It is a pleasure for me to watch your videos and not only observe the mechanical skills and knowledge you possess, but also your demeanor as you cope and resolve the issues and difficulties associated with your profession.
Great video and great content all around. I really appreciate men like you sharing your knowledge and experience with weekend warriors like me. I either gain confidence to tackle jobs like this, or the relevant know how needed to seek out a professional such as yourself.
My LLY turbo made it to 410k and I rebuilt it with a rotomaster kit because it had a weird chirp when cold. Busings looked ok except for one score... it is now at 741k miles and still running well...
I fear if I try to take the driver's side up pipe bolts from the manifold, they will snap--as they did for you. Is there a way to remove the turbo and leave them on? I think I can drill out the passenger side without removing the manifold. The truck is so rusty, I have no confidence that I can remove the manifolds without snapping manifold bolts...is this a common thing on the duramax? Thanks for the info.
Unfortunately the way the up pipe comes up across the drain pipe for the turbo you are required to remove the up pipes on both sides. It’s a royal pain. Sometimes a torch with a lot of heat will help you out. Good luck!
OK thanks, if my nightmare is realized and I need to pull the driver's side manifold to remove snapped bolts, are there tricks to avoid snapping manifold bolts. With the access restricted, I'm not sure I could drill and tap the block without removing the engine. How do you fare in that regard with the manifold replacement?
That job sucks. I've done but in sections. Egr delete, compound turbo install, then new factory turbo. The heat shields on the up pipes are the worst. However I coated everything in pb blaster 3 times a day for a week leading up to the job and every bolt came out like butter.
It depends on how stuck the fasteners are and what all breaks when you take it apart. I try to be very open with the customer prior to the job that things might break and if so it unfortunately adds to the cost. It usually runs around $3-$4000.
