088 ATS turbo cleaning

[Jonnyboy0859]

I picked up a 088 ATS turbo kit for my 1990 7.3idi truck and I’ve got everything cleaned except the turbo itself. This kit was definitely used for a while and has plenty of carbon buildup and then sat for a good bit and has some dust on it too.
I don’t want to put the kit in as is because I don’t wanna destroy everything obviously. I will eventually send it off to Russ for a rebuild and upgrade but that’ll be like 2yrs from now so for the meantime, where can I find instruction on how to take it apart and then reassemble it? I haven’t done this before but since owning the truck, I’ve done a lot of firsts so what’s one more. Any information would help.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

I doubt the compressor(cold side) needs cleaning. Only oil might get into that, alcohol or brake cleaner there.
If the turbo spins freely and doesn't have too much play then the best way to clean the exhaust side is to mount it and drive the hell out of it!


That said, it was my experience(and I've read about it MANY times here) that just about all used turbos are already spent and need a rebuild.

If you want to take the housings off you just need to mark them for re-assembly(I like scratching the housings since cleaners will take off paint marks). There is usually an o-ring under the compressor housing so don't twist it much, it can rip. It's not real hard to re-clock the housings if you get them wrong, but marking them is way easier. I have a sore spot cause my first turbo install I goofed up the intake clock TWICE but only realized it after I'd tightened down the turbo hold down bolts, which for an 093 are a real PITA and I hated doing it once, let alone 3 times!

Beyond that there isn't much to do: the center housing rotating assembly(CHRA) is a balanced setup and should not be disassembled unless you have a rebuild kit handy and a way to re-balance it(turbo shop).

 

[Jonnyboy0859]

I doubt the compressor(cold side) needs cleaning. Only oil might get into that, alcohol or brake cleaner there.
If the turbo spins freely and doesn't have too much play then the best way to clean the exhaust side is to mount it and drive the hell out of it!


That said, it was my experience(and I've read about it MANY times here) that just about all used turbos are already spent and need a rebuild.

If you want to take the housings off you just need to mark them for re-assembly(I like scratching the housings since cleaners will take off paint marks). There is usually an o-ring under the compressor housing so don't twist it much, it can rip. It's not real hard to re-clock the housings if you get them wrong, but marking them is way easier. I have a sore spot cause my first turbo install I goofed up the intake clock TWICE but only realized it after I'd tightened down the turbo hold down bolts, which for an 093 are a real PITA and I hated doing it once, let alone 3 times!

Beyond that there isn't much to do: the center housing rotating assembly(CHRA) is a balanced setup and should not be disassembled unless you have a rebuild kit handy and a way to re-balance it(turbo shop).

How does one go about clocking the turbo correctly? I had marked it before taking it apart but as you said, the marks came right off while cleaning.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

That said, it was my experience(and I've read about it MANY times here) that just about all used turbos are already spent and need a rebuild.

I agree. I did find one of the RARE exceptions though. This Factory Turbo had no visible side to side play and no in and out play. The turbine even turns freely. I happily bought it even if I didn't need it.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

How does one go about clocking the turbo correctly? I had marked it before taking it apart but as you said, the marks came right off while cleaning.

With loose housing bolts, just set it into place and mock everything up. Mark it or just tighten one bolt as is and then pull it to tighten the rest. Learn from my mistakes!
One thing that drove me nuts was the stock intake hat. The turbo mounting bolts had to be loosened up(or removed entirely) in order to do anything with the hat. So definitely make sure to mock the hat fully into place as well. I got the kit but hadn't ever installed or removed one, so I didn't know any better. I was used to engines with charge air cooling and so there was always a boot and stuff that was malleable. Thankfully I've upgraded since then.

I agree. I did find one of the RARE exceptions though. This Factory Turbo had no visible side to side play and no in and out play. The turbine even turns freely. I happily bought it even if I didn't need it.

Nice find! That one's been left outside a while, surprising that it's in good shape.