hey guys, im planning on picking up a used greddy kit this week. ive been doing alot of reading for my up coming winter boost project and i know i will have to buy some new/upgraded parts. my concerns are with what to look for in a used kit besides shaft play in the turbo and general shape of the ic? got any tips?

thanks in advance

 

I wouldnt really worry about shaft play too much. If you are buying a used turbo plan to have it rebuilt anyway.

IC's are not very expensive so even if that is damaged it is easily replaced.

I would check for cracks on the manifold.

When buying a used kit you need to know what you are paying for. Find out what kind of BOV it is, what fixes have been done (greddy kits have several fixes that are noted, you can find them in sticky threads here), and what parts have already been replaced.

 

yhea i know about the mani. thanks for the input. i just wanted to make sure i wasnt overlooking something big

 

A quick tip on buying a used turbo... don't buy one.

Now seriously. Check for:

in/out and side/side shaft play. There should be no noticeable in/out shaft play and as minimal up/down shaft play as possible.

Bad oil seals.

Exhaust housing cracks. Keep in mind that most appear on the interior of the exhaust housing. However they won't effect performance unless they are all the way through and the housing leaks.

 

^all the above is addressed in my post.

The greddy kit is the easiest kit to source (most produced and bought)

The turbo, really shouldn't be an issue unless it has a bent shaft or some other severe issue. The Turbo itself should be completely rebuild-able, I had mine rebuilt and balanced with MSI parts for 250.

 

i just bought a used kit which had a hairline crack on the mani rewelded. If there is a leak in the mani will it cause damage to the turbo/engine? Im planning on ceramic coating the mani, will that help in any way?

 

Ceramic coating does help.

hairline cracks lead to cracks, cracks lead to failure of the manifold.

 

a good ceramic coat will help spool and boost more than most give credit

 

Saw this first hand recently with a turbo mounted downstream a ways .
Heat wrapping the pipe made a HUGE difference .