So here is my story if you want to read about it, if not it feels good to vent.

About 6-8months ago i decided to do a custom turbo setup for my 99 civic si. Easier said than done. I started buying all the pieces i would need for my car. So here is the list of things that went wrong so far....so far...

1) Ordered turbo manifold from rev-hard. Took 3 months to get it and it wasn't even the one i ordered when i did get it.
2)I ordered all the fittings needed for my oil lines from baker precision. Took them at least 4 weeks to get them after many phone calls and them telling me some of them were back ordered. The last call i made they told me they had been sitting there on the shelf waiting for someone to claim them, meaning they had no shipping info even though they had sent me an e-mail confirming the address and credit card info.
3)When i finally scheduled an appointment to have the endtanks, intercooler pipes, downpipe, dump tube ect.. made i was told they were booked for the next month.
4)When i dropped my car off to have all of the above made there was a miss comunication and neither of us had ordered the flex pipe for the downpipe.
5)I call roadrace engineering and order a 3" flex pipe. I need it asap so i told them to next day air it to my house. They tell me first time customers can't ship anything next day. So i cancel my order and have my friend who has ordered there before have it next day aired to his house.
6)Guess what? It takes two days to get it anyway so i had to contact roadrace engineering and have the shipping charges reduced.
7)I shipped all the pipes to JC Tech coatings to have them coated. I shipped them out 3day saver and tell them to ship them out the same way. You got it they ship them out 5day ground.
8)The day finally comes and i start to install everthing. It all goes smoothly untill i get to the oil feed line at the turbo. I left it long so i could cut it to length. I cut it to length and guess what it frayed, and frayed, and frayed again. Now it's to short. So i order a new feed line. Everything goes great hook up the line and the fitting in the turbo is a 45 deg. solid fitting so it tightens up pointing the wrong direction. I ordered a 45 deg. swivil and fixed the problem.
9)I am sick of typing all this crap that has happened. But as of today my car runs like crap and has all sorts of exhaust leaks and oil leaks. I am burnt out on this thing working on the car untill it's dark every night. I am going to remove the gasket between the turbo and manifold because that is where the worst leak is and see if that helps. I am also going to remove all the oil lines and put teflon tape on all of them and redo any ends that look like they could be leaking. All i need now is to blow the turbo seals or the motor and i will be in great shape! Then if it ever runs right i need to completely degrease the underside of the car. Thanks for listening and belive me this was the abreviated version.

 

That's one pain in the *** story man, sorry to hear it.

 

i dont think anyone uses the manifold/turbo gasket or the manifold/wastegate gasket

good luck... once you get past that crap, it'll be worth it!!

 

Sorry man, That sucks big time.

 

hang in there man!

 

ur my long lost twin...sigh

 

*sigh* well thats a relief...joe and I thought you where going to sell everything! hang in there, everything will come together soon enough. Just remember all of the problems i had during my first attempt of my turbo install...and then the second! it will all be worth it once you woop up on a certain domestic we all love to hate!

 

storties like this scares me, im planning on going turbo too n piecing it together also. what causes these things to happen? my integra is the only car i got so if something goes wrong with it, im screwed. i wont have transportation to work n thaty'll be a big problem for me.

 

best turbo advice ever---> "by a POS beater to drive every day" -- FFgeoff

 

I bought my turbo from one of the group buys a few months ago. Garrett T3/T4 bushed. I took everything off my car today to look it over and start fresh. It looks like the turbo was leaking oil (seals?) i don't know enough to diagnose it myself. The shaft of the turbo moves about 1/32". It seems to be to much play in my opinion. To prime it the first time i started it i connected the feed line and turned the engine over untill oil came out the hole where the return line screws onto w/the distributer disconnected. I connected the return line and started the car. The turbo was on for three days and i decided to take it off to fix an exaust leak and oil leak when i noticed the the shaft play and seals leaking or so i think. When i removed the turbo there was no oil in the feed or return line. It seems that it might have been starting dry for the 3 days it was on my car. I know the feed line was leaking in the back of the block but could it have caused this problem? Since oil could leak out could air get in and syphon the oil back into the oil pan? I am going to send the turbo out to majestic turbo and see what they say. Any opinions?

 

hang in there