Update time... and it's not a fun one.
My wrenching time started with a peek at my remaining items list.
Let's start with the GOOD stuff; got the wiring under the dash all cleaned up and terminated in some quality Deutsch-style connectors! All I need to add now are the shielded secondary O2 sensor wires, and find a good place to route them through the floor. So I turned this spaghetti:
...into this!
This is what connects all the 1UZ engine-side wiring harness signals to the RA64 body harness.
Ahh, sure looks good in there.
Also threw the hood on to check for clearance to the intake manifold. Let me tell you, it's only single-layer-piece-of-cardboard-thick amounts of clearance! But thankfully those polyurethane pucks will keep the motor steadily held in place.
I wanted to start getting the little things buttoned up, bleed the brakes and clutch and such; but the moment I went in to bleed the clutch... this happened.
Yep, that's the T56 throwout bearing leaking INSIDE THE BELLHOUSING. The bleeder fitting leaked as well. I went back to my old videos and the XAT Racing instructions to see what it was that I was possibly missing. I thought perhaps I forgot the crush washer for the bleeder output fitting on the slave cyl housing:
I was also missing a fitting on the bleeder side. That was at least an easy fix.
...so I put some time aside to drop the transmission and see what was really going on. I recruited silverliftback's help (with the enticing offer of a homecooked dinner, of course) and we dropped the B in 3 hours, 45 minutes. We had to remove the upper and lower intake manifolds, shifter, exhaust and driveshaft to achieve this.
Now we can finally get a look-see at that TOB!
O-oh. Oh. OH. OH NO.
O H N O. THAT is the inlet quick-connect fitting leaking through the split pin!!
I removed the lines and pulled the TOB out. This is what I found...
I was taken aback at this development. I had no idea how this possibly could have occured. Was the part bad when I received it? Was the fitting being bent from install??? No way.
I made sure the bent fitting knew I was
very disappointed.
I made contact with XAT Racing, and after inspecting my setup, said the lines should have a straight shot out of the bellhousing and that I should bore the holes out some more, as that could contribute to the fitting being forcefully bent after torqueing the lines down and installing the transmission. So I ordered new fittings, put a crush washer on the bleeder output fitting, and will get to that clearancing operation soon.
I will get this thing on the road before the end of this year gosh darnit!!
