Turbo and idling woes.

[JohnnyWadd]

Can I ask you guys a couple of questions? I'm about to start my turbo shopping excursion. Not really sure what I'm doing, though. Never had to do anything like that. Here's what I want to know:

First, my car is a 1991 Talon TSi FWD. It's completely stock with no modifications. Is there any other possibility on the turbo than it being a 14B?

Second, popular consensus seems to be that I need to check shaft play on the replacement that I buy. That's the shaft between the exhaust impeller and the intake compressor, right? Well, when I check for play, do I go back and forth, side to side, or both? Should just spin and not move any other way, correct?

Oh, and how exactly do I check for shaft play? Just try and move it with my fingers?

Thanks again, fellas!
Jon

[darkck009]

OVERDRIVE PROBLEM
hey is any on out there that can help me on my OVERDRIVE PROBLEM. Whether it is switch on or off, I don't have no over OVERDRIVE, the engine rive really high...what could be the cause, a bad tran?

[kjewer1]

You're going to have to ask the tranny question in a new thread. Just click the newthread button, and ask away! Someone will help you.

Yes, just wiggle the shaft yourself. It will move noticeably, but should be very small amount. Also, its possible to have bad oil seals and have no shaft play, so its not a garantee. But 99% chance its ok. IT will be a 14b on any 1g manual tranny car. If its an auto, its going to be a 13g.

[JohnnyWadd]

Okay, Scooby, I think we can officially close the door on this mystery. Go get Freddy, Velma, and Daphne, and let's go home!! After two months of BS, I think I've finally gotten to the bottom of the woes of my car. Last night, I pulled out my turbo, and by the looks of things, it told me all I needed to know. Let me enlighten you...

As I told you before, I'd eliminated all other parts of the turbo system, except the turbo itself. I also told you I could hear a leak, but couldn't see it. So, when I pulled the turbo out last night, I left the hoses on the inlet and outlet that I'd installed for leak checking. Figured once I'd gotten her out, I'd throw her on a bench and check her that way.

Well, that's the first thing I did. I pressurized the turbo, and sure enough, there were more than a few leaks. The two biggest were on the rim where the aluminum housing meets the steel body. Those were obvious. More little ones, too, but those were the big ones.

So, I was pretty well convinced that I needed a new turbo. For giggles, I pulled the hose off that I'd put over the inlet and attempted to give the shaft a spin to see how bad it was. Well, it was terrible. The thing would not spin at all using my fingers. So, if I wasn't convinced before that the turbo was bad, this pretty much eliminated all doubt in my mind.

So, here's my conclusion: Aluminum is very soft metal. Looks like when I crashed the front end, the aluminum parts of the turbo got tweaked quite a bit. So much so that by the looks of things, the round part that the compressor wheel in the intake side is supposed to spin in is no longer round, and it's bitten down on the wheel itself.

Now, I'm shopping for a turbo. Got on DSMTrader and started searching yesterday. Looking for the right combination of price, mileage, and shaft play. As much as I'd like to upgrade, I think I'm going to hold off on that. Don't think my car is ready for that. Financially, I'm not ready to make my car ready. I'm starting Graduate School this fall, and I think I'll save as much money as I can for that. We'll see what happens when I get out and become a rich man!!

So, if anyone out there has an old 14b turbo laying around or know someone else who does, don't be afraid to contact me. I might be interested in buying. I'll be making my decision on which turbo to buy in a day or two. Once I get it and have it installed, I'll drop you guys a line and let you know how it all turned out. Wish me luck!!

Thanks a ton for all of your help. I couldn't have done any of this without you guys. You're all my heroes!!

Jon
[email protected]

[kjewer1]

I can honestly say that I have never heard of such a problem before, and coming from me that means something! Congrats Glad you figured it out finally. It just goes to show you that sometimes you have to put down the keyboard, stop being a pussy, and actually wrench on the car, using the forums as a guide. Well done. I hope you finally get some enjoyment out of the car when you get the new turbo on

[JohnnyWadd]

Okay, we can close the book on my problems, once and for all. I've finally gotten my Talon back in working order. Turns out my problems were twofold. I ended up having a bad turbo and a bad ECU. Replaced the turbo first, and that got rid of the jerking. It was still running rich, though. Then, over the course of the last few days, I came to the conclusion that my ECU was shot. So, yesterday I pulled one out of another car and put it in. She started right up. So, I'm rolling again, and it's in no small part to all you guys that helped me out on this website. Thanks for everything. You guys saved me.

Jon

[kjewer1]

Sounds good