daniboy1_2_3 0 Posted December 12, 2007 After finally tracking down a g lader rebuild kit i ripped mine to pieces to see what was going on inside. Everything looked pretty well but i couldent be sure when it had been rebuilt last and decided to do it myself. It came off the car with a bit of a fight and i ended up removing the bracket bolted to the engine with it. I had been looking around for some info on rebuilding it without much luck until i stumbled across a guide which stated that it was not intended as a diy guide, it was useful but i realised that a few things had been kept up the rebuilders sleeve so to speak which is fair enough as thats their livlihood and they dont want everyone doing it themselves i guess. With some heat and a bit of bashing (carefull of course) the charger was in pieces and all seals and all but one bearing was removed. I decided to get it shot blasted and powder coated. The bearing left in the casing could not be accessed from behind and reqires some form of puller to remove it I was assured by the shot blast guy that he could protect the bearing and it would be ok. I also stressed how important it was that he got no powder coating on any of the sealing faces of the charger as this would render it useless. A few days later back i went and sure enough there was grit in the bearing and powder coating on the sealing faces. I took it away after being reassured that the coating was .6 of a micron thick (what a joke lol). I got the griity bearing out and relaced with a new one and flushed the oilways clear and removed all traces of shot. I fitted all the other bearings and oil seals along with new apex strips and gave it a bit of grease on the sealing faces. I had ordered an rsr outlet kit along with a new oil pressure line and fittings which were all fitted up along with a new bigger timing belt. Feeling pleased that it was back together i was still expecting the worst with the powder coating on the sealing faces. I was so keen to get it running again i took the chance that it would pull together ok. I cranked the engine with no spark to get the oil flowing through it and then fired it up. Took it for a spin and sure enough no boost. Today i have whipped it back off, removed all traces of powder coating off the sealing faces, regreased and fitted it back up, took it for a spin about 9 ish and sure enough large dollops of boost and that lovely growl are back. I have kept below 4000 rpm and will do so for around the 250 mile mark which was recommended. Big smile on my face as the car pulled like a train in every gear and sounded lovely. It came off and went back on so much quicker the second time around albeit things wernt quite as siezed. I dont really see where all the fear of doing it yourself comes from, so long as you take your time and catalogue what went where and understand why, its not very complicated, just works with close tolerances. I had read a lot of peoples posts telling others to steer clear of this job and send it to the professionals. Whilst i agree they do provide a quality service id say have a go yourself if you have confidence working on your car. Although i spoke to some very helpfull people when i contacted these specialists i got the impression they though i was meddling in some black magic lol Anyway thats my story and im glad i had a go, another early start tomorrow as i have about 200 miles left before some serious boosting action lol. Have many other people rebuilt their charger? Would be interested to hear their stories. Bad time of year to be doing this though, im still defrosting now lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanVW 0 Posted December 12, 2007 Nice one mate :) I have toyed with the idea of doing mine myself at some point but it is one of those jobs that scare's the sh1te out of me, I did see you can get a re-build kit with all the bearings and seals for under £200 and the cheapest pro rebuild I have seen is pushing £400 :-( Am going to have to decide one way or the other soon though as mine is due a rebuild in the next 9000 miles or so... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daniboy1_2_3 0 Posted December 13, 2007 Hello there mate :) if you decide to go ahead and need any help just give me a shout and ill gladly help where i can. I paid just under 200 quid for my rebuild kit. This included all but one bearing, oil seals, bolts, apex strips and a few different greases. I could have gotten hold of all the bearings and oil seals, bolts etc from local companies, the only thing i wasnt sure of (although i havent looked into it yet)was the apex strips. I imagine i could probably save money again by buying these things seperately but at the time i just wanted the complete kit there and then. The teflon apex strips are the most expensive part of the kit too so id be interested to know if anyone can source this stuff from anyware. Even getting a kit from the specialists took some jiggery pokery and a few said they wernt prepared to sell it, just take my charger off me and do it themselves for a premium. I have clocked up 200 miles now :). I have also changed the timing belt, serpentine belt, PAS belt and given the engine a thorough servicing and it has really brought it back to life as it had been sat for a few years in a garage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites