[Es2] Project update...No more foamy oil!

[Ben Klumper]

Well I can now say I'm cautiously optimistic about the state of my conversion. This past weekend I pulled the oil pan off (hopefully for the last time!), replaced the suction tube with the old one from the 7A, replaced the oil pump, put on a new filter and filled it with 15-40 oil. Despite still getting the oil pressure warning (I'm positive it's an electrical glitch) I nervously let the engine run for about ten minutes - its longest stint to date. Oil pressure on the gauge showed a normal 5 bar, as always. Shut it down, waited a minute and checked the oil. To my pleasant surprise, the oil looked normal! No more foam or froth. Now I don't know whether it was the pump, pick up tube, filter, the fact that I let it run for a while or a combination of all of the above. Needless to say, I'm pleased at the outcome. My only hesitation comes from the fact that I didn't like the way the lifters were sounding. More ticking than I think is normal. I could be paranoid of course, but I'd still like to have a mechanic have a listen before I take it for its first boot. Could it be that the lifters still have a bit of air in them and it just might take a while before it's all worked out? A mechanic told me that it sometimes can take 30-40 km's of driving before all the air is worked out of a freshly rebuilt engine.
The other minor worry was that I was starting to see light smoke coming from the exhaust manifold and turbo area. I think I can attribute this to some of the fresh paint heating up and burning off of the exhaust parts and engine block. Anyone else experience this?

As for the electrical glitch, I was going through the wiring diagrams at home and it seems that I may have neglected to connect a ground strap from the block to the body. This is something that I'll check next time I'm at the garage. It's the short (8") braided copper ground that is found on the driver's side engine mount and connects to the frame. I recall this strap breaking when I pulled the 3B from the donor and I don't remember ever replacing it. Would it make sense then that if the block is not grounded, neither are the oil pressure senders? I'll keep everyone posted.

Other than that, the conversion is complete with the exception of having the front bumper painted and putting the S2 badges on. I told myself those would be the last things to go on!

Ben