clocking the TURBINE HOUSING???

[turbo buicks]

looking at my new ta49 it seemed at first that the compressor housing would need to be clocked just a bit to line up w/the stock intercooler. after looking at it just now though i think the turbine housing will have to be clocked instead b/c of its not the oil feed and returns wont line up with where they were on the stock turbo. my question is do you clock the turbine housing the same way as the compressor housing?

thanks

 

[UNGN]

You can. It's a lot harder than the compressor, because you are dealing with rusted iron instead of clean aluminum.

The oil lines can be bent within reason. If your turbo's clocking is too far off, rotating the center section may be the only option.

 

[turbo buicks]

if i clocked both housings wouldnt it be the same as rotating the center section? how do you rotate the center section? should i let a experienced turbo installer turn the center section or is it something that i can do myself?

 

[UNGN]

The turbo is mounted by the exhaust housing. If you reclock the turbo on the car, you will be rotating the center section, instead of the exhaust housing. It's the same thing.

After you reclock the center section, you'll likely have to adjust the clocking of the compressor housing.

 

[turbo buicks]

ya thats what i thought. looking at it if i put the turbo on the manifold and screw it down the oil feed line will be 45* between facing up and facing the front of the car. clocking will be necessary. ill just be careful i guess when i do it and try not to break off any bolts also, i looked at the compressor housing and there are 6 bolts on the very outer rim on the center section side and some bolts in the center section on the compressor side also. which bolts do i loosen to clock the compressor housing? i thought it was the bolts on the very outer edge i loosened. just want to make sure.

 

[JToups386]

Yes, it's the outter bolts. They are 13mm. Just be careful when turning everything, as there is a large rubber o-ring in the housings that can get nicked when doing this, and then you won't have a good seal. It's really a simple process though. Also, the oil return line can be reshaped to bend into the angle you want. It's sometimes a bit of a pain, but certainly feasible. Another key to making this work easier, is to get studs for the return line flange on the turbo, instead of trying to align it and hold it in place, while also attempting to put in those tiny bolts that hold it. I always drop at least one of those suckers when doing this, and it usually falls into the hidden abyss of the underside of the car, where it never is found again...

 

[turbo buicks]

where can i find these oil return studs? i also dont think i will have enough flexibility w/the stock oil feed line to make it fit where the feed line will be now but ill see when i get it in. is there a rubber o-ring i need to worry about when clocking the turbine housing? i would think not since it would just burn off due to the heat but im not sure.

 

[JToups386]

O-ring is on the compressor housing. As for the studs, you can go to your local Sears Hardware, or Home Depot, etc, and find the right metric pitch studs. Take your bolts and simply make sure the length is correct, and that the pitch is correct too. If your oil line won't work, there's a braided version made by someone I was looking at the other night. I think it was on Johnsperformance.com. Let me know if you can't find it, and I'll look some more.

 

[turbo buicks]

ya i know about those braided lines. i like them but i dont go the money for them yet. might try that stud idea if i got time to run to the store. this is how im thinking of doing the install, will this work? 1. mount turbo to header 2. rotate both center section and compressor housing by loosening bolts on turbine side of center section to line up oil feed/return 3. clock compressor housing 4. attach all other pieces i.e. turbo shield bracket, oil feed/return lines, etc as needed.

 

[JToups386]

Sounds sensible to me... It's 2:20am though, and I may be less alert to accuracy right now...
Actually, I think you've got the right ideas. The only other thing I can think of is; to mount the oil return line to the turbo first, so that it has to bend with the whole assembly, as you're lining and bolting it all up.
Let us know how it all turns out when you're done...

 

[turbo buicks]

thats what my friends recommended to me to do also. as you said its very late. i left that out on accident.

 

[turbo buicks]

good news, i looked at the turbo again and if i bolt up the turbine housing to the header and rotate the center section and compressor housing together to line up the oil lines the compressor looks like it should line up nicely w/the intercooler inlet. i may not need to clock the compressor housing at all.

 

[geno]

You said in the first post this is a new turbo. With a new turbo you can clock the center section anyway you want because the exhaust housing has never seen rust yet. Some new turbo,s have antisieze between the exhaust housing and the center section and clock around easy. Once its seeen some heat and gets rusty it can be a real PITA...But when it new you should have no problem

 

[turbo buicks]

its not NEW but i just got it so its new to me. 2 of the DP elbow bolt holes need to be re-tapped but otherwise its fine from what i can see.

 

[geno]

Now is see
Clocking a used exhaust housing can be a bitch when its rusty.
Ive had to heat up the exhaust housing just to rotate the center section. Good luck

 

[turbo buicks]

well this housing isnt rusty on the outside at all. its a grayish color. on the inside there is some reddish-orange buildup that turns to dust as soon as you rub your finger over it a couple times. dont know what that is but it doesnt seem to be rust.

 

[Sisaro]

WOuld running steel braided oil lines help your situation....thats currently wha im using and i havent had any problems with it since.

 

[turbo buicks]

not sure if steel braided line would help in my case seeing as how far off from normal the oil feed port is. if i had the money for them right now i would buy them but i dont. as soon as i do i may since i like the look of them better than the stock lines.