Turbo: Remove and Install

Turbo Swap Guide v1.0

for the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 / Dodge Stealth RT/TT English Version by Errin Humphrey <[email protected]>

-Unpublished work Copyright 2000-2001 Errin Humphrey This Guide is for private and personal use only. It can only be reproduced electronically, and if placed on a web page or site, may be altered as long as this disclaimer and the above copyright notice appears in full. This Guide is not to be used for profitable/promotional purposes; this includes being used by publishers of magazines, guides, books, etc. or being incorporated into magazines, porno movies, etc. in ANY way. This Guide was created and is owned by me, Errin Humphrey. All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged that are not specifically mentioned in this Guide. Please give credit where it is due. This Guide, and future revisions of it, can be found at: Team 3S Homepage http://www.team3s.com

Revision History

VERSION 1.0 (May 21, 2000) Version 1.1 (January 16, 2005) Section 5. Necessary Parts List. Added some information from Robert Beck. - Jeff Lucius, January 16, 2005

Introduction

So you’ve got a 3000GT/Stealth and a pair of new turbos, and you think you’ve got what it takes to do a turbo swap yourself? You’re not going to be a pansy and pay somebody else to do it for you? You’re not going to run home crying for your mommy at the sight of your mangled hands as you try to remove the rear heat shield? Well, we’ll see about that.

Turbo Swap Walkthrough

[Each step denotes removal of the specified part unless otherwise noted] [Many (but not all) terms correspond to terms used in the Service Manual] [Several of these steps are not entirely necessary, depending on your level of skill and how quickly you want to finish the job] [O2 Housing == O2 Sensor Housing == Precat Housing (rear only) == Exhaust Fitting. I will refer to these two parts as "O2 Housing" exclusively] ["Left" and "Right" generally refer to said direction while standing in front of the vehicle and facing the engine]

Preliminary

1. Drain engine oil (dispose of properly!)
2. Drain coolant (dispose of properly!)
3. Exhaust System (all of it including catalytic converter)
4. Air Filter
5. MAF Sensor
6. Battery and Battery Tray
7. Winshield Washer Reservoir
8. Air Intake Hose A (connects to MAF Sensor)
9. Y-Pipe (connects to Throttle Body)
10. IC Pipe A (connects directly to rear turbo)
11. Intake Plenum (with Throttle Body connected; see TNT 4 and 5)

Front Turbo

1. IC Hose B (connects to Y-Pipe)
2. Air Intake Hose B (connects to turbo inlet)
3. IC Hose D (connects to turbo outlet)
4. IC Hose E (above exhaust manifold)
5. IC Hose C (above alternator)
6. Radiator:
   • 2 brackets
   • remove upper hose
   • disconnect lower hose
   • 3 electrical connectors
7. Front Heat Shield
8. Unbolt exhaust manifold Heat Shield
9. IC Pipe B
10. Engine hoist bracket (L-shaped)
11. Front cam gear cover
12. Disconnect O2 Sensor (eletrical connection)
13. Remove O2 Sensor
14. Unbolt O2 Housing from the Turbo (4 nuts)
15. Unbolt Turbo Stay (big metal bracket) from engine (3 big bolts)
16. Slide this bracket to the right (off the 4 turbo studs)
17. Remove O2 Housing
18. Unbolt Turbo Oil Return Line from Oil Pan
19. Turbo:a) 2 Coolant Line Eye Bolts (on the sides)b) 1 Oil Feed Line Eye Bolt (on top)c) Disconnect Wastegate Actuator Hose (vacuum hose)d) 3 Turbo-Manifold Bolts (remove these last)e) Turbocharger

Optional: In order to remove the Turbo Oil Feed Line you must remove the drive belt, alternator, dipstick guide, AC compressor, tensioner bracket, and AC compressor bracket

Rear Turbo

1. Air Intake Hose C (connects to turbo inlet)
2. Clutch Booster Vacuum Hose
3. Throttle Cable Guide:a) disconnect from firewall (2 bolts)b) disconnect cable from accelerator pedal
4. move cable guide out of the way
5. Unbolt Rear Heat Shield (3 bolts)-> Use stubby swivel ratchet
6. O2 Sensor
7. Remove Rear Heat Shield-> take off shoes; climb up on top of engine; reach way down with right arm; grab lowest edge of heat shield; give repeated violent upward yanks until heat shield comes out (this procedure might not be necessary for you)
8. EGR Pipe
9. O2 Housing (4 nuts + 1 nut/washer on lower mount) -> Pull it off turbo studs and let it drop down out of the way
10. Unbolt upper bolt on Front Heat Shield -> the lower bolt is awfully tricky to remove, but it is now possible to "rotate" the heat shield to the right in order to gain better access to the turbo coolant line bolt
11. Unbolt Turbo Oil Return Line from Oil Pan
12. Turbo:a) Turbo-Manifold Nuts (3 total; 2 from below) -> Use LONG extension + wobble extension for lower 2b) Disconnect Oil Feed Line from Turbo (on top) & Plenum Stayc) 2 Coolant Line Eye Bolts (on the sides) -> Don’t drop the washers! (2 for each eye bolt)

• d) Disconnect Wastegate Actuator Hose (vacuum hose)e) Oil Return Line must be unbolted from the Turbo -> Helps if you (or an assistant) lift the turbo to access the bolts, but make SURE that they don’t drop into the exhaust manifold (same for the gasket)! Helps if you

lift the turbo and cover the manifold hole with a rag. f) Turbocharger -> Lift oil feed line and rear coolant line out of the way. Move turbo carefully towards firewall until oil feed line clears the compressor housing. Point the compressor housing downwards to gain clearance for wastegate actuator. Lift turbo out turbine-side first. (Note: Please let me know if you discover an easier way to remove this turbo.)

Reinstallation Tips

1. Almost all steps are the reverse of the above.
2. Don’t overtorque the oil/coolant eye bolts! They break easily!
3. Don’t overtorque the O2 sensor! You’ll never get it off again!
4. You ~might~ need to cut a chunk off of the rear heat shield in

order to reinstall it. It wasn’t necessary for me, but it has been necessary for others.

• [under construction] Much more to be added to this section later.

Tips and Tricks

Organization!!!

This is the key to making installation of the turbos as headache free as possible. Keep all parts in an isolated area of the garage so everything can be found easily. More importantly, it’s a very good idea to extensively organize all the nuts, bolts, washers, etc. For the front and rear turbos, use a 3x5 card and neatly line up ~all~ the related bolts, eye bolts, washers, etc., and put abbreviated labels next to everything. I also used another 3x5 card for other miscellaneous small parts. You might not be reusing all these things, but you will probably refer to it often when you get ready to put the new turbos in.

Put bolts in their places!

This is a simple tip which for some reason is not followed by everyone. Whenever possible, after removing something from the car, take the bolts/washers/nuts/etc. which held it on and screw them in where they were originally threaded. This might not always be possible (they might be in the way of removing some other part), but it is much better than throwing all the bolts/washers/nuts in a plastic cup (or on the floor) and spending hours later trying to find the one you need. And whenever this is not possible, put them into a small sealable plastic baggie along with an appropriately labeled 3x5 card.

Use Liquid Wrench!

The night before you’ll actually be removing the turbos themselves, douse all the nuts and bolts with Liquid Wrench. This will make them much easier to remove and reduce the likelihood of breaking them during removal.

Cover up them holes!

Make sure that you have a pile of rags handy to cover up all holes in which dropping a small part into the hole would be a bad thing. During the course of a turbo swap, many of these holes will pop up. One of them (and probably the most critical) is the set of 6 holes which go into the intake manifold; these are exposed after removing the intake plenum. Fold a shop rag over a couple times, and lay it across these 6 holes. A few other holes you’ll want to cover up: various IC hoses; rear turbo outlet; rear exhaust manifold (after turbo removed).

Support that fuel rail!

After you remove the intake plenum, the fuel rail (actually the rail for the fuel injector connectors) will be hanging suspended over the holes into the intake manifold (which should be covered up with a rag, right?!). I found myself accidentally leaning on this with my hand on occasion, so I figured out a way to support this rail. Take a cardboard center from a used paper towel roll, and flatten it slightly. Place it below the plastic rail piece and use a few zipties to keep it in place securely. This will support the rail when you set your hand on it.

Towel Magic!

After you have mounted up your new turbo and you begin to connect the fuel/oil lines, the dexterity of your fingers will surely be tested as you attempt to thread in bolts (sometimes blindly) along with washers (or gasket) without dropping anything. The coolant lines and the rear oil return line are the big trouble-makers. Dropping something while doing the front turbo is usually not a big deal since you won’t have any trouble finding it, but on the rear turbo it can become a major problem, especially if the part somehow makes its way into the exhaust manifold.

So here’s how I made the job a bit easier for the rear turbo: I took an old bath towel and did my best job to "blanket" the entire area which lay below the exhaust manifold. The towel wrapped tightly around the hole into the exhaust manifold and was pulled up loosely towards the sides. I also had to leave a crack which I used to pre-setup the oil return line (which you don’t want to bolt to the oil pan yet!). So basically, if you looked at the rear of my engine, you saw only a pink blanket with the exhaust manifold and oil return line peeking through, ready for the turbo to be bolted up. If and when you drop an oil return line bolt or coolant line washer, it will be within easy reach rather than down in the dark recesses of the engine bay or stuck in your exhaust manifold.

Required Parts

Editor's Note: This list has been modified slightly with comments and newer prices from Robert Beck and Jeff Lucius. Copied from [www.stealth316.com]. You want to replace these parts with new ones.

Qty	Part Name	Part #	Price/ea	Note
2	Turbo-Manifold Gasket	MD168266	$3.77
2	Turbo-O2 Housing Gasket	MR188537	$3.54
20	Coolant Line Copper Washer Gasket	MF660064	$0.85
10	Oil Feed Line Copper Washers	MF660063	$0.85
4	Oil Return Line Gasket	MR258477	$0.92
4	Oil Return Line Bolt: Turbo	MF241225	$0.40
4	Oil Return Line Bolt: Oil Pan	MD193110	$0.62
1	Rear IC Pipe O-Ring	MD090788	$3.28
2	Turbo-Manifold Seal Ring	MD077551	$4.44	NR
1	Exhaust Gasket: Front	MB687002	$5.74	NR
1	Exhaust Gasket: Rear	MR323619	$3.08	NR
1	Plenum-Manifold Gasket	MD143791	$6.60	NR
2	EGR Pipe Gasket	MD149764	$4.31	NR
1	Oil Feed Line EyeBolt: Front	MF650102	$6.26	NR
1	Oil Return Line: Front	MD160039	$24.24	NR
1	Oil Return Line: Rear	MR266015	$36.09	NR
3	Bolts: Plenum-Manifold - Short	MF241862	$0.72	NR
2	Bolts: Plenum-Manifold - Long	MF241870	$0.68	NR
1	Oil Filter	MZ690116	~$5.00	NR
1	Fuel Filter	MB658136	$19.48	NR
4	Studs: Front Turbo-O2 Housing	MD165887	$5.17	*
3	Studs: Rear Turbo-Manifold	MD165887	$5.17	*
4	Studs: Rear Turbo-O2 Housing	MD050074	$4.00	*
2	Nuts: Both Turbos	MD132930	$5.46	*#
3	Washers: Rear Turbo	MD132933	$0.85	*#
3	Bolts: Front Turbo-Manifold	MD168601	$4.48	*@
1	AC Line O-Ring	MR117263	$2.18	%
2	Exhaust Manifold Exhaust Gaskets	MD168115	$25.97	&
10	Exhaust Manifold Cone Washers	MD168979	$0.57	&

* - Only needed if you wish to replace all your studs/nuts with new ones rather than re-using old hardware.

*# - Rob Beck thinks this part comes in 10-pack; you will need 11 nuts if you replace them all. If also converting to front studs you will need 14 nuts and 4 washers.

*@ - Rob Beck recomends substitution to studs rather than using bolts here. Substitution consists of three (3) MD050074 studs, three (3) MD132930 nuts, and one (1) MD132933 washer.

% - Only necessary if you want to remove the front exhaust manifold heat shield.

& - Need only if removing manifolds for EGT, etc. If removing only one manifold order 1/2 the quantity. Depending on your tastes, you may consider the exhaust gaskets re-usable; Rob Beck has re-used them in the past with success.

NR - Not absolutely required for turbo swap.

The seal rings should be totally re-usable, and some people dispense with them regardless; of course, they may be better left installed if you can (not ported). The oil return lines can be cleaned out with long, thin wire brushes; else replace. The bolts that attach the plenum to the intake manifold can be re-used if in good shape. Its just seems like a good idea to replace the oil and fuel filter; but not required. Re-use old parts at your own risk!

Note: Prices are those given by Tallahassee Mitsubishi taking advantage of their 3/S discount. Prices may have changed since this page was updated.

Necessary Tools

• I’m still working on this section. Here’s a short list of some important things needed. This list is in NO way comprehensive, and not all things listed are 100% necessary.
• 14mm sockets (1/4 and 3/8 drive; 6 point; short/med/long)
• quite a few different 10mm and 12mm sockets
• open and boxed end 14mm, 17mm, 22mm
• stubby handle swivel ratchet wrench
• Antiseize
• Extendable magnet
• Flashlight
• Liquid Wrench
• BFH
• Old Blanket
• Latex Gloves
• Bandaids
• Neosporin
• Tourniquet (j/k)
• 10mm x 1.25 nuts to remove/install turbo studs

Frequently Asked Questions

[section under construction]

Special Thanks

I'd like to thank everyone who promptly offered me advice and information when I did my first turbo swap. I wouldn't have made it this far without your help! In particular, I want to thank the following people for their contributions/inspiration: John T. Christian, Barry E. King, Jack Xwing Tertadian, Mike Mahaffey, Mikael Akesson, Jeff Lucius, John Adams, Hank Orsel, Matt Bompani, and David Brown. (I’m still digging through my old emails trying to find out who else helped me on it...) Well, hope you enjoyed this Guide! ^_^ Unpublished work Copyright 2000-2001 Errin Humphrey