Oil Leak after Turbine Hosung Replacement (14b)

[Muskrat]

So I replaced the turbine housing on the turbo last night/today due to a large crack across the waste gate, got the thing together and WOW, what a difference. Car finally has low end power, and hits full boost by 3000 rpms.

When I got back from my test run I pulled into the garage, put the car up on ramps and noticed a couple drops of oil on the ground. At first I thought it was the drain tube, but that seems to be tight, and I used a little bit of orange RTV to make sure I had a good seal.

I'm worried I might not have got the housing on as far as it could go (I had to persuade it with a rubber mallet, but it clamped fine). Could this cause an oil leak?

Thanks.

 

[turbowop]

Did you install new crush washers on the two lower bolts that hold the drain line to the oil pan? Those seal that connection, no RTV necessary. People always reuse them and it is probably the most common oil leak I see on 4g63t's.

Is the oil feed sealed up as well?

 

[Muskrat]

I didn't use new crush washer's, in fact, I don't think there were any on there, just regular washers.

I'll try that and see what happens. Anyone have an easy way of getting those out without unhooking the water line that runs under the turbo?

 

[turbowop]

Not the flange that bolts to the turbo center section. That flange just needs a gasket and the bolts thread into blind holes, which need no other form of sealing. I'm talking about the flange that mates to the oil pan. You shouldn't need to mess with the water line.

 

[Muskrat]

Oh, on the oil pan. That's not where the leak is coming from, it's definitely up by the turbo. I thought you meant the seal from the turbo to the drain tube.

On this car the water line is just barely close enough to one of the bolts on the drain tube that you can't get a socket on it. That's why I had asked.

 

[Muskrat]

Looks like it's coming from the oil feed line on top of the turbo. And it looks like I'm going to have to pull the thing again to see what's causing it (ugh...). Always something with this car...

 

[turbowop]

You shouldn't have to pull the turbo to fix that leak. Did you install new crush washers at that fitting? Maybe just tighten the banjo bolt a little bit more.

 

[Muskrat]

Well, I didn't remove the line from the turbo, I just unbolted it from the head, so I didn't think to check it before reinstalling.

With the tools I have I can't really get at it. I could try a 1/4" drive, but I'll have to go get a socket big enough, is that fitting 17 or 19 mm? I can't get a crescent wrench on it because I don't have one short enough to fit between the turbo and the radiator. The exhaust manifold is in the way of using a bigger socket driver.

 

[turbowop]

I had to tighten mine down a little more a few days after installing a new turbo on 503. I don't remember it being that difficult to get to that bolt, and I just have a basic Craftsmen socket set, plus a lot of other Mitsu specific tools to round out my collection. Anyway, I wanna say I just used either a 1/4 or 3/8 ratchet and whatever shallow socket fit the bolt. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif