Thread: Turbo Tip of the Day: Installing Stock DET Water Lines

Remember kids, when installing a stock water line, you'll save yourself a bunch of time taking the rear water line completely off, bolting it to the turbo THEN bolting it the engine.

Stay tuned for more tips of the day.

-G

p.s.T.I.P. You also may want to buy some new copper washers at a local auto store

I could have told you that one.

I dropped my washers and couldn't find them. I had a toyota oil drain plug gasket and it worked great.

but you never mentioned it did you..thanks

Turbo tip of the day: Never use stock lines. They are a PITA to work with. Get braided lines and throw the stock crap in the trash.

Actually the stock lines are easy to work with if you do it right and take them off/on in the correct order. I don't think custom is worth it. I'm glad I stayed stock w/the water lines. Getting the turbo off the car w/the stock lines just takes a socket and 2 easy to reach bolts. Same w/putting the turbo back on.

If they are a PITA you are doing something wrong.

-G

Stock water lines are a pita. I hated every minute of it

why?

If you follow my tip it's really easy.

There's the bolt on the front of the turbo(coolant feed I think). Just use a socket and take it off. On the T25 there might be a bracket in your way. OK, just use a 10mm socket/wrench and loosen one end of the bracket, that will be enough to swing it out of the way to get a socket on the coolant bolt.

And then for the rear drain bolt, if taking the turbo OFF, remove the coolant drain bolt from the BLOCK, not the turbo. That rear coolant bolt is a bitch to get off/on and that's why you remove the one on the block and not the turbo. So when you pull the exhaust manifold off, that line will still be bolted on to the banjo bolt on the turbo. The coolant bolt on the block is easy to get to w/an extension and a socket. Comes right off.

Reverse of install. Rear coolant bolt goes on FIRST to the turbo(easy to get it on when turbo is off the engine), then install turbo w/exhaust manifold, then bolt up to block the coolant line. Then finally the front coolant bolt which just needs a socket.

Doing this makes it pretty easy. Why the problems?

I had problems with finding the right thread angle. I had to bend the lines to get it to align, afterward I was able to get the right angle of the lines to line up with the block.

See, doing it my way you don't really have to worry about thread angle as much because the bolts you actually have to mess with are pretty easy to get to and maneuver. Those lines can bend and that's still an issue.

Do you still have stock lines? If so, try my method next time and see if it makes it any easier for you.

-G