turbo gasket?

[stereojoey]

ok so i had to pull the turbo off to replace injectors and whn i did so there was no gasket i saw to be between the turbo and the exhaust manifold. well now that its back together i sprayed soapy water on it to see if it was leaking and yes it is. is there a gasket for this? the local autoparts store said they did not list one. if there is one available from the dealer would it be metal or some type of paper?

[962500]

I had the same thing happen to me when i changed my injectors so i contacted ssd and alt told me that there was no gasket installed from the factory.

[christja]

i jsut changed my injectors an plugs too. No gasket here. I know one thing...im not taking that turbo off again. If you want to, you could probably use some high temp gasket material. Although im not sure how hot it really gets right there. a no contact thermometer would tell you if the material could withstand the heat.

[sixnickel]

If you had to use soapy water to find a leak I wouldn't worry about it. Unless you can hear it and see exhaust coming out it is not leaking enough to be concerned. The leak you see with the soapy water seal it self up with soot with a little time and a few miles.

[stereojoey]

yeah thats kinda what i was thinking sixnickel, go figure that i would over analyze some little issue with my truck.

[njdevi11]

I heard if you put a little grease on contact points like that when it gets hot it will carbonize and fill in imperfections, Cant hurt as far as i can figure. I did it on my intake and exhaust manifolds, looks like it works pretty well.

[christja]

well, ive just done what i said id never do again. Guess i spoke too soon. Earlier in this thread i said i didnt have a leak at the oil drianback tube from the bottom of the turbo...I lied. Ive been leaving spots all over the place, not to mention the exhaust manifold and all over the left side of the front axle.

Anyhow, i just pulled my inner fender and turbo to get to the top of the tube. on closer inspection i have discovered there is a paper gasket and mine had a huge chunk missing. I used some high temp (orange) gasket material put everything back together and it did the trick. no more drip.

So to make a long story short, either have the new gasket or have some orange gasket maker on hand when you pull your turbo. Prevents doing double work!!

[greg2010]

That's a good thought Chris. I've been leaving a few decent sized drips around parking lots and whatnot. I too had the turbo off recently, and I've got a leak at my oil return tube. You can bet i'll be heading off to the parts store tomorrow to get some of that orange goop. I've been looking around for a new gasket for a while now, but I can't find one anywhere.

I assume the mating surfaces have to be really clean and dry before application?? I've never used the orange sealant before--only the black goop, though I assume it's essentially the same?

[stereojoey]

i got that gasket from the dealer for 4 bucks

[Husker 6.5]

That's a good thought Chris. I've been leaving a few decent sized drips around parking lots and whatnot. I too had the turbo off recently, and I've got a leak at my oil return tube. You can bet i'll be heading off to the parts store tomorrow to get some of that orange goop. I've been looking around for a new gasket for a while now, but I can't find one anywhere.

I assume the mating surfaces have to be really clean and dry before application?? I've never used the orange sealant before--only the black goop, though I assume it's essentially the same?

The orange RTV is high temp, designed for sustained 500*F, 600*F peaks. The black RTV is low-temp, for valve covers, etc. The black will degradate, and over time you'll have those drips back, and off comes the turbo again. Otherwise, just use the gasket. Mine was brittle and broke when I pulled the turbo, but it is in Walt's head install gasket set, since I'm putting two new heads on.

[6.5 rookie]

Maybe a dumb question to most of you, but what symptoms would you see with the truck if it was leaking there? Anything? thanks

[TedReminder]

When Borg Warner ships new replacement turbos they include both gaskets. The exhaust gasket is stamped steel, like old small block Chevy head gaskets. The oil return is a paper gasket.
Symptoms of exhaust leak might be a headache from fumes getting in the cab. ;-)
Ted