I've got a bit of a situation happening here.
I've been fighting this turbo swap now for about 2 hours and can't figure this out.
The new turbo has an ATS ported 4in housing - and for the life of me, I cannot get the intake spider to line up to the turbo horn.
I don't want to take the turbo back out for something that should be so menial...
Am I missing something? I need to get this back up and running by tonight.
here's a pic, thanks for any help

 

I don't think you are missing a thing. Looks like it is meeting up on the bottom, but not on the top. Loosen the plenum boots and all them to be free until you get the clamp in the spyder connection. Then tighten down the plenum boot clamps.

Looks like the boots are a little low on the spyder from your pic.

 

Hey pat, do a "search" of it, and you'll find ,your not the only one in this boat...

 

So went ahead and pulled the intake boots off, now even more WTF's...
Only way it seats to the horn now. But it's in direct contact with the passenger side plenum, and i've got a huge - misalligned gap to the drivers side plenum.
this is crazy.

drivers side, showing it mated (without the boots.)

drivers side pic of the misalignment and gap

drivers side - close up.

Passenger side - spider is in direct contact of the plenum

 

I think I found part of the problem.
I looked at the 'stock' housing from the turbo I took off - "THERE IS!" a slight angle of the horn towards the drivers side.
The ATS 'does not' have this - it is a straight out. I busted out the straight edge, and placed it against back-plate the snail connects too. on the stock, there is a about a 1/4 inch gap.
on the ATS - the edge of the horn is below or past the back plate - which is causing my misalignment. <sigh> now I need to figure out what to do.</sigh>

 

Was this an ATS housing for a van or the SD? I'm not sure if there is a difference.

 

That looks like mine. It was a pain to get on. I wonder if the other aftermarket housings are built better?

Mark

 

As far as I know there is only one ATS compressor housing for these turbos. Looks like a manufacturing issue to me. The housing I have fit perfectly, but I bought it almost 7 years ago.

 

I have an ATS housing that was purchased about five years ago and it was a biotch to get lined up. I don't remember the combination it took to get it right,but you can get it right.

 

So if "FINALLY" got it on. Here's what I had to do.
As you saw, I took the intake/plenum boots off (gave them a thurough cleaning as well since they were out.)
After the cleaning - I put them back on the plenum, along with the clamps.
Next I started to put the intake back on. Once they were in both boots - I pulled the boots up from the plenum as high as I could get them to
slide up on the spider.
Then after 15mins of "gently" trying to muscle things around - I "FINALLY" got the intake snout to line up on to the horn of the housing.
I quickly put on the clamp to keep that mother there!! Then I started to snug the boots back down off the spider, making sure they were on both the plenum and the spider.
tightend the clamps, and proceeded to put it all back together.
But alignment of the intake is still as I mentioned - touching the drivers side, but 1/4 inch down, and about 1/2 inch or so of a gap between the
the driver side plenum and the intake.
All that work - but it's on - and I just got back doing a short run to put some fuel in and a drive through wash.
so far so good!
One thing to note - the red line for the wastegate is too short now. I just plugged it off for now.

And Here's the pics I took to show the differences in the turbo horn.


And here's the ATS housing - as you can see - there's no offset.

Once I got it muscled on!

Just after getting the boots set.

All back together!


Thanks for the input and help everyone - the boots were definitely the key to this!

 

Love the red!

 

Nice work, man, and thanks for documenting the process.

Mark

 

Ya, Pat, way to go, and that motor looks good . Why not the R.R. plenum boots, yet?

 

This is why I went with a USA housing on
Turbo, after hearing some horror stories of guys that got the ats and holes were mis aligned with the backplate holes and on and on, glad you got it on though!

 

Next years project.
Between my birthday last month - and my sons birthday yesterday, and now Christmas shopping around the corner - funds are now get'n thin :P

But yea, but either NLTD's or RR Red plenums (and new boots) and a new CFM+ intake are on the agenda for next years upgrades.

During this whole process, I also found where my (likely) oil drip was coming from! I forgot to mention that...
When I was removing the old turbo - I found that the rear bolt holding it on to the pedestal was loose. So loose that I unscrewed it by hand!
I couldn't believe it...
But new Viton O-rings and torqued it back down with the new one.
I'll check it again after a couple heat cycles.