Buying a 90 mk3 turbo, looking for advice

[Ron Jefferson]

The car is not in the best of shape but the mechanic is only wanting 500 bucks for it. It runs, I've driven it twice, no knocking, shifts good, auto unfortunately. I've drained some of the fluids to make sure there isn't sawdust or something in the oil. The car has set for 3 years. Its going to need some work. What do you guys think? I have about 1k a month disposable income I can use for whatever. Where would you start/check to insure it would be a good daily driver for now? Thanks all.
-Ron

 

[jonahs_supra]

since it has sat for a long time i would check or replace the following:
Belts...if theyre cracked or rotted replace them
Fluids...IDC if he said it has all new replace them
Filters...replace them
Brakes...remove and inspect replace as needed
Tires...if tread is low or dry rot/cracking replace as needed
Rubber brake lines...inspect them for being soft or twisted and replace as needed
Blown head gasket...check for milky subtance under oil cap or if coolant level is dropping with no evidence of a leak or if a water fall noise is heard when car is first started then your headgasket is possibly bad
Tune up...inspect spark plugs and wires replace as needed
Coolant hoses...inspect for soft or rock hard lines and replace as needed
Vaccum lines...inspect for cracking...replace as needed
Intercooler couplers...inspect for cuts or rot and replace as needed...snug coupler clamps down and replace as needed
Turbo...remove rubber accordian hose and check shaft play

honestly for a daily driver theyre fun cars but they will hurt your wallet
i wonder why he only wanted 500...hell just the motor would easily sell for 500(if in good shape)

good luck and upload some pictures using photobucket

 

[Suprapowaz!(2)]

Nothing unfortunate about having an auto. Are you mechanically inclined? The little things will nickel&dime your $1000 away quickly.

 

[Ron Jefferson]

I hear you on the nickel and diming Suprapowaz. Jonah, does this article pretty much sum up how to properly check it? http://www.dsmtuners.com/wiki/index.php/Checking_Turbo_Shaft_Play
I've never owned a turbo anything so this is all new to me. Thank you guys.

 

[jonahs_supra]

I hear you on the nickel and diming Suprapowaz. Jonah, does this article pretty much sum up how to properly check it? http://www.dsmtuners.com/wiki/index.php/Checking_Turbo_Shaft_Play
I've never owned a turbo anything so this is all new to me. Thank you guys.

yea that pretty much somes it up
dont be to worried if theres oil in the accordian hose and around the turbo compessor wheel
a little oil is ok but a lot means theres a problem

since you havent owned anything turbo then i must tell you the main reason for turbo failure is not changing oil on time and/or not letting oil cool down
lets say you run your car WOT racing somebody...that turbo is now pretty hot so the oil inside is pretty hot
if you pull into a parking spot and park then shut the engine down the turbo and oil are still hot so now the oil is COKING (pretty much cooking its self) to the internals of the turbo
a good oil/filter and proper cool down time will give your turbo a long life
also a clean air filter...
depending on how you run the car(how hard you just drove it) depends on the cool down time
me personally if i was to run around town for 15 minutes then race somebody and pull into a parking spot...i would let the engine idle for 2-3 minutes
but however i do drive 40 miles 1 way to work...so when i arrive to work/home i always let it idle for 1 minute then shut it off
kind of a pain sitting in your car everytime but they do make a unit called "turbo timers"

 

[jonahs_supra]

http://www.workturbochargers.com/knowledge-base/turbo-failure-101.html

click on what causes failure

pretty good read up for turbo's in general

 

[Ron Jefferson]

Thanks guys. I owned a 89 na mk3 about 3 years ago. Two weeks after getting it it got a bhg. Pretty devastating. Cracked the block unfortunately. I stumbled upon this one going fishing one day lol. Finally bugged the shop owner enough hes decided to sell it

 

[jonahs_supra]

Thanks guys. I owned a 89 na mk3 about 3 years ago. Two weeks after getting it it got a bhg. Pretty devastating. Cracked the block unfortunately. I stumbled upon this one going fishing one day lol. Finally bugged the shop owner enough hes decided to sell it

awesome
from the small picture it looks to be in good condition(body wise)

 

[Ron Jefferson]

Alright, so I bit the bullet and bought it. I've only noticed a few small things here and there. All the hosing is going to be replaced, the turbo shaft felt good, no rubbing on the housing or touching. The oil looks good, still going to change it. The mechanic gave me a new fuel pump, he gave me a 5k mile warranty. Hes a good old boy. Really nice man. I got the fuel pump in, the old one was badly corroded. The car started right up. I've found two issues that I'm not sure about, apart from it needing tires, brakes, shocks. Issue #1: there is a high pitched, almost electrical whine coming from the fuel pump, or near that area. Are there any ground points that could be causing this? I'm going to test all over to see if there is a ground loop going through some where. Issue#2: When the car is at low rpm, if you give it gas it hesitates. Like a blurg blurg blurg sound lol, but only for a second, then at higher rpm its fine. I'm thinking its just needing new plugs and wires, and I'm assuming a bad mass air flow sensor could cause it, since these have been in it for 3 years with no running.

I'm trying to run through my head any questions that may come up that are one off questions. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum, I love it. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Ron Jefferson]

After messing with it a bit this morning I'm going to lean towards it just needing a good tune up, and Jonah the body is rough lol. Really rough. The clear coat is faded and there is collision damage on the driver rear panel. I'm going to sand it down, find the spots of concern, and any rust spots, just take care of it.