My turbo wants to come off...any solution

My turbo doesn't like all the abuse....I can run it relatively hard all day on the street and the hold down nuts (manifold to turbo) stay tight. Two stages of anger in rally and I am turning wrenches around something that is 1500+ degrees between stages, which sucks a lot.

What are the solutions out there other than safety wire?

we've used these which are totally worthless:


these which seem to work on the street:


and are contemplating these:



anything out there that works? other than this:

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-Tom
DemonRallyTeam | Fine Tuning | CTS Turbo & RP Turbos | RalleyTuned | JRM | Meister Autowerks
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First:



Works great!!
Except occasionally:


Good luck!

Your problem likely is not due to the nuts you are using, but the studs/bolts.

#1. Through bolts which go through both flanges do not work....they will loosen off.

#2. Cheap hardware store grade studs will not work...they will loosen off.


The Turbo inlet flange on your Manifold needs to be tapped for the appropriate studs, and then use the proper studs from OEM applications.

For reference, Subaru's use nice 10x1.25mm studs on both sides of the turbo, with nothing more than the flanged "lock" nuts you have pictured, and they generally do not back off.



There are nicer locking solutions than the ugly tabs you have pictured...IMHO those things spell nothing but completely ripped up knuckles from either you, or your service guys.

These are nice...but $$$ Stage 8

You also need to make sure that your turbo is braced well enough. The entire weight of the turbo needs to be hanging on the bracing system, and not on the manifold itself. While this may not really contribute to the nuts loosening off, but it will crack headers down the road.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2010 03:11PM by Do It Sidewayz.

Quote
Do It Sidewayz
Your problem likely is not due to the nuts you are using, but the studs/bolts.

#1. Through bolts which go through both flanges do not work....they will loosen off.

#2. Cheap hardware store grade studs will not work...they will loosen off.


The Turbo inlet flange on your Manifold needs to be tapped for the appropriate studs, and then use the proper studs from OEM applications.

For reference, Subaru's use nice 10x1.25mm studs on both sides of the turbo, with nothing more than the flanged "lock" nuts you have pictured, and they generally do not back off.



There are nicer locking solutions than the ugly tabs you have pictured...IMHO those things spell nothing but completely ripped up knuckles from either you, or your service guys.

These are nice...but $$$ Stage 8

You also need to make sure that your turbo is braced well enough. The entire weight of the turbo needs to be hanging on the bracing system, and not on the manifold itself. While this may not really contribute to the nuts loosening off, but it will crack headers down the road.

+1000

but didn't you like the piccies?

We are using studs tack welded to the manifold, so unless the studs are deforming then it is the nuts that aren't staying tight

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-Tom
DemonRallyTeam | Fine Tuning | CTS Turbo & RP Turbos | RalleyTuned | JRM | Meister Autowerks
Spitfire EFI | Product Apparel | JVAB Imports | NLS | AP Tuning | USRT

Add us on Facebook | Next Event: 2013 Olympus Rally June 22-23 Olympia, WA

Doesn't the factory use the mechanical locking nuts, the ones with the rectangular dimple smashed into the side of it. The exhaust manifold nuts on my Mazda and Toyota have those. When you look at them from the end, they are slightly oval shaped, and a bitch to get off rusty old manifolds.

-Jon

what he is saying is unless the metalurgy of the stud is designed to heat cycle to 1500 degrees with minimal expansion, then the stud grows and contracts too much, in turn loosening the nuts.

Order some studs from a dealer for a turbo flange, it should solve your problem.

My Volvo loosens the nuts too, and I used hardware store studs. The rally car does no such thing, it has OE studs. Same Turbo, Same bracing, Same lock nuts.

http://www.nord-lock.com/

Maybe these could be of use to you? I know the guys at work have used these on some of our machines with success, but nothing that would have been under the same heat as your turbo.

The forever solution is Inconel studs and silver plated nuts. John should be able to order you some from ARP.

-Tim

I wonder if tack welding the studs might have killed them right there....

Quote
Tim Taylor
The forever solution is Inconel studs and silver plated nuts. John should be able to order you some from ARP.

-Tim

Yep. that is what we used on the turbos on the aircraft I used to work on.

Tom,

What length bolt would you need? I can probably nab some Iconel bolts from work for you.

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Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

Did you guys tackweld steel studs to a cast iron manifold?

its a welded log manifold

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-Tom
DemonRallyTeam | Fine Tuning | CTS Turbo & RP Turbos | RalleyTuned | JRM | Meister Autowerks
Spitfire EFI | Product Apparel | JVAB Imports | NLS | AP Tuning | USRT

Add us on Facebook | Next Event: 2013 Olympus Rally June 22-23 Olympia, WA

Quote
Tom B
its a welded log manifold

THAT's you problem!!


How do expect shit to stay tight when it slowly turns to ashes, dooood??
Get one in STEEL