Rebuild a Turbo. Hard?

[BoostMonkey]

I am just curious if anyone here has attempted rebuilding a turbocharger. I don't think it would be that hard, but want to be sure that if I do decide to rebuild one (for my upcoming boostedslant project) I want to make sure I can do it right.

Isn't there also a final balancing that you have to do once you have it back together? Can I do this myself or do I have to have a pro do it? Thanks.

Michael

[86lance]

i hear the hardest part is drilling and tapping holes for the bolts that you break,just hit everything with some pb blaster and some heat and stuff should come right out...

[87glhs232]

I am just curious if anyone here has attempted rebuilding a turbocharger. I don't think it would be that hard, but want to be sure that if I do decide to rebuild one (for my upcoming boostedslant project) I want to make sure I can do it right.

Isn't there also a final balancing that you have to do once you have it back together? Can I do this myself or do I have to have a pro do it? Thanks.

Michael

Heres a link to a FAQ guide that DodgeZ put together:

http://boostedmopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1843

[Tony Hanna]

If there's 1 thing I could add to the disassembly instructions on BM it's that heat is your friend. Using a torch to heat the turbine housing around each bolt makes the bolts super easy to get out. As for balancing, the story as I understand it is that if the parts are still in balance from the original assembly, then they don't have to be rebalanced. The problem is that without balancing there's really no way to be 100% sure. the best advice I can give is to look for any signs of wear or damage to both wheels. This could be damage from contact with debris, pitting, bent blades, etc. If you find any of this, do yourself a favor and have a professional look at it.
If everything looks ok and you decide to do the rebuild yourself, make sure you measure the shaft and bearing bores in the housing. If your turbo has been rebuilt previously, there's a good chance one or the other may have been machined making it necessary to order the proper size bearings. Also, be sure you order a kit with the right compressor seal for your turbo.
Those are the major points I can think of. The rest of the rebuild process is pretty straight forward.
HTH,

[BoostMonkey]

Thanks. I'm pretty sure I can do it. Maybe I should practice on a mitsu or something. That way I should be able to not screw up a nice turbo.

Michael

[WVRampage]

Balancing is th key I did garett t1 of a 86 lancer right after I got out of high school and I didnt have the money for a new turbo at the time,It worked a couple months and due to it being out of balance it started leaking oil so make sure you get it balanced.

[altered7151]

Call around town to some turbo rebuild shops and see if they offer balancing. Some of the larger diesel repair shops have machines to balance them. If not you can send them off to places like turbo city to have them rebalanced. The actual rebuild is a piece of cake, once you get the turbo apart. Get yourself a nice clean spot and wear gloves putting everything back together.

[BoostMonkey]

So, I can rebuild the turbo myself, then assemble it until it is 100% back together, and even though it's back together they are still able to balance it? Thanks guys, I'll get on the phone today and see if I can find a place to balance it.

Michael

[altered7151]

Thats what I did, bought a rebuild kit and tore it down and rebuilt it myself, then sent it off to be balanced.

[Clay]

Here is my opinion on things:

If your dealing with a stock T1 turbo, and you just need to get it to stop burning oil, or what ever. Try it yourself. Its cheap enough, and if it works great.

If you have a high dollar hybrid, or custom, its probalby best to let the pros take care of it vs. totally scewing up.

You need to balance dollars to rebuild vs. dollars to replace.

T1 cost = any junk yard in america for $25 -> $50

hybrid cost = $600+ "stock"

[BoostMonkey]

I'm probably going with an HX35 from a cummins diesel. Should be able to pick one up in a JY for less than $100, then rebuild kit = $75, then balance=?. Better then buying one new for $500.

Michael

[tryingbe]

T1 cost = any junk yard in america for $25 -> $50


Not for CA nor AZ.

$100 here.

[bobr19]

T1 cost = any junk yard in america for $25 -> $50
Had to get a member ship me a used TII--no junk yards within a hundred miles had one--bobr19

[Tony Hanna]

I'm probably going with an HX35 from a cummins diesel. Should be able to pick one up in a JY for less than $100, then rebuild kit = $75, then balance=?. Better then buying one new for $500.

Michael

If you shop around a little bit, you should be able to find a low mileage
take-off from someone who has upgraded. I got an HX35 like that from a friend. As far as wear is concerned, it might as well be a new turbo. Had $100 in it.:thumb:

[BoostMonkey]

Thanks I'll look around. Might even put an ad in the local paper for it!

Michael

[jckrieger]

I just talked to Precision turbo and they said all Garrett wheels are balanced individually so balance is not an issue when rebuilding turbochargers, as long as there was no significant wheel contact with the housings. I believe what they told me since I rebuilt a T2 turbo a few years ago and it seems to still be running strong... 30K miles later!

[Clay]

Now this begs the question, where do you buy the kit? Ive got a couple of TIs and TIIs I would love to play with!

clay

[Tony Hanna]

Complete Kit (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/COMPLETE-TURBO-REBUILD-KIT-for-GARRETT-T3-TURBOCHARGER_W0QQitemZ8032881822QQcategoryZ33742QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) $78.00 "Buy It Now"

Basic Kit (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BASIC-TURBO-REBUILD-KIT-for-GARRETT-T3-TURBOCHARGERS_W0QQitemZ8032353102QQcategoryZ33742Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) $47.00 "Buy It Now"
$8.50 shipping on both.

These guys are also really good about working with you if you need specialty parts like odd size bearings or substituting a dynamic seal for a carbon seal.
Just e-mail them and let them know what you need.:thumb:
HTH,

[cordes]

I just talked to Precision turbo and they said all Garrett wheels are balanced individually so balance is not an issue when rebuilding turbochargers, as long as there was no significant wheel contact with the housings. I believe what they told me since I rebuilt a T2 turbo a few years ago and it seems to still be running strong... 30K miles later!


Although, as Chris W has stated many times, there is a very small ammount of pitting etc. that would be considered normal wear for a comp or turbine wheel. It does not take much for the wheel to become excessivly out of balance when spinning at 150KRPMs....

[XR Tuner]

Complete Kit (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/COMPLETE-TURBO-REBUILD-KIT-for-GARRETT-T3-TURBOCHARGER_W0QQitemZ8032881822QQcategoryZ33742QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) $78.00 "Buy It Now"

Basic Kit (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BASIC-TURBO-REBUILD-KIT-for-GARRETT-T3-TURBOCHARGERS_W0QQitemZ8032353102QQcategoryZ33742Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) $47.00 "Buy It Now"
$8.50 shipping on both.

These guys are also really good about working with you if you need specialty parts like odd size bearings or substituting a dynamic seal for a carbon seal.
Just e-mail them and let them know what you need.:thumb:
HTH,

+1
I agree, they are really good to deal with.

[jckrieger]

Although, as Chris W has stated many times, there is a very small ammount of pitting etc. that would be considered normal wear for a comp or turbine wheel. It does not take much for the wheel to become excessivly out of balance when spinning at 150KRPMs....

If minor pitting on the compressor wheel can represent a significant imbalance, how good are the rebuilders at rebalancing the assembly? The wheels that I have seen "rebalanced" by unknown vendors had several areas where they screwed up and had to try again several times. I know Turbos Unleashed is a good company to deal with, but some other turbo vendors aren't known for their workmanship.

The way I determine if the turbo is rebuildable or not is by the way the bearings have failed. If the journal bearings are shot, I generally junk the center section since it is difficult to determine exactly how worn the center section actually is. If the journal bearings are in good shape, but the thrust bearing is shot, or if the turbo is just leaking oil, it's a good canidate for a "home" rebuild. If the rebuild failes, you're out what, $100? Not too bad if you ask me!

[powermaxx]

A couple of Q's for my son who is rebuilding a turbo (we had a full rebuild kit laying around:) ).

How do you put the shaft (exhaust wheel is still on) back into the housing? I see a little ring (kinda like a piston ring) but can't get to it to squeeze it down to allow it to go into the housing. I see a little lead in chamfer on the housing and can see the ring start to compress as I push it in but it doesn't want to go in any further. I assume this is acting like a thrust washer to keep it from going thru the housing too far. So do you press the shaft in or tap it in with a small hammer?

THX

[cordes]

A couple of Q's for my son who is rebuilding a turbo (we had a full rebuild kit laying around:) ).

How do you put the shaft (exhaust wheel is still on) back into the housing? I see a little ring (kinda like a piston ring) but can't get to it to squeeze it down to allow it to go into the housing. I see a little lead in chamfer on the housing and can see the ring start to compress as I push it in but it doesn't want to go in any further. I assume this is acting like a thrust washer to keep it from going thru the housing too far. So do you press the shaft in or tap it in with a small hammer?

THX

I just compress it a little bit while I press the wheel down onto the center housing. I then press the housing and give it a little turn while I press, and it will go in. You should take care to bend that ring as little as possible when removing/installing it as it will make it much easier to press it in.

[powermaxx]

I just compress it a little bit while I press the wheel down onto the center housing. I then press the housing and give it a little turn while I press, and it will go in. You should take care to bend that ring as little as possible when removing/installing it as it will make it much easier to press it in.

Yup, he sprung it (twisted it) so a new one is on order.