Turbo Coolant Lines

[TurboLuigi]

Folks,

A while ago Callaway4Fun told us that when his car was having his Coil Overs installed @ Callaway they mentioned that his Turbo Coolant Lines were a bit brittle and that they should be replaced before they rupture (on the road). He had them replace them.

In preparing my car for Carlisle I happened to check my Turbo Coolant lines and they too are a bit too stiff especially the upper one where it T's off the upper radiator hose.

I have managed to remove that line, though it broke close to the T when I was removing it. Callaway is right, these lines should be looked at and replaced as necessary.

It is not a job for the faint hearted, and I don't even have a lift. What a job. Thank God I have lost weight and now fit under the car (on a ramp)

I have removed the Banjo bolts from the return coolant line(s) but have still to figure out how I am going to get that line off/away from the driver's side turbo. I haven't seen how it is routed back to the front yet and it seems like the drivers side turbo has to come down in order to do this. I have given up for the night and will try again tomorrow.

Luigi
:cool

 

[8388]

Luigi, on my car although it looks like it's up against the frame. I was able to unbolt it without having to remove the turbo but (very carefully). Not all engines sit in the exact same location, some are further to one side than others. If this is the case, and you don't want to pull the turbo (trust me) find a long and large pry bar, and place it between the frame and a solid part of the engine to help pry the engine up a bit, make sure to losen the motor mount on that side a bit first, all it needs to move is a hair since that banjo fitting is very slim.

Now, I have worked on many projects where when replacing hoses, I go with some commercial grade which are supposed to last much longer, these hoses use a different materials on the inside. If you have a commercial hose supply house as we do here, you might give them a visit and check out all the different types.

 

[MagicDragon]

I just replaced the coolant lines on my '87 and I had to remove the drivers turbo to get to the T fitting on the block. It was a fun job! Callaway reproduced 2 of the lines for me. They did a quick wonderful job at a very resonable price. On the later car's (88's on) the plumbing is a little different and I don't think they have the coolant feed from a T fitting in the lower skirt of the drivers side block. While replacing the line's I added some heat reflective thermal tubing to the lines that were close to the exhaust manifold on the drivers side. I got it from DEI through Summit Racing I hope everything goes well for you Luigi! I'm loking forward to seeing you and everyone at Carlisle!!

 

[TurboLuigi]

The problem is not with the banjo bolt but having access to the T on the block. It is completely blocked by the turbo. The banjo bolts are already off.

I have some reservations about pulling the turbo but we will see what happens over the next few days. The bolts to the exhaust behind the turbo are really hard in place and dont want to budge.

Luigi
:cool

 

[MagicDragon]

Hey Luigi, The bolts to the exhaust flange are a bugger to get to. What I did was modify a high quality 6 point wrench. I shortened it by about 1-1/2" to allow access to those back bolts, the others you can access with a 6 point socket, I also used a shorty 3/8" ratchet. The first time I removed the turbos those nuts were very tight, the lock washers do a good job there. Just be sure to use 6 point everything! When reassembling I just snugged up the nuts to the flange then installed the Y pipe to make sure the turbos were aligned properly with the exhaust manifold and the Y pipe then I tightened the 4 flange bolt\nuts on the exhaust manifold to turbo flange. That way there is less stress on everything. Good Luck and don't hesitate to ask any questions. CU