First off; credit goes where credit is due, this how-to was taking off the DSM Tuners forums by jusmx141 but I thought i might bring it here for us T3 owners to maybe take a stab at trying. This guide is for those who have never attempted to rebuild a Garrett T3 / T4 style turbo. Hopefully this step-by-step guide will get you back to boosting for less! - Lets begin by describing the tools needed for this procedure. You'll need: - 1/2" box end wrench (for the compressor housing bolts). - 12mm or 13mm box end wrench (for turbine housing bolts). - A 3/8" or 7/16" wrench (for the backplate bolts). - Ratchet with a 12mm socket. - Ratchet with a 3/8" socket. - Medium flat screwdriver. - Tiny flat screwdriver or pick. - Dead-blow hammer or regular hammer and a block of wood. - Here's the candidate for today's lesson- a PTE6031E. These turbos are built around a popular Garrett T3 frame that many popular Hybrid turbos use today. These brands include PTE, Turbonetics, and others. **Before beginning, it's a good idea to make some type of mark on the compressor cover, backplate, center housing, and turbine housing to ensure proper alignment during assembly. Unlike a Mitsubishi turbo, the Garrett-style turbo's housings can rotate 360* making reassembly a challenge. - Begin by removing the wastegate actuator using the 1/2" wrench. Most of the time these bolts are 1/2" because the compressor housing is made by Garrett, an American company. Occasionally they're metric. - Once the actuator is removed, use the 12mm or 13mm wrench to remove the bolts holding the center housing to the turbine housing. Some of these will be difficult to reach due to the position of the center housing....you may need to rotate the turbine housing to reach two of the bolts. - The exhaust housing will almost NEVER come apart on it's own! You'll need to strike the housing using a dead-blow hammer or a regular hammer and a block of wood. - This photo illustrates the housing once it's removed. - Now you may remove the remaining compressor bolts. - Take note of whether the locknut on the compressor wheel is left-hand or right-hand threaded! Most Garrett turbines are left-hand threaded to prevent the nut from loosening during operation. If you look closely at the threads in this photo, you'll see the turbo I'm working on is left-hand threaded. - Using the 3/8" socket, remove the compressor locknut while holding the hex portion of the turbine wheel with a 17mm wrench. The locknut can be 10mm, 11mm, 10mm 12-point, or 3/8" 6-point. The compressor wheel should slide off the shaft easily. ***There is a controversy regarding whether or not to scribe the shaft and compressor wheel to mark alignment. Most of the time these turbos are component-balanced so their orientation during assembly isn't crucial. If the shaft and wheel are already scribed, you'll know the turbine shaft and wheel have been balanced as an assembly. If it makes you feel better to scribe your shaft and wheel, by all means do so.*** - Once the compressor wheel is removed, the turbine shaft can easily push out the opposite direction - Remove the backplate bolts from the center housing using a 7/16" or 3/8" box end wrench. - Separate the compressor backplate from the center housing....be aware of any loose parts that may fall out during this step. - This particular turbo uses a bolt-down thrust plate that is held in place by three 2.5mm allen bolts. There can also be a spring retainer holding the thrust plate down, or torx bolts as well. - Using a small screwdriver, walk the journal bearing snap ring out of it's groove. - Remove the compressor journal bearing from the housing. Repeat removal procedure for the hotside journal bearing. - Remove the worn compressor seal from the collar by "walking" it out of the groove with your fingers. Be careful, the worn seal is often very sharp! Use a tiny flat screwdriver if you cannot get your fingernail underneath the seal to initially lift it out of the groove. - Use the same "walking" method to remove the turbine seal from the turbine shaft. - Here is the turbo completely disassembled. Continued next post. Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

***Now you may begin the cleanup process. I use a parts washer to remove all of the oily residue from the housing and the internal parts before they are media blasted. You can also clean up the housing and the internals to the best of your ability using a wire brush and some elbow grease. Be sure to scrape all of the carbon and burnt oil residue from the turbine seal groove to assure a proper seal.*** - One important step is to use a small flat screwdriver or pick to get all of the carbon out of the thin groove in the center housing where the turbine seal rides (on the hot side of the housing). I've found this to be crucial in getting the turbine shaft seal to seal properly on ALL types of turbos (see photo). - Here is a photo of the new turbine seal being installed on the cleaned turbine shaft. - Install the journal bearings into the housing. Be sure to use a heavy oil or some type of assembly lube to prevent damage at startup. - Using the small pick or screwdriver, walk the tiny snap ring back into the groove on both the compressor and turbine journal bearings to hold them in place. - Install the heat shield first, then slide the turbine shaft into the center housing. Gently push downward until you feel a "click"...this means that the turbine seal has been seated into the center housing. DO NOT force the turbine shaft into the housing as you can risk bending the turbine seal and damaging the turbo! - Install the thrust washer on the shaft flat side up; use plenty of lube here as well. - Install the thrust plate. - Fit the new compressor seal on the compressor seal collar. - Push the compressor collar downward onto the thrust plate. - Lower the compressor backplate onto the center housing. A small amount of lube can help assure that the seal does not catch and break on it's way in the backplate. ***Be sure the four backplate bolt holes are aligned with the holes in the center housing.*** - Reinstall the backplate bolts using a small amount of Red Loctite on each one. - Install the compressor wheel onto the shaft, be sure to put a few drops of Red Loctite on the threads before installing the compressor nut. **When asked about the torque setting on this nut, Sigmud has this to say;** Quote: Originally Posted by sigmund Just firm- it shouldn't come undone with left hand thread and lock tight. Also don't use a spanner, you need to use a t bar socket other wise you are applying pressure to one side of shaft and they can snap easily. - Lower the center housing into the compressor cover keeping the center housing as straight as possible to prevent the compressor wheel from hitting the housing. Reinstall a couple bolts in the compressor cover to hold it in place. - Reinstall the center housing in the turbine housing. Keep the bolts loose so the housing can rotate to make sure all of the bolts can be tightened. - Reinstall the wastegate actuator. Your turbo rebuild is complete. Rebuild Kits for this style of turbo can be found on eBay for approx. $75 dollars. not including shipping. (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/GARRETT-T3-T4-TURBO-REBUILD-KIT-VL-R31-RB30-T04E-T04B_W0QQitemZ170392691160QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item27ac3221d8) Quote: Originally Posted by ProTig you can send the rotating assembly off to MTQ and they will rebalence for $100 posted there and back roughly Thanks for reading Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Love your work. What about balancing? Or you're only going for the basic seal and bearing replacement?

im guessing each wheel, lock nuts and shaft is balanced on it own so it dosnt matter where it goes? not balanced as a unit. Missed this bit when reading.. ***There is a controversy regarding whether or not to scribe the shaft and compressor wheel to mark alignment. Most of the time these turbos are component-balanced so their orientation during assembly isn't crucial. If the shaft and wheel are already scribed, you'll know the turbine shaft and wheel have been balanced as an assembly. If it makes you feel better to scribe your shaft and wheel, by all means do so.***

Quote: Originally Posted by 5spdvl Love your work. What about balancing? Or you're only going for the basic seal and bearing replacement? Not really my work, I just spent some time copying it over perfectly :P And the balancing issues are as Matty said.

you can send the rotating assembly off to MTQ and they will rebalence for $100 posted there and back roughly

Quote: Originally Posted by ProTig you can send the rotating assembly off to MTQ and they will rebalence for $100 posted there and back roughly Thanks for this, will add to main page Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

what torque should the front nut be tightened to? wouldnt want it comming loose.

Quote: Originally Posted by dvl what torque should the front nut be tightened to? wouldnt want it comming loose. Mark it with a perm-o to where the bolt was originally. e.g Make how far down the nut was and what direction the bolt was facing before being unbolted. But otherwise ill look it up for you now Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Quote: Originally Posted by dvl what torque should the front nut be tightened to? wouldnt want it comming loose. Just firm- it shouldn't come undone with left hand thread and lock tight. Also don't use a spanner, you need to use a t bar socket other wise you are applying pressure to one side of shaft and they can snap easily.

Quote: Originally Posted by sigmund Just firm- it shouldn't come undone with left hand thread and lock tight. Also don't use a spanner, you need to use a t bar socket other wise you are applying pressure to one side of shaft and they can snap easily. Thanks for this, Ill add it to the first posts Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Hi have purchased the Ebay rebuild kit you refer, they are not fully suited to a Vl TO3, ie... the heat sheild behind the turbine is tapered on a VL TO3 but in the kit it is square (have a look at the pics on ebay compared to pics in this thread, they DO NOT fit). Also all of the bolts are imperial not metric as on the VL but everything else seem ok. As for the tension of the compressor nut i quote from the Normalair-garrett TO3 TO4 overhaul manual, "on oil threads, after bottoming the lock nut, torque to 18 to 20 inch pounds above the drag of the lock nut. Tighten lock nut through an angle of 90 degrees. This additional tightening will result in stretching the shaft 0.0055 to 0.0065 inch, which is required for proper installation of the compressor wheel"

Quote: Originally Posted by LJ RB30 Hi have purchased the Ebay rebuild kit you refer, they are not fully suited to a Vl TO3, ie... the heat sheild behind the turbine is tapered on a VL TO3 but in the kit it is square (have a look at the pics on ebay compared to pics in this thread, they DO NOT fit). Also all of the bolts are imperial not metric as on the VL but everything else seem ok. As for the tension of the compressor nut i quote from the Normalair-garrett TO3 TO4 overhaul manual, "on oil threads, after bottoming the lock nut, torque to 18 to 20 inch pounds above the drag of the lock nut. Tighten lock nut through an angle of 90 degrees. This additional tightening will result in stretching the shaft 0.0055 to 0.0065 inch, which is required for proper installation of the compressor wheel" Thanks heaps for this added info!

legendary stuff!

ok im looking at doing this in a few weeks, if i wasnt to rebuild it myself, who can? and how much roughly would it cost to get a standard t3 rebuilt/hiflowed

i'll be rebuilding my hi flow shortly using the kit of ebay, the bit that doesnt suit vl t3 ill just get a new vl t3 one from a turbo rebuilder or something, easy as

yer ill be doing this in the next week or two mines a hi flow with an air research t4 front and standard t3 rear, with bigger wheels should be easy, ill just have to buy a t3 rebuild kit and then a t4 rebuild kit as mentioned above yer?

Quote: Originally Posted by ozywpn ok im looking at doing this in a few weeks, if i wasnt to rebuild it myself, who can? and how much roughly would it cost to get a standard t3 rebuilt/hiflowed Big named company's like JPC I'm pretty sure do them! Quote: Originally Posted by {PIGYB8} yer ill be doing this in the next week or two mines a hi flow with an air research t4 front and standard t3 rear, with bigger wheels should be easy, ill just have to buy a t3 rebuild kit and then a t4 rebuild kit as mentioned above yer? I'm not 100% sure on that. I would the internals are still T3 and would just need the T3 kit, but don't quote on that.

you should still only need a T3 rebuild kit. the CHRA (core) should be T3 and you just have a T04 front wheel. you cant have half/half cores, its either T3 or T04, but a hi flow will usually keep the same turbine and the same core, so normal bearings should suffice.

Quote: Originally Posted by misk you should still only need a T3 rebuild kit. the CHRA (core) should be T3 and you just have a T04 front wheel. you cant have half/half cores, its either T3 or T04, but a hi flow will usually keep the same turbine and the same core, so normal bearings should suffice. Thanks heaps!