just bought a cabriolet with T2 conversion, sight unseen. Was told he had tried to fire up the car but it wouldn't sart, probably due to stale petrol, but it had been "driven into the shed about 18 months ago" so was being sold as a runner.....HA!
Got it home and threw new battery in (the old one in it was bulging from crook plates and was not to be resusitated) and threw in some 100 octane (yes full of lead but full of guts) and tried to fire it up. Half turn of ignition key and on came lights and blowers etc...looking good.....Full turn of key and then nothing but a single horrible loud crunch/clunk noise from the engine....not good!! Put it into 5th gear and tried gently rocking back and forth, wishfully thinking it may have just been a jammed starter motor (a trick I learned from old british cars)......but alas a no go (the japs have long sorted out starter motors!!). Back to the engine bay and out come the spark plugs. Oh what a joyess moment to not see water pouring out of the holes (cooling system looked as if it had never heard of antifreeze/inhibitor). Tried ignition again and just clunk. Hmmm..quite likely seized motor. Into the plug holes goes plenty of "magic in a can"....CRC. Back into 5th gear and gentle backward and forward motion applied...felt the pistons slip...good news!!. Worked them a bit more and then back in with the plugs. ON with ignition, full turn and whammooo...fired up first pop...good news!!.. But wait, there's another problem. Above the sound of the engine noise I hear an increasing grating/clipping/schreaching noise. It's coming from the turbo housing area. Shut down engine immediately and check outlet pipe from turbo to plenium....inside pipe looks like lots of small flakes/bits of metal....Bad news!!
So I think I've found the reason for the seized motor. Cylinders apparently don't like metal filings in amongst their rings! And turbos don't do so well when trying to act more like a blender.
My question to you turbo heads out there. Can these turbos get some end float going on them, enough to smack into their housings, or is it more likely that my idiot before owner has dropped something down the turbo intake pipe??
And my advice to all out there...beware the sight unseen...it usually ends in tears or yet another project!
cheers all and happy turbo motoring
father of bowlink1
