1978 to 1984 OM617 New Assembled Replacement Turbocharger

Kent's written manual covers the full overhaul of the Garrett T3 turbo. Some sections in this manual will not apply since some of the assembly is already done for you. The two large o-rings in the kit are for the compression to intake manifold coupling. You will note that the coupling is not the same size on both ends, but the o-rings are the same size. Rest assured, you can use either o-ring on either end. The larger diameter end accepts the same o-ring with a “little more” stretch.

IMPORTANT NOTE WHEN ASSEMBLING:   You may have difficulty installing your hold-down ring onto the new turbo center section. Most of these are a little deformed due to age. They get bent and rusty and are sometimes even hard to get back onto the old original housing. (So is the case with the unit pictured below). You can see it is just bound up, trying to "rock" it over the edge of the center section. It is ok to grind off a little more metal on the ring's edges where it is recessed to go over the housing ( see Sharpie marks in the picture below. Use a Dremel tool or power sander.(about 1/32 inch of metal removed will be enough. You won’t lose strength by removing a little more metal on the ring. Then, set it on the housing at an angle, and ROTATE is slowly around until it drops in place.

Remove only the minimum material to get the ring installed.

RECOMMENDATIONS: We also offer other items you may need to replace your turbo but are not included in this kit:

• Special Tool Kit for Turbo Removal by leaving Turbine Housing on the Engine

PLEASE NOTE: This kit will only work on Garrett T3 Turbos up to 1984  NOT THOSE WITH THE TRAP OXIDIZER.  It will not work on the KKK brand found on some Mercedes diesels. The differences in the two types are shown in the picture below.

NOTES ON "BALANCING" - Our experience with the company that builds these replacement parts has been excellent. They use very sophisticated equipment to “zero” balance both the turbine wheel and the compressor wheel individually. There is no indexing or keyway that locks the two parts together. Even when you tighten down the compressor wheel and torque it properly it will move slightly so it would be very hard to index them even if you were to send them out to have them “check balanced” together. I personally have installed over 50 of these and we have sold thousands and have never had a complaint about balancing. A bigger concern is the condition of your center section and the function of the wastegate. I know there are those that will tell you-you “must” balance these as a unit, but remember we are not talking about a race car here that is turning 6 to 7 thousand rpm.

ALERT CONCERNING THE WASTE GATE ASSEMBLY:

When you rebuild your turbo you will want to check the operation of your wastegate and check/adjust the boost pressure after you reinstall your turbo. We have a video on how to open up, inspect and test your wastegate. This video is included free if you purchase our 200K kit. See related products below for more information on this video and our turbo boost pressure test kit.

Please note: Currently we do not have a source for new repair parts for the Garrett T3 wastegate assembly. We realize the problem here and need to warn you if your wastegate needs replacement parts you will need to look for used replacements. Most of the time we are sold out of these used parts.