I'm a twenty year old college kid that loves my Z. Got some GT525's from z1 two months ago, broke both bones in my arm as the result of a motocross accident, and have slowly been working on this project between classes, work, and physical therapy. I finally got the engine back in over the weekend. I can hear the passenger turbo spool flawlessly, however the driver's side rattles and is having trouble building boost. I am maxing at about 6-7 PSI in full boost. My ECU is throwing code 34 and I'll relocate the det sensor when I get it in. I've gutted the precats, the boost solenoids have been removed, and I have a Hallman MBC.

I won't have access to tools or an air compressor until later this weekend, and wanted to know all possible angles to go about when I get in the shop. The turbo seemed to have little to no play and spun freely at installation, and it does manage to build boost, so I don't believe the turbo is bad, but that sound is all to reminiscent of a failing stock turbo earlier this year. Scouring the forums, I've read all about others' experiences with a boost/exhaust/vacuum leak or stuck wastegate, but I've seen no discussion of a rattle associated to this.

So my question for you veterans would be, would the rattle sound surprise you coming from a brand new turbo?

 

No ideas at all? The new turbos have adjustable arms on the wastegate actuators. They seemed stiff to the touch. Could I have over estimated them? Would a weak wastegate cause the rattle?

 

Not likely a wastegate problem. How did the turbo look/feel when you put it in? Any shaft play? Just because it's building boost doesn't mean it's not bad - it could be a defective turbo.

Also, rattling is the sound of detonation (often sounds similar to a bean in a can)... if you're getting a detonation code, I'd wonder if you are, in fact, detonating. Perhaps your timing is bad... would cause both detonation and boost problems.

And do yourself a favor, get rid of the manual boost controller. Electronic ones will produce faster response and they control boost creep and spike (which a manual doesn't control at all).

 

My timing is at 15 degrees. I can hear the other turbo spool perfectly. The other rattles horribly, even at idle now, and no longer builds any boost whatsoever. Less than 30 miles on the turbo, and it never functioned properly to begin with. I'll start taking the engine back out tomorrow... Any recommendations for an electronic boost controller?

 

I love my A'Pex-i S/AVC-R... lots of people like the GReddy Profec B and the HKS EVC... it comes down to preference and which features you want. Read what each of them can do any make your decision - differences in performance are either non-existent or marginal at best.

By the way, I know you're kinda stuck with dealing with them now since you already have a Z1 kit, but the knowledgeable Z32 community as a whole recommends against doing business with Z1 Motorsports. Might want to consider that in the future.

 

Thanks for the input. I am new to the community. I found a clogged oil line that burned up the shaft. I ordered a center assembly for $513. I'll be wary of future transactions.

 

I recommend getting a set of Specialty Z braided oil lines. If those turbos are ball bearing, make sure to get the ball bearing lines, else you could flood the cartridges and wear them out quickly again.

And if the lines it had were hardlines, I'd absolutely recommend the SZ braided lines... I've had hardlines get clogged before, with the same result. The bends in the pipe aren't conducive to allowing debris to flow through, nor do they clear out easily.

 

They were hard lines. I broke my arm the day I started pulling the engine and was in the hospital for a week after surgery. I got back in the shop two weeks later and was missing a single replacement oil line. The old one appeared to have oil coming out of it fine. It was the one that mounts directly to the block behind the compressor bracket. The one oil line I didn't replace was the one that was clogged. Stupid me. =(

Don't cut corners folks.

 

Ok I got the CHRA and replaced the housings. Got everything back together and the car ran better than it ever has before... for about an hour. Then a water line under the intake busted. Plenum pull was a pain. Anyway, right before I pulled the motor, an injector had gone out. They were the stock injectors so I didn't think anything of a 20 year old injector going bad. Got the motor back in. Injector for same cylinder stops functioning. This one still reads 12 on the ohm meter though. But it's under warranty from autozone, and I've tested the plugs, coil pack, and compression which were all fine. So I replace it and the problem appears fixed. Cylinder working great. I'm the happiest kid alive. Drive it down the road to try out my new turbos, and find that the same cylinder has stopped working again. Now I'm the saddest kid alive, because I'm guessing it's the harness or ecu and I'm rather novice at electronics. The PTU is also brand new. The ECU reads 55. All input is appreciated here. Thanks a bunch. Also, the injector is a "red" one if that means anything.

 

Sounds like you simply have a loose connection.

 

Figured it out. Checked the part number on the receipt. Even though I stressed three times it was a 370cc for a turbo model I needed, the guy at autozone still gave me an n/a injector. New one comes in tomorrow at 3:00. Been waiting 3 months for tomorrow. Between a broken arm, toasted turbos, and long shipping times... I mean damn. I'm so excited.