Turbo Manifold Removal

[ca18detizzle]

So I forgot to replace my gasket for my exhaust manifold to my turbo. So I have to do it while it's in the car now. I have one question. How do I remove it? I have all the bolts from the manifold out, the oil / water lines out. It's loose and ready to come out, BUT it is hitting the steering and won't come out. I was wondering how you guys remove it when it's in the car. Thanks. Any advice would help.

[float_6969]

You've got to remove the O2 pipe/Downpipe. Take the 3 bolts out of the downpipe flange and it should come out.

[ca18detizzle]

yeah see, well i already unbolted the dp to the turbo elbow. seemed like the turbo elbow would clear. so are just checking, i should removed that turbo elbow and it should be fine? thanks for the response

[float_6969]

What about marking the steering shaft knuckle and removing it so you've got more room. There are just 2 bolts on there, and you loosen them up. Then pry the metal parts out a little bit and it should slide up the steering shaft and allow the shaft to move out of the way of the turbo.

[ca18detizzle]

Yeah I was just going to do that. I was hoping there would be another way, but I guess not. Thanks for the help. I appreciate it. Just making sure I'm doing it right.

[progman]

How did you get to the two bolts on the bottem near the back of the engine on the exhaust manifold? I looked at this and they look difficult to get at. Just looking for some tips. Thanks
Modified by progman at 11:01 AM 12/30/2006

[ca18detizzle]

it is difficult but you can get to them using a 14mm wrench.

[float_6969]

A set of ratchet wrenches will make the job 10 times easier as well...

[ca18detpowered]

i find getting under the car from the front end, with your head facing toward the rear end, once you get under its pretty easy to get the right angle for those nuts.....

[Bwana]

I put it up on the lift and...

[ca18detpowered]

i have no lift

[ca18hatch]

I just did this yesterday...Take the dump pipe off to create more room and use a 14mm box end wrench. Its tedious but doable. By the way, I would also STRONGLY recommend ratcheting wrenches as well.

[progman]

Saterday I removed the stock manifold and put on a ssac manifold. I bought the manifold and dump pipe (I just wanted the dump pipe but for $50 bucks more I go the manifold too) as a kit. I put on just the dump pipe and the spacing was way off the down pipe was hitting the frame (couldn't hook it up). So I decided to put the manifold on because I read that it would fix the spacing. After I got the old one off I put the new one on and it fit completly different. The turbo barly cleared the engine mount (KA mounts) (I had to actually bend a peice of metal down that was sticking up off the mount) the turbo now sits closer to the engine and about 3-4cm lower. I bent the two water lines to make them fit and I was abe to bend the oil feed line. The oil return was way too long (I thought this would be ok and I *made* it fit.... The rubber near the oil pan was kinked and when I started the car my oil came out of the oil return to turbo joint.) So I cut an inch off the return line and put a piece of rubber on it was clamps. After I got that back in place (PITA) I was able to drive it again.

I don't know why, maybe one of you can fill me in. But after I did all this. I boost up to 12 and in 4th and 5th gear I can go more. In 5th gear I was pushing 16 pounds of boost steady. I don't have a boost controler and it almost never went past 10 pounds before. Only in 5th gear it goes to 12 for a second sometimes before I put this manifold on.

I recomend racketing wrentches for the manifold removal as well

[float_6969]

Ah the beauty of higher flow on a small turbo.

With the removal of the horrendously restrictive stock O2 and adding the high flowing manifold you are now overwhelming the stock internal wastegate. The higher the gear you are in, the higher the load on the motor. The greater the load, the greater the volume of gas being pumped into the turbo becomes. If the wastegate is wide open and you're pumping more gas into the turbo than what the wastegate can bypass, then the turbo is going to spin faster and create more boost. More boost means more air into the motor, which means more air coming out of the motor which means more boost, ect. This will continue until it reaches and equilibrium and the boost will settle out at a fairly constant level. The reason that it settles out is because as this cycle is happening the pressure inside the manifold is increasing with the greater volume of gas being pumped into it from the engine. As pressure increases, the flow of the wastegate is increased. When the pressure inside the manifold/turbo is great enough that the wastegate is able to move enough gas to keep the turbo from spinning faster, then the boost settles out.

All of this is accentuated by the fact that now with the free flowing exhaust you have a greater volume of gas that you are able to move through the turbo.

What supporting intercooling and fuel mods do you have done? If you're running 16psi on the stock sidemount and 370cc injectors, you might want to look at boring out the stock wastegate opening to increase flow so that you aren't running so much boost.