so i baught a wicked wheel a long time back never got around to putting it on so when i did my injectors i said hey wtf do it now since everything is out of the way, well the bolts that hold it to the pedistal are tighter than a nuns crotch and they are not coming off, soaked them for days in penetrating oil and it did nothing, my question is can it be changed out with out taking the turbo off and if so how do i go about doing it?

 

Have you tried using a breaker bar? And yes it can be done without pulling the turbo. Just take all the housing bolts out and pull it off just enough to slip the wheel out once you hit it with your impact gun. I just slid mine out and slipped the ww in and tightened her down.

 

so you take the housing off and hit the turbine wheel with a impact gun and it will come off?

 

that is how I did mine yes

 

did you have to remove the valve cover?

 

You do not need to remove the valve cover, the bottom bolt on the housing is a bit of a bear to get to, but very dooable.

I would pull the turbo. Your not unbolting the pedistal, but the turbo from the pedistal. There are two bolts on the top of the turbo center section. Remove those and the down pipe and the up pipe collector and the turbo comes right out...

 

yea those two bolts that hold it down are macho man randy savage tight, and with how old they are i would be screwed if they snapped, i soaked them for a few hours yesterday and still nothing.

 

try carefully heating them up or ive had luck before working on older trucks by just running them kinda hard, getting the turbo hot.. see if then you can break them loose.. im assuming that you have been working on it cold... just be carefull not to burn yourself

 

PB Plaster... If there that tight I would bet the turbo has never been off.

 

im putting money on it that it hasnt, 294,000 on the clock too so i dont think she is coming off with out a fight, im gonna put the wheel in by taking off the shroud for now and then maybe if i feel inclined to get a 38r i will take it off. thanks guys