makskylan Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Here is my problem, short drive, little boost, and my turbo exhaust housing and manifold are glowing bright orange. I have checked my timing, vaccum advance, new fuel pump, gutted main cat. I dont run rich under boost like I should. Maybe 1 bar green..I have a stock 12a and a fresh rebuilt motor, but it diid it befre the rebuild too..I have read some other post but not sure what to check... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minagera Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Cast Iron is going to glow with any amount of heat. Sounds like you are pushing a little more fuel into the manifold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsiconquest88 Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 (edited) I have mentioned this before to people, main thing is the car a flatbody? IE non-intercooled, those things always glow, however i never seen any of the intercooled cars do this (when properly running). The flattys had lower fuel level to the engine also. Most likely the reason why it glowed. Ran on the leaner side. As for you, 1 bar into green under WOT/full boost, is ok. if you are seeing red to only 1 orange or even 2 or 3 orange bars then thats def an issue under boost. You want to be in the mid to high orange and into green under boost. 2 or more bars in green is rich side and not necessary, best perf i have seen when measuring VIA a narrowband type gauge like u have and not dealing with actual numbers, is when those gauges are in the orange area and max 1 bar green under boost. that was a car 18g at 18 psi 93 oct. In my own experience. Other perf stuff i done yielded the same and one car i swtiched to a numbered type gauge was 12.4 wot under boost no alterations done between when I had the autometer narrow to when i switched to the aem. therefore the range i mentioned with the narrow is good according to the aem ratio percentage numbers it showed. Edited May 30, 2009 by tsiconquest88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minagera Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Just to note, I have seen a widebody when properly running exhibit this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsiconquest88 Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 dont be petulant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthconquest Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Just to note, I have seen a widebody when properly running exhibit this. i have also but it was after running up a long twisty road in the hills on a 85 degree day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makskylan Posted May 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 My car is an 87. The motor has been freshly rebuilt. The turbo has been just rebuilt. I installed a bse kit, alabama head, lightened flywheel, all smog items removed,gutted cats, ported turbo flanges, removed divider in throttle body, ovcp w/ 1g bov ,new fuel pump.. Prob some things I have missed. I just dont want to do something to hurt it by having the turbo run that hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Glowing exhaust manifolds come from: (some won't apply to your car based on the mods you've listed, I'm posting everything I can remember for others reading this thread) * clogged cat converters, especially a clogged precat (the one bolted to the turbo itself) * Running lean - that causes excessively hot combustion & exhaust. Causes: bad airflow sensor, air leaks in ANY of the air hoses/pipes/intercooler/etc., incorrect (too small) injectors, especially the "secondary" on 87-later cars, dying fuel pump that can't flow enough gas, dirty pick-up sock, cone filter, or main fuel filter restricting fuel flow, dirty screens above the injectors limiting fuel flow, etc. Leaking "MCA Jet Valves" (the dinky valves next to the normal intake valves on the cyl head) are another source of air leading to running rich. A too-tight valve clearance adjustment holds the jet valves open, leading to running lean. * Incorrect ignition timing - too little advance => not enough fuel burns so you get gas in the exhaust; too much advance ==> knocking/detonation at the worst, and a hot combustion at best. Just because the "base" timing checks out as 10 deg BTDC doesn't mean the timing is okay; you need to use a MitiVac or other vac source+guage to verify the vacuum advancer works correctly, then undo that vac hose and rev the engine and verify the timing advances smoothly & in sync with RPM to verify the centrifugal advance mechanism inside the distributor. * Vacuum leaks in any vac hose or in any hose from air filter lid (including the lid's gasket) through the turbo, intercooler, to the throttle body/injection mixer assembly. A leaking power brake booster or leaking ABS canister cause big vac leaks. Usually they're accompanies by a sucky idle. * Leaking fuel injector dumping excess gas into the engne; this then burns in the manifolds * Incorrect injectors (oversized typically) installed by a previous owner "in an attempt to get enough fuel for a bigger turbo." Unfortunately at normal off-boost driving that big injector is flooding the engine... like a leaking injector. * Leaking fuel pressure regulator - dumps gas into the engine just like a leaking injector. * Incorrect airflow sensor - feeds nonsense readings to the ECU so you end up with nonsense fuel quantity. * Fuel pressure regulator bad - resulting in a high fuel pressure... which means the injectors are spraying more than intended fuel quantity... like a leaking injector. A blocked fuel return hose (from regulator back to fuel tank) prevents the regulator from doing its job leading to excessive fuel pressures. * Ignition miss on one or more cylinders - that cylinder dumps its gas into the exhaust manifold... like a leaking injector. (see a pattern here?) * Engine valves not sealing properly. * Camshaft timing off relative to the crankshaft. Normal around-town off-boost driving should not cause a daylight-visible glowing manifold. A faint glow at the turbine wheel side of the turbo, in the dark, is common. When not boosting, a StarQuest engine is basically the same as any modern gas engine... with the same exhaust temps. How many cars have "glowing" exhaust for around-town driving? mike c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsiconquest88 Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 exactly, in more detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makskylan Posted June 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I checked for vaccum leaks and I did find one . I also took the infeed banjo fitting off and looked at it.. There was so much crap in it that it was plugged solid. No groove for coolant to enter the turbo. I cleaned it all out. I hope that this is some of the cause for the glowing items.. Would this cause it to run a little lean? Have to drive it tonightt and see what it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsiconquest88 Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 no wouldnt have caused it to be lean BUT since coolant wasnt flowing the turbo would get super hot, more so than usual. that very well was probably your issue. The coolant cools the turbo. Good find!!! Good luck with that being all the issue was. IF so might be good for a mod to put that up as a sticky for people to look out for, i have never seen the issue but its possible and i have seen crud in there just not to that extent but its very possible as i cant tell how many times i have seen some of the nastiest and crappiest cooled left and or used in these cars from owners that have no idea how to take care of a car. Might as well do a full flush and such at this point and keep that car running cool, before you end up with head gasket issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89PalermoSHP Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 dont be petulant lol... what a clown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 do you have jet valves,, a bad jet valve can suck air and a stuck mechanical advance unit can lock the timeing causeing the engine to over heat and lack power Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierquest Posted June 2, 2009 Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I checked for vaccum leaks and I did find one . I also took the infeed banjo fitting off and looked at it.. There was so much crap in it that it was plugged solid. No groove for coolant to enter the turbo. I cleaned it all out. I hope that this is some of the cause for the glowing items.. Would this cause it to run a little lean? Have to drive it tonightt and see what it does. Not only did i clean mine but i opened them up a bit with a drill bit. not sure if it helped but ifigured it could not hurt. I recomend anyone installing a new turbo check this. Proper cooling is the key for longevity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makskylan Posted June 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2009 I have a new alabama head less than 100 miles on rebuilt engine. I am getting hiccups around 1700 to 3000 rpm and it sound alot like the engine is backfiring through the carb like it hqas a holley on it... The timing is at 10* btdc, 1g mass, bse kit, lightened flywheel, ovcp, divider removed from t.b., rebuilt 12a turbo w/9 lbs of boost, gutted pre cat, not sure bout the other gonna check that this weekend. This is changing from a glowing turbo question to a question about hiccups, running lean and timing issues. Thanks for all of the input. It is definatly helping... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makskylan Posted June 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 After cleaning thee banj fittings the problem was still there.. I instaalled a pipe in place of the main cat, but the cat was already hollow. I bought a new vaccum advance and installed itt today. I installed a new hose on the old one and tried the suck test and it would not move at all. So hopefully this will help fix my issue with the glowing turbo, falling on its face, and it running lean. I will drive it later and find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocheman1 Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Might want to replace you injector clips if that doesn't solve the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makskylan Posted June 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 I have already done that bout a year ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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