This was not intended for any turbo in particular, wrench and socket sizes may differ depending on turbo.
T2 turbo:
This shows the wear items of the turbo, the numbered parts are the ones that are generally included in the turbo rebuild kit. I would purchase the kit from here: [url]http://www.melett.com/range.html[/a] I have heard many good things about them.
Rebuilding a Turbo
Tools and products:
· 1/2\" socket
· 7/16\" 12 point socket
· 5/8\" socket
· 13 mm socket
· 1/2\" boxed/open end wrench
· 10 mm boxed/open end wrench
· Internal snap ring pliers
· External snap ring pliers
· Long Narrow Needle Nose pliers
· Torque Wrench (in-lb)
· Vice
· Paper and Carpenters pencil or marker
· Carb Cleaner
· Brillo pad and wire brush
General notes:
There are three main pieces of the turbocharger:
Turbine housing, or the hot side
Center housing, or Rotating Assembly
Compressor housing, or the cold side
Take the time to mark all pieces accordingly, it will save you a great deal of time and grief. I just used a piece of paper and a carpenters pencil to draw out the really complicated pieces and the way they went back together as well as marking the pieces themselves. Again I can't stress this part enough, DO NOT THINK YOU CAN REMEMBER HOW IT GOES BACK TOGETHER. Especially pay close attention if this is your first rebuild.
Disassembly:
Start by removing the turbine housing (hot side) as it is more difficult between the two. Also keeping the compressor side on while doing this will most likely protect your innards. Spray WD-40 around the area where the turbine housing connects to the center section and let sit for about 5 minutes (sometimes more depending on condition of turbo). Taking the snap rings off that hold the bearings have very small holes so it can be difficult to get at them. Best thing to do if you cant find you cant find original ones that fit, is to just modify a set of the internal snap ring pliers to make it fit using a grinder.
1.Remove the wastegate elbow from turbine housing (1/2\" bolts)
2.Using a 10mm boxed wrench loosen all turbine-housings bolts, if you are lucky a socket wrench may fit some of the bolts.
3.Remove all turbine-housing bolts, leaving the two top and bottom bolts in place as these can be helpful when removing the turbine housing from the center housing. They will be used to "jack" the two housings apart.
4.Remove both of the remaining bolts until they come to the center housing. At this point you want to carefully turn each bolt a quarter turn at a time, alternating back and forth until the two housings are separated.
NOTE: Ensure that the turbine housing is removed parallel to the turbine wheel. Otherwise, you maybe bind the turbine wheel and cause significant damage. As you turn the bolts, after each turn check to see if there is a significant amount of binding in the two wheels (hot and cold side). It is very important to take your time with this step if you notice a lot of binding then turn the bolts back in and add a little more of the WD-40 to help with removal.
5.Remove compressor housing using a 13mm socket to remove the bolts. Also remove metal retainers. On the compressor seal plate there is an "O" ring that you can reuse as long as it is not damaged.
6.Using a marker scribe both the compressor wheel and the turbine wheel as this will be important for them to be lined up upon reassembly. (The turbine wheel and shaft are usually one single piece)
7.Using a 5/8\" socket fit it to the turbine wheel nut. If the socket does not fit you can very carefully secure the turbine wheel nut in a vice. DON'T OVER TIGHTEN.
8.Remove compressor wheel nut using 12 point 7/16\" socket followed by removing the compressor wheel.
9.Remove turbine wheel and shaft from center section by lightly tapping the end of the shaft (I would put a clean rag over the end so there is no damage)
At this point the turbo should be in four different pieces:
· compressor wheel and nut
· center housing or section;
· heat shield
· turbine wheel and shaft.
10.Remove the compressor seal plate from the bearing housing by removing the 10mm bolts. Removing the seal plate will expose the compressor seal, thrust collar, thrust bearing, thrust bearing retainer and the "O" ring.
NOTE: Take your time and use care when removing the compressor seal as there is a spring behind it. You don't want to lose this. Also check to see that the star washer shaped thrust bearing retainer is not bowed but flat. The bowing is caused by thrust loading so don't be surprised to see that it is.
11.Remove the two turbine shaft journal bearings from the bearing housing by removing the snap rings on each side. The bearings at this point should just fall out of the housing.
NOTE: You do not need to remove the two snap rings located inside the housing. Also if you need replacement bearings be sure to get the numbers stamped on the out edge of the journal bearings, as you will need these if you are ordering new ones.
12.Soak the bearing housing in Carb Cleaner and check to see that all of the oil passages are clear.
13.Remove the turbine shaft seal and clean off all carbon build-up around the seal area. This is a tedious process but very necessary. Using a wire brush and brillo pad should do the job nicely. Be careful not to damage the bearing surfaces on the shaft.
14.Install the new turbine shaft seal using external snap ring pliers to expand the seal. Do not over expand the seal, it will make it more difficult to install the turbine shaft. Try to expand the seal only as much as needed to install it. An over expanded ring will make re-installation of the turbine shaft more difficult.
Reassembly:
Essentially, everything reassembles in the reverse order.
Use 105 Lubriplate or Torco Assembly lube to pack the journal bearings and shaft. Make sure ALL journal bearing snap rings are installed and seated in their grooves. Make sure all \'O\' rings are in place on the seal plate. The tricky part is compressing the turbine seal ring enough so the shaft will slide into the bearing housing. The turbine housing is tapered and the ring and shaft are supposed to slide in if the seal ring is centered on the shaft and the seal was not over expanded during installation. Hold center section in one hand, compressor side down. Insert shaft into center section until seal touches housing. Rotate turbine wheel with a firm but gentle pressure. This will center the seal in the housing and on the shaft. Putting slight pressure on it will snap the seal into place. Do not over power it as this can also cause damage and something is wrong if you have to use extreme force to put it in. This technique can be tedious as well but in most cases you should get it no problem.
Line up the mark on the compressor wheel with the mark on the turbine wheel. Turn the compressor nut to18-20 in-lb and continue to rotate the nut an additional 90 to 110 degrees. The nut is self-locking so there is no sealer needed here.
The oil feed line is just fabricated from brake line that has single flares on both ends of the line. You have to get the bends matched according to your applications original design. This can be done at any brake shop. You may even be able to reuse the current feed line but most times you are better off getting a new one made.
Leaving the compressor housing bolts and retainer clips loose until the turbo is installed back on the car will make for easy alignment with the intercooler piping. Try to get this alignment as straight as possible. Tighten the blots and retainer clips. Don't forget to oil and prime the new turbo.
This was partially taken from another rebuild by Chris Fasulo. If you have questions about your rebuild just ask in this thread of PM me.
May 5, 2005, 3:17 pm · #1