I have finally removed my engine. It took about 10 hours total time and wasn't really bad. Everything cracked loose easily and disassembled fairly straightforward. Hardest part was removing the engine harness from the computer inside the car.

My question is this: How much play should be in the shafts of each turbocharger? I understand that a little endplay is important due to thermal expansion, but does anyone have any specifics??. Like how many mm or thousands of inches play should there be Minimum and Maximum?

My turbines spin freely, the impellers appear to have no damage, and they are not touching the housings even when pushed left/right/up/down. Should I consider rebuilding since I have the engine out? The rear turbo inlet looks very clean, the front turbo inlet has a bit of black "dirt" covering the turbo impellers, but it is not coated completely or built up any amount.

The car is a 1993 with an Automatic Tranny and 69,000 miles. The engine died when the car was taken to work and it would not start after work. Rear rotor apex seal is bad and there is no compression in the rear.

Thanks in advance for any information

 

The free play is a ton. Yhe only thing that I could ever find was if the wheels dont make contact with the housings you where ok. Up and down movement is ok, but end play in and out is no good. The workshop manual says "to check the turbo".....replace if there is excessive drag, noise, or does not turn smoothly. Nothing is given for measuring end play at all.
Kevin

 

End play should be very minimal. You shouldn't be able to wiggle it in or out at all, up and down and side to side should barely move. Basically it's a seal, if it isn't tight, it will leak oil.