to suggest, as much as beg the question. you folks are obviously MUCH more knowledgeable than i, but why not put a pwoerplant that can, from what i have read, reliably produce 250 hp into the 2400 lb vehicle? probly, 200 without the driveline, the later driveline/motor =~ what, 700 pounds??

 

because you seem to like the older skool here, and that seems to me to be the no brainer.. sorta like that wonder brumby from the post, yanno?

 

anyhow, once again.. im not trying to suggest, im assuming you have addressed this idea as much as anything else. if im wrong, and the idea hasnt occurred to you, then nevermind, and i take full credit :lol: but why not? what are the downsides, what reasons do you have for not doing this?

 

ive got my sports car (75 280Z) and i need to work on that, and in the meantime im delivering pies in my soob. i dont want the datsun to be a DD when i finish, but i dont want a neutered DD either.. so LONG-term, im looking at options for that other car.. thinking maybe small pickup, maybe older BMW 3-series, but the longer im a USMB member, the more i think (doubtful) fix up my rusty soob (bad rust) or pick up a soob i like.. im thinkin a 4wd 5speed turbo GL10 would be nice, but in the long run, i would like the EJ22 conversion even more.. so i am curious why you seem to ignore that option, you know?

 

A 135 HP EJ22 wouldn't really be an improvement. It would be more work for little to no gain.. Only the increase in potential would make it worth it.

 

Mostly though, even with a nice fresh STi motor in there, the fact wouldn't change that its a 20 year old car with no aftermarket support.

 

Basically, the wagon has served its purpose for me. It has been a pretty rough stretch over the past 5 years or so. FOr the past 16 years, I have rarely gone withut a project. Circustances over the past 5 years have required that it be the ultimate cheap project. I have to admit, the wagon fit that bill better than I ever imagined. But without dumping some serious cash into it, the wagon will never be capable of the things I would like it to be.

 

Thats not to say I would never have another, but for now its purpose has been served.

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