Turbo Gaskets - fitting step by step...

[Aitch]

As there are so many threads on this at the moment, I've started a step by step guide here, with pictures, and will update it as I progress with the job.

Please feel free to add any useful information and correct me where I inevitably get it wrong and call things by the wrong name etc...

I've tried to make it simple enough for an idiot to follow, seeing as it's an idiot doing the job .

This is for an S14 - the S14a will be slightly different

1) Remove the bracket holding the lambda sensor connections (12mm socket required- 2 bolts) to enable easier access to the manifold heat shield



2) Remove breather pipe from top of engine cover to turbo (pliers required)



3) Remove heat shield (10mm socket required - 5 bolts, 4 on the top, one on the side - usually rusty so spray with penetrating oil). No pic as mine was already removed

4) Remove hotpipe (8mm socket required for jubilee clips either end)



5) Remove pipes from solenoid and detach solenoid from the suspension turret (10mm socket required for 2 bolts) for easy access to things later on

[Aitch]

Removing the dipstick at this point will make life slightly easier.

6) Remove the air-filter pipework and filter (8mm socket required for jubilee clips)



7) Remove elbow going into the turbo (10mm socket required - 3 bolts)



8) Unplug lambda plug



Your manifold and bolts should now be exposed like this...



...and you should be building up a workbench full of parts like this...

[Aitch]

And working in such confined spaces, your hands and knuckles will likely start to look like this...





More to follow tomorrow evening...

[Andy]

Supurb effort, keep up the good work Aitch

[dan e]

So I'm not the only one with manifold studs that like to disappear.

[Aitch]

Just a bit more before I retire for the evening...

9) You can start to undo the manifold-head nuts (14mm). The top ones (pictured) can be easily acessed with a spanner



These NEED to be sprayed with penetrating oil, and then sprayed some more as, if they have never been undone, they WILL be incredibly tight and likely to snap (as proven by the one on the left of the picture, or lack of one . As for the nuts underneath the manifold branches, I will post my findings on the tool required when I get to them

You will also need to jack the car up and place on axle stands in order to crawl underneath it to undo the turbo-elbow to downpipe nuts (a bitch of a job and lots of penetrating oil and brute force required, although not too much - they will snap if not careful) and oil return pipe - pictures to follow in my next update .

[Aitch]

So I'm not the only one with manifold studs that like to disappear.

You don't need all of them 7 out of 8 do the job just fine

[Aitch]

A guide to the gaskets...

The red arrow points to the turbo to manifold gasket.

The green arrow points in the direction of the turbo to elbow gasket.

And the blue one points at the heat shield that is incredibly difficult to remove in situe

[SM]

Good work Aitch, I couldnt borrow a camera when I did mine a couple of weeks ago, a well needed a well overdue how-to.

Instead of removing the dipstick, unbolt it, and move it leftwards. You will need to anyway to get better access to the manifold bolt bottom far left, and not catching the water pipes around it as you remove the manifold.

Dont forget to drain the Rad, I always forget and then p1ss coolant everywhere when removing the water feed

I hope you get your how-to all at the begining of this thread to make it easy for future, and ask that people dont spam it until finished at least otherwise it will be hard for others to print-off and follow.

[Aitch]

Instead of removing the dipstick, unbolt it, and move it leftwards. You will need to anyway to get better access to the manifold bolt bottom far left, and not catching the water pipes around it as you remove the manifold.

Dont forget to drain the Rad, I always forget and then p1ss coolant everywhere when removing the water feed

Give me a chance - I was just coming to the moving of the dipstick tube

I don't bother draining the rad - there isn't too much coolant that comes out . But I shall include it anyway .

[Richy_Boy]

Nice one Aitch.. if you complete the job before Saturday, that'll be great

Can a mod delete all post (not useful [like mine]) afterwards and add this as a sticky? I can't believe this hasn't been done before. NEW FORUM RULE: Any work you do on your 200sx, take pictures and create a quick how to!!

Rich

[cHiL]

Nice work Aitch, it's about time we had a 'how to' for this

[Aitch]

Thieving gypsy bastards at Nissan want £79 for the gasket set these days

Nissan in Stoke were incredibly helpful though

[xR33]

*Remember to drain the radiator AWAY from the place you're shortly going to be lying*

[BreadBin]

White ones seem to rust more....
edit - Sorry meant to add - Good work Aitch

[cHiL]

Thieving gypsy bastards at Nissan want £79 for the gasket set these days

Nissan in Stoke were incredibly helpful though

How come you didn't just ask for the turbo gasket alone then? Thats what I did, £12.24 + vat I changed mine last night with a f*ck load of help and workshop space courtesy of TurblowS14 Actually I might as well say he did it virtually all himself

[Aitch]

How come you didn't just ask for the turbo gasket alone then?

I was going to, but I'm also going to be changing the water and oil feeds as well so I wanted some more copper banjos to be on the safe side in case I knacker a couple. And it won't do any harm to replace all the gaskets

[Aitch]

Back on topic...

Jack up the car and securely place an axle stand underneath it to enable you to get to the oil return feed (8mm socket on a wire clip arrangement)...



...and the elbow to downpipe nuts (3x14mm - long-reach socket required)



At this point on the S14 it gets tricky - the removal of the EGR pipe. Remove the breather pipe (pliers) arrowed in blue first. A spanner (22mm??) is virtually impossible to get on to the nut and it will undoubtably be siezed anyway, so the best way to remove it (and this seems brutal and is un-nerving to watch someone do it to your car ) is with a wide, sharp chisel and a very sturdy hammer and twat away at it where the pipe meets the manifold (arrowed in red (almost))



Undo the water feed pipe (red arrow - 19mm socket) and the dipstick tube (blue arrow - 10mm socket) and bend it out of the way



Remove the elbow from the front of the turbo (2x12mm socket)

[Aitch]

Undo the other water feed (19mm socket) and oil feed (17mm socket)



Now you can undo the 14mm nuts on the manifold studs - the top four can be undone with a spanner and the ones on the underside can be reached with a socket and long extension.

You are now ready to lift out the manifold and turbo as one complete unit. If there are two of you, one person should be under the car guiding off the downpipe from the elbow. If you are on your own then a bar can be wedged across the top of the exhaust. Be warned, it is a tight fit and knuckles will be skinned . Removing it once the downpipe is off is a case of twisting and lifting.

Once it's out, your workbench will now look like this...



...and your engine bay will look like this...



Close up of the gasket in situe...



And from the the other side with the heatshield below that needs to be removed (5x10mm bolts - rusty!!!)



Timescale so far, with work undertaken by one person, without EGR removal, but with pissing about taking pictures and making notes - two and a half hours

More to follow tomorrow night - I need beer now

[Draven]

when are you likely to be doing the gasket change and re-fit?

let us know and i'll pop down and lend a hand

still applying germoline from doing mine last saturday