14B People, A few questions

[sd_ff22]

Yes I searched.
I just got a 14b for free (traded my stock struts for it) it does have very minimal side to side play, but no in and out play. It is very ugly and grimy, but as I've started cleaning it off it is looking a lot better.
I have a few questions before I go and throw it on my 99 gsx. first off, how do I test a wastegate actuator for proper operating psi?
second, it has a bit of oil in the wastegate flapper opening but none in the main exhaust housing. what could cause this? there was one thing though. when I took the oil feed line off the top of the center section the guy I got it from was running a banjo bolt with no crush washers. it had oil all over the center section. internaly it looks good though. I will take pictures off the insides later today to show you all.
other than that it looks like it will work out really well.
oh yeah the wastegate actuator looks really bad. can i sand blast it to get the junk off?

 

[ThingyNess]

Best way to test the wastegate actuator is to hook it up to an air compressor - virtually all of them have a pressure regulator on the output. Set the pressure to roughly 7-10psi, and the actuator should open.

It's very rare for one to go out of spec, so as long as the diaphragm inside holds vacuum/pressure, it should be fine. If you can suck on the fitting and put your tongue over it and it holds the vacuum, it'll be fine.

Yes, you can sand blast the actuator, but I'd put some vacuum line onto the wastegate vacuum/boost fitting to prevent stuff from getting in there, along with some tape at the bottom where the shaft leaves the actuator canister.

As for the oil around the wastegate flapper, that's perfectly fine. The "seals" in a turbo are nothing but piston rings, and they do not make a positive seal like, say, a crankshaft seal would. When the turbo is removed, depending on the way it's sitting, the remaining oil in the center section is very likely going to run out one or both of the seals.

 

[sd_ff22]

That was increadibly helpfull ThingyNess. thank you. to tell you the truth i didn't think any one would respond.

Here are a few pics i took as i was takeing it apart and cleaning it. I will be sandblasting the exhaust and compressor covers as well as the wastegate and the stock j pipe. but like i said it looks very good once i started cleaning it up. there are a few cracks in the wastegate passage but they dont looks too bad.
is it even worth it to port a 14b by while iv got it torn down?

 

[1992awdlaser]

You will want to port it to help control boost creep for when you put it on your car. That is the main reason for porting it but some spool can also be gained by porting it.

 

[sd_ff22]

i noticed that there was no coking inside the oil passages.

 

[ThingyNess]

The cracks in the wastegate passage and the throat of the turbine housing are normal for a used 14b. Mitsu didn't use very good material for the old-style thick turbine housings. The cracks around the wastegate flapper will cause slower spool up though, but there's not a lot you can do about it.

You're not likely to see much boost creep, if any, on the 14b, but if you want to eliminate any possibility, focus your porting on the wastegate flapper hole where it meets the turbine housing throat -- smoothing the transition as much as possible.

I'm not a huge fan of turbocharger porting, or manifold porting for that matter -- at least with respect to making the turbine housing throat any bigger than it is. More wastegate flow is always a good thing, though, so long as your actuator is strong enough to keep the wastegate from blowing open under boost. As long as you keep the original diameter wastegate flapper, you shouldn't have any issues in that regard. I'd try to make the seat as flat as possible, and as leak-free as possible for the wastegate flapper. If you have a welder, I might even try to weld up those cracks and grind the seat flat again.

At any rate, enjoy your new, higher flowing turbo. Your 2g will thank you for it.

 

[sd_ff22]

thanks,
you know it was exactly like you said. when i looked inside the exhaust side cover there was a line of oil that ran dow and around the inside track till it hit the lowest point it could come out of... the watstegate passage.
ok so I am goint to mildly port it. ill see if i can get a grinder tip that can fit in that spot and then see about welding it up. otherwise yeah, i'll post up pictures once its sanded and polished up.

 

[1992awdlaser]

You're not likely to see much boost creep, if any, on the 14b[/QUOTE
With a good flowing exhaust it is hard to keep it from boost creeping most of the time without porting. When I put my exhaust on boost went from 15 to 24 on my 14b. So I turned the mbc down some but it still creeped. It will save you time to port it now rather than putting it on hoping it doesn't boost creep then having to pull it back off.

 

[sd_ff22]

1992awdlaser,
I have a stock down pipe and Cat right now with a hks hi power cat back. I know that its not a full 3 inches but it was a gift from my wife so i am sticking with it. so just because of that I am planning on a 2.5 down pipe and hi flow cat as well. will I get boost creep with this "smaller" exhaust? I do want to port it because from what I've been reading more flow is better.

ThingyNess,
yeah, it seams every picture i see of a 14b exhaust houseing shows the exact same cracks i have. they dont seam like they are so deep as to allow leak by so I'll probably leave the wastegate hole the way it is.

 

[I_eat_DSM's]

I would definitely port out the exhaust side. Not only do you get better spool up and help prevent boost creep, you will also help your top end too!

I ran a 14b with a 3inch open downpipe and after porting it holds 15lbs rock steady!

 

[sd_ff22]

yeah I am definetly going to port it out. just need to get a hold of a die grinder and bit. i do have an air compressor. so these are the part after my buddy sandblasted them and put them through an ultrasonic parts washer. who says the navy doen't have good stuff to play with? they dont even look like the same parts! I am going to lightly polish the compresor cover and the other parts I am goingt to high temp paint.

 

[fwdeclipse]

Wow what a little work will do. That turbo is gonna look brand new from the outside.

 

[pneumo]

Don't forget to remove the stud from the turbine housing and replace it with a 4th bolt. It'll be easier to install the ex manifold that way, and it'll be much easier to remove it again in the future.

 

[sd_ff22]

Youknow I've been trying to get that thing out but it seams to be siezed in there. so my friend still has his t25 laying around with his water lines and all that still together. that will save a lot of time when we put the 14b in because i can hav it already built with the correct water lines and ready to go on. he also said i can have his old o2 sensor housing so I can port match it to the 14b exhaust housing and have that all together too.

 

[Dream On]

Hit that stud with some pb blaster from both side. Let it sit for awhile, put it in a vice, and take some vice grips to it. It'll come out eventually.

 

[Bohrn]

port it, port it, port it You want to port the turbine inlet to an Evo gasket and the outlet too.

I found a well ported 14b to be very potent

 

[danyz250f]

Use the pb or wd put it in a vise and get a big pipe wrench, or hit it with the hot wrench. It will come out, but be careful. The threads might come with the stud if its rusted bad.

 

[sd_ff22]

thanks guys! I'll get that stud out eventually. I am going to order the rre evo gasket set and port match the exhaust housing and the o2 sensor housing to match. same with the exhaust manifold.
I found a die grinder and a whole set of different shaped bits at kragen for $12!!! can't beat that, and even if it breaks its still not as much as a high end model.

 

[I_eat_DSM's]

If you have a 1g 02 housing, there is a lot of improvement that can be done to it with a die grinder.

 

[Apeximprt2nr]

Wow those parts look awesome. I have a non ported 14B i just installed in my 95 GSX. At higher RPM's it creeps to about 14 -15 lbs if it's cold outside.
I'm waiting on the die grinder to port it.
And that stud will come out. I could have sworn mine would not come and I kept PB blasting it and trying to turn it. I took a match and lit underneath it for a minute or so, then tried turning. Eventually I saw it budge then kept going.

 

[sd_ff22]

project update:

Got that stud out with PB blaster and a set of vise grips!! I also started porting the exhaust inlet. I'll post more pics when its done. oh and right now I am just removing the step and smoothing the sides and the wastegate passage. how big do I go around the very top?

 

[Dream On]

Looks really nice. I went pretty damn large on mine. Probably about the size of a 7cm gasket, maybe bigger. When the car was running right, I would get about 13-14psi by 2900 rpm. What did you do to the compressor housing to get it to look so nice? I'm probably going to take mine off soon to replace the o-ring (which you may want to also if it's hard and cracking...creates a boost leak. http://www.machv.com/14tucohoo.html)

 

[sd_ff22]

with the compressor houseing it was the magic of a dremal and a wire wheel!!! I took it down to a nice polised look. the problem I'm having with it though is that as its exposed to air it turns darker and darker.

 

[somdturbo]

Eliminate the entire lip around the exhaust housing when porting.

 

[I_eat_DSM's]

The compressor housing won't look pretty for any extended period of time unless you get it powder coated or something.

Most just port their exhaust housing out to the size of a 7cm gasket, and make a better path for the gas to flow into the wastegate. Don't go too deep, and make sure you use a stone to smooth it out nicely because the key to exhaust is all about flow. Don't forget about that 02 housing, especially if it's a 1st gen.