Problems associated when mounting a turbo above horizontal

[Casey-G]

Greetings toymods,


Just spent all Saturday tacking up my turbo manifold... and now i think i may have to re-make it.

I was originally intending to mount it horizontally and i dont know what changed my mind but it ended up siting like this:








I think it was because i could make the dump a bit less "harsh" in terms of flow but i forgot to recognize lubrication and forces on the bearing and such of the turbo :O

Can anyone shed light on this, I already have to re-make #4 runner as its a wee bit close to the rad so i'm also prepared to break all the tacks apart and start again if it seems like im running a risk in damaging the turbo.

Please help me out here.

[JP]

I'd remake it so it sits level. From memory Garrett recommend to have no more than 15deg from vertical on their cores.

[Casey-G]

Shame but yeah i spose it'd be for the best hey..

Curious to know if any wrx owners that fit big snails up the back angle there turbo up?



Also is this to old to take into account? : http://www.toymods.org.au/forums/showthread.php?t=15477

[JP]

I've got a GT30R in my forester and it's mounted level too.

I've seen a bunch with twist-mount setups but most of them dont seem to do a lot of K's before they blow an engine/turbo/etc. I wouldn't say the twist mount setups have much more than a 15deg angle on them to the ground.

[Casey-G]

Ah well, shit happens i suppose i should have thought about this aspect a bit more before starting.

[Casey-G]

Revisit:

I cant see how mounting at this angle will damage it as the oil being under pressure will go path of least resistance regardless.. gravity will have a negligible effect on oil flow.. i think
Or am i just being suborn?

[thechuckster]

is the opposite: oil drains from turbo primarily via gravity - is minimal oil pressure in the core and when it exits the bearing area is highy aerated, very hot and thin.

[Casey-G]

Okay, cheers


Im going to rebuild the whole thing again, i have a few more ideas i want to build into it anyways.


I'll put this one down as "practice" yeah?

[JP]

Just build it the same as Bazda's, you've got plenty of room to work with.

[Casey-G]

Exactly the plan Jase, with a few small differences

[Billzilla]

I don't think it'll be a problem at all, just make sure the oil return line is free-flowing.
People have mounted turbos at 90° before, though I'm not sure what they did with the seals, etc.
Here's an example.



That was a WRC replica car I transported in the plane once. I snuck down mid-flight to take some photos.



Edit - I forgot to mention that for turbos mounted flat, when cornering at 1G or braking/accelerating hard they also effectively are sitting at a 45° angle if you look at the force resolution.

[Casey-G]

WRC cars regularly see a turbo being replaced/rebuild every few thousand km's though.. i'd rather not risk it.


Second time's a charm?

[JP]

Are you able to mount the turbo higher and clock the exhaust housing around so the collector's not pointing towards the front of the car? Also is there any reason you've gone for a 2 pipe collector instead of a 4 runner merge?

Mounting it higher will give a better run for the oil drain, you want a REALLY good drain with a non-watercooled turbo.

[Bazda]

The turbo still looks too low for my liking. Get it as high as you can.

[Casey-G]

Ah yeah sorry, in those pictures the turbo was sitting on a jack and not actually in place..


Has about a 50mm vertical drop for the drain now, this is how it ended up: