Why KaBoom?

[KaBoom]

My name is Mark and this is my first post. I have been following this site for over a year and have found the references to suggested modifications and equipment very helpful. I bought a bone stock Syclone (#651) several years ago even though it was in poor running condition. I found a local speedshop now called Big Boy Toyz (BBT) and had most of the external engine modifications mentioned on this site done including K&N cold air, chip, MSD, and many other things. The truck ran great and was sub 4 second 0 to 60 until the boost controller malfunctioned and the 15 pound boost went to over 20. The engine went KaBoom and most of the internals were destroyed. Ever see an "S" shaped connecting rod? I had the engine rebuilt by BBT and Russ Racing Engines. Additional modifications included head work, custom cam, forged rods and pistons and 40 plus other things that required 163 days to complete. I got the truck back last Thursday night and it ran stronger than any of the 9 muscle cars that I have previously owned. 14 miles into the new drive, the trrbo's impeller exploded (KaBoom 2). I did not know that it was the impeller until I drove the truck back to BBT on Friday. At this time I do not know how much damage was done to the $11,000+ motor, however, I would like to hear your suggestions about what you would do in this situation. I have considered everything from having the motor rebuilt with an even bigger turbo to selling the entire truck as is.
Mark

 

[Sy769]

What turbo and intercooler?

Odd that the compressor wheel exploded. Are you sure nothing was left in the intake tract or came loose?

 

[jwaller]

usually when the turbo self desructs the IC catches most of the debris. so you just need to clean it out really good.

 

[KaBoom]

Thanks for the reply, Sy769. The turbo and intercooler are stock. I was afraid to upgrade the turbo because the engine is running the highest output fuel pump that we could find and it still has a marginal fuel supply. I don't think that there was anything left in the intake because the engine was run for an hour to break in the new cam and there were no problems or indications of trouble.

jwaller, I hope that you are right about the IC in this case.

 

[bigtime]

the engine was run for an hour to break in the new cam and there were no problems or indications of trouble.

Break the cam in?

 

[DanenGraham]

Break the cam in?

What did you not know your supose to do that.

 

[bigtime]

Break the cam in?

What did you not know your supose to do that.

You are? why don't you tell me how to *break in* a roller cam?
I just gotta know.

 

[midnightbluS10]

Thanks for the reply, Sy769. The turbo and intercooler are stock. I was afraid to upgrade the turbo because the engine is running the highest output fuel pump that we could find and it still has a marginal fuel supply. I don't think that there was anything left in the intake because the engine was run for an hour to break in the new cam and there were no problems or indications of trouble.

jwaller, I hope that you are right about the IC in this case.

What fuel pump are you running?

 

[Hu Ryde]

What part of south Florida are you in? I'm in Orlando if your close. There are a bunch of Floridians here.

 

[KaBoom]

Thanks to those of you that have shown a continued interest in my truck problems. I am located in the greater Ft. Lauderdale area. I'm not sure of the brand name of my fuel pump or the adjustable fuel pressure regulator, however, I believe that the fuel pump is rated at 255 lph. I can be contacted at msadolf@aol.com in addition to this forum.
Mark

 

[Loeryder]

Welcome Mark,

With that built of a motor you'd want a bigger turbo with more flow anyhow.
I'd say, yank the turbo, the IC and see how much material has in fact come apart.
pull the upper and lower intakes and see if theres traces in that deep
pull the plugs and look in the cylinders with a scope

Hopefully the impeller only lost a minor piece and it was caught in the IC.
go to www.turbotime.us for your new turbo DP IC setup.

Best of luck getting your Ty back together.
Selling it is not an option. :wink:

 

[GEN3Typhoon]

Yeah you don't have to break in a roller cam and no offense but if the shop that built your full roller motor did not know that... they probably should not have been building the motor.

 

[Tooky]

Hello and welcome to the site, really glad to have you aboard!!!! Your truck sounds pretty sweet. The Walbro 255LTR/HR pump is good to low 11s / 600 HP, it must have been making a ton of power to surpass that capacity. Anyhow do you happen to have any pics of the destruction? I love nothing more than a good old fashioned catastrophic failure, you already piqued my interest with the S shaped connecting rod notion.

As for the turbo, I agree the intercooler should have caught it all. The stock IC has a pretty thick weave, not a lot could pass through there. As for running the stock turbo with a built motor, I think its a very bad idea, the stock turbine housing is tiny enough as it is, with a motor flowing alot more air I would imagine it being really suceptible to dangerous boost spikes. Not to mention significantly limiting your performance!! If you keep your truck (please do) I would talk with the board or some vendors about matching a good size turbo to your motor.

 

[bigtime]

BG aka teflon don did this spreadsheet that should answer all of your questions on combinations.

http://syty.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=25006

 

[Sy769]

Hehe
To follow up my questions...

I'd have to say....what they / \ said.
/ \
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[KaBoom]

I won't have anything in the way of updates on my engine until it is torn apart later this week (I hope). I did want to offer my $0.02 concerning break-in since nobody else explained how important it is. Rather than going into the details of why almost every cam company supplies cam lube with its product or the need to harden cam lobes, I suggest that anyone interested in this subject try to read Sleepy Gomez's article on Engine Break-in. The article is in the November 2003 issue of Stock Car Racing Magazine (pp 82-86) and he explains the process far better than I can.
Mark

 

[JSM]

Nick is correct.

Roller cams do not require any break in.

Old non rollers do. The reason being to get a nice wear pattern and to get the lifter to spin in the lifter bore.

If you roller lifter spins in the bore, you will have serious issues, hence why all rollers have a plate or attachment of some sort to keep from spinning.

The rings on pistons don't require anything more than just use to break in. I build rings daily so I have a little background in that.

Nothing else in the engine really needs to be broke in. Although break in won't hurt anything, it really isn't doing anything a drive down the street can't.

 

[prosty]

I would have bought a bigger turbo. better a2a ic and a torque converter with 3500rpm stall. I've just done that and in 2 weeks the trucks is ready with the new headers and everything. Looking to go into the 11's.

Rebuilt tranny + engine.

 

[KaBoom]

Update! Several of you guys were right on target. My turbo was destroyed by a couple of nuts and bolts that vibrated loose from inside of the cold air box. One of the nuts was still inside of the turbo. The intercooler trapped the other turbo pieces and the rest of the engine is not damaged. I had the truck moved to a shop that specializes in turbos and they are cleaning the intercooler and have already ordered upgraded injectors, a larger turbo and a high stall speed converter. Once I get the truck back and see how it runs, I will decide whether to keep it or sell it.
Mark

 

[Sy769]

Damn I typed up a whole post and hit submit. It asked me to log in and my post was gone.

Much shorter version
Sucks that the nut was not secure and killed the turbo.

What turbo?
What Injector
What converter?

Lots of parts out there that seem like they would be good but don't work well or support is not there for them.

Your truck will need tuning if you are going to be happy with it.
Just because a shop is a "turbo shop" doesn't mean squat. Our trucks have little in common with a GN or a Supra. I am very familiar with syty's, there are very few parts I have not worked on. I have some experience with chip tuning and am constantly learning. Does that make me a good source of info on a GN? No
You may have selected a good shop I don't know. I just wanted to give you something to think about if it doesn't turn out the way you expected. Many turbo shops just don't have a clue.