North American Turbocoupe Organization

I decided to start a new post because I have a new topic from So I blew a turbo...

That is, I have found a few turbo's for sale but need some insight on what to choose.

1. Is off of a '85 for $200, I have to pull
2. Is a '86 for $150, sitting on shelf
3. Is 2 Merkur XR4ti $200 each both sitting in complete cars, I have to pull

All conditions are unknown by me but all dealers say it comes with 30 day warranty.

I know about the change over from '86 to an '87/'88 thanks to the FAQ's but how 'bout for a '85, is this the same as an '86?

And what about the merkur? I read somewhere that it didn't have coolant lines? Is this true and/or would this be a better or worse swap?

I would like to decide by thursday night to take off friday and get one.

Thanks for all your help!

rowbards

I dunno about condition-unknown junkyard turbos myself especially since it's SO much fun to change one.

Several years ago I swapped my '85's T3 out for a remanufactured unit I bought from a place in Cali called Turbo Power for $500 (-$50 for my broken shaft turbo). I think they were charging around $250 for just the cartridge and I could have gone that route too, but opted to get the whole thing instead since I didn't know what I was doing. [Image: smile.gif]

Not sure how much it costs to rebuild an IHI or get a reman, but I would seriously consider that before getting a junkyard pull....especially since most of these turbos have probably sat unused on these junkers for at least 10 years. For example, I had a spare off an '86 engine that I bought from a junkyard back in '98 when I rebuilt the '85's engine. There were signs of leaking oil seals in the intake (black oil coating the intake runners all the way back to the compressor housing)... I certainly wouldn't have wanted to rely on that one and they "drove it into the yard." (nevermind the cracked block on the engine, but I digress). Point being, you might want to consider rebuilt prices before buying an unknown quality turbo from a yard...might not be that much more...especially if you have to repeat the process (AND you have to pull the turbo off the junker...that's worth some of your blood sweat and tears too).

The 86 onthe shelf for $150 does not sound bad as long as there are no cracked fins or endplay in the shafts. Make sure that the fins aren't hitting the housing.

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Tony Sceia -

HIS - Red 88 TC, Med Red with Raven Leather & every option, Walbro 255, 3" SS Downpipe with Magnaflow Dual SS 2.5 Cat Back system, 3-core Radiator, Star Stage 3 Clutch, Rebuilt T-5 Tranny, 4:10 rear, 140 MPH Speedo, New Paint, Headlights, Refinished Snowflakes & New Tires.

HERS - Blue 87 TC, fully loaded with every option, Gilies Valve, K & N Filter, 3-core Radiator...just needs a little body work & a new paint job.

87 TC - Bought as a Parts Car, & will remain a parts car now that I found the blue one.