It runs!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally got some time to wrap up all the loose ends and get the car back together yesterday. I cranked it over with the fuel pump unplugged, no spark plugs, and the oil supply to the turbo disconnected so that I could let the engine get used to spinning again and build a supply of oil to the turbo. Remember, the car has not run since September 05.
After about 20 seconds of cranking I finally got oil up to the turbo. Shut her down and went about putting in new plugs, fresh gas, etc. Got set, said a little prayer, and cranked it over. She fired right up like the last time she had run was yesterday!
I let the car idle in the driveway until it got up to temp while I checked for smoke, leaks, etc. All looked good so I zipped down the block and back. Only got up to 3 pounds of boost as I didn't want to press my luck just yet. Felt good and strong; sounded good too.
I did notice some stumbling when I come to a stop. It actually died once when coasting down to a stop. The blow off valve also sounds much louder than I remember. I need to go over the BOV settings and connections as I think I have a leak. That would explain both issues and it is something that I had to repeatedly take on and off during the turbo swap. Other than that, the car seems to be A-OK.
Now for the kicker....Today is a beautiful sunny day. I hopped out of bed early to go do some tinkering and take a nice drive. As my coffee was brewing I went to round up my garage keys. Now where did I leave them? Not on the hook, not in the basement workshop., not on my desk, not on the kitchen counter. I was running out of the "usual" spots and about to resort to the back up spots: Pants pockets, the dog's bed, behind the desk, etc. I tried the garage door, just in case I had left it open. Nope, locked up tight. I took the opportunity to peek in the window and my now running 311 and, you guessed it, sitting right on the tonneau cover, my garage keys. Locked safely in the garage. Doh!!! On a Sunday when off hours locksmith calls start in the $250 to $300 range. Double doh!
Looks like I get to find something else to do on this fine sunny day while I wait for Monday and more affordable locksmith rates.
