Workshops in ACT for Caldina manifold issue?

[Attila]

My 215 Caldina GTT is making the manifold leak noise on startup.
I just moved to Canberra yesterday when the car started making this noise


Sounds like this:
(not my car but same sound)

Caldina GTT Manifold Issue? - YouTube


Can anyone suggest where in the ACT I can have this fixed?

[MWP]

Neal Bates - Automotive ?

[Attila]

Thanks, I'll give them a call!

[Kedderz]

sounds like an exhaust gasket leak or a crack in the factory manifold.
autotech in hume are a good lot, ive used them in the past, they are always busy how ever.

[RONA]

^^^ Nah the factory manifold in the early versions warp as they are missing a stud. Need to be removed and machined flat and they are good for another xxxxx kms.

[Attila]

Had a chat to both workshops yesterday.
Apparently the manifolds can't be machined due to complications with the turbo integrating into the manifold ( or similar)

Both workshops above proposed replacing all the studs and re-gasketing. Apparently the problem is still early onset and that should fix it.

Alternately, I was told at Neal Bates that a place in NZ that custom fabricates manifolds. They have a series 2 Gtt in the shop at the moment, the guy who owns it knows the details. They'll get back to me once they've had a chat with him.

[Attila]

Oh btw, it will cost an estimated $900.

[RONA]

Manifold can be machined. Gasket won't fix anything if the manifold is warped, the rear housing & exhaust manifold can be split from the front of the turbo to make it easier to work with. Not fun but it can and has been done by many people before. Driven performance in NZ does manifolds well they are designed by him and made in China, issue is that means a new turbo, dump and intake piping etc as the factory turbo is integrated into the exhaust housing.

[Attila]

Thx RONA, I'll pass that on.

Will most likely send car to Autotech as Neal Bates are booked out until the end of Feb. grrrr...

What's involved in splitting rear housing, manifold and turbo? ( is it unbolt job or would they have to cut and re-weld/ similar?)

[RONA]

I haven't done it myself but know others on here have. Someone did a writeup in either the Caldina dedicated thread or a member's ride thread when they did it will try and find a link for you tomorrow.

Edit linkage: http://www.toymods.org.au/forums/for...dina-gt-t.html

[Attila]

Problem all fixed now

Ended up going to Autotech as I needed the car back on the road ASAP.

They managed to remove the manifold and machine it flat, it was out by 4mm....

Thx RONA for above link, I did see it in the forums some time ago.
Suggested the extra lug as per Chris' manifold job but they couldn't find a workshop to do it. Should be okay for quite a while now anyway.

[Aust162]

Attila, do you mind me asking how much it cost you to do this? my mates gtt has just started doing this ..

[Attila]

Just saw your post, have been offline for a couple of months :/

All up it was $1159 (so a tad under $1,200)
They had to remove the radiator to access the turbo, and one of the manifold bolts had snapped and damaged the thread in the block.
In the end the manifold was machined flat, the block rethreaded, and all the bolts and the manifold gasket were replaced.

Should be good for the next 100K+