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Well its been a while! Due to work commitments and the small issue of getting married in between, the car has take a bit of a back seat!
Anyway.....the ring is on my finger, and thanks to a truly "Best man" helping me out, the engine is fitted!
We managed to wiggle the engine in using the crane and then bolt up the transmission and engine mounts. Again, in true Japanese style, you need the hands of a 5 year old and several socket extensions to do the job right.
Once the engine was secure, we removed the crane and the ancillaries could be bolted on. The fuel injectors and O Rings were checked and installed. Then starter motor, crankcase breather hoses and coolant lines were connected up, rather slowly......its hard to remember where the rats nest of hoses connected to after months of sitting on the garage floor.
Im probably missing out a lot of points here as everything happened so fast after getting home from honeymoon.
I connected the radiator hoses after installing the radiator itself, then connected intercooler hard pipes and fuel lines.
I have to admit that I learnt the hard way, once the engine was all bolted up, the oil and coolant was filled and I was ready to crank the engine. Once the battery was in, I disconnected the fuel pump relay and cranked the motor over several times.......no oil pressure!!! I couldn't even dare run it until the oil pump was primed. I didn't want to burn out the starter motor and if you know anything about scoobies, you know how hateful a job it is changing spark plugs.
I decided to removed the spark plugs and crank the engine again. Without the plugs in, it made a huge difference (as the piston rings were actually sealing now!) and after a couple of attempts, the oil pressure on the gauge rose to a healthy 6.5/7 BAR.
I then connected the fuel relay and put the ignition to switch 2.......once the fuel pump kicked in, there was a bad leaking sound. Turns out that a braided fuel line had decided to fail randomly after sitting on the shelf for 10 months. It could have been damaged during installation but you just never know. Luckily Momentum Motorsport had some spare -6AN fittings and hose in stock and a quick trip to Lisburn later and the hose was in the garage. I had to tape the ends of the hose up, then gently cut with the dremmel tool to allow me to get a clean cut, to fit the hose connections.
The new hose was fitted and the the fuel pressure was perfect. I nervously checked over all systems and decided that it was time to go for it.....
I turned the ignition and she fired....followed by that glorious flat 4 burble. There was some smoke from the exhaust headers so these bolts were nipped up. I didn't want to rev it too much, but you need to get a good 2000-3000rpm to get oil up around the heads and turbo as the engine and oil pump runs.
I then tested the clutch and gears because the car was on the jack stands and so the wheels could spin freely. Everything worked! No leaks, no issues, just that glorious sound!
Anyway, I need to sort out insurance, tax and an MOT now as the car has been off the road so long. I also need to check out an exhaust leak around the V-Band clamps on the turbo as these are extremely difficult to line up perfectly flush.
All in all, its been one hell of a successful day! All the small niggly things are exactly that....small niggles, and can be rectified, the major thing is that she is running and can only get better from here on!
Anyway.....the ring is on my finger, and thanks to a truly "Best man" helping me out, the engine is fitted!
We managed to wiggle the engine in using the crane and then bolt up the transmission and engine mounts. Again, in true Japanese style, you need the hands of a 5 year old and several socket extensions to do the job right.
Once the engine was secure, we removed the crane and the ancillaries could be bolted on. The fuel injectors and O Rings were checked and installed. Then starter motor, crankcase breather hoses and coolant lines were connected up, rather slowly......its hard to remember where the rats nest of hoses connected to after months of sitting on the garage floor.
Im probably missing out a lot of points here as everything happened so fast after getting home from honeymoon.
I connected the radiator hoses after installing the radiator itself, then connected intercooler hard pipes and fuel lines.
I have to admit that I learnt the hard way, once the engine was all bolted up, the oil and coolant was filled and I was ready to crank the engine. Once the battery was in, I disconnected the fuel pump relay and cranked the motor over several times.......no oil pressure!!! I couldn't even dare run it until the oil pump was primed. I didn't want to burn out the starter motor and if you know anything about scoobies, you know how hateful a job it is changing spark plugs.
I decided to removed the spark plugs and crank the engine again. Without the plugs in, it made a huge difference (as the piston rings were actually sealing now!) and after a couple of attempts, the oil pressure on the gauge rose to a healthy 6.5/7 BAR.
I then connected the fuel relay and put the ignition to switch 2.......once the fuel pump kicked in, there was a bad leaking sound. Turns out that a braided fuel line had decided to fail randomly after sitting on the shelf for 10 months. It could have been damaged during installation but you just never know. Luckily Momentum Motorsport had some spare -6AN fittings and hose in stock and a quick trip to Lisburn later and the hose was in the garage. I had to tape the ends of the hose up, then gently cut with the dremmel tool to allow me to get a clean cut, to fit the hose connections.
The new hose was fitted and the the fuel pressure was perfect. I nervously checked over all systems and decided that it was time to go for it.....
I turned the ignition and she fired....followed by that glorious flat 4 burble. There was some smoke from the exhaust headers so these bolts were nipped up. I didn't want to rev it too much, but you need to get a good 2000-3000rpm to get oil up around the heads and turbo as the engine and oil pump runs.
I then tested the clutch and gears because the car was on the jack stands and so the wheels could spin freely. Everything worked! No leaks, no issues, just that glorious sound!
Anyway, I need to sort out insurance, tax and an MOT now as the car has been off the road so long. I also need to check out an exhaust leak around the V-Band clamps on the turbo as these are extremely difficult to line up perfectly flush.
All in all, its been one hell of a successful day! All the small niggly things are exactly that....small niggles, and can be rectified, the major thing is that she is running and can only get better from here on!
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