Progress
has been slow as Rob has had other customers to deal with in
addition to some personal actions. But, diversions
notwithstanding, the replacement turbocharger was installed after
the normal yearly maintenance was completed. As a side note,
we changed the transmission fluid as a matter of course, but this
time we replaced it with Amsoil special fluid and it resolved the
hard shifting issues.
The photos below are what we saw.
The
existing stock turbocharger is being prepared for removal.
The truck is a 1988 so there was some corrosion on the attachment
points between the turbo housing and the exhaust brake
manifold. After the application of some solvent, the bolts
came loose.
The
stock Mercedes-Benz turbocharger is removed revealing the mounting
to the exhaust manifold and the oil return line.
Removal
and inspection of the exhaust manifold revealed that there was a
significant crack in the manifold.
After
several consultations, we decided to weld rather than replace the
manifold. The manifold was sent out to a machine shop that
had the necessary skills to successfully weld cast iron.
Despite these skills, it took two iterations to get the weld to
take without cracking. Our conjecture was that there was
some significant stress in the metal and that after the second
weld, hammering and cooling 24 hours in an insulated blanket, the
stresses were relieved. The "stippling" in the weld area is
due to the point of the chipping hammer.
The
mounting points for the manifold were cleaned prior to the
re-installation of the gasket and manifold.
Once
the new gasket was on and the manifold was tightened to torque
specifications, a hole was drilled and tapped for the exhaust gas
temperature sensor. Note the brass fitting on the top of the
manifold and the rag in the passage way to prevent metal particles
from getting into the manifold. The manifold was blown clean
with compressed air prior to the installation of the new
turbocharger.
The
new Holset HX-35 turbocharger is positioned for installation
revealing that some additional mounting hardware will be required
The
plan is to add a water cooled intercooler to the
installation. Above, the parts are laid out to approximate
the orientation when installed on a custom frame.
A
mounting flange will be needed to complete the installation.
Because
of an incompatibility between the Holset exhaust flange and the
existing exhaust plumbing, the Holset flange will be replaced with
a custom plate. Above, the plate is marked for cutting and
drilling.
The
10mm plate was cut with the plasma torch in preparation for
drilling.
The
adapter place was mounted and then was tested to insure
compatibility.
The
exhaust brake manifold was attached to the adapter plate.
The linkage to the exhaust brake was re-attached.
There
was interference between the new waste gate and the throttle
linkage. The throttle linkage was modified to allow
clearance and an "outside" gusset was added to insure
strength. The silver canister is the turbocharger waste
gate.
Exhaust
gas temperature (EGT) and boost pressure gauges were added to the
dash instrument cluster.
When
we lowered the cab, the passenger step got caught on a tire lug
and bent. We repaired it with the "power pack" to near-new
condition.
Because
of some delays, we were going to be in La Junta for another
weekend. Rather than impose on our hosts, we decided to take
Amtrak from La Junta to Albuquerque for a night to experience the
ride and go to a nice restaurant. At the La Junta station,
we saw a huge tanker car train that was carrying oil from North
Dakota south to a refinery. The tanker cars are 200,000
pounds EACH and there were perhaps one hundred cars in the train.
The
tanker cars were stopped on a siding while the train changed crews
at the La Junta station.
Our
train finally arrived at the station, only an hour late.
There
were some interesting people at the Amtrak station.
Once
we got rolling we went up to the observation car to get a more
comfortable view of the passing countryside.
South
of Raton, NM we spotted these antelope close to a waterhole.
Further
south in Shoemaker Canyon we spotted this group of elk grazing in
the grass close to the tracks.
It
was a huge herd of elk, the largest we have seen since the Valles
Caldera near Los Alamos, NM.
Kathleen
found a nice hotel in Albuquerque that was close to the train
station. The place was called Hotel Andaluz and was built in
the 1930s and recently refurbished. And popular since we got
the second to the last room available. Turns out that they
were hosting a very large wedding and most of the rooms were
booked to that group.
Rather
novel wall decorations.
We
only stayed one night in Albuquerque and had dinner at a local
sushi restaurant. Next morning, we ate at the hotel and then
walked back to the Amtrak station for the return trip to La
Junta. In Canyoncito, just north of Lamy, NM we saw this
very unique house near the tracks.
North
of Cayoncito the tracks had some steep switchbacks that allowed us
to actually see the engines pulling the train through the
observation car windows.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2014, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.