89 Trooper 2.6 4ZE1 Turbo build.

5871 Views 105 Replies 18 Participants Last post by MrDunge, 7 d ago

MrDunge

Discussion Starter · 3 mo ago (Edited)

3

Well the manifold finally arrived. It looks great and there is less than 5mm deviation in the piping.

I'm gonna post the build as I can w build tips and info w pics.

So far the block is done. Bored 20 over magnafluxed and cleaned, Jerry sent me a set of his last 20 over high compression pistons. Had the crank polished and balanced.

550cc injectors are gonna be used w a 255 gph fuel pump. Jerry Cam. I had to modify the fuel rail and intake holes slightly bit otherwise they fit well.

Max speed pros oil and water cooled turbo set to 10psi initially. Blow off valve set at 12psi.

Front intercooler, electric fans w thermostatic control.

AEM Air fuel mixture monitoring kit.

I'll post the parts list later for those who are interested. As for now here's a few pics of the manifold.

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MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #81 · 2 mo ago

Well. Bad news. Picked it up from exhaust shop and it was running good. Boost wasn't as high but I figured more backpressure causing a drop in boost.

Drove to Tonka toys ran good. 60 miles. On the way home things changed. Lost power started running warm. Not hot.

Kept driving, numbers still looking good. About 5 miles from the house temp spiked and it was lethargic.

Got home. No coolant at all, this was after I checked and topped it off at Tonka toys. Was looking around to see what caused it and saw egr pipe going into intake side was all the way unscrewed. Exhaust shop must-have forgot to reconnect bc the admitted when I called they messed w it when they did exhaust.

Thinking I blew the head gasket bc to much boost bc I cranked it up after exhaust shop. But won't read correctly on gauge bc erg pipe not screwed in. However no coolant in the oil.

Gonna compression rest maybe tomorrow idk. No uwharrie for me now. Not enough time. I'll update once I have a answer.

Reactions: 3

Enemigo

· #82 · 2 mo ago

Hmmm, hopefully you didn't. That would be a short lived bummer.

Shift-1

· #83 · 2 mo ago

MrDunge said:
Well. Bad news. Picked it up from exhaust shop and it was running good. Boost wasn't as high but I figured more backpressure causing a drop in boost.

Drove to Tonka toys ran good. 60 miles. On the way home things changed. Lost power started running warm. Not hot.

Kept driving, numbers still looking good. About 5 miles from the house temp spiked and it was lethargic.

Got home. No coolant at all, this was after I checked and topped it off at Tonka toys. Was looking around to see what caused it and saw egr pipe going into intake side was all the way unscrewed. Exhaust shop must-have forgot to reconnect bc the admitted when I called they messed w it when they did exhaust.

Thinking I blew the head gasket bc to much boost bc I cranked it up after exhaust shop. But won't read correctly on gauge bc erg pipe not screwed in. However no coolant in the oil.

Gonna compression rest maybe tomorrow idk. No uwharrie for me now. Not enough time. I'll update once I have a answer.

That is a gigantic bummer..... but better close to home than on a distant trail. Any signs of the coolant going through the exhaust? I know the water has to go somewhere.... either through the cylinders or out the block. That much water would show itself. Had a 302 (Later converted to 351W HP) 1st gen Bronco for a while.... got on it hard once too often and spit out a freeze plug. Poof! big ol' cloud of white smoke and the sweet smell of antifreeze. Had a mile and a half to safety..... made the run for it. Got it home and put the hose in the radiator while it idled. Even though it was pissing all over the street it cooled down enough to prevent any serious issues. I could see the EGR pipe causing some of the sluggishness due to loss of boost from the exhaust leak, but not the loss of water. They are not connected. Bad gasket would certainly explain it.
Since these motors are prone to gasket failure under normal compression ratios, the looming question is where to turn for something that will survive. Will the head gasket for the Turbo Impulse interchange to the 2.6 block? Or maybe have to use some copper seal next time around on the replacement gasket.

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MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #84 · 2 mo ago

I was to frustrated to look at it yesterday, I may check it out one day this week after work if I have time. The thing is on the way home I never smelled antifreeze or saw anything come out the tailpipe. It was dry under the truck and everywhere else as well.
If it did pop the gasket I honestly think that it was bc the egr pipe wasnt in and it wasnt giving me a good reading on the boost gauge. It was getting way more boost than it was reading after I turned the boost up.
Regardless something is wrong. I am gonna find it and fix it for sure. When I do I will post. I want this tread to be the trail and error of a successful build. I just have to be in the right frame of mind when I do get under the hood.

Reactions: 2

Shift-1

· #85 · 1 mo ago

Probably better to take a breath....Have been there. Lost a 289 hp build after low mileage due to machine shop errors. You mentioned no water in oil, good thing for crank bearings. I feel the loose egr may work both ways...is an exhaust leak for sure but could also be a leak for the boost pressure as it is in the intake. That could be a different set of problems running lean. You say, did not see smoke or smell coolant so where did the water go? I would start with the plugs and check the overflow. Could be it got pushed out through the radiator overflow and onto the street without contacting the hot exhaust. What does underside of chassis look like? The excessive heat in the block would be not so good for cylinders and pistons but i believe you had mentioned it was still running when you got home. Does it still roll over freely? Pull the plugs first before trying just in case there is water in a cylinder...don't want to cause hydraulic damage! Take your time, take a breath, take a break from it. At minimum though.... get the plugs out and make sure the cylinders do not have water in them..... Good luck, fingers crossed!

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MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #86 · 1 mo ago

So good news and bad news. Bad news first, it has a blown head gasket on the exhaust side. Its blowing exhaust gas into the antifreeze at a good rate. Constant big bubbles in the coolant and failed the chemical test. Its blowing it out the overflow in the form of steam. I am gonna remove the head have it checked, new gasket, and see what happens. But w everything else I have going on its gonna be a month or so before I can tear it down and start that process.

Good news, still has good compression on all cylinders, it starts right up and even runs pretty good w a little misfire every so often but i figure thats the head gasket situation. No coolant in the cylinders, no other leaks anywhere else.

So thats the update, I will post more when I have more answers

Reactions: 3

paulevans76

· #87 · 1 mo ago

Keep it up, be patient, and I know you'll get it where it needs to be.

Reactions: 2

redcentinela

· #88 · 29 d ago

Mr.Dunge, any updates ?

MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #89 · 28 d ago

redcentinela said:
Mr.Dunge, any updates ?

Not yet its sitting, waiting lol. I prob wont get to it til next weekend at the earliest. I have my daughters college graduation this weekend and I leave for GA all week next week for work. Depending on how i feel when I get back I may wait. Its not my daily so......

MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #90 · 10 d ago

3

So I took this past Sat to see how much longer I am gonna be on the struggle bus w my trooper.......Looks like I got a ride ahead of me

Its been sitting for month and the first pic is what i saw when I took the head off, I didnt have anything in the cylinders when I checked a month ago, I guess it failed the leak down test

The second pic is the deck clearance test. I used a aluminum bar milled to .001 of variance. You shouldnt be able to fit a .001 shim between the bar and the head, I stopped measuring at .007, and run out is .004. In short the head is VERY warped. My wallet is not happy about this.

Third pic is you can actually see day light between the bar and head.

At some point in the next couple of weeks I will order a new head, install and will post the results. I am gonna need a Only Fans or Go Fund me by the end of this lol

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Enemigo

· #91 · 10 d ago

A turbo is pretty much a fan. You can start an ExtraFans account.

Glad to see you got back to looking at it.
It was awesome before it broke though, right?

MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #92 · 10 d ago

Enemigo said:
A turbo is pretty much a fan. You can start an ExtraFans account.

Glad to see you got back to looking at it.
It was awesome before it broke though, right?

It was awesome before I took it to the exhaust shop, but I knew I had to make adjustments after the exhaust on it. Which I did step up the boost a few clicks and it got better but I was still trying to dial it in with the shake down drive when it blew the gasket.

I am gonna go to my grave believing that them leaving off the egr pipe to the intake side and that screwed up my boost reading and send it into overboost and I didnt know it and thats was a major part of the head popping like it did

Frddy330

· #93 · 9 d ago

I don't know if you're going to pull the engine or not. But from what I've heard asking the Australians about turbocharging these engines, the majority of them O Ring their blocks for better head sealing and far less blown head gaskets. It seems like overkill but at the boost levels you are at it could possibly mean never having to replace a gasket again.

MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #94 · 7 d ago

Frddy330 said:
I don't know if you're going to pull the engine or not. But from what I've heard asking the Australians about turbocharging these engines, the majority of them O Ring their blocks for better head sealing and far less blown head gaskets. It seems like overkill but at the boost levels you are at it could possibly mean never having to replace a gasket again.

Now that you mentioned that i am considering maybe oringing the head, but I have to see the cost. Thanks for the idea!

Ed Mc.

· #95 · 7 d ago

Would an MLS head gasket and ARP studs hold up, vs. O-ringing the cyl's?

MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #96 · 7 d ago

Ed Mc. said:
Would an MLS head gasket and ARP studs hold up, vs. O-ringing the cyl's?

I already had arp head studs. I had a isuzu head gasket from Jerry on there as well.

Reactions: 1

gruff54

· #97 · 7 d ago

MrDunge said:
Now that you mentioned that i am considering maybe oringing the head, but I have to see the cost. Thanks for the idea!

I don't like spending more than I have to either, but there's that saying "pay me now or pay me later". If you can determine for certain what caused it, fine. But if there's a chance it'll happen again, I'd say go ahead and do it right. Sounds like the Aussie's have figured out how to keep them together. Disclaimer- I don't even pretend to know anything about turbos.

Is there a chance the Clearwater heads can't handle the add'l pressure? Don't know, just asking. I'm sure you've already thought of that.

Mike

MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #98 · 7 d ago

gruff54 said:
I don't like spending more than I have to either, but there's that saying "pay me now or pay me later". If you can determine for certain what caused it, fine. But if there's a chance it'll happen again, I'd say go ahead and do it right. Sounds like the Aussie's have figured out how to keep them together. Disclaimer- I don't even pretend to know anything about turbos. Is there a chance the Clearwater heads can't handle the add'l pressure? Don't know, just asking. I'm sure you've already thought of that.

Mike

What killed this head is heat. Which was my fault for trying to get it home without stopping. What killed the gasket was to much boost but I didn't know it bc the egr pipe was left off the intake manifold side. I spoke w Clearwater as well, they claim that they specifically over engineered thier heads for this application bc of the issues the orginal castings had. Thwy also said that the head should take up to 15 psi. They don't even use the cores they get back for anything other than the aluminum for recasting. I have been looking for a company that will oring the head locally w no luck so I may have to send it off depending on the cost. I do know that every other person who did turbo thier 2.6 and kept it under 10 psi has had no issues at all even long term. I'll keep everyone posted

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mudoilngears

· #99 · 7 d ago

MrDunge said:
What killed this head is heat. Which was my fault for trying to get it home without stopping. What killed the gasket was to much boost but I didn't know it bc the egr pipe was left off the intake manifold side. I spoke w Clearwater as well, they claim that they specifically over engineered thier heads for this application bc of the issues the orginal castings had. Thwy also said that the head should take up to 15 psi. They don't even use the cores they get back for anything other than the aluminum for recasting. I have been looking for a company that will oring the head locally w no luck so I may have to send it off depending on the cost. I do know that every other person who did turbo thier 2.6 and kept it under 10 psi has had no issues at all even long term. I'll keep everyone posted

Are you saying the EGR port on the intake was open to atmosphere? That would eliminate the overboost posibility wouldn’t it?

MrDunge

Discussion Starter · #100 · 7 d ago

mudoilngears said:
Are you saying the EGR port on the intake was open to atmosphere? That would eliminate the overboost posibility wouldn’t it?

It was left disconnected by the exhaust shop. It would create a situation where the turbo would be in a constant state of overboost and that would create a instance where it would super heat the air bc there is fresh air being introduced into the system via the egr port hole and the constant pressurization from the turbo overboost.

It'll warp a head in a heartbeat. It's a common issue in diesels when the egr port gets stuck open from soot build up.

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