(07-07-2011) Turbo installed. Blondie Lives!

Took Blondie out for a trip to Berryville and so far she's doing well with the new turbo installed. It wasn't a fun job, but I have a much better knowledge of the turbo and the plumbing, and every little tiny vacuum hose on the entire car. It was a good thing to learn, but it wasn't a convenient time to learn it.

I haven't been able to tell any difference in performance, but I also have been treating the car gingerly and letting the turbo break-in. Maybe after I've driven it for a few days and I feel comfortable with the new turbo I'll give it a try.

I'm keeping a keen eye out for any leaks, but so far it looks good. I may have an oil leak, but that also may be coming from the oil drain plug on the pan. It's too soon to tell.

Also, I have to say a big "THANK YOU!" to Jody and Flash for helping me get this done. I wouldn't have been able to get it done alone. There were just too many jobs that needed an extra set of hands (or an extra set of eyes, or an extra brain {thanks Shannon}, or just someone to stop and have a beer with until you can come up with a better plan on how to do the job). The job wasn't fun (mainly because I was stressed about not having a car), but working in the shop with Jody and Flash was.

(06-26-11) Blondie goes down...

Blondie's turbo went out on 6-26-11. Actually, it appears to be a bad diverter valve, but after 250K miles it's probably time for a new turbo anyway. Bought a new turbo from ECS, but it didn't quite fit - the air intake was a different size, so I had to make another order on 07-01-11 for a new air intake. According to the guys at ECS, the turbo (K03 sport, instead of the normal K03) along with a silicon air intake could give Blondie up to an extra 65HP (although the software probably will not let it do quite that much). I didn't want more horsepower, I just wanted my car to run again. Oh well... Anyway, on 07-05-11 the air intake should arrive and hopefully Blondie will be back on the road. I miss you, Blondie.