14B install questions

[DragonofBC]

Hey guys. I've been doing a lot of reading (VFAQs and DSMTuners.com) on doing the 14B install and doing it right. I've come up with a few questions I want to make sure I get straight before tackling the beast this upcoming Saturday.

First off, the 14B looks really clean and nice. There is absolutely no shaft play and the wheel spins freely so I'm psyched. The T-25 was buring oil so bad that I've put in about 6 quarts over the past 2 months.

The 14B that I got has the O2 sensor housing and O2 sensor attached. I'm 99% certain that my O2 sensor is good and from what I've read, the 1g O2 housing and the 2G O2 housing mate to the downpipe differently. I was planning on porting the 2G one according the the VFAQ (I have an airgun) and using that one. Is this a good route or should I just use the 1G one that is already attached to the exhaust housing? I don't know the condition of the O2 sensor included in that one.

I also got the stock 1g J-pipe with the turbo. There is a nipple coming off the side of it and I was wondering what to connect there. I don't remember this mentioned in any of the sites I read.

I'm going to remove the LICP silencer and route truck hose as Kevin suggested in a previous post I had made.

Since I'm doing porting on the O2 housing, I figured I might as well port the turbo too. I know I won't see much gain but every little bit helps and I want to get the experience. I've read through the VFAQ on this and I wanted to make sure I had all of my facts straight. It mentions grinding at the "inlet." When I'm looking at the turbo, I see 4 major holes. There is one that the intake pipe connects to, the on that attached to the J-pipe and runs to the LICP, the one that connects to the O2 housing and the other one (which I'm guessing is the "inlet" and the one I want to grind away). I'm going to call that one the inlet from here on out and I would love to be corrected if I'm wrong. The inlet is where I'm going to do the porting, but there are some cracks in there. I know this is typical but is it still safe to port or should I give up on the idea? Would porting it put the structural integrity in danger?

I think that pretty much covers my questions. If anyone has any helpful tips, they would be greatly appreciated. I've already soaked down the bolts from the O2 housing to the downpipe and the header bolts with Liquid Wrench in preparation. I'll probably do it again tomorrow morning and try working some of the bolts loose. I'm planning on taking out the radiator as well.

I should probably post it in another thread, but any tips on changing the AC compressor would also be greatly appreciated. My dad and I are trying to do both jobs at once and we are having a tough time figuring out how to get to the compressor.

If at any point I wasn't clear about what I'm talking about, I can post pictures.

Thanks.

[DragonofBC]

So after much effort I got the T-25 out of the car. I also took apart the 14B I got (took off the included O2 housing) and it looks like there are some big cracks near the wastegate flapper. Is this normal or is this going to be a major problem?

The 14B does not have an attached wastegate either. Can I use the T-25 one? Where do I attach it?

Finally, the j-pipe puts the connection to the LICP on top of the intake pipe connection. I just wanted to confirm this was correct.

Thanks for any help.

[scottsee]

cracks on the flapper hole is common. i've seen alot of them that have that issue. it isnt any problem. i don't know about the wastegate actuator. you'd just have the spring pressure of the t-25. and i have no idea what the diffrence is between the two.

[DragonofBC]

Thanks scottsee. I tore the turbo down a bit further and found some other major problems though. The compressor wheel (not sure I'm using the correct terminology) where the intake comes in is pretty chewed up and the cracks in the flapper hole are pretty significant. I went and looked at another 14B today at a local junkyard for comparison and it was pretty obvious that the one I have has a problem. If you shine a flashlight in when its dark, you can see a lot of light through the cracks.

I'm left with two options really. I need to get the car functional by the end of next weekend. I'm either going to try to find a 14B cheap and local (so I can see it before I purchase it) or buy a new EVOIII 16G online. I'm hesitant about the 16G because I have very few supporting mods for it (and it's going to be expensive). A last resort option is just to put back in the T-25 and drop in 3 quarts of oil each month to compensate for the burning. The latter is looking like the most feasible option at this point...