rob_clio172

So i finally have got the pistons rings and rods fitted but not without a small drama😓 I started with the ring gaps got most done but had small issue with number 4 piston top compression ring, i checked the gap using the feeler gauge, filed, checked, filed, checked, filed and checked...... and it went over spec!! I did get distracted by the mrs on the last file and it was around 20 mins before i continued so i think i just applied more pressure than the previous times. Its not far out of spec but its different to the other 5 and as im at this point and just 20 odd pound for a new ringset its a no brainer. Really annoyed with myself for this but these things happen! pretty easy and pain free getting the piston rings in the correct location, bearings installed and pistons fitted using a piston ring compressor they just glided in. ARP bolts dipped in 30 weight oil, fitted and torqued down to 60ft lbs. So just need the new ringset now to finish that. I took the cylinder head to work and soaked it in wheel acid before jet washing it all off and its come up amazingly clean ready for me to get the valves out to send the head away, i also did the valve covers and they too come up amazing. No pictures of these just yet but will grab some soon

New bearings come today, Paul from whifbitz got them quickly sent out, top man 👍should have the pistons, rings and rods assembled on the weekend.

Mine is a she but going through the change 😂 shes mid op to become a he

Yeh its a shame about the bearings but whifbitz are sorting it now, paul has emailed me today and ive sent them back. Made a start on the rings too, got 3 pistons assembled 3 more to go. Its very easy with the proper ring filer, just took my time and followed the instructions to the letter. Pictures coming when the other 3 are done.

Yeh its a little annoying but these things happen i guess, whifbitz are a good company so i have faith in them. Im not entirely sure how its happened because the turbo looks like it has come in from another company, so i dont know if whifbitz have recieved it and put the bearings in the box and shipped it on to me or if the other company has put them in there. Either way there was no protection for them at all. There is boost lab stickers all over the box which is an american company so it may have been them.

So my rod bearings and turbo have come....... but the rod bearings are damaged. Ive emailed whifbitz about it and just waiting for a response, it was just poorly packaged and the turbo has dented/crushed the bearings so its a little set back but its ok im sure it will be sorted. The turbo on the other hand ......... jesus ***** it is huuuuuuuuuge!!! Alot bigger in person compared to looking at pictures of it! Just for comparison ive placed a 2ltr coke bottle next to it, keep in mind this is slightly larger than the normal 2ltr And 1 next to honey 😂 Will crack on with piston ring gaps tomorrow and hopefully my bearings wont set me back too much

Yeh i think the UK took it from you 😂, we had around 20-25cm just before xmas

Ah you are use to the snow then! Yeh will be nice to get her in there and out of the snow

Where is it you are from? Bet you cant wait to get it tucked away in the new garage!

I remember when i was a tech at lexus there was an official repair for this cracking noise from the heater/radio controls. You had to strip the panel down and remove the circuit board, then had to stick these small circular stickers on the board where it bolts to the casing then refit everything

You only get mayo like substance in the filler cap if coolant is leaking into the oil system some how, 220d normally get compression into the cooling system and or coolant into the cylinder bore where it is burnt off this may keep the temp gauge sitting pretty but cause an air lock in the matrix. Classic sign of this is black stains and exhaust gasses in the expansion tank, rock hard coolant pipes to the point you cant even slightly squeeze them and coolant stains all over the engine bay, where the expansion tank cap has relieved the pressure and blown it out of the small pipe off the tank filler neck across the engine bay. As you have said though it could be a blocked matrix or any of those flaps/motors on the heater box. I would definatly start with the coolant level check.

Dinho where are these meets organised through? Looks like there was a decent turn out on that video with some nicely modded IS's

Is there any coolant in the expansion tank? 1st easy thing to check. If its empty its leaking somewhere, water pumps are known for leaking on these and dare i say it ......... dreaded head gasket failure but it may not be this so dont panic

People are just thick sometimes arnt they! I know this place well, can just see the wolves ground in the distance

Had another part turn up yesterday thanks to co-ordsport (part box) my mishimoto oil sandwich plate is here. Got this trial fitted to just to see how it went on, it can be rotated to sit in what ever position you need for the ports. This will now allow me take an oil feed for the turbo and also fit oil pressure/temp sensors for gauges. Rod bearings are going to be here on monday along with my turbo, cannot wait to get some momentum back to this build! Hope you guys are enjoying the updates, ive been toying with the idea of doing a youtube channel dedicated for the build, not that confident infront of the camera though so we will see how that goes

Thanks, ive always been to car shows and seen really clean engine bays and shiny parts fitted and everything looking brand new but alot of my cars have been clean under the bonnet but not to this level, i thought i may aswell go the whole hog and do it

Got some more done today back on the engine, weather was not ideal for this but its 1 of those jobs ive been meaning to do since having the engine stripped. It was time to paint everything and make it look nice and fresh. I removed the oil filter housing first as this was still on the block then i got the block masked up... The block was cleaned off and it left just a bit of surface rust but wasnt too bothered about this, i then did 3 coats of high temp hammerite satin black. I was going to go for gloss but i figured satin would be better if i ever had any sort of a leak and also it looks just a little more subtle. Whilst i was at it i also cleaned up the engine mount brackets and the oil filter housing and gave them a blast of aluminium paint and got them fitted back on the block. i also masked up the secondary sump and got that painted again in alluminium paint and this also turned out pretty good. and thats it for now, will hopefully be doing the piston ring gaps pretty soon as i now have a proper ring filer, this is going to be a very long tedious job as ive got to do both compression rings of each piston

Cheers matey, just cant wait to get the others done now

Cheers matey 👍

So then as i gave away in my last post i have been working on something else whilst waiting for the rod bearings to come. Ive done a little mod to the rear lights just to make them a little more individual and stand out, ive always loved the look of the rear lights so i didnt want to change them too much. So 1st of all i had to strip them down, now these are not sealed using a sealant they are like plastic welded together so for this i had to use a dremel to remove the lens. once the lens was off had to split the backing from the smoked chrome insert, this was pretty simple and just unclips off. then i popped off the red lens cap to access the side light/brake light housing. Now for the good bit, i wanted to convert the side lights to halo LEDs, now i know the rear lights already are kind of halo looking because of the reflector in the middle of the red lens cap but i want a more obvious sharp clear look to them. For this i ordered an LED halo ring and used a glue gun to secure it inside the lens cap. Then i had to cut a small hole to allow the wires to go back through. I also had to do this for the backing of the light too. Now i didnt get any pictures of the reassembly of this as it just clips together apart from the outer lens cover and this was messy as hell. I was going to use clear sealant but i changed my mind and decided to use black as it would look better and less obvious where i cut the lens. Also its easier to see if a bit gets somewhere you dont want it to be and its too late to wipe off. This was pretty tricky but got it done. Now i did test it before i sealed the lens on just incase it didnt work... heres the results...... Flash on Flash off and another with the lens fitted I am over the moon with how it looks!! Now i cannot take credit for this as a saw this done by a guy on youtube, im glad i found it though as the idea i already had in my head before i saw his video it just showed me the way to go about it. Once back on the car i will use the sidelight feed to light the LED up and leave the feed for the brake light on the original bulb. I have not stopped there....... i wanted the USA look rear lights using halos so i also pulled the fog lights out and pulled these apart. Same again i had to use the dremel to open them up. The LEDs are currently on order so i will update this once they have come and fitted.

Thanks matey, coming along slow at the min, rod bearings are now ordered and also had to order a piston ring filer so should be back on it 1st or 2nd week in to the new. I have been doing something else in the mean time not on the engine but not going to ruin the suprise until ive finished it and can get all the pics together

60k or 120k is the big 1s, vvt gear and valve clearances are pointless checking unless there is an issue. Fortunatly lexus/toyota built these engines alot better than say an old ford lump which would need clearances checking. Even if the vvt cam gear was checked theres no way of knowing it would fail the next time you start the car driving off there car park. Large chunk of the cost is labour and the parts probably aint cheap either. Diff oil will be changed on every 20k or 2yr service. The coolant is toyota pink so 100k or 10yrs (then every 20k there after...i think). Auto transmission oil im not sure but is it not lifetime oil?? The rear brake strip down is a bit of labour too, the rear calipers and discs will be removed and h/brake shoes inspected and cleaned up. Inspection of all suspension componants, brakes, wheels, tyres, engine and cooling system for leaks, there is alot more to a service than throwing a load of filters and fluids at it. Any service will add to the life of the car thats its intended purpose but it doesnt mean things cant go wrong still. End of the day they offer a service and a price, if the price is too much then take the risk of going somewhere that charges you alot less but probably wont have a clue on what is involved on that particular service. Or they will know what needs doing but just wont do it anyway to save the cost and get the custom, probably use none genuine parts too again to save cost . They also may not be wise to common faults like seized rear calipers, waterpump leaks, front inner pads sticking wearing quicker than the outers... all stuff that a lexus dealer will be wise too. I would be using a lexus dealer for the big services for sure.

It maybe the vvt-i cam gears, ive heard this before on the is250s, that clattering goes as oil pressure is reached in the gears. Its probably loosing oil out of the gears on the rest period then clattering when starting until pressure returns. Complete guess tho without seeing the motor itself

i had to google Maggie T 4 hours sleep thing then 😂 just seen that she was known for having very little sleep. Tbf when im doing the car the mrs is normally walking the dog many times per day or her mom pops round to keep her company. Keeps her off my back 😂

I was being a little ocd with it 😂 think it was pi$$ing her off