85T-REX

Sounds like it might be the disty. Try a different one. rex

Anything's possible. Not likely, though. The PCV system is very possible if you hooked the valve cover hoses to the wrong place. It's hard to say without seeing it. How much of that stuff did you have apart?

Your exhaust may be causing most of your other problems if your header pipe is cracked. The header pipe is a little spendy new but you can get any after market exaust work done from the turbo back for a couple hundred bucks. It's well worth it if it takes care of the way it runs. I remember a lot of pic-and-pulls in So-Cal when I was there so you shouldn't have any trouble finding used parts for your engine that aren't fixed by the exhaust repair. Turbos need a good exhaust. One other thing, if you get someone to do your exaust from the turbo back, make sure they shield the new pipe from the drive shaft boot. And, only torque the flange bolts to the turbo at 15ft/lb. It should sound better too so there's a bonus.

I have the pics posted of the check valve setup I did. If your disty diaphragm isn't being pushed backwards, you wouldn't need to do this. If it is, I can explain the setup. Enjoy the RX. I would drive mine forever if I could. rex

Sounds like a turbo seal went capooey. That happened with my car when I was driving from Pa. to Ca. Just west of Omaha, Nebraska I went to pass a pickup towing a trailer and left him in a cloud of smoke. I just replaced the turbo with a jy model with unknown mileage and it's still going. Drive it a little and see if it clears up. If not, rex

It looks like your MAF is working properly. The new air filter should help. Did you get some time to wrench over the weekend? rex

I'm not sure what method or data you're referring to. I only asked if he checked his air filter and whether the idle was affected by unplugging his MAF. Two things that will tell him a lot about what is going on and are very easy to do. Removing the turbo pipe and putting it back on will not open or close a vacuum leak like you're referring to. The turbo barely spins, if at all, during idle. Cobcob, the pressure switch for the turbo light is mounted on the passenger side strut tower between it and the air cleaner box. Check my photos. On my car, the top one is the one that turns the turbo light on. As long as the vac lines are hooked up, take the electrical connection apart and jump it to see if your light comes on. If not try the other one. At least we will know if the light and switch are working properly. It sounds like you're on the right track with your injector connections. The bubbling in the overflow is not a good sign. As clean as your engine looks, I sure hope it isn't a head or head gasket issue. rex

You should reply to this post if you have updates. If you checked the air filter and the intake lines, and they're good, it's probably just the fact that the ECU is reading full air flow. Either the MAF is not sending the right signal or the ECU is not reading the signal right. Does it make any difference if you unplug the electrical connection from the MAF? rex

Is it a turbo? Only turbos are advanced to +20.

I should be able to make it. See you all there.

I can get pics this weekend but it's simple: 1. Just cut or add a piece to the vacuum line going to the diaphragm. I put mine close to the diaphragm. 2. Put your two hoses onto the straight through portion of the tee. 3. On the third leg, put on a short piece of hose. 4. Install the check valve with the flow direction going away from the tee. (The end you can blow through would be the end you attach to the hose.) 5. If you want, you can vent the other end of the check valve back to the air box where the filter is. I tied mine into a line from the canister that's attached to the air box vent line. You should notice a big difference. Keep us posted.

I would imagine your RX has a disty with a vac advance. The boost could be retarding the ignition timing. If you take the disty cap off and put air pressure on the diaphragm, you will probably be able to see the advance mechanism moving backwards. I modified mine with a tee and check valve to vent that boost pressure and it made a big difference in the amount of surge. It didn't eliminate it completely but it made it a lot more bearable.

There's a pressure switch in front of the passenger side strut mount. That's what turns the light on. Does the hesitation clear up at high RPMs? I've had my RX for a while and it's always done that up to about 3-4K RPMs. Then it smooths out and pulls hard to 6K. Sometimes the surge was more noticable but even with new heads, different turbo, and no code problems, it still remains. Not a boost leak, just the nature of the beast.

When you were turning the piston back in, did you open the bleeder or push the fluid back to the MC? Pushing the fluid back into the MC can damage the seals. You should always open the bleeder. rex

Going back to the fact that the idle is so drastically affected by taking the Turbo pipe off, there seems to be a restriction in air flow. Did you check your air filter? If the PCV valve fails, it will soak the air filter with oil and clog it up. That will lead to the MAF failure and restricted air flow. rex

Did you have the same results with both MAFs? Could be one, or a combination, of three things: 1. MAF not operating properly. -- Be sure the flap opens and closes all the way and the connection is good and clean. 2. Damaged turbo. -- Due to the replacement of the header pipe. Make sure the intake lines are clear and the turbo spins freely. That may be why the turbo light doesn't come on. 3. Ignition timing not advanced far enough. -- Should be about +20 deg. Because it's affected so drastically by the removal of the Turbo intake pipe, it seems to be a combination of 1 and 2. My turbo won't run without that pipe in place. Also, make sure your oil filler tube is tight and the cap seals tight. rex

Is it the inner boot that's torn? If so, it may be a problem with the cat. If the cat is plugged and getting hot, it may be the cause of the boot and gasket problem. How is it running?

I put them on my RX and wagon every winter for a little extra ground clearance. Shouldn't be a problem on FWD either.

I will be there with my 85 RX. I don't think too many people have seen one like this in a long time. See you there.

I have two Brats and they both had that problem. It was the tranny mounts. Just replace them and you should be good. You should take it to a tranny shop and let them check it first. I hope this helps.