Turbo problem, among other things...

[FredVenne]

Wow... I am about to reach my limit at this point.

I have another problem. It's just one after another.

I've posted a photo of the bottom part of the turbo. Where the little arm is attached to it. Oil is coming out of there and smoke... What's going on?!?

And my other problem is still the coolant system. I have replaced the thermostat and it was definitely broken. The seal was all shredded. But it is STILL gargling into the overflow canister. Would there be something blocking the inside somewhere?

I am sooooo tired of this s#!t...

[FredVenne]

I'm bringing this post back up because we are suppose to leave tomorrow morning, but it is not going to happen. So a little help will be appreciated.

Fred

[Firesong]

Im not sure what can be said.
Must have a crack or something in the casing of the turbo.
If it was just a bit of oil I wouldnt really bother about it but you mentioned
smoke?

I've had my turbo off my old L300 twice, not a fun job but it was a heck of a lot
easier the second time. Redid the intake/exhaust manifold gasket.

In regards to the gurgling, when you put the thermostat back in make sure you
use a gasket or some gasket making goop. You might have some air trapped in
there as well although that really shouldn't be an issue if you refilled it etc.

I would almost be tempted to try some lime/calcium remover made for your
cooling system but that has risks to of releasing buildup and it getting caught elsewhere.
Maybe your radiator is on the blink and full of crap? Build up etc? Flush time?

If you decide to do the Turbo and don't want to spend the bucks there should be
some used ones kicking around for not much. It's a hit or miss solution. But if you
do decide to do that, when removing the turbo I found it easier to remove the
whole manifold since some of those stupid bolts that connect the turbo on are hard
to remove with the other stuff in place.

Crappy feelings inside.. hang in there.

FS

[thedjjack]

for the cooling system I find pressurizing the system the best...

You can buy or make a rad cap you can add 14 psi to with a gauge see how long it takes to leak down and figure out where....

You can also warm it up with the cap off and try then to see if you can figure out if you have leaks....works great...

[Rattlenbang]

Your turbo is leaking oil into the exhaust and it's burning off. Turbo rebuild time. If your coolant is leaking into the overflow jug you are either overheating (check the gauge), your cooling system is being overpressurized due to head gasket or head leak, or the rad seal with the rad cap isn't any good.
Your frustration is palpable so time to step back, take a deep breath and clear your mind.

If your temp gauge doesn't show overheating, you need to get the cooling system pressure checked. Easy enough to pick up a cheap pressure gauge at Princess Auto and plug it into the overflow tube. The cap isn't supposed to let go until 13 PSI. If you show less than 13 PSI, the cap is leaking. If it's showing higher levels than 13 PSI your cooling system is being pressurized by the engine. If that happens, then you are into a big repair.

If your gauge shows overheating, raising the temp and pressure to the point where the cap lets go, then it's new rad time. All in all, a fairly straightforward series of diagnostics.

[FredVenne]

Thank you guys!

Talked with Coombs and it might be the cylinder head. Smoke is coming out of the rad (cap off) as well. There is a guy in Sundre that import and work on these vehicles. He might want to do some test on it and determine if it is the whole head or just the gasket.

I wonder if replacing the head cylinder is a straight forward job or if it takes some finicky adjustment, which I would not be able to do by myself...

Will go to bed now and sleep on it... Dam we were suppose to leave tomorrow morning to Nova Scotia... I am happy that it happened in the driveway of the lady's parents... It could have happened in Moose Jaw, SK hehehe!!!

Cheers,

Fred

[thedjjack]

Cylinder head is a straight forward job....and a inline 4 is a nice motor...lots of room in there...but is not for the faint of heart...

I was pulling heads off at 14 so maybe not the right person to ask...but if you get the manual and follow the procedures it is straight forward as any other motor...

[Rattlenbang]

It's not all that complex, just a lot of work in a cramped space. Shops charge a huge bit of coin for the job, so it's very worthwhile to do yourself. A few special tools required like torque wrench, allan socket. The finicky part is reinstalling the timing belt. It's also critical that you find out what caused the head to blow in the first place. It's a good time to get your rad flow tested.

[FredVenne]

Update on our misfortune;

Turbo is dead. I did found a crack and warp parts last time I openned it. So new turbo will be installed. I brought the van to a guy, Hilltop Cruiser. Check out his website. I think I'm in good hands. He will perform a few test on it tomorrow and determin if it is a gasket, head or cylinder. There is a leak (after presurizing it, but a very small one. He will do it again for every glow plug.

Even thought he is a Toy guy, he accepted to skeeze me in. So we might be able to leave by the end of the week or at the very least early next week.

Thanks for all your support!

Fred

[FredVenne]

Got all the parts from CCAutos (but the turbo, should be here Monday morning).

Now Ryan at Hilltop Cruiser is ready to get the new head cylinder and everything else.

Pretty exciting actually!!!

Fred

[Rattlenbang]

You'll have a new engine by he time you're done!

[FredVenne]

New head cylinder, new turbo (tried to fix it myself, worked for 2 months), new timing belt, new fan clutch, new rear wheel bearing, new thermostat (installed by me)"
So far in August, here is what we had to spend our money (most of it) before leaving to Nova Scotia;

2600$ worth of parts.
2000$ worth of labor.
1000$ for new tires on the Pajero (Kelly's... cheap brand, but will work for our 5000 Km journey to NS, and a few more summers)
And on top of that, which anyone would ever argue, 5000$ for Kim's eye surgery. She has a condition called "Keratoconus". Medical condition that degenerates the thickness of the cornea, so basically she was going blind at 30 years old.

And that was only in August... good thing I quit my Gov't job (which I only had for 4 years, so no pension, no benefits) and move to Nova Scotia... to go back to school in wood working... feel a little silly right now...

So you're right Rattlenbang, the van will be mostly new by tomorrow. I hope it will last another 20 years without major parts replacement...

Going to bed, sobbing a little...

Fred

[Rattlenbang]

Try not to feel silly about your life's choices. The Delica is just a vehicle. Quitting a job to pursue a dream is never a bad choice IMO, and you sure don't want to trade a life's path for engine repairs. I'm sorry to hear that it's been such a expensive whammy this last while, but it really does come down to the fact that like VW vans, Delicas are NOT a cheap vehicle to own, not by a long shot. I also have a 2000 Honda civic and so far has only needed an O2 sensor. The Delica has needed a new head, rad, belts and turbo rebuild, and calipers at 50,000 less kilometres. If it comes down to cash flow issues, sell the Delica and buy a Honda, and you won't have to think of vehicle costs for a long time.