Turbo bolts keep backing out, don't want to use loctite

[thekellbeast]

So my car was down last year with a blown turbo, and I was stuck in another state, so I had a shop install my replacement turbo. I just now realized that the bolts holding the turbo to the exhaust manifold are finger tight. So I covered them in antisieze and tightened them back down. Weelll, I just pulled off my heat shield the other night to polish it, and the bolts are loose, one had backed all the way out. So how do I go about getting the bolts to stay tight? I don't want to use loctite, since I don't want it to sieze up.

Should there be lockwashers on the bolts, that the shop might not have installed? Thanks.

 

[RamenPride]

Should there be lockwashers on the bolts, that the shop might not have installed? Thanks.

yes, from the factory there are two "lock" washers on each bolt. I put the "lock" in quotation marks because they don't look like the ones you get at the hardware store.

 

[thekellbeast]

I'll pull the bolts tomorrow to see what I have, but it looks like my bolts just have flat washers on them. Don't remember exactly. Thanks.

 

[kenamond]

I'll pull the bolts tomorrow to see what I have, but it looks like my bolts just have flat washers on them. Don't remember exactly. Thanks.

And make sure you torque them to spec, warm up the car, let it cool, then re-torque them to spec. I'm at work without my Haynes manual (get one if you don't already have one (or Chilton)!), so I don't know the spec, but it's fairly high. You can also buy new bolts/washers at SBR and/or extremepsi for like $8 each. Don't loctite them. Many folks break them off trying to remove them, so anti-seize is recommended. They should stay put if torqued properly.

If the bolts are stock, there's one stud/nut instead of a bolt, and this makes dropping the turbo a pain. If you get the mani/turbo separated, replace the stud/nut with a bolt to save future grief.