Swapping 16cm turbo housing - TIPS ?

[HoofinSoot]

OK guys,



I got my 16cm turbo housing from Holset today. Oo.



Now the question is: "What are some *lessons learned*, or tips for making the swap for the 21cm" ??



Is it a straight-forward operation, or am I in for some well articulated swearing ??

 

[Case500D]

Housing Swap

Soot,



The housing swap really had me baffled the first time I tried. I had the turbo off the truck and tried everything, but could not get the housing changed. It sounds like you truck has a few miles on it, so the housing will probably be plenty tight. What worked for JFitzgerald and I was to leave the turbo mounted on the truck. Disconnect the oil feed, oil drain, exhaust pipe, and air outlet pipe (the one going to the intercooler). Then loosen up the bolts that hold the exhaust housing to the compresser side of the turbo, but only loosen them about two turns. It really does help to soak everything good with PB Blaster for a couple days before the event. With the turbo mounted on the truck, take a rubber mallet and drive the compresser side off the turbo off the exhaust housing. It will take what seems to be a lot of beating. Just keep turning the tubine to make sure the fins are not binding anywhere. As the turbo splits apart, you will need to loosen the 4 bolts that hold the halves together. Install is easy then, just bolt the new exhaust housing onto the manifold and put the turbo back together. Just take your time and make sure you don't bind the turbine shaft. Good luck, if you want to talk to me, PM me and I will send you my phone number. Hope this helps. Some other guys have great ideas that have worked for them.



Jeremy



PS, I hope you like the 16 cm housing as much as I did Oo.

 

[HoofinSoot]

Good advice ! All makes sense .....



Thanks Jeremy !!

 

[boatpuller]

Don't forget anti-sieze when you install the new housing.

Just incase you want to remove it later.



Good Luck,

Caleb

 

[AlK]

HoofinSoot,

In addition to what Jeremy has provided you can try the following which worked for me. I believe at least two of the bolts that hold the hot end and the compressor together can be used to help force the two units apart. You will have to place a spacer between the end of the bolts and the compressor and then slowly back out the bolts. Hope this is clear. Just take your time and be patient - you will persevere!!

---

Al

 

[AlK]

HoofinSoot,

In addition to what Jeremy has provided you can try the following which worked for me. I believe at least two of the bolts that hold the hot end and the compressor together can be used to help force the two units apart. You will have to place a spacer between the end of the bolts and the compressor and then slowly back out the bolts. Hope this is clear. Just take your time and be patient - you will persevere!!

---

Al

 

[Deezul1]

What AlK said worked really good for me, no hammering at all, As you back the bolts out put some kind of spacer on the bolt head so it hits the housing and when you unscrew the bolts it pushes the housing apart. Mine had 165,000 on it when I did it.

 

[HoofinSoot]

Sounds like a great idea ! I've got all kinds of Mopar alternator/power steering pump bracket spacers (the cylindrical ones) from my car stuff. That may work perfect !!

 

[J DeMaio]

I soaked ALL of the necessary bolts with penetrating oil about three days before the event and and unbolted the turbo from the truck, took it to the bench and taped on it for about 15 minutes and it worked loose and came right off, no real problems.

 

[JFitzgerald]

Did mine same as Jeremy's, but for whatever reason, mine required less "convincing". One hint on the PB Blaster - this stuff works great, and my approach was to squirt the bolts every night when I got home while the engine was hot, for about a week ahead of the swap. Not sure how much difference that makes, but my theory is that the hot parts may allow the pentrating fluid to get into the nooks and crannies better than when cold. If I am off base, someone let me know.



Anyway, good luck with that and I know the smaller housing will put a on your face, especially on a '92 when replacing the big 21cm housing. Right, Jeremy?

 

[Case500D]

 

[HoofinSoot]

I'm nuts .......

Next question ... ...



As I look at the *hot side* ports of this new housing, some of my gas engine ideas come to mind ... ... ... .



My 16cm housing looks like it could use a slight *port match* to get rid of the casting flash and uneven sides where it mates to the exhaust manifold. Is there anything to be gained by cleaning this up, or am I just making work for myself ? Port matching is usually a good thing, however, since I don't have the old one off yet, I don't know how *crisp* the exhaust manifold ports are anyway ... ... ... .

 

[HoofinSoot]

Life is good .....

Well, so far, so good ... ...



I got all the old stuff off with a little persuasion, and one bout of intense swearing ... .



MAN, did I have a big on my face when I laid the two housings next to each other ... ... ... .



The 16 is bolted up, and ready for re-assembly of the front half. Those bolts that hold the front half to the housing are JUNK ! I'm gonna replace all four of those before bolting it back up. The only reason the whole project isn't done, is because of my natural ability to be lazy ... ... . that oil filter is just TOO accessible right now, and I figured I might as well change the filter while that side of the motor is open. Tomorrow, I'll pick up a filter, and finish bolting the rest of it together. Then it's time for some more spirited acceleration runs out in the road ... ... .



Upon further inspection, it looks like both the exhaust manifold AND the turbo housing could use a good *gasket match*. Has anyone done this, and is it worth anything ? It looks like it wouldn't even need to be hogged out, just simply some "finesse" grinding to blend the ports on the manifold and the housing for un-obstructed flow ... ... . then I had sick thoughts of an Extrude Honed manifold ... ..... not this time .....



Tomorrow night at this time ... ... . I'll be HoofinSoot !!

 

[Braveair78]

With a little help from your friends

I can give you some help on the well articulated swearing.

I have a graduated system wherein I assign a particular

explative to the level of difficulty, unexpectedness, or just

sheer stupidity on my part.

Seriously, it's good to have these guys to help. I did'nt

when I swapped my 18cm to a 14CM. It was a sheer

booger to get out. I did'nt screw it up, but I could've.

I went with the rubber hammer method... and went... and

went... . and finally... . good luck.

 

[AlK]

HoofinSoot,

Just a thought. If you are planning on adding some gauges to your truck, you may want to consider drilling and tapping the manifold for the pyro, although this can be done later.

---

Al

 

[HoofinSoot]

WHO'S YOUR DADDY !!!

OH YEA !!!



The 16 is installed and I must say, it AGAIN put a on my face. The low end is very obvious, and it pulls a lot harder rowing thru the gears. Pre-16, I'd come out in 2nd off-idle, then mash the throttle, get wheelspin, do the 2-3, and get a chirp. NOW I come out in 2nd off-idle, mash the throttle, get wheelspin, do the 2-3 shift and keep spinning !! In fact, doing the 2-3, it started to scoot sideways a bit .....



This is my first CTD, and my first diesel period ... ... . I must say, I'm impressed with the fact that with very little effort, I can take a motor with a bazillion miles on it, and make it respond so dramatically to mods.



Now - I just need to make it look a little prettier.