legacycentral bbs

Ok, so exactly what is involved in doing this T-Bird hybrid turbo deal?
I was thinkin about it and want to make sure I know what I'm getting myself into...

Ok, I was going to start a new thread for this but you beat me to it.

First you need a turbo off of an 87 or 88 T-bird. Easy way to tell if it's the right car is the two recessed hood scoops. The turbo will say IHI on it.

Next, take the compressor housing off and check the wheel for damage (bent fins or ground against the housing)
Take the exhaust housing off. The four bolts are a real pain USE A TORCH or you will break them. I used a hammer to tap on the wrench, once it gives tighten it back then work it back and forward untill it is loose. Then you have to tap and pry the center section off the exhaust.
Take the compressor wheel off. IT IS REVERSE THREAD, by putting a socket on the exhaust side and unscrewing the nut on top of the compressor. Twist and pull the wheel off. Pull the shaft out from the exhaust side.

Do this to both turbos and then look at the bearind the compressor wheel sits on. I have had four IHI's apart, and some have a tall one (it sits the wheel up off the center section) some have a short one. It is pretty hard not to see it if you are looking. If they are the same skip ahead. If not:
Use a sharp torqux driver to take out the three screws (try tapping on top of the screwdriver first) Then twist and pull out the bearing housing.
Clean and
Put a little high temp RTV on and put it in the other center section.
If you want put them both back together (EBAY here I come; Hybrid IHI Good To 20psi, good for 1.6 honda VETEC. )
It all goes back together in reverse. Use a little of that high temp on the outside of the compressor housing where it meets the center section.(after you get it clocked and test fit in the car)You will need to redrill some of the holes in the wastegate actuator, depending on how you clock the turbo, and redrill the inlet pipe flange.
Now my being a machinist when it was too long (the inlet ran into the intake manifold) I just milled down the front of the compressor housing, NICO was able to pull the up-pipe back away from the engine.

Some of the bolts are hell but let me say that there is nothing mistical inside a turbo, in fact they are pretty simple. Just take it slow and use two boxes so you know what is off what. This will work with any RHB5 I have seen, my Legacy compressor is on the T-bird center with my GL-10 exhaust on a buddy's turbo'd Rabbit.

Ok, so in your opinion, is this something that can be done with normal tools(I can already see one thing I'll need to buy, a torch), and keep in mind I don't have access to a drill press or any kind of machining tools.

Also, so far as I can tell from other posts, the compressor will be too long and not leave enough clearance near the intake manifold, how hard is it to move the up-pipe back to change the turbo's location. Will the oil lines still match up?

*cough*cough*buymyturbos*cough*cough*

NICO will have to answer the up-pipe question. A propane torch is pretty cheap and you could use a hand drill for the inlet pipe flange. It lined up well clocked straight to the drivers side. If you plan on aiming the outlet much different it won't work. The bolt holes are just closer together now. I used a 17, 13, 8mm, hammer, small prybar, torqux driver, spanner wrench, and the torch. Just be real carefull with the torqux screws, they are easy to strip.

JasonGrahn wrote:*cough*cough*buymyturbos*cough*cough*

Someone buy Jason's turbo. He needs money to feed his car

Legacy777 you are going to need one for your turbo swap right??? I'm sure we could find you all the parts for the swap. And you have a car worth doing a swap, most I would tell to just find a turbo car.

ok ok K got the wording better then me but u dont need to get ur exhusted side off to take the turbine fan in the front. use a rag or get needle nose pliers wit a bend on them. but use the rag and put them in between the fan blades wit the rag. and get the wrench and spin i forget what way cuz i think its back words. but any ways it will take u 3hrs to do this swap if u lived near me i would do it 4 u 4 free

-K- wrote:Legacy777 you are going to need one for your turbo swap right??? I'm sure we could find you all the parts for the swap. And you have a car worth doing a swap, most I would tell to just find a turbo car.

Yeah I'll need a turbo possibly....but that's too far ahead right now......I've got an initial plan in my head.......we'll see what happens

If you have the same size bearing that I talked about (that the compressor wheel rides on) you won't have to mess with the hot side. I think NICO did it with the turbo still in, save some time that way. If you have to change that bearing it would be better to take the turbo off the car.

k ur wright if u got to change the bearing cuz it worn then u got to take it out. if u whant to change the fan & the housing in the front to the IHI WARNER ISH turbo just get the rag and 90degre needle nose pliers & spin the nut off. for the bracket just get a chizzle and notch a U in the plate that holds the turbo to the head and dont put the bolt back in where it mounts to the tranny so it can move back a bit then ur done T3 T4 power done in 3hrs & $50 bucks spent 4 the turbo not a bad up grade MAD TOP END POWER wit low END SPOOL UP.

Well it doesn't have the power of a T3 but it is real good upgrade.

Curious, what's the trim of the compressor wheels, our stocker compared to the t-birds'?

-mike

87-88 T-bird... the T3? lol... thats what I had on my late Saturn. Its a small world. Wish I was able to salvage the turbo. Guess its back to the junkyards...

Wait... RHB5? What kind of turbo is on the T-birds you refer to? I'm confused. Just wondering what kind of compressor map to look for. Or is RHB5 another part of the VF-11's model name?

OK, OK, I think I'm starting to understand here...

I have a question though, is a T3 a T3 no matter who makes it? Or is the Garrett T3 different from the IHI T3 somehow? Because if they're the same, then Saab 900's and Volvo 740's are an additional source, since they came with Garrett T3 turbos. The 87-88 T-bird apparently came with an IHI T3 turbo. Will a Garrett not hybrid/mate up with our IHI VF-11?

What other cars came with the IHI T3 turbo?

There's no IHI T3.

The Thunderbird turbos we're referring to are in the RHB5/RHB52 family. They were sold in the US under the name "Warner-Ishi" rather than "IHI" to help avoid problems with xenophobia. Later Thunderbirds use Garrett T3s.

I see... turbo model names have often confused me. Now when searching a junkyard for one of these things, its still important to check for shaft play and how easily it turns before deciding to get it, correct?

And I'm looking for a Warner-Ishi RHB5 or RHB52?

(garrett T3s will not work, obviously...)

I don't know how important play is... If you're using your stock turbo's bearings I wouldn't think the T-bird turbo's bearings' condition would matter. If it were me, I'd try to use brand new bearings anyway, since you're tearing down a high-mileage turbo.

Yeah, you're looking for a Warner-Ishi or IHI turbo from a Thunderbird. They used them in the late 80s, but I don't know exactly what years. I've heard various ranges from '87 through '89.

'k, anyone have one of these specific RHB5 turbos to read me a number off of? I can get one, not sure what car its from, but I have info:

Turbo Spec: VA59B9712
Serial No: RHB5 20132X
Parts No. 17770549F

.....is this the correct turbo to hybrid with for maximum happiness for my dollar? (as it were?)

and where's the best place to get new bearings? (never been inside a turbo before... are they a function of the exhaust side? So I'd need to get a set of bearings for an IHI VF-11 from where, Autozone? Please don't say Subaru dealer... lol)

I think all RHB5 and RHB52 bearings are the same. What you'd need would be an IHI RHB5/RHB52 repair/rebuild kit, which would include new bearings and seals and whatnot. They pop up on eBay every so often. You can also buy them online from places like TurboCity.com.

You also might consider having the wheels rebalanced; it's fairly cheap and could be good insurance. Some places that sell rebuild kits also offer a rebalancing service.

I dunno about the part numbers...

Just so we have a point of reference, by the way, Mazda MX-6 2.2L's with the RHB5 turbo have the following information:

Turbo Spec: VJ11; Serial No: RHB5 06469A; Parts No: F220 B



And as for balancing the wheels, would I have to wait until I actually had assembled the hybrid turbo and then bring it somewhere? Or take the wheels somewhere and have them balanced separately (turbine wheel from the VF-11, compressor wheel from the RHB5)? Forgive the ignorance

I think you send them the compressor and turbine wheels and the shaft that goes between them, and they send them back to you cleaned and balanced with marks on them that you have to line up when you assemble the whole turbo. I've never rebuilt a turbo myself though, so I'm not speaking from experience.

626 Turbos had the same turbo too.

Damn RHB5 turbos are everywhere. We need a trim specification for the t-bird's turbo dag nabbit. If I manage to find an actual 87-88 t-bird at a junkyard with a turbo still in the sumbitch I'll post that information so's later Legacy modders can find one on eBay

So since I'd be using the compressor side of an RHB5, I would need an RHB5 rebuild kit to properly recondition the turbo for maximum reliability before use - not a VF-11 rebuild kit? Not both? What's in a rebuild kit... bearings, seals, new bolts?

I'm just full of questions today.

Realize that both our stock turbos and the T-bird stock turbos are RHB5s.

The VF-whatever numbers are different types of RHB5s.

I don't know exactly what's in the rebuild kit, but I'd expect bearings, seals, clips, and maybe new threaded fasteners.

OHHHH!

that was confusing the hell out of me the entire time. They're BOTH rhb5's. OK.

......Trim trim trim trim trim trim trim trim