I pulled my t3 .60/.63 turbo off a tbird I believe apart today. Was just going to clean and inspect the housings and replace the hardware with fresh bolts.

But I noticed when I pulled the compressor housing off, there was a very thin paper gasket sealing the housing to the center section, but it was broken in many places around the circumference.

What do most people do in this case? I did some research here and only came across talk of o-rings but they were mostly aftermarket turbo discussions and not OEM AirResearch turbos like mine is.

Should I source a new paper gasket? A proper o-ring? Or clean the surfaces well and just mate them together with nothing in between?

 

nobody?

 

Most Garretts with the exception of the GT-R series, don't use rubber o-ring gaskets, as the backplate and compressor housing are pretty well sealed against any air leaks most of the time.

Paper gaskets are no longer used, and haven't been in many years. So, I really wouldn't worry about it unless the unit is extremely old and should be pressure checked by a professional if you consider rebuilding anyway.

Precisions still use rubber sealing rings on all their turbos regardless of cartridge model, but Borg-Warner does not, nor has Turbonetics in recent years.

So, don't sweat it.. have the connecting surfaces between the backplate and inner edge of the compressor housing cleaned and bolted up to get best results.