Piazza_man project

[Piazza_man]

Car was developing leaky exhaust sounds from around the manifold area a few weeks ago. Concerned, I pulled off the heat shield and found one of the 4 bolts attached to the turbine housing completely missing and another had almost fallen off it it wasn’t for the oil return fitting in its way. Still scratching my head when and why this happened. Turbo guys put forward a theory an engine vibration possibly caused by worn engine mounts. My technician disagrees as there is no evidence of that.

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Technician removed the GT2860RS turbo (and exhaust manifold) and I hand delivered it to GCG Turbos in Sydney who were actually the ones who custom built it in the first place some 15 years ago. Brought it in thinking just to make sure the bolts stay tight and never happens again (eg Stage 8 locking bolts), and run a bench test to give it the all-clear. Turns out the core assembly was badly worn and required a rebuild. Possibly as a result of a little bit of flex or movement between the turbine housing and the core housing. It now needs a new turbine wheel, shaft, bearing assembly etc. The works. About AU$1600, plus over $400 in new inconel alloy studs, Stage 8 nuts, and gaskets for when the manifold and dump pipe gets reinstalled.

Should have the turbo back together early next week, but definitely wasn’t expecting this scenario to pop up.

[Piazza_man]

Turbo core rebuilt, fully carbonised cleaned, bench flow tested, and good to go. Like brand new. Throw in special Stage 8 bolts, now let’s see them loosen off this time you mother F.

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[Piazza_man]

Turbo back on and an oil and oil filter change later. I don’t travel many kms in a year but I hadn’t changed the oil and filter in a while. My oil of choice if anyone was interested

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To maintain an IC engine properly regular oil changes are recommended despite doing very low kms as engine oils still degrade over time. Something I’ll be doing more of now. When the oil and filter was changed last time I fitted a Filtermag super strong magnets to the outside of my oil filter. Google the name and noting there are other players out there, they all essentially claim to trap and hold any and all worn metallic particles (microscopic or otherwise) from circulating in the oil system which would otherwise cause premature wear on your engine.

Even though it was about 3 years since my last change I thought my oil was fine considering I hardly drove it. That was until I opened the oil filter up with my tin snips (never use a grinder or a hack saw). With the Filtermag still attached to the sidewall of the oil filter the pics below show how the microscopic metal particles have aligned themselves to the magnetic fields inside the oil filter.

Moral of the story? Regularly change your oil regardless, and I fully recommend you fit super strong magnets for that added magnetic fluid filtration protection. A lot of the metal particles are so microscopic they can pass through the oil filter cartridge.

FYI they’re not cheap but if you’re looking to get the Filtermag brand (made in USA) the product code you will need is 300. I went stainless steel so mine is designated SS300, and I recommend you get 2 of them - 1 for each side of the filter.

[Piazza_man]

Due for another update I guess. As per my Facebook posts a few months ago I created reproduction artwork for waterslide decals to replace the faded icons on the pod switches.

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If yours is any like mine then you know what I’m talking about.

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Took a while to find the right printing supplier but I’m finally happy with the supplier and the product.

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But firstly to help others who want to refresh their pods back to new-looking condition I’ll break it down as much as I can.

THINGS YOU NEED
Can of black gloss or satin spray paint

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Can of clear satin acrylic spay paint

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Sheet of extra fine sand paper (optional)
Isopropyl alcohol (or methylated spirits)

1. Remove the pod from the dash cluster
2. Take as many pics of whatever icons are left on your pods for reference later on. Plenty of stuff on Fb and Google if you’re still scratching.

2. Thoroughly clean (lightly sand and smooth if necessary as I have done) and finally thoroughly wipe down the pod switches to ensure there are no oily deposits from years of use.

3. Mask out the rest of the pod to prevent overspray.

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3. Give 1 or 2 light coats of black paint. Don’t go thick with the paint as you still have to lay down 1-2 coats of clear coat later on. Check the switch for paint or preparation imperfections. If necessary light sand back and affected areas and give the affected area with another light lick of paint.

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4. Allow the paint to dry properly (refer to drying time on can). Once dry you are now ready to apply the decals.

THINGS YOU NEED
Replacement waterslide decals (supplied me . If you need decals please send a PM)
Fine tweezers
Small lukewarm bowl of water
1-2 sheets of paper towels
Small scissors
A few cotton buds

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Take the time to view the YouTube link which should get you more comfortable with applying waterslide decals.
https://youtu.be/QNYdd3Aley8

1. Carefully cut the decal set into smaller individual pieces using your small scissors. Note: each piece to be cut out is surrounded by a faint white box. You’ll need to cut inside those lines otherwise the lines will show up on the black switch.

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2. Drop the decal piece into the bowl of water for about 10-15 seconds. Tip1: you don’t have to submerge the decal under the water - let float on the water. Tip2: if you can’t make a clean grab of the decal in the water push it out to the edge of the bowl with your tweezers.

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3. Dap a drop of water on the area of the switch where the decal is going. Grab the edge of the decal with your tweezers. Using a wet cotton bud tip gently slide the decal off the backing and into position. Gently weed/roll out the water from under the decal with the dry end of the cotton bud (refer to the YouTube clip for this tip). Before weeding all the water out check the icons are in the exact position and straight.

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4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for each decal piece.

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5. Allow the switch to dry for a day or so (or hairdryer if you can’t wait).

6. Apply 1-2 light coats of clear acrylic spay paint and allow to dry (refer to drying on can). Once dry the clear will protect the decal from being scratched or worn off.