Gtsiawd96 - Panda Build - The Saga continues, Ball bearing turbos included

[gtsiawd96]

Okay, this has been deleted 3 times, due to server trouble, pleaaaase not again. lol.


Well, I have picked up a 1995 Eagle Talon AWD a couple of months ago. I have decided to start a member journal, I think it will help me organize my thoughts and plans for the new car. And maybe help someone else if they are following along. There have been a couple other really good journals, I enjoyed reading, blinkerfluids for one. Did a truly awesome job. I think if your going to follow along and know where I'm going you need to know where I got my start. Going into my first Talon, I was clueless, 19 years old, didn't know to much about wrenching on cars, I knew it had a turbo and knew it had AWD that's all. Aside from taking apart my 1997 CR125 and rebuilding it a couple times, that was the extent of my experience, I knew enough to get myself into trouble. The second I handed over the money order and signed the title to my first talon, I was put into the fast lane of DSM 101. I'm sorry for the lack of pictures on the first part, but all the pictures were on an old computer that crashed and I lost it all. Its sad.

September 2003, I found a 1996 Eagle Talon Tsi AWD. York, PA. 80k, fully loaded, stock, seller said it had a new motor (remember for later). I went and picked it up, On the way home CEL comes on, vehicle starts to buck and missfire while cruising. Limp the car home, try to call the seller ask what the deal was? No, answer. So I start to research i get the usuall answers check plugs, wires, coils. Everything is fine under acceleration its fine, decelerate its fine, only cruising does it start to buck. So I get a friend with a OBDII scanner he reads the code, Random Missfire, he clears the code, and the problem seems to disappear, I drive the car for another two days, One day I get out and notice oil under the car. I found the turbo oil feed line leaking. I bring the oil feed line to the dealership, they try to match the line but it looks custom. The line was made to pull oil from the cylinder head and the line was brazed, well the braze cracked and started to leak. I had my dads friend flux the line back together, and it worked great! Until the fateful night.

I am exiting the parkway normal speed, push the clutch in to downshift and all the dash lights come on, the rpm is at zero, and the power steering is tight. WTF, the engine just died, I coast off the ramp to the shoulder. I let the car sit and just think for a second...I try to start. Knock!Knock!Knock! Shut it back off. Scream at the top of lungs F*****CK!! So now I'm at a cross roads do I tow it somewhere. Wait, I can't I just spent all my money on the car and insurance. So, I tow the car home. At this point I really have no clue what to do. So I just start to take the engine apart top to the bottom looking for something that doesn't look right. Well i pull the valve cover off nothing, than I pull the head off and find nothing the piston tops looks alright. I start to pull the starter off and I notice yellow writing behind it, It reads BAD BOTTOM END, WTF, are you serious. I call the seller again, phones disconnected. F'n great. So, I pull the block out and find that I have spun a rod bearing, Also while the engine is out I am doing more research, I find that it has a 6 bolt head, intake manifold, CAS. He rigged the car to make it just far enough, to die on me. The CEL I was experiencing was the 6-bolt random missfire problem that plagues most DSMs without dsmlink. So off the machine shop with the engine, I get the engine rebuilt, new crank, pistons, one rod, full gasket set. 3 months later I get the engine back, Reinstall the engine after forgetting where half the crap goes. Here comes the scary moment first start. Battery is dead, Replace the battery, its alive. It runs for two days, the alternator dies. great. I'm really on a roll here. I drive the for a couple weeks no problems. Great, I start to upgrade, mean while stuff doesn't stop breaking, wheel bearings, axle's, injector resistor box, ECU craps out, tie rod ends, transfer case leaks, coolant temp sensor, coolant temp gauge.

I buy an Intake and filter, 3" turbo-back, hard intercooler piping, greddy type s, defi boost, and EGT gauges, and bost controller. I turn the boost up to 15psi, and drive. the car feels good. Well after one day of some spirited driving, I come to stop light and plum of smoke surrounds the car, I have turned into James Bond. Smoke screen. I pull the intake off and the shaft play is off the charts. Measured by inches. I purchase a Bushur ported and clipped b16g, SAFCII, 550cc injectors, and 190lph, and a data logger. I send the exhaust manifold, o2 housing out for porting. Reinstall turn the boost up to 21psi, I read and read and read to learn how to self tune, I get the tune down, And the car feels really good. Still not fast enough to beat the local Bolt-on Trans-am, but I'm a lot closer than everyone thinks. I bring the car to the track 13.2@102 mph. I'm happy with it. Really happy. My ex-girlfriend not happy at all. Hates the Talon, Hates cars in general is the Ying to my DSM Yang. In a car ride or a little pull from light we leave a stock mustang in the dust. Shes follows up with "Did we win?" From there on I knew this relationship was going nowhere fast. Fast froward 4 months.

I'm driving home from a friends, one year to the day that the first engine blew up, and I start hearing a knocking noise, I brush it off because its impossible, I think it can't be happening again, but the noise doesn't go away, louder, louder, louder. Till it shuts off. I was about less than one mile from the first engine disaster. I get the car home and pull the engine thinking I'm going to find the same problem as before, well I didn't. After pulling off the transmission I grab a hold of the flywheel and try to move the entire engine but I get a loud "thunk" I than push the flywheel back and forth 3mm of crankshaft endplay. No more 7 bolts for me.

I find a fully built 6 bolt bottom end arped with a 2600 clutch and flywheel, and install an aftermarket oil cooler, Aeromotive FPR and lines AEM Uego wideband. Take it to the dyno after the install the car makes 300hp, 310tq. 23psi, 93 oct. On the way from the dyno parkway again exit 100 tolls, I'm slowing to pay and I start to hear a noise, only this noise is different it more speed dependent and when I push the clutch in the noise goes away. Well, that's because your transmission is shot, the bearing on the input shaft ate themselves up. Once again, transmission out and off to Dogbox Alex, who rebuilds it in a weekend. Great job Alex! Back together and break the transmission in and I'm on my way to the track, first fun 12.4@106mph. Holy Crap, way faster than I expected a full second faster, 2nd run 12.3@108, very nice. 3rd run 12.1@112mph. Completely out did myself. I was walking on clouds and the car felt great. I drive the car this way for almost a year straight no changes. One day I get a fire under my ass and I want a 50trim. So i pick up a SBR 50trim turbo, Back to the track 12.1@115mph, picked up time but now MPH, I need bigger injectors, I swapped out the 550cc to 650cc, back to the track 12.0@115mph. That was it, I think I tapped out the air flow of the motor without cams or any head work

Well, I get a job, great job, and now I have to commute 150 miles per day, Living in Princeton is not an option, I need a DD. I make due and drive the talon for the first two months. The headgasket lets go one day, I change it out that day, New gasket still smoking, WTF. I was beyond mad. And just starting to get tired, I had my fun and I need something reliable. I don't have alot of spare cash, and if i can't get to work, I'll lose my job. So, I came to the decision. Sell the Talon. Believe me, it was a bad day, terrible day. But I sold it, I promised the car I would return to the world of DSM. I bought a 2003 Jetta 1.8t, daily drove it for more than a year, put 60k miles on it in one year. I was involved an accident witch totaled the Jetta. I had just moved up to Princeton so my commute was no longer 150miles, only 35 miles. Much better. I was driving a 1986 Oldsmobile......baller.

Here are the only pictures I have my old talon before I Sold it.





So, my current girlfriend (a fellow DSM enthusiast) calls me and tells me there is a 1995 eagle talon TSI awd around the corner from the house, and it looks identical to your old one. I immediataly head over, and call the owner. I pick up the white/black Talon 170k, cloth interior, base Awd, stock, car wont go into second gear.



Get it to the shop, and the clutch pedal has already dropped to the floor once around a left hand turn, A tall tale sign of crankwalk, I check the endplay on the crank its way over spec, pull the oil pan and pull out the bearings, the thrust side is wiped,



I put a new set of bearings in,
Intake and filter,
3" Apexi N-1 turboback
New transmission 75k miles
ACT 2600 LOL I know..I figured what the hell the 7bolt is already shot, I'll just drive it till it grenades.
Remove the evap and egr soleniods and block the egr,
Install a FIAV block off plate.

Next suspension and bushings

There is still more...I can't type anymore. To be continued..

[gtsiawd96]

Yes, I know 170k is up there. But I had no plans of keeping the car stock, and things break on these cars all the time, so what's the difference. ha.

So this is the engine after the Intake/filter, Exhaust, Evap/purge removal.




I than swapped out the interior from cloth to leather, leather door panels also, just not pictured yet, also installed a B&M short throw shifter, shifter base bushings, and shifter cable bushings



I drove the car for a couple thousand miles and than bought suspension H&R sport springs and KYB AGX's.



After the install, I removed the headlights, and blacked them out, installed clear corner marker lenses. It looks so much better!!



Well Defi no longer carries the D-series gauge in amber and white, perfect match to the DSM lighting. So I picked up the Prosport electronic boost gauge, dual gauge pod (I will probably be upgrading to a triple pod in the next couple months)a hallman boost controller, and greddy type rs, I loved my type-s on the old talon. If anyone has a real type-s and they want to trade for my RS. Let me know. The other gauge will be AEM Uego Wideband and Electronic oil pressure gauge.



Next up greddy turbo timer with harness, SSAC front mount, Installed the turbo timer on the lower dash panel.



After installing the front mount. I sent the flange to the throttle body out to be machined flush.. I still haven't go it back. UGH. I should actually be going to down to get it this weekend.



So, I have picked up a b16g turbo and a dump tube thats going to need to be modified to work on the short piping, I do plan on going bigger but I'm going to try for 11's on this 16g. I ported the turbine housing.



SNAGGGGG!!! Christmas grrrrr

Driving and the car starts bucking violently, than some grinding and car limps to the side of the road. First I thought transfer blew up, than the rear, than the prop shaft, This is the output shaft to the transfer case the splines completely stripped. So I removed the transmission end case, the Viscous Coupler and removed the output shaft. replaced this shaft and the Transfer case. Back on the road.



Picked up a 97 2gb bumper. With a super awesome custom airflow hole. This is were I need your help guys, Urethane. I have no clue what to with. How do I patch that hole?



Here are the scary parts. There was a rust hole on the pass side strut tower, I temp cut the rust out, and welded a temp. panel primed and painted. This only temp until I have the engine removed and I'll remove the front suspension completely, new bushings, POR-15 the wheel wells, than under coat. I am not sure weather or not I'm going to go with a black engine bay or white engine bay.



Also pass side and drivers side, rear axles are seized into there hubs. These are most definitely not savable. I have located an LSD rear with the good axles. I'm going to need to cut these axles out of the knuckles, buy new rear wheel bearings and I'm trying to get my hands on a set of solid rear end bushings.

[gtsiawd96]

I was getting a lot of engine movement while driving. So I picked up a set of Prothane mounts and installed them. The vibration is worse than when I had them installed in my 6 bolt without balance shafts, so I bumped up the idle to 1000 rpms. Its alittle better but still shakes your face.





Also found a set of Intrepid coils, went to the hardware store picked up a piece of sheetmetal. .105" and fabricated the mounting plate and wiring. Crappy cell phone pic.

[dsmtuner]

Wow, I didn't know you sold your old car. Glad you got back into the DSM world though. GL with the new build. That's Millsie's Jetta in the background isn't it?

[gtsiawd96]

Yo man.. holy crap, how you been? Yah, I sold it the old one, bought a Jetta DD for year, totaled the 1.8t 5 speed Jetta, and bought this.

Yah, that's his GLI

[dsmtuner]

I've been good man. Got out of the VW academy and got a job in the philly area. Steve moved in with me to help with bills and stuff until I got situated with the new job. The Talon's running better than ever. Got a holset HX-35 on it now. I also got a Jetta(2.slow) as a DD, lol. If your ever in the Philly area you def need to give us a call.

[boostedfury]

sick car man glad you got back in a DSM and oddly enough the same color..perfect dude

[gtsiawd96]

Thanks Dante, Doug are you guys still around KOP?

I installed the b16g tonight, I only took two pics there was too much going on and I was against the clock, I'm going to get some more tomorrow in the daylight. The install went pretty painlessly. Only one broken exhaust manifold stud, 90 degree drill and an extractor kit and it came right out. Installed the intercooler piping, the SSAC piping I had to modified and I didn't use the stock TB flange. It was warped, I never got it back from the machine shop.

Ported the exhaust manifold while it was out, installed the stainless braided oil feed line.



Look at that 187,000 mile stock 7 bolt....ewwwwww LOL

[awd4g63]

That 96 looks familiar ;) Good luck with the new car!

[Honduh]

Whats up, JJ. I went to UTI with you and had a few classes with you. Car is looking good. Too bad you sold the old one.

[gtsiawd96]

Originally Posted by awd4g63

That 96 looks familiar ;) Good luck with the new car!

Thanks Mike, you don't still have it do you?

[Nick Merrone]

Looking great dude...

I'd say go with white for the engine bay.

[gtsiawd96]

Originally Posted by Nick Merrone

Looking great dude...

I'd say go with white for the engine bay.

I was looking at it last night, your right. White looks alot cleaner. Getting ready to buy the ABS-delete brake lines, Relocate the battery to the trunk and waiting for the Under Paid Slaves to bring me my 2g non cruise throttle cable. To get that big stupid rusty cruise box out of the engine bay. Also, trying to figure out witch catch can setup to do.

[Kevin]

Your ****ing insane for dealing with all that bull****. Idk if I could of. Jeez

props

[Nick Merrone]

Originally Posted by gtsiawd96

I was looking at it last night, your right. White looks alot cleaner. Getting ready to buy the ABS-delete brake lines, Relocate the battery to the trunk and waiting for the Under Paid Slaves to bring me my 2g non cruise throttle cable. To get that big stupid rusty cruise box out of the engine bay. Also, trying to figure out witch catch can setup to do.

Yeah, just try for a Glossy white..not just a primerish looking white, know what i mean? and yeah I'm looking into an ABS delete or something. cause I just cleaned the whole one side of my engine bay from useless crap..and the other site is nothing but CLUTTER! haha.

[dsmtuner]

Originally Posted by gtsiawd96

Doug are you guys still around KOP?

Yes sir. Looks like you got a nice build coming along, I can't wait see this thing run.

[gtsiawd96]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Your ****ing insane for dealing with all that bull****. Idk if I could of. Jeez

props

You and my dad both! When I got the first talon, and everything was breaking weekly. It was a battle, especially when I was living at home. He has come to embrace it though. ha. There was only one time in three years I got so mad if I was out somewhere I would have left it on the side of the road...I couldn't even look at the car. After I thought the head gasket popped because it was smoking. I replaced the head gasket in just under 5 hours outside in the cold only to find out that the head had a crack in the intake port to cooling jacket, and the head was going to have to come off again and be replaced.

[gtsiawd96]

She bleed out tonight. lol



One of the coolant lines to the turbo sprung a leak, all the coolant gone and she started to overheat. One trip to the store, one gallon of water, and one plastic hose I managed to scrounge up. And I made it home. To the autoparts store in the morning for some new 3/8" line and clamps.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by gtsiawd96

You and my dad both! When I got the first talon, and everything was breaking weekly. It was a battle, especially when I was living at home. He has come to embrace it though. ha. There was only one time in three years I got so mad if I was out somewhere I would have left it on the side of the road...I couldn't even look at the car. After I thought the head gasket popped because it was smoking. I replaced the head gasket in just under 5 hours outside in the cold only to find out that the head had a crack in the intake port to cooling jacket, and the head was going to have to come off again and be replaced.

LOL wow I'd drink myself into a coma if that happen to me.

[WRX_JB]

Looks nice, gsx/talon was my 2nd choice...GL with everything