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Dumb Question


johnc

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Can I weld on the exhaust turbo housing? I need to attach a short tube length and lip for a V-Band clamp and I plan on welding it to the 1/2" flange on the housing that extends out from the impeller area (T04). I assumed it would be no big deal, but I felt I better check before potentially destroying a turbo.

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normally the v-band adaptation is done via a plate that bolts on the flat flange of the back of the turbo, and the tube with V-Band is incorporated into that. It eliminates the question about welding the casting.

 

A good cast iron repair place might be able to do it, it requires the entire casting be heated to temperature, then welded, and cooled at a set rate.

 

Old Pete could do it down in Wilmington, but he retired last year and now I'm screwed when it comes to trick adaptations like that...

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I Tig welded my V-band flange on and it shows signs of cracking (very small cracks on the casting at the edge of the weld in the heat effected zone) around the weld on the casting but its not leaking and I never pre-heated anything. If it has any issues I will pre heat it and do it again. I know pre-heating is the way to go but I was in a hurry.

 

Not all turbos have a bolt on flange. I have owned several that you had to weld to.

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Tony,

 

I can't see anywhere on the exhaust side of the turbo where I can bolt something up:

 

TruboExhaustSide.jpg

 

I've assumed that the V-band needs to be welded to the flange as below:

 

TurboVBandMockup.jpg

 

I can weld cast iron so I guess I need to take this thing a part. Anyone have any instructions? As you can see, I'm turbo ignorant.

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Undo the ~6 bolts that have their heads near the center section, and going into the exhaust housing... Once you loosen those the housing should spin freely. Remove them entirely and the exhaust housing just pulls off. No worries about anything going out of alignment at all, just reinstall after...

 

Intake housing is exactly the same if you wanted to do that. 3 of the 6 bolts to do that are clearly visible in the last picture you posted.

 

Also, given the designed operating temperatures of the piece, I wouldn't worry much about heat distortion from welding.

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Ahhh, you have a nice round machined circular area, make a mating flange and machine the housing, you got a Bridgeport, right? Same bolt configuration as the center section would be easy enough.

This will give you something that would easily seal (you could put a copper crushring in the bottom of the register if paranoid) and give you something expendable to weld onto, or to even change the configuration.

 

I guess I look at it differently, I'm figuring several smaller studs/bolts in the outer ring (aircraft ackground, what can I say?) would make an easy enough mounting flange, and allow you an infinite choice of configurations from the basic flange you have machined to fit into that register on the outlet of the turbo...

 

As I look at that outer register area, it looks like you could also machine a nice tapered exit from that center section, and use a larger V-Band if that was desired (larger diameter exhaust).

 

Guess welding would be quicker. Get to preheating for proper stress relief! You have the heat-treating oven there, right? There you have it, all set up and ready to go-heat, weld, then controlled cooldown on the automatic ramping feature of the heat treating oven...

 

I digress...

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Guess welding would be quicker. Get to preheating for proper stress relief! You have the heat-treating oven there, right? There you have it, all set up and ready to go-heat, weld, then controlled cooldown on the automatic ramping feature of the heat treating oven...

 

Hah, what kind shop space and money do you think I have? Let's try an Oxy/Acet kit with a Rosebud tip, 600 and 800 degree Tempil sticks, and a 30 gallon metal pail with sand sitting in the sun.

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John,

 

The part you weld on there is a billet steel part. I have one welded on

to a t4-P-trim ex housing now. I did not do the welding myself but I'm pretty sure the nickel rod and preheating recommended above will do the trick.

 

I think I may have exactly the part you need, it is an extra weld on part for a P-trim (exducer 2.62") housing, I've had it laying around since I got my turbo. I think these parts are available through turbonetics but tend to be expensive . If this one is the right size I'll just give/send it to ya.

 

I will try to post some pics of the one welded on and also the extra one when I find it. I think it's in the box with my wastegate.

 

I'm getting ready for work now so I'll post the pics early tomorrow morning when I get off work.

 

E-mail me at mkieinmesa@cox.net if you are interested.

 

Mike

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John' date='

 

The part you weld on there is a billet steel part. I have one welded on

to a t4-P-trim ex housing now. I did not do the welding myself but I'm pretty sure the nickel rod and preheating recommended above will do the trick.

 

I think I may have exactly the part you need, it is an extra weld on part for a P-trim (exducer 2.62") housing, I've had it laying around since I got my turbo. I think these parts are available through turbonetics but tend to be expensive . If this one is the right size I'll just give/send it to ya.

 

I will try to post some pics of the one welded on and also the extra one when I find it. I think it's in the box with my wastegate.

 

I'm getting ready for work now so I'll post the pics early tomorrow morning when I get off work.

 

E-mail me at [email']mkieinmesa@cox.net[/email] if you are interested.

 

Mike

 

What I think he is referring to is probably going to look a lot like the piece I am mentioning about fabricating. That machined surface on the turbo looks like something should pilot into it, and THAT part is the "sacrificial" weldable part. Which is basically what I am suggesting you make up.

 

Geez, no heat treating furnace? Maybe I gotta move to Kentucky, we got one in the shop there for fitting wheels that will fit an entier L-Series Exhaust Manifold!

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I have a quick question about your turbo in general. Isn't xs-power the cheapo turbos sold on ebay that fall apart? Beware, you get what you pay for!

 

Its not my turbo, its a turbo that my customer purchased. I'm building the turbo header, exhaust, intake plumbing, intercooler tanks, mounting the intercooler, building engine mounts, plumbing the fuel system, etc. Turbos and engines are things I'm not concerned with, I don't do engines.

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Just one question JohnC, shouldn't you perhaps tell your customer that XS-power turbos are crap and won't last? Before you start doing major mods to it that will cost him a bit? If you do a quick search here about xs turbos you will see that they are truly crap and everyone recommends staying far away from those turbos...............

 

When you are building the turbo header, exhaust, intake plumbing, intercooler tanks, mounting the intercooler, building engine mounts, plumbing the fuel system, etc for him, which I reckon will be of top quality, he should get a good turbo to go with that setup, not the one he has bought.........

 

Just my opinion!!!!

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Guest asad137
Also, given the designed operating temperatures of the piece, I wouldn't worry much about heat distortion from welding.

 

I would. Welding is very localized heat input, far different from the heat of exhaust gas flowing through the entire housing which will serve to it up uniformly.

 

Asad

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Just one question JohnC, shouldn't you perhaps tell your customer that XS-power turbos are crap and won't last?

 

I don't tell my customer that because I don't know. Did you guys miss that line where I said I was turbo ignorant?

 

Unless myseff or a RACER I know and trust has experience with something DIRECTLY (no Internet rumors) I will not offer opinions or recommendations to my customers. I prefer to say, "I don't know" instead of BSing or spreading rumors. I am willing to spread rumors on various Internet threads but I'm very clear to identify them as such and that's very different from someone paying me for my advice.

 

Again, as I've posted many, many times before I am a suspension, chassis, race prep guy. I don't build engines. You want X engine and Y turbo installed in your car and plumbed? Fine. I'll be happy to do it and I'll make sure its done right. You want turbo and engine recommendations, go talk with an engine builder.

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