General turbo question
 

I have been reading about turbos and cars in general for about 3 months now (ever since i bought my miata) and i have a question about turbos. What defines which way the compressor outlet points? Is it something i can change on my own? The reason i ask is because im looking at intercooler piping options and i am thinking about using the MX5Projects Greddy Intercooler Kit on my diy 1.8 turbo setup. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Some compressor housings (garrett) can be indexed in any direction by loosening the backing plate and rotating the housing. Others (mitsubishi) have to be machined in order to turn the housing. If the wastegate is attached to the compressor housing that adds to the complexity.

i was talking to someone and they said that it might need to be clocked if i turn the compressor housing? How exactly do you "clock" a turbo?

by loosening the clamp or c-clip and rotating...not very hard. The worst part is making an adapter for the wastegate actuator as mentioned above.

okay sweet! thanks for your help.

If the compressor housing uses bolts and plates to clamp the housing, do not overtighten the bolts! It's way too easy to strip the threads in the housing. Loc-Tite and proper torque is the way to go.

Don't ask me how I learned this particular lesson....

Barry

sweet, i will remember that