There’s nothing worse than putting a bunch of effort into a car, thinking everything is right with the world, and then finding out you have a serious, show-stopping problem on your hands. That’s exactly what happened to Scotty and the Trolvo in this latest episode of Carnage.
Regular viewers will know the Trolvo is now a proven nine-second car, having run a blistering new PB of 9.89@136mph at Heathcote Park Raceway recently. While that was a major win, the pace and health of the 1JZ started going south pretty soon aftewards.
Last episode, Scotty found a charging problem that was easily solved with a proper alternator, but that was only the beginning of the Trolvo’s issues.
In this episode, we kick off with a compression test, which doesn’t give the best results. The highest readings were only around 120psi, with the lowest at roughly 110psi. While there was no major outlier, research tells us a healthy turbo 1JZ should be in the 160-170psi range.
A leakdown test was far more positive, so Scotty decided we may as well push on with this engine and give it one final go before moving it on.
Part of getting it ready for one last hit at the track was installing a new catch can. The old 500ml one was getting filled far too quickly, so our friends at VPW sent out a huge three-litre Proflow unit to replace it. With the help of Ryobi’s brilliant right-angle cordless drill, installation was a breeze.
Scotty also put an RTS transmission catch can on the Turbo 400 as well, which stops any fluid that’s pushed out during high-rpm or transbrake launches from getting on the track.
With those jobs nailed, it looked like we were home free – until Scotty cut open the Trolvo’s oil filter. The whole thing was filled with sparkly bearing material, which effectively signals the end of the road for this 1JZ. It still runs and drives, but there’s no point sending it down the track in any form of anger with this much of a handicap.
That leaves the Trolvo in limbo right now, as we can neither race nor sell it in this condition. There’s no immediate plan, but rest assured, as soon as there is, you’ll see it in a future episode of Carnage.