Carb Turbo M81 Mclaren- ready to start after 15 years!

[m81mclaren]

Now i know what a serious turbo oil leak can do to our carb engines quickly.
Engine is now a n/a until damaged turbo #3 is replaced.
Twin tip exhaust note is more prominent without the turbo connected.

Have to dig out turbo '#2', the rebuilt oe.
Likely has stuck and damaged turbine impeller. No rotation. Cant get the housing apart (yet) to check.
Post 162 + 163
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...75#post1939575

My turbo rebuild by GPop Shop turned out great. On my Callaway Turbo Rabbit Gti I just had Evergreen do the rebuild and Charlie did an awesome job and does a lot of SVO turbo rebuilds FWIW.

Agreed on your shop work post! However my fine tuning is still an issue so I swapped in a replacement rebuilt dizzy with no change. I can't seem to get timing and mixture right to fully eliminate the "back off full throttle" (i.e. when shifting gears) carb backfire. Also when I back off timing to 8TDC for SMOG it runs like total crap and smokes pig rich= fail. I was just referred to a local smog shop that is old school and supposedly help so I'm giving up and will see if they can find some magic or my error in vacuum routing. Missed Radwood this year as a result but still said hi to Turbo Capri Mike who made the trek from AZ.

[m81mclaren]

Now this would be fun if it was possible!

Small update I have my tune dialed in now on the M81 and ready for smog test finally. Hope to make it out to RADWood. If not I’m gunning to finish my Gti engine rebuild. Also my son has finished rebuilding his F250 motor and hope to have it fired up today!

[gr79]

Nice pic. Jr has really gained correct and valuable skills early on.
Can relate..have rebuilt the Ford 2.3T, 70 VW 1600 engine and worked in Ford V8 truck engine plant.

Been about 200 miles ago since the turbo seal issue here. The 25 mile per quart deal.
Thought it was cracked valve stem seals. Was not, but they were getting worn and now have new ones in there.

Can cautiously report is not using oil anymore. 35 miles, dipstick still shows FULL.
By now would have added a qt and used up half of it.
A little light grey smoke when pushed into power band but no more smoke when cruising, mild accell, or at idle.
Since disconnecting the turbo oil return last week, noticed the huge change.
The upper turbo oil feed has been capped off for a while, so no oil is running thru the turbo anymore.
Unclamped and sliced off the silicone hose section then capped off the return tubes.
Will leave it as is for now running n/a. Have a 2.3 n/a manifold just in case. The good version with 2v Holley bolt pattern.
The oil rings may be coked up a bit from all the past oil burning going to drive it anyway to maybe work them cleaner.

Have posted issue and progress in case it happens to you or anyone with a carb turbo 2.3.
Possible could happen to other turbo engines too. Not much info anywhere about this.

[m81mclaren]

Thanks GR! Good to hear you are managing the turbo
oil issues. The truck engine is in, fired, and first drive under our belt! A truly great feeling of accomplishment! Just chasing down a few leaks after work but runs great.

[gr79]

Wow impressive progress many stages of reassembly like a production line.
Sometime, post more truck pics and some details when the time comes.
Nothing like seeing a fresh Ford engine in that shade of blue. What is the brand and color?
Some of the other blues are too dark or too light.

QC leak checks and repairs happen at the factory too. No big deal to move it straight to a repair bay.
The repair bays can handle everything. Parts are in house for the product produced there and nothing else.
Cool part- If they need a part, they go on the line and get another exact factory replacement.

Man this 3rd turbo.. smoked from day one in 2009. Only 80k on it.
They (big turbo rebuilder in town) say they used the correct parts for that particular app.
A whole year not driving car say 5-10 miles from home.
No all day joyriding or cruises.
All diagnostic data simply say replace turbocharger.
At this point could go start over with rebuilt turbo and assume everything would work normal again.
If everything is good again and i solved the oil deal, have saved buying and installing a crate engine.
Then to eventually find out there was nothing wrong with the first one.
Gonna look again at your turbo rebuild session pics glad they are here.

Only other thing i have to keep an eye on is the cap on the block's oil return tap.
Found a perfect fitting plastic like HD cap and spring clamp for it.
What it is blocking off as far as heat, pressure, is unknown.
Prob overthinking what a turbo oil return nipple does. Hot oil may slosh up in it during a right turn.
Am getting some good 1/2" hose, in case the cap blows off or something, and run it 2' up to where i can see the end cap.
Disguise it as an factory part related to some special trick system.

[m81mclaren]

Will post more pics for sure. So cool you worked on the line! The blue color was the third attempt as the more available blues were just too light. Duplicolor DE1606 Ford Dark Blue was very close to the original color although a bit darker than we thought when done.

[gr79]

360 2v ?

[m81mclaren]

Yep 360. Hood back on in time for his HS graduation party today!

[gr79]

2x congratulations to the new grad. A sweet ride completed at the same time is extra special.
When i graduated 1970, mom gave me the keys and payment book to her 67 Mustang verti work car.

Easily would have enough skills to work on the engine line where i did and see everything going on.
Did the intake gasket prep and tag relief for 3 female coworkers. Production speed was usually one engine a minute.
We installed both end cork end gaskets, both intake, and the metal baffle under the intake. 4 small workstations.
The cork strips got yellow weatherstrip-like glue brushed onto both sides. Set aside until tacky.
Still have couple Thermos with glue on them, a souvenir caulk gun, piston and valve.
Did short stints setting the intakes on, intake bolts, oil pump with drive shaft, at neighboring workstations.
360 had yellow valve springs and was the most common engine built every day. FT 330, 360, 361, 390, 391.
Blue Felpro or McCord gaskets. Black GE RTV in tubes for caulk guns was used to seal the end gap.
The heavy intakes needed a pilot tool in the dist hole to help align it during installation.
All engines were hot tested 1/2 hour or so before being racked and shipped in rail cars.
We could smoke. Many drank. Schedule was 8-10 hours 5 days a week. UAW Local 600.

[gr79]

Prob at Dearborn Truck easy to install on open frame

[m81mclaren]

So awesome thanks for sharing. Have any vintage line pics?! Yes I recall his valve springs were yellow!

[Chuck W]

That truck is great! Nice job!

[gr79]

Engines now look like jet turbines with all that dress.

Archived line pics are hard to find. Newer product much more documented.
Cameras have not been allowed on Ford property for a long time.
Pretty much official Ford publicity media photos only.
Tours allow taking pics up to a certain point marked with signs when entering plant.

[m81mclaren]

the weather’s holding up here in CA. Tomorrow will be 94 degrees and this weekend will be a good time for another outing!