Hello everyone,It's my day off and I don't feel on working on the car today. So instead, I made this. It's long, it's uneventful, and it's border-line boring. But here it is, in case there wasn't already enough similar write-ups. Feel free to comment or make suggestions!Just a heads-up, I did this swap many months ago, and I was going by memory on a lot of it. If something doesn't seem right, let me know.

Introduction:

This is a rough guide for the removal of the SR20DET S13’s T25 turbo and the install of the S14/15 T28. I was replacing the factory T25 for a T28R. The new turbo is slightly larger in size, but doesn’t take much more room. One really big problem you’re going to run into is the compressor inlet and outlet… They will be angled differently. You could customize your own pipes, but I’ve decided that a reclocking kit was the easiest and cleanest way. FR Sport offers them for about $120. You may also need to bend the factory coolant and oil hard lines. I chose to replace them with Earl’s stainless turbo lines which include the oil restrictor. The lines go from about $120 to $170 from FR Sport. Also, you will need to address the oil drain tube; the T25’s, I believe, point downwards while the T28 points to the block, like you want. I recommend buying an S14/15 oil drain tube. Again, FR Sport, about $50. I prefer to purchase all my parts new, rather than old or used. Also, I recommend an oil change and a new intake filter.

When tackling my first turbo swap, I was intimidated. Many things will be removed, and it’s easy to lose track of things. If this is your first swap, then I recommend having a friend to help, or in my case, a digital camera to take pictures. The camera came in handy when re-doing my vacuum and boost lines. Remember where parts went and keep yourself organized. Alone, I can remove and re-install my turbo in a couple hours, but at first, it took me many more hours. Give yourself at least a full day if you’ve never done this before.

Having the right tools is always going to make any job easier. This procedure doesn’t require any especially uncommon tools;

*3/8” ratchet set Should include: Sockets, extensions (many different lengths), and swivels*1/4" ratchet set (a 3/8” to 1/4” drive reducer works in most cases, but I found the smaller ratchet to be useful to hose clamps or tight-fit areas)Should include: Sockets, extensions (my set only had one 1/4" extension), and swivels*Adjustable wrenches*Open-ended wrenches*Pliers*Screwdrivers*A small hammer*Pick-up magnet tool*Magnetic bowl*Fluid catch pan*Floor jack and jack stands*Masking tape and marker (optional, but recommended)*Coolant (you may lose some during the process)*Flashlight*Energy drinks

Pre-procedure:

Make sure you have everything you think you will need. Try to keep your work area clean. The masking tape and marker is used for identifying hoses or other components for easier re-installation. Before removing a vacuum or pressure hose, for example, you may want to tear a piece of masking tape and wrap it around the hose, and using the marker, write a description of what that hose is, or where it goes. For example, “BOV,” for blow off valve. I found this the easiest way to keep track of which hoses go where. It saves confusion later.

Procedure:

Note: the manifold and turbo will be removed as a whole unit.

Initially, it’s not required, but you may want to jack the front of the car up. If your car is low, you will have to bed over far, whereas, if the car is jacked up, you won’t need to bend over as far, plus you will need to go under the car later anyway. You will need access to the exhaust hanger, down pipe, and turbo elbow. Raise the car accordingly.

Now you’re going to begin removing the piping, starting with the “hotpipe,” as displayed in the picture. This is just a matter of loosening its’ clamps. It runs from the turbo down just past the intake filter. Remove the pipe, store in a safe place. My blow off valve got its’ signal from the factory “coldpipe.” If your BOV is situated on the hotpipe, then remove the signal line going to it. Make sure you label it.

Next is the intake. Like the hotpipe, there’s not much to removing the intake. It’s again held by clamps, and maybe a bracket. Label and remove any vacuum lines from the intake. At this point, you will see your MAF just behind the intake filter.

Remove the MAF sensor harness. There’s a metal retaining clip holding the harness to the MAF. Use pliers and/or a flathead screwdriver to carefully pull it out. Do not lose this clip. Even though it can be bent back to the original shape, try not to damage it. I placed the harness out of the way, tucked away safely. Now remove the intake. Again, store it in a safe place. In the trunk of your car is good, as long as it’s clean.

We’re almost to the fun part. And by “the fun part” I mean “not fun part.”

To make life easier, I loosened the power steering reservoir to push it a little out of the way. I also removed the screw holding the dipstick, and very carefully pushed it aside. If you’re able to, replace all of your hardware back into place. This way you won’t lose any screws or nuts, and there’s no confusion of which one goes where.

Now, the O2 sensor. Simply follow the wires up until you find two harness clips connected to each other, squeeze the plastic tab and pull the clip out from the other. Then, carefully remove the O2 sensor from the turbo elbow. Place it in a very safe place. My adjustable wrench wouldn’t fit the way I needed it to in that area, and I did not have a open-ended metric wrench that size, so I had to use a pair of vice grips. Not my first choice, but it worked. Do NOT pinch the sensor itself; I could tell someone had done that to mine in the past.

I don’t know if most SR20 swaps in the States included the EAI valve, but from the factory here in Japan, they did. If yours’ doesn’t, then don’t worry about this next step.

If yours’ does, then you will need to remove it. There is a vacuum line running to it, and a couple hoses. One hose goes to the turbo elbow; there is a pipe extending from the S13 elbow, and the hose is held on by a clamp. You will need to remove this. Also, there is a little black “box” next to the EAI valve. I don’t know what it’s called, but I believe it’s for recirculation of some of the exhaust gases back into the intake. This must come out too.

Next, remove the exhaust manifold’s heat shield. I didn’t re-install it later. With most aftermarket manifolds, it won’t fit anyway.Now that that’s finished, inspect the area and look for anything that might get in the way or get damaged. If you have any doubts about the safety of other components, remove them or cover them with, let’s say, cardboard. While taking the turbo out, it’s easy to snag a lot of the wires that become in the way. Make sure all of your vacuum lines are labeled.Here, we go under the car. Crawl underneath with some tools and a flashlight. Undo the exhaust hanger, and then remove the downpipe from the turbo elbow. There’s only three nuts to remove from the elbow’s studs. Remove the downpipe, and replace the nuts on the studs so you won’t lose them. At this point, I chose to remove the turbo elbow from the turbo. There will be 5 nuts/bolts to remove. If I remember correctly, there where three studs threaded into the turbo and two bolts going from the turbo to the elbow. It took many wrenches, ratchets and extensions, swivels, and going from one tool to another before I could finally take the elbow off. In hindsight, I could have done this a different way, which may have made it easier. Read the following steps…This is the fun part, and for me, probably the most frustrating part: Unbolting the manifold. There’s a total of eight nuts holding the exhaust manifold to the motor. Several are fairly easy to remove, using only an open-ended wrench, but the others present a challenge.

The red circles indicate where a nut is located.(image edited; originally from http://derwin.910bluebird.com/SR20DE.htm)Take your time and be very patient. The last thing you want to do is strip the nuts out of carelessness, making it extremely difficult to remove them, especially in very tight places. You will most likely want your ratchet with extensions and a swivel. You may need to try many different angles.In one of the above steps, I mentioned possibly removing the turbo elbow in a different way. I don’t know for sure, but I think it may be easier to remove the turbo elbow after loosening the nuts that hold the manifold to the motor. If you remove all but one nut from the manifold (if doing this, leave the easiest-to-access nut threaded on the stud), you can slightly slide the manifold out, giving you a little more room underneath, should you chose to go this route to remove the turbo elbow. It won’t be much room, but it might help if you begin to get frustrated.Now it’s time for the turbo lines. I chose to go with Earl’s stainless braided lines. I didn’t want to have to battle with factory hard lines, risking bending or breaking them and restricting fluid flow, and this way I could route my lines as I see fit. Least importantly, they look cool.Here are some pictures to use as reference:

This picture shows the factory hard lines.

This one shows stainless lines and where they route. It also shows where the oil drain tube would be.

This one displays about how the hard lines would look, and clearly shows how the oil drain tube sits while installed. Notice its’ sharp bend.

Removing the lines aren’t especially difficult, but it can get messy fairly quick. This is when you want to have the fluid catch pan underneath the motor, directly underneath where you are working. You will not lose much oil, but coolant will continue to drain if you don’t plug the holes. I used those blue shop-paper towels; those are always really nice to have. I’m writing this next part about the coolant and oil lines solely out of memory.Follow the lines back to the motor’s block, and I believe there is only one line going to the back of the motor, just behind the valve cover. You will come across banjo bolts on the block, which you should try to keep very clean. Just a note, the banjo bolts hold the lines to the block and allow fluid to pass through the inside of them. It doesn’t matter which direction the hole that goes straight through the sides of the banjo bolt is facing when you re-tighten it with the line attached. At first, I was under the impression that the hole had to be inline with the oil/coolant line. The line that runs behind the motor is for coolant, and probably my least favorite to reach. It should be held on by just one clamp. When you unbolt the hard line for oil, don’t anticipate massive amounts of oil to leak out. All the same, have your catch pan underneath, and plug the hole. Ensure all lines are removed from the motor and will not catch on anything when the turbo is removed.It is a little difficult to see, but this is a picture of the stainless coolant line meeting another coolant line, just behind the valve cover.

Now remove the oil drain tube. Once again, have your catch pan ready. There are two small screws holding it to the turbo. I think it’s best to remove it here. Remove the screws, and thread them back into their holes on the turbo. Plug up the drain tube. Note that there is a small gasket between the drain tube and the turbo.I think that should be everything. Double-check your work, as always, and make sure everything is good to go. Assuming nothing else needs to be done, we can now remove the turbo and manifold. Be careful of wires nearby. Remove that last nut that was holding the manifold to the motor, and place it with the other ones you took out earlier. The manifold shouldn’t fall off at this point. Examine your working space, and try to plan out the removal. Basically, you’re just pulling the manifold off of the eight studs, trying to be careful not to damage anything. You will need to wiggle it out of there, going in, up, left, down, whatever direction it requires, but it should be fairly easy to come out. If it isn’t, ensure there’s nothing still attached to the motor, or nothing in the way preventing you from removing it.Once you finally have it out, I recommend placing it on a piece of cardboard. Grab a drink, take a break, and make sure everything is still good to go. Check for leaking fluid from the motor especially.

This is what it should look like so far:



It’s a little dirty in there. Now is a great time to get some Simple Green and a scrub brush. Obviously, be careful where you wash. Don’t let anything get into the motor.

Now that the turbo and manifold are out, the engine and bay are clean, it’s time to remove things from the old T25; Your hard lines, for one, and then the manifold. If you’re going to reuse the factory turbo lines, then carefully remove them and put them in a safe place. Me, I chose to throw them away and prepare my new stainless lines. The lines came with the oil restrictor.

Remove the nuts holding the turbo to the manifold. There are four. You should notice metal tabs resting against the nuts. Get a flathead screwdriver and carefully bend them out of the way. I chose to use a small hammer to help bend the tabs. Just be careful not to break them. You only need to bend them enough so you can get a wrench or socket on the nuts. Remove the nuts and then remove the turbo from the manifold.

This picture shows where the manifold and the turbo meet. He chose to make his own “plate” with tabs. (picture from club240.com)

Now your turbo is off! I will recommend changing the exhaust manifold gasket, the gasket between the turbo elbow and downpipe, and the gasket between the turbo and manifold, unless they are in very good condition. If they were 15 years old and falling apart like mine were, then change them. Hi-temp gasket sealant is a good idea, and hi-temp thread-lock for other bolts as well.

When placing the turbo back on the manifold, make sure you put that metal plate on the same side you took it off from. Once you tighten all the nuts (do not over-tighten them or you will snap your studs… trust me on this one; it’s so easy to break them.), bend the tabs back in place. With your hammer and screwdriver, lightly tap the tabs until they begin to “wrap” around the nuts. It doesn’t take much. This is a nice way to prevent the nuts from coming undone; I don’t know that these tabs have any other purpose.

Install your turbo lines now. Again, I went with new stainless lines, and that made this job much easier. I would not recommend using Teflon tape on the threads of the lines going TO the turbo. On the NICO forum, I recently read a thread about a similar swap. The OP and a couple other members said they had trouble using the aftermarket lines; one of the fittings would hit the wastegate actuator rod. It was deemed safe to rotate the actuator rod to fit the fitting, or to simply change the fitting to better fit near the actuator rod. I did not have this problem. Along with my turbo, I purchased an HKS adjustable wastegate. The actuator rod had no effect on the stainless line’s fitting.

You can see in this picture how close the rod is to the fitting.

This is what the inlet and outlet look like with the reclocked adapters. Again, I recommend going this route instead of customizing your pipes because it is much, much easier.

(last picture, courtesy FRSport.com)

That should be just about everything. Make sure your turbo is sitting on the manifold the right way, and not backwards. I wasn’t paying attention and installed it backwards the first time. It didn’t take long after trying to re-install the turbo before I realized I goofed up.

Install the turbo and manifold in reverse of the installation, paying attention to what you’re doing. Labeling your vacuum and boost lines will soon pay off. Torque everything appropriately. I broke a total of four studs during this swap; it delayed my install by a couple hours.

Note: The factory S13 turbo elbow and the factory S14/15 elbow are similar, but will fit a little differently onto the turbo. At first, I used my original S13 elbow. One bolt would not thread into the turbo; I believe the S14 gasket was in the way. I later upgraded the elbow for a Tomei Expreme one meant for the S14/15 turbo, and of course, it fit perfectly. Also, the S14/15 elbow does not have the tube extending from it for the EAI valve. The EAI valve is strictly for emissions, and is a requirement here in Japan.

Also, as a suggestion, if you plan on upgrading your exhaust manifold or turbo elbow, now is the best time to do it! You will need to remove your turbo again later if you buy an aftermarket exhaust manifold. The turbo elbow can be taken out and installed with the turbo and manifold attached to the motor.

Here are some pictures of my turbo. I would have liked to have taken more pictures of my swap, but I became too caught-up in the mess to invest the time.



This is a shot of the new manifold I later installed. I wish I would have bought it at the same time I did my turbo swap; I had to take out the turbo and re-install it again to put this manifold on.

Turbo Break-In:

There are several ways people like to do this. Some even say it’s not important, but I say, to hell with them.

“All these steps should be considered necessary:1. Thoroughly clean out any oil supply lines to the turbocharger and oil coolers.2. Change the engine oil and use a high-quality non-synthetic engine oil for turbocharger break-in.3. Install the turbocharger and attach all bolts, lines, oil supply, etc. but DO NOT START THE CAR!!! AND DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE ANY TYPE OF SILICONE SEALANT ON THE OIL SUPPLY LINE!!! 4. Prime the oil system by cranking the engine over (WITHOUT STARTING IT) for 10-15 seconds, and repeat this step 3-5 times minimum. There are many ways to make sure that your car will not start, you can unplug the coil wire on vehicles with distributor-style ignition or on vehicles with direct fire ignition, you can disconnect the coil packs, or the ignition relay. It is VERY important that your car DOES NOT START while pre-oiling the turbo.5. After you have completed the above step you can start the car and allow it to idle ONLY.6. Allow the vehicle to idle for 10-15 minutes without applying any throttle. Even at idle, the turbo can be spinning at as much as 28,000 RPM's on certain models. Use this time to check for any loose fittings, hoses, exhaust leaks, etc.7. After idling the car as prescribed above, you may then begin to drive the car. Make every attempt to limit boost for the first 100-200 miles.”(copied from http://www.boostplanet.com)

Some of the pictures were borrowed from other sites on the internet. I only take credit for mine, and claim no others as my own.
Modified by johnnyballs180 at 11:00 PM 12/15/2008

do you by any chance know why i might have no boost and oil coming out the exhaust? i have a 92 sr motor stock t25 turbo

Never saw this write-up before...sweet!

i did a quick search and came up with this:

For Leaking turbocharger seals, Oil in exhaust, Oil in intake:

Remove intake tubes and wash out oil. Re-install and run engine for short period. Remove intake tube and see whether oil is traveling from turbo to cylinder or visa versa. Oil in the exhaust system upstream of the turbocharger indicates malfunction such as problems with rings, pistons, or valves. If engine idles too slow, turbo does not turn allowing oil to leak from compressor seal. Leak in compressor seal can be caused by:

(a) air cleaner element clogged or restriction in duct between air cleaner and turbocharger which can cause oil to be drawn past the turbocharger seal at the compressor end, (b) restriction or faulty check valve in turbocharger oil drain line, which may raise the oil level in the turbocharger center housing and cause seal leakage, (c) malfunction in oil scavenge pump, (d) restriction in engine crankcase breather, (e) worn or damaged compressor wheel, (f) turbocharger shaft bearings or bearing bores worn, (g) crankcase pressurization causing backpressure into oil drain line due to piston blowby.

positron_ wrote:Never saw this write-up before...sweet!

thanks positron. it kind of went un-noticed for a while.. haha. probably because it's so simple, but i learned a lot doing it. that made up for the hardships (no not really).

sweet thread. hey would pumping oil into the oil inlet on the turbo right before mounting it count as a prime?

i think i've read that it is, but i'm not 100%. i thought it was easier to just cut the fuel pump and crank the motor without starting it. i'm always bad with spilling things. the "Turbo Break-In" section of the write-up kind of explains that.i would personally probably crank the motor without starting, even after hand-pouring oil into the turbo. it only takes a few minutes anyway.