can you check the condition of the turbos by taking the intakes off? Or do the turbos have to be taken off completely. Im getting ready to buy a new short block and just want to check over everything before I go and start buying stuff. THX

 

You won't see any manifold cracking unless you remove the turbo assembly. edit: actually if you remove the 4 bolts holding down the cover for the precontrol you will get a peek inside. However I don't recall how well cracks would be visible from the inside - the rough surface would make them less easy to spot and the door could block your view. It should help you rule out the presence of really bad cracking.

You can test for shaft play by removing the front and rear intake pipes.

Dave

 

im not concerned with with cracks, I believe (havnt taken the engine apart yet) that I broke a seal and want to make sure that it hasnt gone through the turbos and ruined the turbine wheels.

 

It's a crapshoot. If they spin freely and don't have a lot of play, that's a good sign. To REALLY tell, you have to break the turbos down pretty far and get the cartridge out of the turbine housing. That's the only way you can find damage to the turbine wheel.

But, turbos aren't THAT hard to swap out if they end up with problems. I'd run 'em.

Dale

 

Oh, previous owner of my car put a motor in it - he bought it with a blown motor, put in a reman, and sold it to me. Anyhow, the turbos boosted fine, ran fine, etc., but started smoking about 20,000 miles later. A part of the apex seal chipped the secondary turbo's turbine wheel, which eventually led to a failure, but like I said they ran great. In other words, I would be suspicious of the turbos that you currently have.

Dale