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View Full Version : Any tips for removing the turbo on a TIII?



Tony Hanna
06-05-2007, 01:54 PM
I noticed shortly after I got the Spirit that the turbo had some thrust play in the shaft. Well, it's gotten to the point that it's making wheel-hitting-housing noises now, so it's time for it to come off and either get rebuilt or replaced. Maybe the Holset I had set aside for the Sundance...:)
I'm assuming that being a TIII, it should be relatively easy to pull the turbo without pulling the head, but from looking, everything is super rusty and just looks like a bunch of broken bolts, studs, and fittings waiting to happen.:(
Anybody have any tips for getting everything apart with minimum hassle aside from heat and liberal doses of PB Blaster?
Thanks,
Tony

overlordsshadow
06-05-2007, 01:57 PM
An impact will go a long way to keeping threads intact and heads from stripping. Now there is the question of space...

Tony Hanna
06-05-2007, 02:17 PM
True, but my air compressor is dead. And, like you said space would be an issue I'm sure.
It's really the manifold studs and oil/coolant fittings I'm worried about the most. I know the DP bolts are going to break. They're too rusty not to, but I can get replacements locally.

mark
06-05-2007, 03:12 PM
i removed my stock turbo without taking the head off, i put the new one on (50 trim, with a .48, I WAS IMPATIENT.. sigh) as well. and soon in a week or so, i'm taking it back off and putting a .63 on.... all without taking the head off... the one thing I did was unbolt/remove the front motor mount, and remove the bobble strut so I could move the motor forward or backward if needed..




my BEST advice... soak everything with PB blaster, the t3 turbine housing, the downpipe bolts and the 3 bolts on the 02 housing...

. i used to be skeptical of that stuff. but now, I want to ask it to marry me.

mark
06-05-2007, 03:13 PM
soak the crap out of the coolant/oil lines too. and move them a little, then soak them more, then wiggle them, and soak them more... use a flare wrench on them also untill they are loose enough...

86Shelby
06-05-2007, 03:23 PM
Time. Definitely time for the blaster to soak.

Tony Hanna
06-05-2007, 03:40 PM
Awsome! Thanks guys. I'm going to soak everything in blaster here in a few minutes then get started with removal later this evening.

Tony Hanna
06-05-2007, 05:31 PM
Well, so far so good. I've got the O2 housing off, and the top 2 turbo to manifold nuts loose. The one on the pass. side that you can only get an open end wrench on I had to heat cherry red because it was trying to spring the wrench.:)
I'll be replacing the lines anyway, so I think I'm just going to cut them and work on the fittings once the turbo is out. I'm just waiting on the weather to decide what it's gonna do before I get the car up on jackstands and start on the underneath stuff.

Tony Hanna
06-05-2007, 06:30 PM
I've got the absolute best girlfriend ever!:D I paged her at work and asked her if she would stop by the parts store on her way home and pick me up another can of pb blaster. She asked what I was doing and I told her "pulling the turbo off the Spirit". She came home with a gallon jug of blaster and a squirt bottle.:lol:

86Shelby
06-05-2007, 06:42 PM
Nice!

Tony Hanna
06-05-2007, 07:37 PM
It's not doing me any good at this point though. I'm working on the bottom turbine housing to manifold nut on the driver side and I'm having no luck at all with it.:mad:
There's no way I can see to get anything but an open end wrench on it, and the open end won't even go on straight. I've tried blaster, and heating the nut cherry red, but nothing seems to work. The only thing I haven't tried yet is firing up the big torch and washing the nut off the stud.:evil:
Only problem there is I'm out of oxygen for the big torch.:banghead:
I've about got it to the point where it's ready to round off, and I'm out of ideas.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Tony

edit: Nevermind, I ground the box end of a cheap 15mm wrench until it would fit. That and some heat got it.:thumb:

tryingbe
06-05-2007, 08:53 PM
Anybody want to sell me some TIII exhaust housing?

Tony Hanna
06-05-2007, 10:24 PM
What are you looking for, the O2 sensor housing or the turbine housing itself? I think there's an O2 housing on Ebay right now if it hasn't gone off already.

sexygomer
06-06-2007, 07:53 AM
I noticed shortly after I got the Spirit that the turbo had some thrust play in the shaft. Well, it's gotten to the point that it's making wheel-hitting-housing noises now, so it's time for it to come off and either get rebuilt or replaced. Maybe the Holset I had set aside for the Sundance...:)
I'm assuming that being a TIII, it should be relatively easy to pull the turbo without pulling the head, but from looking, everything is super rusty and just looks like a bunch of broken bolts, studs, and fittings waiting to happen.:(
Anybody have any tips for getting everything apart with minimum hassle aside from heat and liberal doses of PB Blaster?
Thanks,
Tony
i hear the only problem with putting on a larger turbo it that after so big it will hit the transmission...but im not sure how big you can go before that happens. good luck with the rebuild or the new one :thumb:

Tony Hanna
06-06-2007, 10:32 AM
i hear the only problem with putting on a larger turbo it that after so big it will hit the transmission...but im not sure how big you can go before that happens. good luck with the rebuild or the new one :thumb:

Millerman340 is running a Holset HX35 on one.
http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=115856&postcount=42
I don't see me ever wanting to go with a turbo (physically) bigger than that.:)

Pat
06-06-2007, 12:13 PM
It's not doing me any good at this point though. I'm working on the bottom turbine housing to manifold nut on the driver side and I'm having no luck at all with it.:mad:
There's no way I can see to get anything but an open end wrench on it, and the open end won't even go on straight. I've tried blaster, and heating the nut cherry red, but nothing seems to work. The only thing I haven't tried yet is firing up the big torch and washing the nut off the stud.:evil:
Only problem there is I'm out of oxygen for the big torch.:banghead:
I've about got it to the point where it's ready to round off, and I'm out of ideas.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Tony

edit: Nevermind, I ground the box end of a cheap 15mm wrench until it would fit. That and some heat got it.:thumb:

If you take the compressor housing off, that will give you even more room to work with the ground up 15mm.

Tony Hanna
06-06-2007, 01:01 PM
Thanks Pat, but I managed to get it.
Speaking of compressor housings, would a S60 housing and wheel be an upgrade in this application? I've got what I think is an S60 compressor wheel and a ported TII style cover that goes with it. I've been saving them back for a future project, but I might go ahead and use them on the Spirit if they would work and it would be a worthwhile upgrade over the stock parts. I mean, if I rebuild the stock turbo, I'm probably going to need to get it rebalanced anyway, so why not?
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Tony

Tony Hanna
06-07-2007, 08:47 PM
i hear the only problem with putting on a larger turbo it that after so big it will hit the transmission...but im not sure how big you can go before that happens.

That turned out to be so true.:banghead:
I had to grind the ear off the transmission case by the starter, and I'm still lacking 1/4" or so before the turbine housing will bolt up tight against the manifold. I ordered a 3/8" T3 flange that I'm going to use as a spacer between the manifold and turbo. Hopefully it'll move things back enough to solve the clearance problem. On a lighter note I've got all the clearance in the world between the (monster) compressor housing and the firewall.:thumb:
All I can guess is that the stock turbine housing on the HX35 locates the turbo a little closer to the engine than the Bullseye housing that Dave (Millerman340) used.

So far I've got the oil feed and return figured out, and have a flex pipe ordered for the exhaust and the flange for a spacer. I've also midified the shifter cable bracket for clearance to the compressor housing. It's turning out to be a pretty big project, but aside from the clearance problems, seems to be going together fairly well.
I'll start a new thread and post up some pics once I make some more progress on it.:thumb:

mark
06-08-2007, 07:48 AM
sweet!

i am very very very close with clearance to the block, but its clear!

Tony Hanna
06-08-2007, 01:02 PM
Which turbo are you running?
Must...have...pics!!!:D

Tony Hanna
06-08-2007, 03:20 PM
WOOT!!!
Yesterday I just eyeballed the spacer size as needing about 3/8" and went ahead and ordered one. I got an idea today and went through my bolt box with the digital calipers and found a couple nice long 3/8" bolts. and sandwiched them between the turbo and manifold. I must have been really lucky yesterday because 3/8" is perfect.:thumb:
I've got a nice gap between the compressor housing and trans now and still have a respectable ammount of clearance to the firewall. So when the 3/8" spacer gets here, I should be all set.:D

overlordsshadow
06-08-2007, 03:44 PM
Sounds like some good stuff man. Get that thing together and build some pressure. I'll try and beat you to the 1/4 mile marker but I think you'll have your parts before me.

Tony Hanna
06-08-2007, 04:00 PM
Sounds like some good stuff man. Get that thing together and build some pressure. I'll try and beat you to the 1/4 mile marker but I think you'll have your parts before me.

I honestly don't know how it's going to act. Remember, I'm using the stock 12 cm^2 (.87 ar) exhaust housing on the Holset. I have no idea what will happen first, boost or the rev limiter.:o
I'm doing this more out of necessity than for performance. The stock turbo died, and I can't afford a replacement. The Holset was just laying around as a relic from a time when I did have some spare cash, so... they say necessity is the mother of invention.:thumb:
To top it all off, the Spirit is the only vehicle I have that's licensed, inspected, and insured right now. In other words, I'm without wheels until I get it back together. That really stinks because I had to turn down a nice $30/hr long term job close to the house that starts Monday for lack of something to drive.:mad:

I'll consider this project a success if the Holset does the job of getting the exhaust from the manifold to the downpipe. If it builds boost at a reasonable RPM, then that's just icing on the cake.:lol: If not, I'll try something different when I get back to work and make some spare cash.

overlordsshadow
06-08-2007, 04:39 PM
I may win! But hopefully we both do.

Tony Hanna
06-08-2007, 05:53 PM
Yeah, hopefully it all works out for the best, but knowing my luck, I'd put my money on you in a bet.:)
I'm shooting for having it all together and running by next weekend, but we'll see if anything pops up to delay progress.