First, let me start this off saying I have a corolla (thus the name)also and just aquired an 88 Supra Turbo with 150M miles on it. Going to do some mods to it but not too radical since this will be my son's to drive....with that said. Driving it home during moderate rpm (3500-4000) Turbo was pushing 4-5 psi going up a mountain I observed heavy blue smoke. That lasted until I dropped the rpms back down. When I got it home, took the intake tubes off the crossover, turbo, intercooler. Oil was observed from the airbox, turbo on to the throttlebody. I am thinking it is a seal in the turbo? Any thoughts? I will post my other questions in a different thread. Thanks for any help.
To the original question: Unlike every relative newcomer to the Supra will tell you, blue smoke is not a headgasket failure, and when under or just off throttle, blue smoke tends to indicate turbocharger seals heading out. You can remove the accordian hose from the turbo and chack the radial and axial play in the shaft. They should rotate freely, and the play should be very minimal (if you can see it move 1/32th or so, it's almost guaranteed to be too much, but you will always feel a tiny amount of movement...can't remember the actual TSRM allowable play off hand).
The oil in the intake tract is usually just the PC vent at work on an older engine, but turbo seals can add to the problem. The primary vent for the blowby gas vent (as we really don't have a PCV system exactly) is in the accordian hose, and it gets sucked into the turbo, only to get shot through the entire intake tract. Remove the intercooler and you may well be able to pour it out.
As to the gasket retorque, it's a craps shoot. You can torque it down, and if it wasn't already going south, it may never give you a problem again in stock or mildly upgraded form. The other 50% of the time, you will finish the process off and you now have a headgasket problem.
What you pay is entirely dependant on the work you want done. The shops here charge CAD $800-1200 for a simple R&R with no work on the head. Machine shop visit makes it closer to $1600. Decked and an MHG, and you're getting into the $2k CAD range to do it right. DIY, take away about $500 from the prices listed. To include all gaskets and seals, add...you get the idea.
Good on you for finding a place to do it cheap, but I've never had the luck with just using the cheapest. I find I spend far less doing it once, completely and right, even if I pay the most on it that time. A second visit tends to be far more expensive than doing it up right once.
For a DIY that seems a little high. The last time I did a HG change a full kit which includes all gaskets and new valve seals only cost me $200 US at the auto parts store. Make sure you get the head milled to avoid problems due to warpage. That shouldn't cost too much more.
wow, thats pricey, we did my friends HG job with HKS metal headgasket for around 600, which INCLUDED porting and polishing the head....
Keep in mind he's talking CAD. We here speak US Dollars ;-).
I got my last head fully machined with a 3angle valve job for $450. Your typical motor build is between $1500 and $2500. I've seen customers been taken for more than $4600 however.
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1988 Mk3 Turbo Targa - 17.5psi, 486hp, 494tq.
[img]http://www.**********s.com/supra/rsw_sig_stupidTN.jpg[/img]
Who came up with this 500px wide BS?
Agreed. The head work I did last time ran a mere $500 CAD, including a Toyota gasket kit and 3 angle job, but decking for an MHG would have added near $100 as I wanted it ground, not machined to ensure the seal. The block would have doubled the price, but I got lucky there and it needed nothing for a stock gasket. At the end, I had asked for it and they forgot, so I put the factory gasket in and have put another 5 fruitful years on it. Even still holds now, and that's almost a shame, as I wanted a real mechanical reason to be doing all this work, rather than just because I wanted it
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