My '91 744 B204GT project

[DET17]

Those bent "fender washers" for DP retention would worry me. Why not weld extend the original ~10mm thick plate?

[tomasss]

You think it will not be able to hold it? It's quite thick stainless steel and it's even folded (so double thickness) on the inner side. I thought for that little amount of stress (just enough to make a seal) it should be ok, but I am open to other thoughts. There is a supporting bracket in the middle of the downpipe too (mounted to the transmission body).
Why not to weld it...well first think I don't have a welder; second thing the gap between one of the bolts and the car body is already very tight with the current solution, I am not sure if it would even fit with welded extension around the bolt...

[tomasss]

Based on the modifications related to the cosworth exhaust housing, I found out that the wastegate doesn't clear the engine block anymore. After some considerations I've decided to shim the whole exhaust manifold using a 16v flange rather than trying to modify such a nice setup that the turbo company made. To achieve that I also needed 1cm longer exhaust manifold studs...









Comparison of the stock IC vs. the full aluminium KL racing intercooler


Which is not exactly direct fit in 740...the front section had to be marked




..and then cut out




test fitting some tubing


and tubing in final configuration


recirc valve connection


the diameter of the original hose was narrowed around the airbox which is not the case now


The airbox itself was emptied inside from any restrictions


Also some progress on the oil separator


then I have started the tubing from the airbox to the turbo...all 80mm, with reusing the heated breather port (the second port is for the recirc valve)




which resulted in this


some more random pics...






Today I made a final order of the last missing hoses, so in week or two I should be able to start the engine again...

[tomasss]

Sometimes I feel like being OCD patient... so I was not very happy with the "trumpet" style of the tubing end, but I was not sure how to make a proper beads on the pipe.
Then I found out this neat video and I did exactly the same.



and that allowed me to go from this


to this

[tomasss]

Tubing, tubing and more tubing! Almost having dreams about pipes and hoses of all angles and diameters also finished the oil return line from the turbo.

Regular T3 oil return flange


T3 to AN10 adapter


Mounted and test-fitted with the ultraflow hose ends


Using the ptfe hose and ultraflow (torques UK) hose joiners this was created


and this is how it looks all put together


also quite some progress from the top of the engine - hoses going to catch can, external diverter valve are finished, one more pipe (the big one between the turbo and the airbox) to be installed and I will be able to test-start the car

[tomasss]

Last 80mm intake pipe arrived yesterday, so here we go...

[tomasss]

Engine started today
It was running rough though...very low idle rpm and then it eventually stalled. I've tried to pull the codes but surprisingly no reaction from the jetronic diagnostic socket.
Swapped back the original lh jetronic chip and voila, running fine except being rich because of the greentops. Also diagnostic socket was working.
So it seems I have issue with the BTI lh chip...being checked with the company guy.
On the other hand...I am really happy everything else works...wasted spark ignition, all the new tubing, it is not leaking oil...it was a good day today after all

[reiernumans]

Your oil drain doesn't really look like it's a nice gravity drain from the pics you posted. Might be something to check, or I'm seeing it wrong?

[tomasss]

Originally Posted by reiernumans

Your oil drain doesn't really look like it's a nice gravity drain (...)

You are completely right (and God bless you and turbobricks for that remark ).
I thought the oil return can be basically any shape (as the other side is pressurized so it would push out the oil no matter the shape) but after reading bit more on this topic I understood that the oil return really needs to allow gravity drain.
That in other words means it is not possible to use the AN10 oil return kit from Yoshifab on stock b204ft/gt, as the stock location of the turbo is too low...if I mount the T3 AN adapter the hose end is already below the level of the engine block feed
So yeah...after taking some measurements, I've realized I have no other option than fall back to the stock oil return line I've already removed the Yoshifab press-in adapter (hell of a job) and put the OEM return line in place using a new oring seal and some high temp silicon on the outer side.
Lesson learnt...

[tomasss]

I have finally received the fixed chip from BTI for the 597 LH Jetronic ECU, so I was able to test-start the car again.
Good thing is now it idles nicely and runs smoothly, but two weird things:

- although the hydraulic lifters are new, there is still some knocking noise. Or am I paranoid? Thoughts?


- it smokes LIKE HELL could it be caused by the fact that (moths ago) I have filled all the cylinders with mix of ATF to free up the rings? I thought this oil must be all gone now. The engine is without any coolant so its not steam.

[nordmaschine]

Lifters need time to fill up. Warm the oil up and take it for a spin around the block. Mid-revs, light load...
That should do the trick. If not, check oil pressure...

Smoke...it takes some time to burn it, and exhaust is probably contaminated as well. Give it an hour or three. If it still doesn't stop, start worrying about still stuck rings and worn liners, which is something 204FT's have a knack for.

Good luck. You're getting there...

[tomasss]

The main reason of the smoke is me being stupid as I have several ECUs and chips laying around, of course I started the car with the original chip by mistake. So because of the greentops it was super rich. After swapping to the proper chip, it smokes much less - but indeed it still needs some time to burn off the ATF.

In the meantime mainly cosmetic stuff...the rear heavily scratched bumper has been replaced by a nice one (that was in wrong color so that was repainted to matte black that is not matte yet on the picture because of the paint curing), I have repainted the trimming and replaced all the clips and screws.





Also the installation of the wideband and the boost gauge is almost done, I managed to wire it through the dashboard with almost no modifications, just the top plastic cover was shortened by ~2cm. I need to add just two wires for the powering the backlight of the boost gauge and assemble it all together.




And finally I have removed the trunk lid and the wing that was both covered in combination of dirt, dust and mesh and pressure washed it. The trunk lid is fine as it is, the wind needs to be repainted though. Removal of the old paint will be the main challenge.

[oldschoolvolvo]

Originally Posted by nordmaschine

Lifters need time to fill up. Warm the oil up and take it for a spin around the block. Mid-revs, light load...
That should do the trick. If not, check oil pressure...

Agree. Mine made a similar sound on first run after re-assembly. It was not there next time I started it up.

[tomasss]

Not much progress these days. At least I have managed to mount the exhaust manifold heat shield and finished the gauge pod mounting. I had to disassemble the vent system again as I found another location inside the air pipes full of nuts

[tomasss]

Finally the last thing in the engine compartment finished - bracket to support the charger intake tubing was made and installed into the balance shafts mounting holes. Not very fancy, but it will do the job

[tomasss]

First slow ride yesterday! (no license plates though, so very careful and very slow )
Good findings:
- nothing exploded so far
- it still goes both forward and backward
- shifting the m90 with the clutch/pp combo is just fine
- after 10 mins idling the smoke is gone
- afr is nicely around 14.7 on idle
- the PU engine mounts are not transferring excessive vibrations

Not that good findings:
- I have an oil leak under the breather box (it doesn't seal well against the engine surface, new o-rings ordered)
- fuel level gauge is bit inconsistent (showing either half of the tank or almost empty)
- that light knocking is still there. The PO said once that it goes away when it is fully warmed up (that's why I was suspecting the lifters) but I might be dealing with something more severe. More investigation to be done here.

[tomasss]

Progress today. New o-rings from dealership for the crankcase breather installed, both are significantly thicker compared to the old one so it should seal well this time.

[tomasss]

Also I've decided to get rid of the nasty rust spot below the rear light and some dents below the license plate. There was most likely water leaking around the light seal and then getting into the gap where the body panels are spot-welded together.

That's the starting point


Nasty..


Getting serious...


Cleaned up with wire wheel, no more surface rust


Middle section was too rusty so I've cut it out




Then five or six layers of fiberglass applied




And then finally I started building it back to the original shape


And applied the primer at the end of the day

[Vol242vo]

Looks like a job well done! Great updates.

[tomasss]

Painted today and assembled all back together

[tomasss]

Moving forward; the IRS delrin differential bushings from > Kaplhenke < arrived, so I am getting ready to drop the rear and replace them (the old ones are shot).


Also, 100 sandpapers and few liters of paint stripper later, I've got the rear wing clean; plastic primer was then applied, base primer and spray filler on few spots where the surface was uneven.

[tomasss]

Considering it is a rattle can paint job...I think it came out nicely!

[Vol242vo]

Yeah looks great.

[tomasss]

Got a day off at work...time to fix some small rust and dents

[tomasss]

The radio started acting weirdly and some buttons stopped working...after disassembly I found out that some PCB tracks oxidized away and it's not even possible to solder it anymore. That's where the conductive gel comes into play all back to normal with the fix. Also the bulb backlight has been converted to LED's.





And the last few days I've been tackling the rest of the dents and rust spots here and there. I am getting used to the rattle can paint job