Trouble seating turbos

[Chadwic]

Hey all,
I might be paranoid about this, but I'm seating these turbos for a second time because the drivers side drain didn't seat properly the first time due to a poorly made pipe. I didn't catch it the first time, and had a giant oil spill when I fired the truck up.

Well, now I can't seem to get the passenger side to seat down all the way. It's got a concerning amount of gap between the turbo and the drain. I've tried tightening down the mounts to seat it, wiggling it down, setting a 2x4 on the turbo and tapping with a 3lb mallet... nothing makes it go down. The turbos are stock replacements, with the pegs aligned, sitting flush metal to metal.

Anyone had issues with this before?

 

[Racer71]

Can you see the other side? I had one roll the opposite side out, luckily I caught it but had to replace the drain as it was messed. I used a bore scope iirc to see back there.

 

[Chadwic]

Can you see the other side? I had one roll the opposite side out, luckily I caught it but had to replace the drain as it was messed. I used a bore scope iirc to see back there.

Do you mean the other side of this drain, or the other drain pipe? I can't see the other side of this drain, no. The driver's side turbo drain is sealed properly though, which is why this one is driving me mad. I don't want to call my friend over a third time to set these turbos if I don't have to, and I can't see anything it's caught on, but I really don't see other options at this point. The gasket clearly isn't sealed and won't seal as it sits, but I can't figure out why for the life of me and it's driving me nuts when I can see that everything is lined up right and it SHOULD SEAL DANGIT.

 

[webb06]

Do you mean the other side of this drain, or the other drain pipe? I can't see the other side of this drain, no. The driver's side turbo drain is sealed properly though, which is why this one is driving me mad. I don't want to call my friend over a third time to set these turbos if I don't have to, and I can't see anything it's caught on, but I really don't see other options at this point. The gasket clearly isn't sealed and won't seal as it sits, but I can't figure out why for the life of me and it's driving me nuts when I can see that everything is lined up right and it SHOULD SEAL DANGIT.

Do you have the turbos bolted together at the mating flange? I’ve had trouble trying to get everything seated if they’re bolted together.


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[DEEZUZ]

I toss bolts in to draw them together and to set them in so they don't pull apart. The key is not too tight. You should just be able to rotate the circular gasket with your finger or a pick with the bolts in. This will keep them tight enough to not wiggle apart but loose enough to seat.

I have a issue seating on the driver side drain. Usually have to put a pry bar in between the drain and turbo housing and gently pry til it drops.

Also make sure that drain tube is not tight on the stud. Leave the nut a little loose

 

[Chadwic]

Do you have the turbos bolted together at the mating flange? I’ve had trouble trying to get everything seated if they’re bolted together.


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I've tried messing with it both bolted and unbolted. Didn't seem to make a difference on getting it to seat properly.

 

[Chadwic]

I toss bolts in to draw them together and to set them in so they don't pull apart. The key is not too tight. You should just be able to rotate the circular gasket with your finger or a pick with the bolts in. This will keep them tight enough to not wiggle apart but loose enough to seat.

I have a issue seating on the driver side drain. Usually have to put a pry bar in between the drain and turbo housing and gently pry til it drops.

Also make sure that drain tube is not tight on the stud. Leave the nut a little loose

Thanks for the info

 

[MS1]

I PUSHED THE RUBBER DRAIN INTO THE TURBO BEFORE SETTING THEM, then used a Shop Crane I got for $250 from Harbor Freight to set it. Doing it alone, it was well worth the money:

PITTSBURGH AUTOMOTIVE
2 Ton Capacity Foldable Shop Crane

Just my $0.02 (Hope you got it regardless of technique)

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