Watch out, Karen, your Sienna is about to get gapped. I found a 2008 MS3 with 100K miles and a blown head gasket for $2,400. The car has been "rode real hard and put away wet." Here is its rebirth with a chance to regain some of its dignity. A 500 HP daily is the goal.
Intake-
(Returnless auxiliary port injection system- 340 LPH in tank pump to HPFP to the auxiliary fuel rail)
Here is a picture of the car when it was originally built by someone who actually cared about it.
Here is why I say it was "rode very hard " and put away wet: It actually ran but was misfiring very, very badly when I got it. The head gasket was indeed leaking badly. Upon removing the head, I could tell it had been driven a lot with the head gasket blown. The downpipe had been broken off right before the cat and clearly driven that way for a while. It had been sitting for over a year.
There was significant rust in the cylinders.
The right front strut rod had a loose nut at the strut mount and had been driven in that condition for a long time. The strut rod was worn almost halfway through! It has a broken stabilizer bar link; the injectors basically had no seals on them; the K04 turbo is clapped out, the engine oil was creamy brown, and the crank bearings were badly etched, the tires have brand new tread depth, but they are from 2012 and have bad enough dry rot cracking that I can see cords. The fog light lenses are busted out, the headlights and tail lights appear to have a film of tint on them that is in terrible shape when you are up close, there is a mismatched fender, and the interior was FULL of mold from sitting with water in it at one point, the brakes are worn down, the fenders are cut and left bare metal at the cuts, the fender flares are sun rotted and brittle fiberglass, there is a crack in the windshield, and honestly I could go on!
I went ahead (with the help of my astute assistant) and removed the short block. It was clear that I would be lucky if I could have the cylinders bored enough to clear out the rust and still fit 88mm pistons.
My assistant clearly looks concerned, as was I. The CV boots are torn, and the transmission mount is still stock.
We were short on time, and someone... hadn't had their nap, so we just popped the short block out the top to save some time in the day. We also discovered a cooler line was rubbing a hole in the intercooler on the back side. One thing after another.
This is a nasty little short block...
Next came disassembly to learn if I would be able to save the crankshaft. It turns out I prevented a lot of damage just in time. Some of the rod bearings showed significant copper and had bad etching. Luckily the crank was in great shape. There was one ring land that had some damage, but it was early into the destruction. The head had a temperature tag and was clearly a reman. It was really clean inside it. Unfortunately, this thing got really, really hot, and the cam journals were no longer perfectly aligned. When I torque the cam caps with the cams in them, I can barely turn the cams. A few journals were galed and damaged the cams as well. I can post some pictures if anyone wants to see what that looked like. I called around, and no machine shops in my state so far align bore journals this small, so I'll be using a different head.
I'll take a break from the destruction for a few posts and focus on some of the exciting movement on Project Shit Show. I procured a brand new CST5 and a bunch of other go-fast parts in the last few weeks. This hair dryer is set up for an EWG, and I have a 44mm Turbosmart wastegate.
I got lucky, and my machinist was able to get the rust cleaned up in my cylinders for running the 88mm Manley pistons. When I handed him the pistons, he said, "oh, those are cute" lol.
Chris Ward with CW Turbocharges has been phenomenal to work with and has sent me lots of parts. I highly recommend him. I'll make a post with all my parts and modifications in a nice organized list, but here are the things I have so far as I think of them. I scored and snagged a fresh set of Manley H-beam rods from someone who no longer needed them. I have Manley 88mm pistons, Supertech 70lb valve spring and retainer kit(wanting to turn 8K RPM), King rod, and main bearings sets, ACT clutch kit, Focus ST manifold, Under route intercooler piping for the ST manifold, AEM 340 LPH in-tank fuel pump, CS balance shaft delete kit(rotating assembly is being internally balanced), Grimmspeed 3-port electronic boost control solenoid, ARP L19 head studs, ARP main studs, Damond Motorsports ST manifold port injection adaptor plate, Damond Motorsports returnless fuel line kit, Injector Dynamics 1050 CC injectors, Split Second Controller,
I have filled several motor mounts in the past, and I think this kit is pretty neat. I went with a urethane that is rated 80A on the Shore hardness scale. I felt like it was a good balance for the power and the daily driving use. If I don't like it, I'm only out about $100. The rear engine mount is already aftermarket on this car. I'll post some pics of the process of filling the other two mounts when I do it.
Build list
(updating as I go)
(updating as I go)
Intake-
- ST intercooler piping kit (Graveyard Performance)
- Intercooler S Line (Mishimoto)
- ST intake manifold (Used)
- Throttle body extension harness HAVE NOT BOUGHT OR BUILT YET
- Turbo CST5 (EWG) (Cork Sport)
- 3.5" intake pipe kit (JBR)
- External Wastegate (Turbo Smart - 44mm)
- Cat back system (Cobb) (used)
- Downpipe (misc. aftermarket w/ cat – came w/ car)
- EGR valve delete kit
- H beam rods with ARP hardware (Manley)
- Head studs L19 (ARP L19)
- Pistons 88 mm Platinum (Manley)
- Main studs 218-5402 (ARP)
- Balance shaft delete kit (Cork Sport)
- Rod bearings (King pMax Black tri-metal)
- Main bearings (King High Performance)
- Water pump OEM (Edgeautosports)
- Ford oil pump Focus ST 2013-2018 (Edgeautosports)
- Thermostat assembly OEM (Edgeautosports)
- PCV plate (Damond Motorsports)
- Block OEM- came w/ car
- VVT Actuator OEM (Edgeautosports)
- Stage 3 Motor rebuild kit (Edgeautosports)
- Reman head (WOT Motorsports LLC)
- High-performance valve spring and retainer kit (Super tech)
- Gen2 valve cover OEM (Used)
- Bore, deck, and clean block
- Balance rotating assembly
(Returnless auxiliary port injection system- 340 LPH in tank pump to HPFP to the auxiliary fuel rail)
- Split Second injector controller
- Auxiliary port fuel injectors 1050 (Injector Dynamics)
- Fuel pump, in-tank, 340 lph, E85 compatible (AEM)
- Manifold port injection adapter kit (Diamond Motorsports)
- Returnless Fuel line kit (Diamond Motorsports)
- Direct injector seals (Overspeed)
- MAF extension harness
- HPFP internals (Autotech)
- DI injectors cleaned and flow tested (Injector Experts)
- Clutch kit- (ACT HD Clutch Kit, 6 Puck Sprung clutch w/ Prolite flywheel)
- Passenger motor mount- Self poured with 80A polyurethane
- Transmission mount- Self-poured with 80A polyurethane
- Rear engine mount (CS) Came in car
- Accessport V3 (Cobb)
- WOT box (N2MB)
- Battery box and ECU relocation (Cork Sport) HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
- Spark plugs (NGK LTR7IX)
- Freektune HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
- Crash bar HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET/ I may build this
- Fog light lenses HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
- Windshield- $200 installed HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
- Rear L stabilizer link HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
- New fender flares HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
- New tail and brake light lens assemblies
- New headlight lens assemblies HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
- New front wheel wells (Carparts.com)
- Paint the front right fender MAY WRAP THE ENTIRE CAR WHITE INSTEAD
- Replace L front lug stud and get lug nut
- Brake pads and rotors front and rear w/ hardware HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
- Tires 285/35R18 97H Contiprocontact radial (All Season)- HAVE NOT BOUGHT YET
Here is a picture of the car when it was originally built by someone who actually cared about it.
Here is why I say it was "rode very hard " and put away wet: It actually ran but was misfiring very, very badly when I got it. The head gasket was indeed leaking badly. Upon removing the head, I could tell it had been driven a lot with the head gasket blown. The downpipe had been broken off right before the cat and clearly driven that way for a while. It had been sitting for over a year.
There was significant rust in the cylinders.
The right front strut rod had a loose nut at the strut mount and had been driven in that condition for a long time. The strut rod was worn almost halfway through! It has a broken stabilizer bar link; the injectors basically had no seals on them; the K04 turbo is clapped out, the engine oil was creamy brown, and the crank bearings were badly etched, the tires have brand new tread depth, but they are from 2012 and have bad enough dry rot cracking that I can see cords. The fog light lenses are busted out, the headlights and tail lights appear to have a film of tint on them that is in terrible shape when you are up close, there is a mismatched fender, and the interior was FULL of mold from sitting with water in it at one point, the brakes are worn down, the fenders are cut and left bare metal at the cuts, the fender flares are sun rotted and brittle fiberglass, there is a crack in the windshield, and honestly I could go on!
I went ahead (with the help of my astute assistant) and removed the short block. It was clear that I would be lucky if I could have the cylinders bored enough to clear out the rust and still fit 88mm pistons.
My assistant clearly looks concerned, as was I. The CV boots are torn, and the transmission mount is still stock.
We were short on time, and someone... hadn't had their nap, so we just popped the short block out the top to save some time in the day. We also discovered a cooler line was rubbing a hole in the intercooler on the back side. One thing after another.
This is a nasty little short block...
Next came disassembly to learn if I would be able to save the crankshaft. It turns out I prevented a lot of damage just in time. Some of the rod bearings showed significant copper and had bad etching. Luckily the crank was in great shape. There was one ring land that had some damage, but it was early into the destruction. The head had a temperature tag and was clearly a reman. It was really clean inside it. Unfortunately, this thing got really, really hot, and the cam journals were no longer perfectly aligned. When I torque the cam caps with the cams in them, I can barely turn the cams. A few journals were galed and damaged the cams as well. I can post some pictures if anyone wants to see what that looked like. I called around, and no machine shops in my state so far align bore journals this small, so I'll be using a different head.
I'll take a break from the destruction for a few posts and focus on some of the exciting movement on Project Shit Show. I procured a brand new CST5 and a bunch of other go-fast parts in the last few weeks. This hair dryer is set up for an EWG, and I have a 44mm Turbosmart wastegate.
I got lucky, and my machinist was able to get the rust cleaned up in my cylinders for running the 88mm Manley pistons. When I handed him the pistons, he said, "oh, those are cute" lol.
Chris Ward with CW Turbocharges has been phenomenal to work with and has sent me lots of parts. I highly recommend him. I'll make a post with all my parts and modifications in a nice organized list, but here are the things I have so far as I think of them. I scored and snagged a fresh set of Manley H-beam rods from someone who no longer needed them. I have Manley 88mm pistons, Supertech 70lb valve spring and retainer kit(wanting to turn 8K RPM), King rod, and main bearings sets, ACT clutch kit, Focus ST manifold, Under route intercooler piping for the ST manifold, AEM 340 LPH in-tank fuel pump, CS balance shaft delete kit(rotating assembly is being internally balanced), Grimmspeed 3-port electronic boost control solenoid, ARP L19 head studs, ARP main studs, Damond Motorsports ST manifold port injection adaptor plate, Damond Motorsports returnless fuel line kit, Injector Dynamics 1050 CC injectors, Split Second Controller,
I have filled several motor mounts in the past, and I think this kit is pretty neat. I went with a urethane that is rated 80A on the Shore hardness scale. I felt like it was a good balance for the power and the daily driving use. If I don't like it, I'm only out about $100. The rear engine mount is already aftermarket on this car. I'll post some pics of the process of filling the other two mounts when I do it.
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