Turbo nuts

Anyone got any special tips/tools for loosening the four large nuts that hold the turbo on? I've made my specially modified ring spanner as described in the manual but no matter how hard I swing on it (not very hard because its in such an awkward place), two of the nuts will not budge at all - same for the water pipe union at the back of the turbo. Is there any special knack or is it just a good soaking in plusgas?

Best not to do it that way if it's on solid .The water fitting can be removed at the block also but best at the turbo end ,you will have to give it a good soak, try a tighten turn first to dislodge .As well as the 4 big nuts there may also be a bolt in the middle bottom holding the heatshield support frame on ,this needs to come off also if you do it the manual way .

Better to try this method if it won't budge .DG Method .
Remove the right-hand turbo plenum .Disconnect the exhaust pipes to the turbo at the join to the 90 degree that connects to the manifold ,you can take these pipes out completely if you feel like it ,they can get in the way .
Remove the heat sensor support bracket and the wire guide from the turbo mounting plate ,then remove 3 off fixings for the mounting plate and 2 that hold the heatshield support bracket .
It should now be free to rotate out as a complete unit .
I think it is easier to do it the manual way but only if everything's brand new and shiny

Thanks - seems obvious now you've pointed it out but I'd never have figured that out. There are so many brackets and pipes and heatshields in there and you cant get a good look at them to see what's supporting what. Will give it a go tonight if I get 10 minutes peace.

To remove the water pipe adaptors, once you have removed the waterpipe nut you can remove the adaptors with an 8mm allen key, this will then enable you to get at the last akward turbo attachment nut top right.
I used a 17mm stubby open jaw spanner last time with a 30mm long ring spanner on top for leverage,
the other nuts will also come off but you need to apply leverage as above.
I did however snap a 17mm open jaw spanner in the process.

Make sure you have
one 8mm or 5/16 ratchet spanner for heat shields.
And most importantly one 1/4 inch baby ratchet spanner with 6mm allen key adaptor to undo lower oil return. Otherwise you will age 10 years, sweat and curse your car for hours.
HAVE FUN....

P.s if you do go down David Gentlemans Route for removal i did the first time.
When refitting it is easier to fit base and short exhaust first then follow manual and fit turbo after.
As it ends up getting stuck you curse sweat buckets etc etc.

Oh yeah,
Prior to refitting water adaptors copper seals, if you do not renew i would suggest you heat until they glow red.
As this rejuvenates them, failure to do this will result in water leaking out everywhere and the rear connector is a night-mare.
get it right first time.
Unless you enjoy sweating buckets cursing hating Alpines wishing you had never bought one etc etc etc.

Did i mention ENJOY HAVE FUN....
P.S you improve with practice the last time i removed mine, was in 60 mins DG has it down to 40.
Mind you took me 2 hours to refit. (not including heatshields)

I had my turbo removed in 20 minutes last week, but I dont have heat shields.....and Ive done it 7 times this year alone!!!!
My lower oild feed has normal bolts not alen key heads....they are a nuisance...even I spend 5 minutes getting them done up. Rear water feed is a cinch.....its all about getting the angle right, then it just screws in by hand.

[Alpineandy]

1) Soak your nuts thoroughly !
2) Check the earths

It is 100 times easier with the engine out of the car, but this will take many hours and even more if it is your first time. It will allow other little jobs like the clutch slave to be done at the same time with minimal of agro too.

ENJOY, you know you want to.

Well , what can I say - I followed the advice provided and soaked my nuts in release oil for ages - came off really easily after I gave a good tug on the end (of the spanner). The water pipe was completely blocked with baked rusty crap - had to run some drills through it to clear it. Perhaps that explains some of the problems the cooling system has been experiencing over the last couple of years.

I can see that the job would have been easier with the engine dropped out but am I missing something or do you not need to take the turbo out in order to unbolt the slave cylinder so that you can drop the engine in the first place? - hope so because that is what I am leading up to! I have my trolley built from nice strong angle Iron and heavy duty wheels, four wooden blocks to raise the car up 6 inches so I can work under it, all the required metal to make up the special body supporting bar as described in the manual and loads of trolley jacks, axle stands and bits of old wood. I'm just working round making sure that everything can be loosened that needs to be loosened and making sure I know what I'm doing when the big day comes. Gearchange is the last port of call on my practice run - then I will have run out of excuses.

Most have changed the slave by removing the turbo. By the sounds of it, it is not too had when you have the access, like on an atmo. I had my engine out to replace the clutch, so replacing the slave at the same time seemed a sensible thing to do.

As for special tools to remove the engine, no need.
I just used a big wooden beam and nailed on a couple of locators to insert into the jacking point resesses on to it. 2 trolley jacks, an old car jack (for initial low lift bit), 8 breeze blocks, 2 bricks a few blocks of wood and an old bread trolley. Oh yes, double garage was a real treat.

No need to remove the turbo to drop the engine out, so long as the rear bumper is 1m clear of the ground, the engine/box will just wheel out. As you can see, I had blocks of wood on the trolley, this was to give me better access when the car was lowered onto the trolley.

So why are you leading up to engine removal. There is a simple technique for gear linkage parts too.

No need to remove the turbo to drop the engine out, so long as the rear bumper is 1m clear of the ground, the engine/box will just wheel out. As you can see, I had blocks of wood on the trolley, this was to give me better access when the car was lowered onto the trolley.

There is a need to remove the turbo...to undo the slave cylinder! Unless you are undoing it by some different means, it will remain attached to the car by hydraulic pipes! The gear linkage just requires patience and to be adept with your fingers because its quite tight. Found it a lot easier second time round!!

I have a nearly new slave cylinder sat in my garage if you want to PM me.

You can also lift the whole car with two good trolley jacks. MachineMart sell some heavy duty high lift ones (520mm total height) for around £45 each and allow you to get the car high enough on the standard jacking points (though it all depends on the height of your engine trolley you're using)

1) Soak your nuts thoroughly !
2) Check the earths

And don"t forget the magic words " izzy wizzy lets get busy "