Wow, what a difference. It fires off immediately -- right with the first or second compression stroke. No misfires as it is warming up. No clouds of gray smoke from partially burned fuel. It holds a rock steady 83 to 85 degrees. And best of all, it runs like a scalded dog. (Well, maybe a very old arthritic dog... with three legs…and hip displasia.) It still has that annoying rhythmic oscillation at idle, even with the new motor mounts, engine shock mounts, & rack damper pin. Maybe I'm expecting too much? (The engine shocks themselves felt like they were filled with semi-frozen molasses, so I am assuming they are good. But I hate assuming things…)

There is an amazing difference in the level of torque & power. It's almost too good to be true; and in fact it is. I immediately noticed that the Turbo was significantly louder. I had previously readjusted the waste gate to get a peak of 12 pounds of boost. Being the suspicious type, I put a pressure gauge on and went for a little drive. Any votes as to how long one of these engines can survive at 17+ pounds of boost? My gauge only reads to 15, and it was pegged well past 15 - so who knows how high it really is. The overboost protection circuit may or may not have engaged - I couldn't tell by the way the car felt (I guess that I would expect some surging as the overboost solenoid dumped the pressure signal to the ALDA).

It's obvious that now with the engine working properly, there's a lot more exhaust energy for the Turbo to feed on. Bon Apetit.

RTH

P.S. Yes, of course I’ll fix it before the cylinder head bolts shoot through the hood…

RTH, I see with that last statement that you are also a mind reader....LOL....Greg

Apparently the increased boost levels had little or nothing to do with the engines’ running condition.

I decided to remove the Turbo in order to readjust the wastegate. This may seem like overkill considering what a PITA it is to remove. But believe me, it ends up being easier to do it this way instead of fiddling with that %#&* retaining clip when you have XXL hands. Especially when those hands are swollen and sore from all the wrenching. Not to mention that all the gaping flesh wounds are now scabbing over -- that can make it a real joy to try working with your hands.

I had everything reinstalled and when I went to put the wastegate hose on I discovered that it had a *huge* tear in it. Based on the size of the tear, it would appear that I was running with the waste gate completely closed (!). No wonder it ran so good. Shades of the C-111.

So now that I have inadvertently dialed it back down to a paltry 8.5 pounds of boost, I guess it's time to finally devise a good manual boost control system. It will be a cold day in Turbo-exhaust land when I pull this thing apart again!

RTH

RTH,

Does your coolant system still have preasure after cooling overnight? Thanks,

__________________
-Mike
'87 300TD 304kmi (RIP)
'95 Toyota Camry Wagon 125kmi

Just wondering, what kind of adjustments did you make so it started on the first or second compression stroke?

Yea - RTH - I'm curious if the overnight reservoir pressure issue has been resolved. I am considering pulling the head on my 300D to inspect it because every now and then it does have pressure in the reservoir after sitting overnight - but only every now and then

__________________
Jim

Residual coolant pressure in the morning: Nope. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Fast Starting Recipe: Good compression, proper pump timing, proper cam timing, proper valve clearances, good injectors, no fuel column leak-down, good battery & starter. (And a properly operating glow plug system for cold starts.)

Engatwork: I would pull the head now to alleviate any potential further degradation of the components, i.e., head cracking or cylinder liner corrosion (per my situation). I delayed the inevitable and it (most likely) was the cause of the extensive head cracking & subsequent additional expense.

By the way, I was told that some very *small* (less than 5 mm?) cracks are allowable/acceptable in specific areas on the cast iron heads, provided that the head is properly pressure tested and is OK.

RTH