car feels weak...changed plugs, last one soaked in oil????

[vballislife06]

hey supramania!

been a lurker for a long time, and finally picked up a MKIII targa.

the car runs and drives fine, but seems to have no power...boost doesnt come until 4k+, and even then will only boost to about 3 on the stock gauge.

got under the hood today to change plugs and wires, and the last plug (to the back) was totally soaked in oil! can't imagine it was firing...

did some searches and found out about the leaky valve cover gaskets, ordered one, and am doing that tomorrow along with the bolts (carefully).

also took the intake off and noticed my turbo wheel is chipped and bent in some spots...not super extreme though. there is no shaft play and it spins freely.

basically, my question to all you guys is what else should i do/look out for at this point...i have done quite a bit of reasearch and feel like i will resolve my problem, but i wanted to see what the experts have to say.

thanks everyone!

 

[CajunKenny]

Welcome aboard and be prepared to do a lot of wrenching! If not from maintenance, from upgrading.

Well, I would do a compression check and leak down test. With a little searching you can find the tolerable variances in compression.

Secondly, I would check for boost leaks.

Good luck!

 

[turbogate]

did some searches and found out about the leaky valve cover gaskets, ordered one, and am doing that tomorrow along with the bolts (carefully).

Welcome to the forums,

one thing you might as well do while you are at it, is get rid of those valve cover screws (if you still have them) and order some valve cover bolts from the 2jz. Also change the bolt seals while you are at it. This and a new valve cover gasket set and you will never have to worry about flooded spark plugs anymore.

lastly, what spark plugs did you put and what were they gapped at?

good luck

 

[CajunKenny]

^ Ditto! I just did that myself. I went down to Home Depot and bought Allen Head Screws, washers, and lock-washers. Cost me around $6. Probably overkill on the lock washers; but, that's how I do things!

 

[tlo86]

get the compression test before you buy anything else. oil in spark plugs could mean many things. check my 1jz build thread for an example ;p

 

[IwantMKIII]

like they said, compression check, could be bad rings

 

[vballislife06]

thanks for all the responses!

i already have the bolts to replace the valve cover screws, hope it helps.

i am using NGK copper plugs gapped at .033 ish

did a leakdown test, it came up okay, but am pretty scared to do a compression test...i suspect bad rings maybe time for 2JZ!

will keep y'all updated.

 

[Koenigturbo]

like they said, compression check, could be bad rings

That chipped from the wheel may have gone to the oily cylinder, do compression check

 

[tturnpaw]

i think your turbo could possibly be bad. 3psi is 3psi, bad rings or not.

 

[CajunKenny]

Don't forget to check for boost leaks! A boost leak could keep you from being able to build boost.

BTY: What were your compression numbers...can you post them?

 

[Keros]

Don't forget to check for boost leaks! A boost leak could keep you from being able to build boost.

BTY: What were your compression numbers...can you post them?

Heck yes.

Boost leaks are the leading cause of massive lag, poor boost pressure, and no horsepower.

#1 Doctor recommended cure for boostleaks is to pressure test the system using a homogulation of plumbing accessories from HomeDepot.