Dyno Time
With the engine running and the car somewhat drivable it was now time to finally get a proper tune and see if all this hard work had paid off. The dyno appointment was booked for early september and I had a few weeks to prepare.
I started the prep with a fluid swap, Engine oil, tranny fluid, and diff fluid.
Next was to swap out the engine bay fuel pressure gauge with the sensor so that I can monitor fuel pressure from the driver's seat.
Finally I decided to do a compression test because it would be a waste to show up to a dyno with poor compression. This had been passed a few times in this build and should have been done long ago.
Upon removing the valve cover and coil packs I noticed that there was some very unwanted corrosion around the spark plugs.
This would need to be cleaned eventually, but for the time being I just did a basic wipe and got rid of all the loose grit/grime.
Next pulling the plugs we saw they were fouled which isn't a huge surprise considering how rich the vehicle was running.
Just for good measure I would pick up a set for the dyno.
Now it was test time
Results were acceptable
Now with all this done there were a few issues to address. The threadsealer I used on the coolant fitting to the block and the turbos didn't seem to be doing its job.
Also there was a small leak coming from the oil filter relocator sandwich plate. Not a major issue because it was a very minor leak. I didn't know how strict the pre-dyno inspection would be so I assumed it would need to be fixed.
The PS rack was slightly leaking but it turned out to be simply a loose fitting.
Also I would need to have a boost solenoid installed in the car before the dyno.
This was going to prove to be quite the task however since school was starting and I was no longer going to have time to work on the car I decided it would be best to take it to the guys at Lightspeed and let them get the car dyno ready.
Lightspeed fixed the coolant leak and oil leak within a week or two of me dropping it off and soon enough I was headed to red deer to go participate in the dyno session.
Upon arrival in red deer I was a little disappointed to hear that the boost solenoid had not been installed like I asked. Therefore a manual boost controller was thrown in just so that the day wasn't a complete failure.
So after getting the car set up on the dyno we started to just put a base tune on the car. We soon noticed that the car would benefit from some copper spark plugs so we tossed some in.
Running at about 13.5PSI here's what we got:
These results were pretty disappointing to be completely honest but at least they could be explained.
First of all, its a completely stock head that hasn't been touched in 20 years. This engine in begging for some head work but I wanted a baseline before doing too much with it.
Second, thats a pretty big intercooler up in front and the piping isn't small either, this was causing a bit of extra turbo lag which was hurting us seeing as we were only revving to 7000rpm.
Finally there is a massive restriction in the downpipe because it is a LHD vehicle cause a pretty big air restriction. It sucks but its something you just have to live with to stay twin and swap.
Also this build is now nicknamed the DRAGON LADY because she sure likes to breath fire!
Here's a little video I tossed together of the event.
CLICK HERE!
Thats all for now, I'll finish updating the thread tomorrow. This will include a revisit to the dyno, a boost increase, and a game plan for what comes next! Stay Tuned!
