hey everyone im new on here and was hoping to get a little info. i test drove a 91 tt yesterday and it seemed as though there was no response from the turbos until almost 4500 rpms and they kinda ran out of breath around 5500rpms. im assuming this isnt normal although im not very knowledgeable on this car yet. could anyone give me an idea of what this might be and if i should even bother with this car. thanks

 

I was looking at used tt's last year. Alot of them seemed to have a similar problem where it didn't seem like the turbos would spool up. My guess is, is that they are semi-froze up from high milage and having sat, not being run, for a while. I've come to this conclusion most recently from having torn apart the turbo on my SR20 motor and it doesn't spin freely at all. It has not run in the year that I have had it, and who knows how long it sat in between the time it ran in a car in japan and the time I bought it. I heard of other people in the same situation and they spray the seal areas with wd-40 and attach a drill motor to the impeller shaft and spin it to loosen it up. I'm not ready to fire up my motor so I didn't do the drill motor thing, but I did spray wd-40 in there and it did spin a little more freely.

My recommendation is, especially if you don't work on cars, don't buy a used car that isn't running properly. It will cost you a fortune.

 

From what I have read, stock turbos have a lifespan of about 100-120k miles before they start to seize up and need a rebuild/replacement. But if the car hasn't been abused and had preventative maintenance performed on time, they might last longer. The turbos have been rebuilt on my car and it has 115k. What's the condition of the car in general? Miles?

 

the car has 101,000 and is in overall very good condition. underhood looks very clean as well as undercarraige. no sign of smoke in exhaust as cold start up or while under load. what rpm should i feel the turbos at and what should they feel strong until?

 

Perhaps the wastegates aren't functioning properly? Maybe they're letting out boost to a certain level? My buddy had the same problem with his JZA80 Supra, and that was the culprit.

I'd say check to make sure the Wastegates are actuating properly.

 

thanks for the tip. what would be the easiest way to check that? i dont want to rip this guys car entirely apart in his drive way ya know

 

Take it to a certified A.S.E Mechanic... One who knows a thing or two about Z Cars in particular. Have them/him do some diagnostic testing on the car, before you even CONSIDER purchasing it.

It's always best to be safe than sorry with Z32s.

 

sounds like a good idea. can anyone tell me the rpm i SHOULD be feeling the turbos spool?

 

Around 3,000RPM.

 

Could be boost leaks or the timing is off as well.