85 HA new engine, new ta44

[GMTECH12002]

i am working on a friends 85 gn ha. i put a new long block and a new ta44 from gbody.com heres my issue, the turbo seems like its either too hard to turn or there could be a major boost leak. Heres what i mean by that, the engine is very slugish on takeoff and even through the rpm range, and the turbo will only make around 14 or 15 psi no matter what i do to the wastegate. i completely bypass the w/g solenoid and just use a manual bleeder and can just barely get to 14 psi. I suspected maybe a leak around the cast inlet pipe from the turbo to the intake, but i sprayed with soapy water and brakes torqued to around 8 psi and no bubbles, so then i thought maybe the wastegate puck inside the exhaust housing was not sealing, i took the turbo off again and took off the exhaust housing to find it seems to have a good seal at the puck when closed, but should there be a gasket at the exhaust housing to the center cartridge, also i spun the inlet wheel by hand and it seems to have alot of drag on it, it stopped spinning as soon as i quit turning it by hand, how much free spin should i expect from a new turbo. also i believe this engine/turbo combo has about a thousand miles on it since i installed it and the turbo has notable endplay, infact i dont have a dial indicator but i would say it has more endplay than my 87 stock turbo with 60k miles on it. i would really appreciate some tips and opinions of where to go from here with this, cause i am not at all familiar with HA cars but i would assume a healthy powertrain with an upgraded turbo and 30 lbs injectors, an open cone air filter, staight pipe exhaust no converter and a jays gn chip would produce some nice gains in hp. i would also expect this turbo to spike up into the 20-25 psi range when the wastegate is tied shut. with some serious detonation, but i cant get more than 14 or 15 psi out of it, is any of this realistic?

 

[GMTECH12002]

btw the long block did not come from gbody.com, it was through a parts house.

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

btw the long block did not come from gbody.com, it was through a parts house.

The turbo should act just like an intercooled turbo. Is the CAT plugged up with oil? Brad

 

[GMTECH12002]

There's no cat. Straight pipe back to a 2 chamber flow master. Also the headers aren't leaking and no cracks.

 

[turbonut85]

what MAF are you running? (stock or 86-87) What ECM?

 

[GMTECH12002]

Stock maf and ECM for the 85. And the engine I took out had a serious rod knock so I have no idea how this setup should run when it's right. But I'm quiet sure it's not making the boost or go it should, it does act like clogged exhaust, but that end play and drag on the turbo free spin really concerns me

 

[GMTECH12002]

Sendin the turbo back to the company who built it, we will see what they say

 

[GMTECH12002]

ok heres the latest and greatest from the turbo builder, the bearings are full of trash, probably from the break in of the new long block, blah blah blah. so guess what,,,,, no warranty. $850 shot down the drain. they said i should have had a turbo saver, so, there fixing it, not under warranty and i am installing some sort of filter/saver and probably a filter magnet. then we will see how long this lasts.

 

[Pittsburghkid]

That sucks. That flowmaster isn't helping your cause either as you'll want a straight through design for a boosted car as you don't need the back pressure from the chambered style.

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

ok heres the latest and greatest from the turbo builder, the bearings are full of trash, probably from the break in of the new long block, blah blah blah. so guess what,,,,, no warranty. $850 shot down the drain. they said i should have had a turbo saver, so, there fixing it, not under warranty and i am installing some sort of filter/saver and probably a filter magnet. then we will see how long this lasts.

The turbobuilder is lying to cover up his mistake. You do not need a turbosaver as lng as you use good oil and change it every 3000. I personally would terminate your turbobuilder and use a reputable one. Like Precision or Limit. Brad

 

[GMTECH12002]

That's how i feels too. The company is called Work turbo. Got it through gbody.com but they brushed us off straight to Work. I say in 85 the car was sold new without a saver or a magnet and it never got break in debris in it then so why now????

 

[boostmaster]

That's how i feels too. The company is called Werk turbo. Got it through gbody.com but they brushed us off straight to Werk. I say in 85 the car was sold new without a saver or a magnet and it never got break in debris in it then so why now????

Looks like they "Werked" you over. G body passed you off?.......really? Any vendor should warranty what they sell or at least pressure the company that they buy from to do the right thing or cut ties with them. That's just MHO!!!

 

[GMTECH12002]

yea they definately took advantage of me, or actually my friend who is footing the bill for all this, plus labor. i guess buyers beware, unless you keep an attorney on retainer, be prepared to eat it....

 

[jdpolzin]

That's bogus. Call Brian at gbody and have him talk with the Werks directly. You bought it from him not Werks. I'm sure Brian will take care of it. If your motor had that much debris in the oil, you better be checking your main and rod bearings. They will be smoked too.

 

[GMTECH12002]

That's bogus. Call Brian at gbody and have him talk with the Werks directly. You bought it from him not Werks. I'm sure Brian will take care of it. If your motor had that much debris in the oil, you better be checking your main and rod bearings. They will be smoked too.

i appreciate the thought but i believe that my friend has already pleaded his case with both gbody.com and Werk , the end result is they are rebuilding the turbo, for i believe they said @200.00, Werk says that the turbo we got must have been old stock because all their new turbos come with a warning about debris and strongly recommend a turbo saver and a filter magnet, along with a new oil supply line. The turbo we got only strongly recommended a new supply line, and never mentioned the turbo saver or magnet, also i personally believe even if we had a turbo saver and magnet , they would have found another reason for not warrantying the turbo, like lack of oil or something, its always something.

 

[GMTECH12002]

oh yea btw, i been spelling it wrong, its Work turbo

 

[boostmaster]

oh yea btw, i been spelling it wrong, its Work turbo

Still "worked" you over no matter how you spell it!!!

 

[RUDE DOG]

That sucks I was planning on sending mine out to them soon, thanks for the heads up.

 

[GMTECH12002]

maybe gbody is watching this thread or even Work and they see how much negative impact there actions are causing their buisness, all over i believe $200.00 for the rebuild instead of just warrantying the turbo.

 

[GMTECH12002]

Ok finally after $280.00 dollars we got the turbo back yesterday with the old bearings, they are scarred just like Work said, there is a new shaft and new impeller wheel and all new bearings, but this piece of crap feels just like it did when we sent it to them, it's still got a lot of drag on it when you free spin it by hand it will make @ 1 complete turn and stop. The guy that owns the car and is paying the bill has been trying to contact Work but they haven't responded back. What a nitemare



Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app