I am just going to run low boost. . . yea right!, A warning for anyone who wants to boost a 5sfe Options

[HardHead93]

This is a cautionary tale to anyone who thinks they are going to slap a turbo on a high mileage engine and run low boost. DON’T DO IT! In December of 2014 despite all the posts that say, don’t boost your engine unless it is low mileage or rebuilt, I went for it. Is the 5sfe a great engine to boost, yes, but do it right. This post will tell the LONG, expensive, frustrating story to creating my 5sfte. The below write up is what happened.

Background
It has been a long road for this 5sfte build. Here is the engine I started with:


I saw what Supershannon77 did with an Ebay T3/4 turbo for her 6th gen Celica 5sfte and I tried to duplicate it (with a few upgrades). I bought an Ebay kit with the idea that I would need to modify or replace some of the parts that came in it but the bottom line was it would give me a turbo, intercooler, exhaust manifold, downpipe, and some miscellaneous needed parts.

As I started the build I found the kit seriously lacking. The big one was the downpipe was for a CT26 turbo not a T3/4 so I had to order one. There was no oil return line and there was not enough intercooler piping. It took 3 months to resolve all the issues with the advertised “bolt-on” kit (there is no such thing as bolt on from Ebay), I ended up with the following build:


8 psi boost
T3/T04E Turbo
Turbosmart Wastegate
2.5 inch full exhaust
Magnaflow Muffler and Catalytic Converter
AEM FIC Piggyback
SSQV Blow Off Valve
460cc RX-7 Injectors
FMIC
Walpro 255 Fuel Pump
3sgte 3 Bar MAP Sensor
Custom downpipe from Demon Motorsports
Ebay tubular exhaust manifold

I started noticing when I would pop the hood after a drive that there was an extreme amount of heat coming out of the engine bay. I also saw that the under hood insulation was burning away. After doing some digging, I found that the tubular manifold I was using was giving off too much heat instead of shooting it down to the exhaust. I needed a 3sgte manifold. I went to the Toyota dealership and they told me that all their warehouses are out of stock and that the best bet was to find a used one. That led to one option, Ebay. After about a week of missing out on bids I finally scored a 3sgte manifold. It arrived and I was so excited, I ceramic coated it and put it on and the car was back!


Then another problem reared its head, the clutch started slipping. I bought a SPEC stage 2 clutch, got it installed and the car ran like a champ. In the process of tuning the car, I sprung a fuel leak that lead to an engine fire. I think it the Walpro fuel pump put too much pressure on the original lines coming from the fuel filter and something popped.




Now here I am, where I should have started. In hindsight I should have rebuilt the engine before going down the turbo route. My plan was to fix the fire damage and rebuild the engine to a 14-15 psi boost-able monster. My goal is 280-300 horsepower. Based on what I saw in Pressure2’s build, I can use stock pistons and rods but I will need a metal head gasket. I planned to swap the California cylinder head with a Federal head so the fuel injectors fit perfectly.

[HardHead93]

And the saga continues. . . . .

I was struggling with some engine heat problems with my 3sgte. The engine would run fine but any long stretches on the highway would cause engine temps to rise, not overheat but get a little warmer than I would like to see (around 215 F). I was scratching my head on this one so I changed out the thermostat (even though he one on the engine was brand new), went from my 2 row radiator back to a stock one, and put the stock radiator fans back on (I was using an aftermarket shroud and fans before). Then the problem went away. The car ran fine and temps would bounce between 195 and 205 F. I made all those changes about a week ago.

Fast forward to yesterday and I had the intercooler coupler close to the turbo pop off after a hard pull. I thought, no biggie, it has happened to me before. I replaced the T-clamp and everything was fine. The interesting thing was when the intercooler pipe came loose, it sprayed oil all throughout the engine bay. At first I thought the turbo seals were leaking but after taking a look inside the intake, I found it to be blow by from the crankcase vent routing back to the intake. I ordered a catch can last night and thought that was all I would need.

Then today, I decided to take the car for a spin on a couple back roads. I did a couple short pulls and the car was doing great for a while. Then the engine temps started to rise like the problem I was having before. I turned the heat on full blast and it helped. As I turned around to take the car home, then engine started knocking. Crap! I have heard that sound before on my 5sfte. The knock quickly turned to a banging and then I pulled over and cut the motor.

I think I got a bad 4th gen 3sgte (bad head gasket and worn piston rings). I was only running 14 psi and when the car started overheating and knocking. I wasn't in boost and I have put a total of 1000k miles on this motor since the swap (did my first oil change at 500 miles to make sure any crap that had settled in the motor was out). Also, the engine has a 7k RPM redline and I never went over 6k on the rpms. I am so frustrated with my 6th gen Celica. I feel like I am at a crossroads here with this car. I am thinking of going one of 4 ways:

1. I have an e-mail out to the company that sold me this motor because it is BS that this motor died so fast. I am hoping they will be able to work something out to get me another motor or refund.
2. If #1 does not work, after a little bit of a break, I am thinking of rebuilding the motor with all forged internals and ARP head stuts so I will never have to worry about rod knock again. I still have my 5s block so maybe a 5sgte????
3. Or if I do not feel up to doing #2, get another 3sgte and swap the wiring over.
4. Last choice is to sell the car as is. Someone else can get a 4th gen 3sgte, swap over the wiring and have a good running car with some decent supporting mods.

Let me know what you guys think. Oh yeah and Happy New Year!

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Dec 31, 2016 - 8:34 PM