Leaky Turbo Line :(

[MainEvent212]

k, so i jsut got the manifold back on after putting on a new turbo outlet, and i had to re-connect the turbo lines. All of them are ok EXCEPT for the one that i think feeds the turbo...it is leaking at the connection to the block! I disconnected it and put a new copper gasket in, and tightened it down, and that worked for a day or 2...but now it's leaking again. Can anyone help me resolve this? i must be doing somethign wrong

[ryOs13]

k, so i jsut got the manifold back on after putting on a new turbo outlet, and i had to re-connect the turbo lines. All of them are ok EXCEPT for the one that i think feeds the turbo...it is leaking at the connection to the block! I disconnected it and put a new copper gasket in, and tightened it down, and that worked for a day or 2...but now it's leaking again. Can anyone help me resolve this? i must be doing somethign wrong

Try getting SS Lines, Its a good investment and looks alot cleaner and takes away a lot of the pain in the ***.

[Silvia007]

Did you torque it down to spec? Did you make sure the gasket between the bolt and the fitting came off before putting on a new one (common problem)? If it still leaks must be a warped fitting, I'd get SS lines.

[BaliLover]

COngrats, I had the same problem, turns out my hole was slightly stripped. I tried to retap it and heli-coil it but couldn't get it to work. What I did was have another banjo bolt made at a machine shop that was about a 1/2 to an inch longer and was able to catch the threads further in where they were still good. Its just a matter of getting a bolt with the right thread and extra lenght, drilling a small hole right down the middle of it, and then drilling a cross hole to feed the line with. WOrked like a charm for me, no leaks since.

This was the steel line that runs to a hole toward the front of the block, just above the AC if I remember correctly.

[MainEvent212]

yep unfortunately the hole IS stripped...i guess me messing w/ it made it worse tho cuz now it just pours out oil when i start the car...

i'm gonna go w/ what bali lover said, cuz i'm pretty sure that will work...wish me luck :-\

[nismostate]

that sucks bro. that happened to me too. i had to drill the hole bigger and helicoiled it. i did this when the motor was out so it was really simple. scary that i had to drill into the block but it worked... good luck with it. just make sure you HAND TIGHT everything before you torque it down. i learned my lesson...

[MainEvent212]

well other guys stripped it initially, bad enough that it felt loose even tho it was already past torque specs (if that makes sense...basically it was all the way in and spinning freely)

i went ahead and made a new banjo bolt out of a longer stainless bolt and some drilling...what do you guys think? will it work?

[MainEvent212]

ok i torqued it down to 20 lb/ft and tried it out. did NOT work! help! i donno what to do...where can i get a helicoil kit for this size? i believe it's M12-1.25

[Silvia007]

You can get a helicoil kit from Checkers or Napa, atleast that's what they are called here. I'm sure a local auto parts store will carry it. One thing, that bolt may be too long and it's hitting something inside the block preventing it to tighten on the banjo fitting.

[pampadori]

the stock banjo bolt has a oil restrictor built into it. without it you risk blowing out the seals in the turbo. i would drill the hole out and tap it the next size up. put a barb fitting in it, then a compression fitting on the rest of the hard line with another barb fitting attachted to the end of the compression fitting and use a couple inches of hose to mate them together.Shaun

[MainEvent212]

hey, do you think there is any way you could send me exact sizes of the thigns i'd need to get...i'm really bad with these things and i'd love to get this taken care of soon...cuz my way didnt work for crap

[BaliLover]

Pampa,

What do you mean the stock banjo bolt has an oil restrictor? My stock bolt just had a hole down the middle and a hole in the side, I drilled those exact size holes into my new bolt and its worked like a champ for more than 6 months now.

Drilling it out is gonna be a PITA, believe me I tried. Getting your drill perfectly straight is very difficult with the engine in the car, then you have to get the tap in totally straight, then the same with the helicoil. I spent about 2 days gathering the equipment I needed to do it (angle drill, drill bit, metric helicoil kit with install tool, etc) and spent quite a bit of money. I could have paid someone else to do it and it would have been cheaper. In the end, it didn't matter because I couldn't get the hole straight enough and got the brilliant idea to just try a longer bolt first, and when I felt that it grabbed hard, thats what I went with. Just made it into a banjo.

[MainEvent212]

well that didnt really work out for me...im' probably gonna go w/ pampadori's advice (cuz he works on SR's for a living as far as i know) JGY customs right?

but yeah, i'd love to talk in depth a little more so i can get a better idea of what i need to buy to get this done right

[BaliLover]

I forgot to ask, did you make sure that your new bolt and the old banjo were the exact same size? Many times there are standard sizes that will fit and thread in, but be just loose enough to not create a seal, I had this happen with my oil pressure gauge.

I may be wrong, but I thought the banjo was an M14 and I played hell finding the right size helicoil kit. I'll see if I can find the kit in my shed tomorrow to be sure.

I know it sounds dumb, but did you put both crush washers back, one in front and one in back of the hardline?

[MainEvent212]

it's M12x1.25

yes i did put both washers back, i even torqued it down properly, im guessing it just didnt create a good seal :-\

i'm gonna tap the hole this weekend hopefully, and then either make a direct stainless line that replaces the hard line, or just do a little adapter piece like pampadori says

[nismostate]

good luck with fixing it. i know how you EXACTLY how you feel. i couldn't sleep for days because of that problem. if none of that work, pull that motor out and helicoil it. i know it's gonna be a pain in the *** but at least your block is not ruined...

[MainEvent212]

well i got an angle drill. so what i might do it helicoil it while still in the car...good idea or no?

i just foudn the angle drill actaully sitting in my tool box, still in the packaging, it's like a 90* attachment...pretty sweet!

i'm sick today tho so i may attempt it tomorrow or later on in the week...i think breaking my car has caused me to get sick

[pampadori]

here is a crappy pic of the banjo bolt with the built in restrictor.

[BaliLover]

Looks just like any other banjo bolt, if it didn't have that hole, oil would have no way to get to the line. Oil flows from the block, through that little hole in the bolt, into the big horizontal hole in the bolt and into the line.

I made my bolt the same way, big hole horizontally, and little hole vertically, I even chamfered my holes just like the stock bolt. I used the same size holes as the factory bolt so I can't see any difference between a bolt that I made and the stock piece, other than I used stainless steel.

[Movingviolation240]

If it's not totally striped try using a little coper permetex when you put it back together. That's what I did when mine kept leaking. Solved the problem and lasted for quite a while.

Paul

[pampadori]

Looks just like any other banjo bolt, if it didn't have that hole, oil would have no way to get to the line. Oil flows from the block, through that little hole in the bolt, into the big horizontal hole in the bolt and into the line.

I made my bolt the same way, big hole horizontally, and little hole vertically, I even chamfered my holes just like the stock bolt. I used the same size holes as the factory bolt so I can't see any difference between a bolt that I made and the stock piece, other than I used stainless steel.

no, the tiny hole that you can just barely make out in the pic. it is the oil restrictor. its about 1 mm diameter. (sorry it is a ****ty picture)

[MainEvent212]

ok UPDATE...i got the helicoil kit but i'm yet to use it

basically, i'm afraid to drill into the engine block for fear of not drilling straight. The engine is IN the car and i really dont have means to remove it :-\

please give me good words of wisdom. i was struck by an idea that maybe i can tap it to repair the threads enough and use a bunch of teflon tape and it'll hold...good idea? bad? maybe someone can help

[BaliLover]

I wish I could offer you some encouragement, but I couldn't get the helicoil kit to work with the engine in the car, I couldn't get a straight enough hole, and using the supplied tap wasn't working too well and just ate up the threads.

If the threads are destroyed, you won't be able to use a tap to repair them as there is no material for it to cut new threads into.

I spent about a week working on mine before making a longer banjo bolt and managing to get it to catch some threads further in.

Needless to say, when I rebuild my spare block, I'm going to have that hole helicoiled before it ever strips in the first place.

I'm probably going to helicoil every hole I THINK there might be a problem with stripping in the future just to be safe.

[MainEvent212]

yeah, i'm thinking there might be enough material left in there to tap...i'm not sure, but either way, it's worth a try right? if not, could i maybe use some high temp JB weld to hold it in there? there are enough threads that i have to screw it in, but it wont tighten past like 10 lb/ft :-\

[nismostate]

If the threads are destroyed, you won't be able to use a tap to repair them as there is no material for it to cut new threads into.

I don't understand what you are saying here. when you drill the hole bigger, you shouldn't have any threads at all. I did this when my motor was out of the car so it was a lot easier.

1. drill the hole bigger. the helicoil kit should tell you the proper bit to use.2. tap the hole. be sure not to tap the whole thing at once. start off easy with tapping the beginning thread. when the start off thread is made, continue tapping by making 1/2 - 1 full turn, then back it out. repeat this until it's fully tapped. you want to be sure that the metal shavings do not fall into the block. i placed a cotton ball inside to catch most of it. 3. use the helicoil tool to insert the helicoil.4. there will be a little piece that's on the helicoil that you'll have to snip off. with the motor in the car, i would think it'll be a pain in the as$ but should be do able. your done if you reach step 4. hope this helps out.

hint: when your half way through with tapping the whole thing, back it in and out to make sure it's smooth. the MOST important part is just tapping the beginning thread. DO NOT f*ck this part up or youll be in bigger trouble. just be sure the tap is straight before you start tapping the beginning thread. after the first few threads are done, it should be a piece a cake from there. Good LUCK!

[MainEvent212]

thanks man, i'm pretty sure i can handle the tapping part, i did it on my turbo housing and it was a piece of cake...it just tapped straight in with no effort at all...this drilling into the block is what scares me

people tell me i wont be able to drill it straight...i say since the hole is already there and isnt much smaller then the bit i'm gonna use, it should pilot itself right in...is this true? the tapping part will be cake, thanks for the tips on keeping the metal out, i also got a magnet pen to use to fish out extra shavings

[BaliLover]

Even with the existing hole, you will still have a tendency to angle the bit ever so slightly and drill an angled hole. Its very difficuly to drill straight in such a tight area.

Oh, as for the magnet pen, your block is Aluminum, which is NON-magnetic. I would suggest keeping ALOT of oil on the drill bit and tap so that the shavings stick to it. Just keep pulling it out alot and wiping them off and reoiling it.

[MainEvent212]

d'oh...is there a smiley for that? oh

i completely forgot that aluminum is non magnetic...i am such a dope

EDIT:

1. how important is it to have it DEAD ON STRAIGHT? i figure if it's off a little it's ok...that's what the crush washer is for right?

2. i got a solution instead...SHOP VAC

[MainEvent212]

once again foiled, drill wouldnt fit up in there, angle attachment still wont let it get up in there, the bit is too long...i was comparing the tap from my helicoil kit and the banjo bolt and it hit me...these bolts are nearly the same size!

M12=.476000 something inches

31/64 (size for the tap i'm pretty sure)=.484365

could i tap it w/o drilling since it's pretty well stripped? what if i purposely strip it more? lol

if i go slow w/ lots of lube (snicker) would it be possible to sucessfully tap this hole (snicker x2) w/o drilling?

[BaliLover]

I suppose it would be possible as long as the new banjo bolt will fit through your line, and its big enough so that when you clean out all the old threads and tap the hole, its able to catch tightly.

You realize that if you pull the engine, you'd probably be done quicker than with all this fighting, and at least then the threads in the hole would be the same as stock.