Archived I think I'm screwed!

[Mingoglia]

Well... . I wasn't sure if my Edge EZ was on the fritz so I decided to remove it and the boost elbow to drive around awhile to see if I was just "used" to the extra power causing me to believe it wasn't wasn't working...



When I originally installed the boost elbow the fit was very tight. It seemed a little to big. I used a little soap and threaded it in... . that was about a year ago. You can probably see by now where I'm going with this. . .



After removing the boost elbow I found that the threads are damaged. Initially I though that maybe this happened because the engine was still hot when I started and the boost elbow and turbo housing are different metals... which could cause them to shrink/expand at different rates... . then I remembered about the drama to get the new boost elbow installed a year ago.



OK, does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix my problem? I can't get either elbow installed so it looks like I'm out of luck. The threads are damaged on both the turbo and the boost elbows. Any suggestions? I guess I'm going to have to price out new housings on eBay or something. I'm completely fed up right about now... BTW, it's a HX-35.



Mike

 

[LSMITH]

Mike, take a tap and clean up what thread is there in the housing, a little at a time. Be careful of chips, the air in that side of the turbo is headed for some expensive parts so I would take off the outlet and clean them out when I was done. Once you can start the elbow into the housing (one with clean threads) screw it in until it is snug and see how many threads you have left exposed. Now here is the part you need to pay attention to, when you only have 3 turns left outside the housing OR you have a 70% thread STOP, put some tape on it and screw it in just snug enough it is not going to back out. Even if it did leak it will be a TINY leak that is of no consequence. As long as it will thread in and seal 98% and not back out you are home free. If you have any questions email would be best, I very seldom look at this forum and PM notifications are a soup sandwich... ... .

 

[Joe G.]

I looked at my HX35. There appears to be enuff room to tap it out to 1/4" NPT and use a bushing to reduce it to 1/8" NPT for your boost elbow if cleaning up the threads does not work. You will need to remove the elbow and boot from the connection to the intercooler before doing any of this to keep chips out of stuff.

 

[Mingoglia]

Well, I know that many members say this but I'll say it again. The $35/yr membership paid for itself 50 times over this afternoon. I followed the advice of Lsmith after running up to the local Lowes to get a 1/8" tap and it worked perfectly. The turbo boost elbow screwed in by hand the first time! Thanks a lot for your help! One additional question I have though... is there a way to incorrectly reattach the the tube and boot that go to the intercooler? I snugged everything down but I'm not sure if there's a good seal. Can I assume that if it's snugged up there's a good seal? I guess I can spray some soapy water or something on it when I start up...



Thanks again!



Mike

 

[LSMITH]

Mike, the boot clamp needs to be darn tight. A quick search may turn up the torque spec. It will be pretty obvious if it is not on all the way. BE SURE to keep the tools with you to put that boot back on for at least a couple weeks, if it blows off under pressure away from home you are going to need them. Spraying it with soap won't tell you much, it is under highway loading that significant pressure is built.



Glad I could help, makes it all worth it when it does help!

 

[Mingoglia]

Yep, I didn't get it tight enough. I can hear a rush of air when I shift... . when I putmy hand by the boot I can feel air escaping... . It was around 5:00 when I took it for the test drive. I was done working for the day. :{ I figured I'll fix it tomorrow after work. I only work about 3 miles away... . it can leak until tomorrow.



I'll tell you what though, without the Edge EZ I can tell a huge difference. I swear my 0-60 times are probably around the same now without the EZ as they are with the EZ and my 11k trailer behind me.