hi there folks, my wife’s red 2004 plate Copen (vivid) has a seized up turbo. I have sourced a new one but am curious to know how many hours it’s likely to take to replace it? I’m an ex tractor mechanic ( many years ago ) without a garage but thought that I may attempt the repair myself . Can anyone shed any light on the task in hand. Also is it likely to cause any more damage driving the car with a seized turbo as we have been doing this keeping the revs below 4000 rpm.
I've no idea on time, but looking at some general guides it appears to be a purely mechanical swap, drain the oil, remove pipes, replace gaskets and clean everywhere, nothing particularly complex. Garage quotes seem to be around 2-3 hours unless your engine is full of crap and with the frequency of our oil changes that's unlikely. Add another couple of hours for tea breaks and trying to remember what goes where or finding the spanner you're sure you had a minute ago plus swearing at your car when the bolts are stuck, bit's won't come off easily and you whack your knuckles on bits of the engine. I think there's a chance of knackering your engine if the oil seals on the turbo go, plus if it's seized I'm not sure how well the exhaust air is going to be getting through it.
It took me about an hour when I removed mine. I'd recommend pulling out your radiator pipes and airbox to give yourself more room when you do it. There's a mix of 14mm studs and bolts holding the downpipe to the turbo and two bolts holding the downpipe to the exhaust. A rattle gun will be your friend, but it's not compulsory, provided you give them all a good soaking in WD40 or PB Blaster. You then just need to unhitch the oil and coolant hoses and undo the bolts holding the manifold + turbo to the engine using a mix of sockets (from memory, they're 12 or 14mm), elbows and extensions. It can definitely be done under a carport or garage with relatively basic tools. Also, I'm not sure what price you've been given for your sourced turbo, but I'm selling my spare one on eBay if you're interested: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/173293368163
