LB7: turbo rebuild DIY?

[Kspen90]

I have a few questions im hoping someone can answer for me.
1. Is shaft play a result of worn bearings and can it be corrected by rebuilding the turbo?
2. How hard is it to rebuild a turbo? Is it something that someone with good mechanical skills do without any special tools?
3. Is there anything to be gained by machining and polishing the compressor and exhaust housings of a stock IHI turbo?

Thatnks in advance.

 

[JoshH]

I have a few questions im hoping someone can answer for me.
1. Is shaft play a result of worn bearings and can it be corrected by rebuilding the turbo?
2. How hard is it to rebuild a turbo? Is it something that someone with good mechanical skills do without any special tools?
3. Is there anything to be gained by machining and polishing the compressor and exhaust housings of a stock IHI turbo?

Thatnks in advance.

1. Yes, excessive shaft play is caused by worn/damaged bearing, but some shaft play is normal on all journal bearing turbos. Radial play (up/down as you look at the compressor wheel) is anyway. You want virtually no axial play (forward/backward as you look at the compressor wheel).

2. I have never rebuilt a turbo. I have changed compressor wheels before, and that isn't difficult. From what I have read, rebuilding a turbo isn't much more involved than that.

3. I don't think there is any machining you can do to the compressor or exhaust housing unless you are changing a wheel or enlarging the wastegate port/puck. I doubt you would notice a huge increase from polishing them either (especially doubt you would see anything from polishing the exhaust housing), but if you have them apart and have the time and know-how, you won't hurt anything by doing it. If you're talking about polishing the outside, you will see no gains from that.

 

[baggedLB7]

sUB