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gdrider77 · 08-14-2013, 11:56 AM

LEAKS
I have had 3 major leaks with this kit. I have been able to solve all 3 so far, from what i can tell. Here they are, as well as what i did to fix.

Pressure Leak

So had really been noticing spool lag, an suspected it was the awful turbo inlet connection. Sure enough....it was. I ran a leak test and had major leaks at the Turbo inlet. Like gushin. No big surprise as most anyone that owns this kit, knows that the inlet pipe does not secure all that well. No rolled flange on the inlet, and the pipe is loose fitting. The clamp is all that holds and seals on this connection. The actuator mounting plate on the turbo housing is right in the way, and so it restricts a larger t-bar style clamp that i would like to have put on there. The other kit connections seemed to be leak free, although the connection to the stock airbox is not that great, as what i found is that the silicone hose is so strong, that it has deformed my airbox inlet pipe slightly, and the hose kept sliding off. That was an easy fix, throw it out....new Perrin Intake mounted. I did have to make custom mounts for the Perrin intake under the front bumper, as the angle and line up to the AVO kit is slightly different.

Back to the turbo inlet. I did solve the issue, and this is how.

As I said I pulled the majority of the kit piping and connection off/out. once I had the pipe off the car i lightly sanded the interior of the silicone with 600 grit sand paper. I also did the same on the turbo inlet. I then sprayed the inside of the silicone hose with hairspray, wiped it around and then sprayed the same paper towel with hairspray and wiped around the inlet.

Reinstalled the hose and used a new worm drive clamp. I really wanted to use a t-bar style clamp here, but it was just too big with the actuator mounting plate in the way. If this does not hold in the future I will probably grind down a t-bar clamp and make it work. Good news is, this new connection is tight! And I mean real tight, I can pull on it and wiggle the engine slightly but its not budging. The hairspray acts as a mild lubricant while installing, but more importantly, when it dries, it works as a mild adhesive to help hold the two objects together.

New leak test run....no leaks.

Big things to stress here, the worm drive clamp i used were new. I purchased new clamps (Made in America) for the turbo inlet, as well as the coolant lines, they were also leaking slightly.

Coolant Lines on turbo housing
the 2 that connect into the top of the turbohousing via 2 banjo connections. These were leaking slightly, and i do mean slightly. I blamed it on the clamps, nothing i could do would get them tight, and they just broke if torqued too much. I noticed the hose even with clamp on as tight as possible without breaking them, it would freely rotate on the nipple if i turned the hose, no good.

So purchased new clamps, installed 2 per coolant line, and all seems good.

Oil line
So the oil line on the turbo, between the 2 coolant lines was leaking. From the factory this connection was already preinstalled, and i made the mistake of assuming it was torqued down properly. It was not. I contacted Paul numerous times about the torque specs, but never got them. He did respond to me, but never with the torque spec. My concern was stripping/breaking the bolt/housing.

I got in there and tightened it pretty damn tight, but still minor leak.

After still trying to get torque specs and never getting them, i decided to completely remove the oil connection from the housing. I cleaned it off, dropped a couple drops of liquid threadsealer on it and then re-installed it. Never got the torque specs, but i did torque it down to 70lbs and it now seems leak free.

Summary

To be clear, the oil and coolant leaks i spoke of, were minor, but i am anal. Under hard driving after a day or so there would be maybe 2-3 drops of oil/coolant. So not like it was immediately visible. Very minor.

No leaks as of right now, time will tell. If installing this kit, and any other kit/parts really, always double check all connections. Even the ones from factory, it would have saved me alot of time had i just checked all the connections prior to installing. I found a few other bolts/connections that were barely hand tight, so i tightened them down more as well. I specifically asked Paul prior if all parts were torqued down correctly, and he assured me they were...and i am sure he thought they were, not his fault. Just a QC issue. Do it yourself, then there is no doubt.

Would have been real nice to have torque specs on the install instructions. Cant believe they dont exist?

Purchase new clamps. It will cost you maybe $50 total for better quality, made in america clamps. Totally worth it.

08-14-2013, 11:56 AM	#40
gdrider77 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Drives: Subaru BRZ Limited Location: Denver, CO Posts: 623 Thanks: 243 Thanked 263 Times in 157 Posts Mentioned: 19 Post(s)	LEAKS LEAKS I have had 3 major leaks with this kit. I have been able to solve all 3 so far, from what i can tell. Here they are, as well as what i did to fix. Pressure Leak So had really been noticing spool lag, an suspected it was the awful turbo inlet connection. Sure enough....it was. I ran a leak test and had major leaks at the Turbo inlet. Like gushin. No big surprise as most anyone that owns this kit, knows that the inlet pipe does not secure all that well. No rolled flange on the inlet, and the pipe is loose fitting. The clamp is all that holds and seals on this connection. The actuator mounting plate on the turbo housing is right in the way, and so it restricts a larger t-bar style clamp that i would like to have put on there. The other kit connections seemed to be leak free, although the connection to the stock airbox is not that great, as what i found is that the silicone hose is so strong, that it has deformed my airbox inlet pipe slightly, and the hose kept sliding off. That was an easy fix, throw it out....new Perrin Intake mounted. I did have to make custom mounts for the Perrin intake under the front bumper, as the angle and line up to the AVO kit is slightly different. Back to the turbo inlet. I did solve the issue, and this is how. As I said I pulled the majority of the kit piping and connection off/out. once I had the pipe off the car i lightly sanded the interior of the silicone with 600 grit sand paper. I also did the same on the turbo inlet. I then sprayed the inside of the silicone hose with hairspray, wiped it around and then sprayed the same paper towel with hairspray and wiped around the inlet. Reinstalled the hose and used a new worm drive clamp. I really wanted to use a t-bar style clamp here, but it was just too big with the actuator mounting plate in the way. If this does not hold in the future I will probably grind down a t-bar clamp and make it work. Good news is, this new connection is tight! And I mean real tight, I can pull on it and wiggle the engine slightly but its not budging. The hairspray acts as a mild lubricant while installing, but more importantly, when it dries, it works as a mild adhesive to help hold the two objects together. New leak test run....no leaks. Big things to stress here, the worm drive clamp i used were new. I purchased new clamps (Made in America) for the turbo inlet, as well as the coolant lines, they were also leaking slightly. Coolant Lines on turbo housing the 2 that connect into the top of the turbohousing via 2 banjo connections. These were leaking slightly, and i do mean slightly. I blamed it on the clamps, nothing i could do would get them tight, and they just broke if torqued too much. I noticed the hose even with clamp on as tight as possible without breaking them, it would freely rotate on the nipple if i turned the hose, no good. So purchased new clamps, installed 2 per coolant line, and all seems good. Oil line So the oil line on the turbo, between the 2 coolant lines was leaking. From the factory this connection was already preinstalled, and i made the mistake of assuming it was torqued down properly. It was not. I contacted Paul numerous times about the torque specs, but never got them. He did respond to me, but never with the torque spec. My concern was stripping/breaking the bolt/housing. I got in there and tightened it pretty damn tight, but still minor leak. After still trying to get torque specs and never getting them, i decided to completely remove the oil connection from the housing. I cleaned it off, dropped a couple drops of liquid threadsealer on it and then re-installed it. Never got the torque specs, but i did torque it down to 70lbs and it now seems leak free. Summary To be clear, the oil and coolant leaks i spoke of, were minor, but i am anal. Under hard driving after a day or so there would be maybe 2-3 drops of oil/coolant. So not like it was immediately visible. Very minor. No leaks as of right now, time will tell. If installing this kit, and any other kit/parts really, always double check all connections. Even the ones from factory, it would have saved me alot of time had i just checked all the connections prior to installing. I found a few other bolts/connections that were barely hand tight, so i tightened them down more as well. I specifically asked Paul prior if all parts were torqued down correctly, and he assured me they were...and i am sure he thought they were, not his fault. Just a QC issue. Do it yourself, then there is no doubt. Would have been real nice to have torque specs on the install instructions. Cant believe they dont exist? Purchase new clamps. It will cost you maybe $50 total for better quality, made in america clamps. Totally worth it. __________________ Last edited by gdrider77; 08-14-2013 at 12:12 PM.