Let's talk turbo gastkets

[huguetpj]

What are you people using? Or should I say are you using? Where can I get some?

My main problem lies between the mani and turbo, and turbo and downpipe. I definetely need to change my bolts to a higher grade on both flanges cause they keep coming off but I keep burning up gaskets, mostly due to the screws problems.

By the way I have a T3/T4 turbo, standard mani flange, 5 bolt downpipe flange.

[node]

Go get a 300zx VG30 gasket from nissan. You could also go buy this stuff called COPPER888 at the autoparts place. That is some tough goop. It held up on my CT26 turbo mani and that thing would glow a nice deep red at night when I fishinsed one of my mountain runs!

Good luck

[erich]

I made my own :-)Went to the local electronics surplus place and picked up some PC board material. I peeled the copper foil off and cut out some gaskets. Works great.

[andrave]

they make that diy gasket stuff...I've heard both good and bad things about it.

[C-Kwik]

As long as it's soft enough to allow a good seal and can withstand the heat of a turbo, then it should work. I use a stainless steel gasket. But a good old graphite impregnated metal backed gasket would do fine. If the nuts and bolts of the turbo are coming loose though, it's easy to blow a gasket that is not fully metallic. Higher grade bolts won't solve your problem. It would be different if the bolts were snapping, then maybe stronger hardware might help. What you need is a way to lock the nuts/bolts. I prefer using studs. Torqued into place, they rarely come off. Then use mechanical lock nuts(nuts that are compressed at the top slightly) to clamp the turbo to the manifold. If your manifold uses the same thread pitch and size as the exhaust mani to head bolts, then you can just buy some nuts for the head to mani studs. They are mechanical locknuts. I use them on mine and since I have, they have not come loose once. If you are limited to using bolts, then try using some safety wire.My wastegate is held on by socket head bolts. There's not enough room for a stud/mechanical locknut set up. I drilled a hole through the head of each bolt across the axis of the bolt and I run safety wire through them. I've had no exhaust leaks since.

[WDRacing]

Why not use aircraft hardware with safety wire holes?? Thats what I'll most likely be using here shortly.

[huguetpj]

Higher grade bolts won't solve your problem.

Actually that's what I did with the wastegate to mani bolts and it worked. My theory is that softer grade bolts tend to expand more under heat thus separating the nuts from the surface and loosening them. I am however using studs everywhere else, but I'm not sure of their grade.

Quote »Then use mechanical lock nuts(nuts that are compressed at the top slightly) to clamp the turbo to the manifold. [/quote]Can somebody please take a pic of this mechanical lock nuts I keep hearing about? I'm pretty sure I understand what they are but I'm having a bit of trouble communicating my desires to the local hardware store... language barriers :rolleyes

Thanks to everyone who responded to the gasket thing. I'm probably gonna have some metallic ringed gaskets made... had them made for the turbo/downpipe, mid downpipe and cat flanges and they worked great until the bolts came loose. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't using gaskets where I shouldnt.

And node, yep that Copper 888 stuff is great for sealing but I keep burning it off... probably cause of the bolt stuff, probably cause I'm running a bit lean and my temps ain't pretty.

So I'm probably hacing bolt issues, not gasket issues.

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

[C-Kwik]

Why not use aircraft hardware with safety wire holes?? Thats what I'll most likely be using here shortly.

Didn't exactly have them handy, but I did have a drill press and enough crap in the garage to construct a jig to hold the bolts while I drilled them.

[C-Kwik]

Actually that's what I did with the wastegate to mani bolts and it worked. My theory is that softer grade bolts tend to expand more under heat thus separating the nuts from the surface and loosening them. I am however using studs everywhere else, but I'm not sure of their grade.



Can somebody please take a pic of this mechanical lock nuts I keep hearing about? I'm pretty sure I understand what they are but I'm having a bit of trouble communicating my desires to the local hardware store... language barriers :rolleyes

Thanks to everyone who responded to the gasket thing. I'm probably gonna have some metallic ringed gaskets made... had them made for the turbo/downpipe, mid downpipe and cat flanges and they worked great until the bolts came loose. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't using gaskets where I shouldnt.

And node, yep that Copper 888 stuff is great for sealing but I keep burning it off... probably cause of the bolt stuff, probably cause I'm running a bit lean and my temps ain't pretty.

So I'm probably hacing bolt issues, not gasket issues.

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

The heat is usually high enough to loosen high grade bolts as well. I tried them with no luck. Serrated washers helped, but those eventually got loose too.

Look at your stock exhaust manifold nuts. If you look at the tapered end, you'll notice three sides of the top of the nut are slightly compressed. You'll see a slight indentation where the machine pushed in. If you look at one that isn't installed, the hole on top will appear slightly irregular in shape rather than perfectly round.

[huguetpj]

That's what I though they where. I'll see what I can find. Thanks C-kwik