Turbo Rebuild Pg01

• Bonnets off and I enthusiastically pause before getting stuck into it to think why am I doing this???
• Oil leaks are evident on both the outer housing and by leaving the exhaust in a burnt and unburnt state.
• Boost pressure has dropped over a matter of weeks from 18 to 8psi.
• Compression is woeful to say the least (in fact I could build more pressure in my ass with a light curry).
• Its old, I’ve had it for years layed up and only done in dribs and drabs about 1000k’s on her so who knows how long its been or how its gonna take regular abuse. Odometer shows 196,000 true km’s and receipt history suggests no rebuild for at least the last 50,000km’s perhaps more.
• I know the old owner ran 22psi + over extended periods of time and drove it harder than a rental car.
• I AM ONLY KEEPING THIS SETUP FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 20,000k’s AFTER WHICH THE ENGINE & TURBO WILL BE SWAPPED OUT.

With thanks to the following for their help or advice:
Graeme & Tony @ Honeywell Garrett
Bensons Turbos @ Cardiff
Members from sigma-galant.com & evocoupe.net (they know who they are)

I’m certainly no expert but here’s my take on it….

The cost of course. Why else would I be doing it. I couldn’t afford a full rebuild by Garrett etc at the time due to my first little one due within a month of finishing.
I had a $400 budget max not a $600 one. Garrett do quote $525 + courier fees for the same job. Great value but beyond my means at the time.

Costs:
Rebuild kit including top hat, carbon seal & overhaul kit $187
Loctite Freeze & Release $15
Replacement Centre, extra spring, backplate o-ring & manifold 2 turbo gasket $175
Spindle Cleaning & Balance $50
TOTAL COST $427

Its easy to see why I went this way. If not for a broken centre and the stuck bolts fiasco I could’ve easily achieved a rebuild for a measly $237. Being a fitter machinist by trade I already had the skills to do it right so no sense in the wasted money. Over budget by $27 is something I was happy to wear so it still worked out to cost to me.

Very quickly I realised why it blew so much smoke.
The main leak turned out to be multiple gaskets stacked on each other where the return oil line connects to the turbo centre. Ridiculous that someone had just slapped another gasket on and expected a seal.

I had heaps of shaft play. Mine almost touches the throat by jiggling and had a little end play. The o ring was pretty good though. Note the marks on the nut, shaft and turbine here as you’ll need to line them up again later to keep it balanced!