how to clean your turbine wheel when rebuilding turbo

[natenut]

i scoured the internets trying to find a way to clean the baked on crud off my turbine wheel. Basically the recommended way was using a glass bead blaster.... which i don't have. So I though why not try better living though chemistry?

My poison (literally) of choice was muriatic acid. you can get it from Home Depot and consists of over 30% hydrochloric acid by weight. If you ever use or handle it make sure you have safety glasses, nitral gloves, good ventilation and plenty of baking soda on hand to neutralize any spills.

HCL will react pretty violently with aluminum, but steel and nickle its basically non reactive (it does react, but slowly). I have used it in the past to clean aluminum bearing residue off of crank shafts and that is what to me thinking about the crud...

The crud had no reaction to an organic solvents like carb cleaner, pb blaster, automatic transmission fluid, wd40 ect.. so I took the acid, diluted it with an equal part of water and put just enough to cover the turbine wheel in a small mason jar. In a matter of minutes the crud was gone... and i had a beautiful turbine wheel.

Don't dump the used acid down the drain, make sure you neutralize it with the baking soda till it stops bubbling. it will take a surprising amount of baking soda. Also, make sure you clean off the acid from the wheel with more baking soda and water... when your done spray on some wd 40 for corrosion protection.

Here is my wheel before:

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and after:

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the cleaning 'bath':

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and what i used:

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I hope you like my nurdrage meets jafromobile thinking!

-Nate

 

[nelliott500]

Very cool. That's a great little tip.

 

[Seamus]

So this doesn't alter the properties of the metal in any way? It still expands, resists heat, etc the same?

 

[athlete3344]

Just remember to safely dilute acid, add acid to water.

NEVER ADD WATER TO ACID!!!

 

[nelliott500]

Why is that?

 

[natenut]

It can get hot when diluting. In some cases start boiling and splash acid (bad)... good safety point!

 

[Blurred Talon]

I'd be nervous about using acid, wouldn't want it to eat any of the metal.

I used a home made soda blaster to clean my exhaust and intake wheels on my 16G.

 

[Seamus]

I agree the turbine is the most abused part on a car besides a fat asses seat. I m sure he is not soaking it overnight but acid reacts with everything but plastic basically. If there are bubbles or heat there is a chemical reaction and when there is a chemical reaction properties of substances changed. I would be worried it could leave the surface and especially the tips of the turbine vulnerable to the extreme pressures and heat that it is dxpozed to. It lives its life under great pressure in the middle of what amounts to an ongoing explosion.

 

[lasthope05]

For a homemade media blaster for under $10 why would you even bother with something like this?

 

[athlete3344]

Why is that?

It can get hot when diluting. In some cases start boiling and splash acid (bad)... good safety point!

Just to add, when diluting acid, the acid takes hydrogen molecules from water, reacts, and heat is given off (exothermic reaction). By adding acid to water, you are introducing the acid to an environment with excess hydrogen available, which will help reduce the intensity of the reaction, and disperse the hea given off through the solution of water. Dont forget, most acid is more dense than water.

If you add water to acid, the same heat of reaction will take place, except it will be on the surface of the acid (because water is less dense). The reaction intensity instantly increases and will have no place to disperse except up.

 

[4g63t]

I clean stainless with muriatic acid, not sure how a turbine wheel would hold up. I media blast everything. Almost any engine shop or manufacturing facility will have one. Might charge you a few skins but that is it.

 

[mikewright1252]

nice yeah i would spill it or something would go wrong.