If you compare it to removing the turbo. It actually wasn't that bad and the bolts are easy to get to apart from the hidden backwards one. For that one I recommend you take off the actuator to give yourself some room (it is only 2 bolts and a clip). I then take a mini (4 inch long or so) racheting wrench and put it on that nut (from the firewall side of the turbine housing of course). Than pry on it with a mini pry bar against the housing itself to break it loose(I used the protrusions where the stock heat sheild bolts onto). Voila, off and not too shabby did it in about 3 hours total time. I did not need to remove any wheels off the car as some one here mentioned. Now taking the turbo off was NOT easy. There is a hidden bracket at the very bottom. I took the O2 housing off before the turbo so not sure if the turbo bracket bottom bolt is accessible with the O2 housing on. It is very very hidden and of course the oil drain line runs right next to it. You will need a wobble extension (Snap On are good) with a 14 mm socket and a few more extensions as well to give yourself at least a foot or longer of length. I actually took off the turbo with the oil drain line on it as it is impossible to take off the bolts for it on the turbo. There is a bracket on it too so don't forget that. Lastly, you'll have to remove manifold before you take off turbo so you can get to oil feed line to remove. It is attached to the compressor housing as well. I just don't see the need for that bottom bracket at all. The two side ones are more than enough I suspect. Total time to get all that off and turbo out is about 7 hours for me taking my time and cussing here and there. Now I could probably do it in 5.

 

It was me saying to take a wheel off

There are a couple bolts on the o2 housing that get way easier to see/get off if you go through the wheel well.

 

Thanks for the write up.

 

I used a racheting 14mm wrench on almost all the O2 housing bolts I believe. The heat shield bolts were actually a lot tougher to get off than the O2 housing bolts.

 

Some of us don't have such magical devices (although the last two times I've had my car in the shop getting aligned, I looked at the one the techs were using and I was all drooley!

 

Definitely recommend the racheting wrenches with the flank drive on the other end from Snap On. Work awesome and probably my most used tools in my tool box.

 

Do you mean one side is open ended?

 

yep one side closed racheting type and the other is open ended flank drive.

 

pics? i want to do mine but...afraid

 

One of my bolts was seized. Of course it was the hardest one to get to, the one on the bottom. Anyways my impact wouldnt get it off, so I brought it over to xtreme boost and they ended up having to break it off . So mine was a nightmare, but Im glad yours went smoother.

 

Bummer make sure you soak the bolts before you start folks. Get some liquid wrench or PB blaster and soak em all.

 

I had Ivytune install it when I got tuned. It took them about 2 hours and had no problems.

 

i had a stud seized i that holds the manifold to the turbo, a simple manifold swap turned into taking the turbo off and getting it drilled and taped.

now that sucked ***, still not done, 6 weeks later... haha mostly cause im lazy. and its not my DD.

 

These are the shorty wrenches I have.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog

 

I started trying to get the lower heat shield bolts off and after my clutch install I was way too beat to care enough but I have an HKS Turbo back ready to go on once I get the drive. Do you need to remove anything to get to those bolts. I was tempted to wait till after my inspection (no cat on the new setup) to pull out the radiator during a coolant change and do it all then. Does this make sense or should I have enough roomcoming from underneath.