removing/installing turbo (first time)

[SinEclipse]

i will be replacing my turbo soon since it blew, i had no money so i founded a good t25 off ebay to replace it.

here is the my question: before i remove the stock turbo what do i need to do first? do i need to drain out coolant/oil before removing it?

any other pointers would be great since this is my very first time replacing a turbo.

thanks in advance

 

[i1nk83]

soal all the turbo bolts in pb blaster/bust a rust for about a day before hand and then just be careful not to break anything. and buy new crush washers for the oil feed line.

 

[psi4mymitsu]

When I took my turbo off I would break the bolts that hold the turbo to the manifold and the o2 housing to the turbo loose.If the turbo has never been out of the car those bolts can be really tough and breaking them loose before you remove the whole thing makes it so you dont have to fight with them.Replacing the stud fom the turbo with a bolt will make taking it off later more simple.Like people have already told you be careful not to break anything the bolts that hold the manifold to the head love breaking.

 

[SinEclipse]

thanks, guess i'll order some extra bolts just in case. how bout the coolant and oil do i have to drain those before i remove the turbo. my friend never remove a turbo before but he said that i have to drain them.

 

[CanadianTSi]

thanks, guess i'll order some extra bolts just in case. how bout the coolant and oil do i have to drain those before i remove the turbo. my friend never remove a turbo before but he said that i have to drain them.

Yes drian both and also remove the radiator, it's easy and gives you alot more room to work with.

The whole Idea seems pretty scary at first but just take your time, everything is actually pretty easy.

 

[SinEclipse]

thanks for all the help.

now i just gotta wait a couple of more days till i can at least get the car to start up. then wait a week or so for the turbo to arrive.

 

[CorrupTTalon]

the easiest way to do it is to pull it out from the top which requires just removing the exhaust manifold with the turbo still attatched. trust me. start with removing oil and coolant

then start with removing the oil feed line at the filter housing, then the bolts holding the oil feed line to the block. OR if you can get it off at the turbo housing then do that and push it out of the way. you should be able to get a wrench in there. i know i can now with an aftermarket feed line.

unbolt the downpipe where it meets the turbo, and then the oil drain, either at the oil pan or turbo, i would at the turbo, less work for the installation.

with the intake removed start removing the two coolant lines.. no matter what coolant will come out even with it all drained. so put on gloves, coolant is nasty to get on your skin.
remove wastedate hoses. and unplug the O2 sensor, if you follow the wire it should lead to the top of the tranny.

you should be good to go now. soak the exhaust manifold nuts with WD40 or something similar, then i believe its a 12mil and two 17mil nuts, start removing them, then just pull the whole assembly out. if you have a vise i would help you.

the reason its easier this way is because installation will be a breeze with it attacthed to the manifold all ready. installing it from under the car requires two people most liekly and its a PITA... trust me i can have my setup off in less than 20mins

 

[SinEclipse]

when you say unplug the O2 sensor, do i just pull it out? also is this the O2 sensor that i can see when i look down when facing the front of the car (wire that follow the heat shield and goes down to the right)?

if anyone have pictures of what to remove would be very helpful. so far i know where the oil return line is at, and wastegate hose. where exactly is the oil feed line and coolant line?

 

[lngbrdr]

when you say unplug the O2 sensor, do i just pull it out? also is this the O2 sensor that i can see when i look down when facing the front of the car (wire that follow the heat shield and goes down to the right)?

QUOTE]
Can't just pull it out. Best bet is to get a O2 sensor socket. And yeah that is the O2 sensor.

 

[CanadianTSi]

If your keeping the same o2 housing then there's no need to remove the o2 sensor, simply unplug it. The plug is located under the thermostat housing.

 

[SinEclipse]

yea, i plan on using the same sensor. so i should follow the wire to the other side of the O2 sensor.

hopefully i can start removing it at the end of this week. just have to wait for my car to come back from the mechanic since the timing keeps on jumping and it will not start.

when i start and come into any trouble i'll be posting here again.

 

[CorrupTTalon]

its very self explanatory, especially if you have even the smalled mechanical ability.

here is a pic of the wire i was refering to:

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[SinEclipse]

oh, thanks for that picture.

your talon look real nice. friend might be getting one soon.

 

[punishercb]

I'll be doing the same thing soon and I'm also real worried about breaking the bolts off. So is the rust buster stuff the best thing to use? Also, what's the best way to apply it? Should I just spray it on the head of the bolt and let it soak in itself?

 

[Quasimondo]

If your keeping the same o2 housing then there's no need to remove the o2 sensor, simply unplug it. The plug is located under the thermostat housing.

No, he'll need to remove it. Chances are that when he finally gets the turbo off, it will be with the o2 housing still attached, and you don't want to risk breaking wires because you're fighting to get it off of the engine (which you will be doing)

And if you still have that stud on the exhaust housing when you pull the turbo, chuck it. That thing just makes it one massive headache to get the damn turbo in and out of the car.

 

[Xit40]

Definitely let it soak in for a while. If your really motivated you can do it without removing the radiator or draining any fluids. It's a tight fit but it can be done even with one person. I took mine out last Thursday to port it and just dropped it out the bottom. It was kinda a pain but I didn't have to remove anything extra. Just got a bucket to catch some fluids and that was that. Oh if your coolant lines haven't ever been changed I would recommend replacing them. Mine were very hard and brittle almost plastic like. They're 3/8" so you can pick new lines up anywhere. It really isn't that bad it just seems kinda of intimidating the first time you do it.

 

[SinEclipse]

Quasimondo what do you mean by "chuck it"?

 

[CorrupTTalon]

No, he'll need to remove it. Chances are that when he finally gets the turbo off, it will be with the o2 housing still attached, and you don't want to risk breaking wires because you're fighting to get it off of the engine (which you will be doing)

And if you still have that stud on the exhaust housing when you pull the turbo, chuck it. That thing just makes it one massive headache to get the damn turbo in and out of the car.

there is no fighting.. it all pulls out from the top.