FAQ  :   Turbo Swap Guide

Organization!!!  –  This is the key to making installation of the turbos as headache free as possible.  Keep all parts in an isolated area of the garage so everything can be found easily.  More importantly, it’s a very good idea to extensively organize all the nuts, bolts, washers, etc.  For the front and rear turbos, use a 3x5 card and neatly line up ~all~ the related bolts, eye bolts, washers, etc., and put abbreviated labels next to everything.  I also used another 3x5 card for other miscellaneous small parts.  You might not be reusing all these things, but you will probably refer to it often when you get ready to put the new turbos in.

Put bolts in their places!  –  This is a simple tip which for some reason is not followed by everyone.  Whenever possible, after removing something from the car, take the bolts-washers-nuts, etc., which held it on and screw them in where they were originally threaded.  This might not always be possible (they might be in the way of removing some other part), but it is much better than throwing all the bolts/washers/nuts in a plastic cup (or on the floor) and spending hours later trying to find the one you need.  And whenever this is not possible, put them into a small sealable plastic baggie along with an appropriately labeled 3x5 card.

Use Liquid Wrench!  –  The night before you’ll actually be removing the turbos themselves, douse all the nuts and bolts with Liquid Wrench.  This will make them much easier to remove and reduce the likelihood of breaking them during removal.

Cover up them holes!  –  Make sure that you have a pile of rags handy to cover up all holes in which dropping a small part into the hole would be a bad thing.  During the course of a turbo swap, many of these holes will pop up.  One of them (and probably the most critical) is the set of 6 holes which go into the intake manifold; these are exposed after removing the intake plenum.  Fold a shop rag over a couple times, and lay it across these 6 holes.  A few other holes you’ll want to cover up: various IC hoses;  rear turbo outlet;  rear exhaust manifold (after turbo removed).

Support that fuel rail!  –  After you remove the intake plenum, the fuel rail (actually the rail for the fuel injector connectors) will be hanging suspended over the holes into the intake manifold (which should be covered up with a rag, right?!).  I found myself accidentally leaning on this with my hand on occasion, so I figured out a way to support this rail.  Take a cardboard center from a used paper towel roll, and flatten it slightly.  Place it below the plastic rail piece and use a few zipties to keep it in place securely.  This will support the rail when you set your hand on it.

Towel Magic!  –  After you have mounted up your new turbo and you begin to connect the fuel/oil lines, the dexterity of your fingers will surely be tested as you attempt to thread in bolts (sometimes blindly) along with washers (or gasket) without dropping anything.  The coolant lines and the rear oil return line are the big trouble-makers.  Dropping something while doing the front turbo is usually not a big deal since you won’t have any trouble finding it, but on the rear turbo it can become a major problem, especially if the part somehow makes its way into the exhaust manifold. 

So here’s how I made the job a bit easier for the rear turbo:  I took an old bath towel and did my best job to "blanket" the entire area which lay below the exhaust manifold.  The towel wrapped tightly around the hole into the exhaust manifold and was pulled up loosely towards the sides.  I also had to leave a crack which I used to pre-setup the oil return line (which you don’t want to bolt to the oil pan yet!).  So basically, if you looked at the rear of my engine, you saw only a pink blanket with the exhaust manifold and oil return line peeking through, ready for the turbo to be bolted up.  If and when you drop an oil return line bolt or coolant line washer, it will be within easy reach rather than down in the dark recesses of the engine bay or stuck in your exhaust manifold.