paraic Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Hi all A few weeks back I bit the bullet and went to Seattle and bought Koll's (N9TE) 86 505 Turbo. I thought I would post here and let you guys know how my 505 Turbo ownership is getting along. The 505T is a pretty decent car with alot of good points and some bad. The good: - good body - no rust apart from one small patch which is easily repaired (on my list) - good engine and transmission - good electrics - decent mpg - excellent interior - seems well looked after - sunroof works! The not so good: - dent in the rear has pushed in the body and slightly buckled the trunk - once you get up close it doesn't look great - some blue smoke on startup and on acceleration - tie rod ends are rattly and need replacing - valves needed adjusting (completed) - starter motor needed replacing (completed) - Turbo not spooling up as it should - Turbo probably cause of the blue smoke So I took it into Dave at Eurocar in Portland and he has done some work to bring it back into decent shape. Since it needs DEQ tags in Oregon the blue smoke needs to be fixed. And to be honest I really dislike driving a car the emits blue smoke - its just plain wrong. Dave did a leakdown test and pronounced the engine good, and also had a decent compression test. Plugs looked good so the engine should be a keeper. It has 133k on the clock so a good bit of life left in it yet. Still without the turbo spooling up properly the car is nto performing as it should and that is frustrating. Dave is pretty sure there is a crack in the turbo housing which is generating the blue smoke so he has suggested I send it off to a guy in Northern California that he deals with to get it done. Only trouble is, its expensive. If it only needs a cartridge then its only a few hundred dollars but if it needs refurbishing then its around $1k. So on Craigslist in Seattle is a decent looking 85 T and I have been chatting back and forth with the owner and he says the turbo works fine and spools up and the car uses no oil. Would it be feasible to swap the turbo from the 85 to the 86? Or if anyone has other suggestions? I really like the car and its a blast to throw around the winding hills in NW Portland andI would like to keep it but I don't really want to sink $1k into it (and a good bit more to fix other bits). Anyhow I thought I would update you and keep you posted. More info to follow with pics. Paraic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 86 = water cooled housings. 85 = oil cooled (IE no coolant hoses to it) I've got a turbo I resealed (Turbonetics kit) and used with low miles, should still be good if you want I can check it out and post up. PM if interested. $1K is way too much to spend on an OEM turbo, but the conditions you speak of sound like turbo seals. Housings are known for some surface cracking - but it doesn't affect performance at all. Only way I can see cracking affecting oil consumption is if it was cracked across a seal surface and that's what was allowing oil to be burned. If you pull the intercooler or even the hose connecting it to the intake you'll likely find oil. A T3 seal kit should be all it needs I would guess. I've heard good things about Dave at Eurocar though so I don't want to contradict his findings in an online forum (IE I can't see it myself) - but to me it still sounds odd. Sounds like you got a heck of a deal if that's the list you have to work with. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick@nite Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 We've got a few good N9TE Turbos around could sell if need be for $250 can check the wastegates but cannot guarantee the wastegate. Check the excess oil in the PCV also valve seals are known for blue smoke start-ups as well. But if you have blue smoke on hard acceleration it's probably going to be the turbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 I thought the blue smoke was valve stem seals. I've had two other cars with that (Toyotas - one Cressida and one Supra) and valve stem seals cleared that up on those cars. The tell-tale sign is letting it idle. For about two minutes - car completely warmed up. Then knock it up to 3K RPM. You should see smoke. Also, a lot of smoke on start-up is an indicator. The valve stem seals are cheap $40 for the set. Part number: 0956.14. But, it is a lot of work. http://www.mkiv.com/techarticles/valve_stem/index.html I have not done this job on the N9T. Nick or Bryan would be experts on this. Guys, chime in and let us know if this can be done without removing the cylinder head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paraic Posted October 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 Talked to Dave in Eurocar again and he says the plugs looked fine which led him to believe the valve stem seals were not the issue. Unless the plugs were very recently changed. He said the oil can build up in the turbo and can result in the smoke on start-up. Still that doesn't rule out the valve stem seals. Apparently you don't have to remove the cylinder head to do the valve stem seals if we need to go down that route. He uses a special tool to compress the air in the cylinder..he described some more stuff after that and he lost me Since the turbo is not spooling up properly a turbo replacement is in order either way so that should solve the question one way or the other. Nick, thanks for the offer of the turbo - what would S&H look like to Portland? PM me.. Thanks for all the feedback guys. I wouldn't be concerned about crossing Dave's opinion, its my decision in the end so its up to me to make the call on which option and what needs doing based on the best advice I can get. Paraic I thought the blue smoke was valve stem seals. I've had two other cars with that (Toyotas - one Cressida and one Supra) and valve stem seals cleared that up on those cars. The tell-tale sign is letting it idle. For about two minutes - car completely warmed up. Then knock it up to 3K RPM. You should see smoke. Also, a lot of smoke on start-up is an indicator. The valve stem seals are cheap $40 for the set. Part number: 0956.14. But, it is a lot of work. http://www.mkiv.com/...stem/index.html I have not done this job on the N9T. Nick or Bryan would be experts on this. Guys, chime in and let us know if this can be done without removing the cylinder head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 It pulled hard but didn't ever hit fuel cut. Has the turbo behavior changed since I last drove it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paraic Posted October 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 It tries hard but its not performing like it should. The Turbo usually doesn't kick in until past 3k rpm and it doesn't feel like its belting out anywhere near the 160bhp its capable of. Paraic It pulled hard but didn't ever hit fuel cut. Has the turbo behavior changed since I last drove it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick@nite Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 You do need to pull the head to do valve stem seals, I got 8 valve stem seals that I got from Madhu, paid like $8 per seal for OE ones then + freight. I know I had Dushane right after I got them asking for some more and I tried all over to find some and could not.... But that was then and this is now... But it definalty sounding like a turbo has pooched... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N9TE Posted October 8, 2011 Report Share Posted October 8, 2011 Portland has a few dyno shops. I would be surprised if it didn't put 130HP to the rear wheels. Back in the day it was www.horsepowerfreaks.com with a good dyno. Should be around $75 retail for a pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paraic Posted June 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 You do need to pull the head to do valve stem seals, I got 8 valve stem seals that I got from Madhu, paid like $8 per seal for OE ones then + freight. I know I had Dushane right after I got them asking for some more and I tried all over to find some and could not.... But that was then and this is now... But it definalty sounding like a turbo has pooched... So after all this time, I finally got the Turbo done in Eurocar. He had a decent one in storage and installed it during last week. On startup sure enough the blue smoke billowed out of the exhaust but then it cleared up a bit. After driving it all this week we tested the emissions after baselining it before the turbo was installed and it has the come down by 75%. Some fingers crossed the turbo was the issue. He said the oil is still somewhat in the system and is clearing out by degrees. Once I keep driving it it should past emissions test with flying colors. Yay! So in all this time waiting for the Turbo to get done, I have been driving my V6. I have cheekily taken some nice parts from the Turbo for the V6 so its not quite as pristine as it was when Koll sold it to me. Sorry Koll!! Driving the Turbo has been a mixed experience I have to say. With the new turbo it has performed way better and is spooling up nicely. Its a blast to drive now and boy it sure is a different experience to the V6! But having said that, I can see myself losing my license very easily with this car and its so tempting to just put the boot down and let it rip. And it sure does fly. So regrettably my choice between the V6 and Turbo has come down to the V6 and the Turbo will have to go to a new owner. I can feel good about letting it go as it will mechanically be in better shape than when I got it so its lifetime should be extended. Any idea what this car might be worth now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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