Another Turbo Build

[av8rnik]

I went back and forth about if i wanted to do a Banks kit or find a turbo off a 6.5L engine. I ended up finding a HX35 a guy had on a 6.5L but was parting. I snagged the turbo, upper and lower intake, both exhaust manifolds, oil lines and crossover for $600.

I have been working on getting all the other small parts i will need. So far i have gotten:
-boost and EGT gauges
-set of new heads studs
-rebuild kit for the turbo

What i think i have left to get:
-intake filter and pipe
-gaskets (header, intake, exhaust, valve cover)
-stud girdle (figured i might as well while i am at it)
-header wrap for the exhaust manifolds and exhaust downpipe

Is there anything i am missing as far as parts go? Seems like felpro is a good way to go on gaskets from reading through threads. Along with doubling up on the exhaust manifold gaskets and maybe going with the 0.010" thicker head gaskets.

 

[Ridgeback]

Dang - you even got the down pipe! I'm still scavenging parts for my turbo/4L80E upgrade, and reading furiously. The J-code blocks seem to be able to handle a steady 10-12psi without much fuss, so gotta make sure the boost doesn't spike too much over that. That said, my plan is to redo the headgaskets and add the ARP studs...just in case. I'm still on the fence about girdling the crank - some say do it, some say don't waste the time/$ on it. Keep the pics coming - I'm still a few weeks out from doing this, so I'll enjoy watching you have at it!

 

[av8rnik]

Yeah, i have of course read the same thing about the girdle. I need to replace the oil pan seal so I will have access to it. I might change my mind but i guess it can't hurt.

Do you know what you are doing for an air filter setup yet?

 

[Ridgeback]

I hadn't gotten that far just yet. I was looking at some of the 6.5 TD setups - Banks, AFE, S&B, etc.... They seem to want an awful lot of $hekels for their goodies... I might have to go down to the plasma center a few times to collect enough scratch for this rebuild! Any veterans that have done this before want to chime in? What intakes have you guys used? Yes... I have read thru several threads, intake info seems to be the common missing link. Inquiring minds (Ridgeback and av8rnik) would like to know!

 

[panzerwillie]

If you pulling the Heads try to get a set of 6.5 turbo heads and the injectors will run munch better at least the injectors , if you keep it 10-12lbs the girdle is a option, put a new HD oil pump and timing chain and enjoy it i got over 70K on my turbo set up with stock 6.2L i do not abuse it but the power feels good is a good wake up call for the CUCV

 

[panzerwillie]

Ridgeback, i used a stock 6.2 intake on my i welded a round 3/8 plate with a 3 " tube welded in the middle in one turbo set up , the other one i ran a stock 6.5 turbo intake combo, i got a few complete 6.5 turbo kit if interested in one, the only thing that does not work is the crossover pipe but you can make one easy will try to find some old pictures and post them...

 

[panzerwillie]

pictures

Here is a few pictures one is a 6.2L with modified 6.5L intake and the other is a 6.5L set up on our M1010

 

[Ridgeback]

Yeah - if you have the pan off and are girdling the crank, it almost makes sense to put in a HD pump... I am on the prowl for 6.5 injectors. I'll keep building my parts stash so I can get it all together for a full on wrench-o-rama one of the upcoming long weekends...but the 4L80E goes in first! Thanks for the tips panzerwillie!

 

[panzerwillie]

No problem i got a 4L80E on the M1010 and the HMMWV , injectors are every ware should not be a problem finding a set....

 

[HETvet]

I would get the 6.5 turbo heads, more specifically the pre cups. Also would be worth it to get the 6.5 injectors and lift pump as well.

 

[av8rnik]

Turbo Rebuild

Well i rebuilt the HX35 a couple weeks ago, just finally getting around to posting some details.

It was relatively straight forward, with lots of good info out there to help along the way. I ended up getting a rebuild kit directly from a Holset distributor that i found on their website. THere are plenty of rebuild kits available out there, but for basically the same price i got one directly from the manufacturer. There were a couple resources i used as reference:

Turbocharger Rebuild Guide and Shop Manual (for 95-02 dodge ram 5.9 cummins hx35/hx40) by Brian Smothers
http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/98-5-02-modifications/267744-diy-how-rebuild-your-hx35.html
http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/94-98-engine/211976-holset-hx35-rebuild-pics.html

The two websites were great because they had lots of pictures and some good descriptions. THe book by Smothers was informative and detailed, but was lacking in terms of pictures during the teardown of the turbo. That and he is a little passive aggressive about certain steps. Yes you have to be careful getting the compressor and turbine housings off because you don't want to damage the blades on the compressor and turbine, but he is a little extreme. One trick when getting the housings off is to make sure that the compressor and turbine can rotate while you are working the housings off. You have to work them off slowly, so if they won't turn then you know which side of the housing you need to tap on next to get it turning again.

Putting all three of the above together worked pretty well. The teardown went smooth except for the 4 bolts to get the turbine side off the CHRA. Heat and PB blaster did the trick though.

One note on taking the compressor off the shaft. Everyone says to mark the nut and compressor. I didnt understand this until i went to put everything back together. Yes i read these articles all the way through before i started, but the importance of this step wasn't clear to me until i actually had to put it back together. It is all about balance of the compressor. The compressor's orientation on the shaft is specific to the balance of the turbo. So, make sure and use something (sharpe, paint marker, etc.) to mark the compressor/nut/shaft before you take it all apart.

The only other tricky part was getting the circlip back on to the compressor housing. All i will say is be careful because that thing is a pain. I didn't get a pictures, but i used a small vise and a pair of c-clamps to get it back on.

Hopefully it all works when i get it on the truck, but i didn't walk away with any extra parts. The rebuilt kit did come with an o-ring for the compressor housing. There wasn't an o-ring when i took it apart, but i figured why not put it on when i reassembled it. Well there was not getting the circlip back on with the o-ring and i found out that if the compressor didn't have an o-ring when it comes off then don't put one in when you put it back together.