Cracked turbo brace - how would you repair or re-make?

[JHZR2]

I was replacing delivery valve seals on my 1991 300D injection pump.

When I was done I was looking the engine over, and looked around the turbocharger. I saw a black bar laying under the turbo on the engine mount.

I pulled it out:

A little sleuthing and I found it. EPC calls it a “Turbo Stay”.

I pulled the other end. It’s like a bent pipe with a welded flat plate on one side and a welded ring on the other. It cracked at the bend.

The round thing welded at the bottom allows the brace to essentially sit over a nipple on the engine block that has the female threads for the bolt. This tells me the brace is in compression, supporting the weight of the turbocharger and manifold.

The break/crack is right where the pipe was compressed and bent. A weak spot. Is that weldable to repair it? If so, what kind do I need to go find?

I’m not able to find the replacement part. I suspect they stay with the turbo or engine. Most used turbos I see don’t have it.

What would be a good way to fabricate it? I don’t weld. I think maybe I could make something sufficiently equivalent out of 1/4” thick angle iron and it would be good enough? If I heated it up I could bend it. I was also thinking maybe a box end wrench that fit over the nipple on the block, bent and drilled on the other end.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[DemoFly]

Yes, a stress fracture is weldable. I would weld it stronger than new. You can add material all the way up to even with the face of that hole.

 

[ripcord]

Hop online and find someone locally who can weld it up for you. If done right, it will be as strong as new. It appears that it's been at least partially broken for quite a while.

 

[Rand]

Yep very weldable..

 

[Astro14]

A couple thoughts - first, it’s needed, to take the strain off the turbo flange/mount. Second, I would find someone to weld it vs. fabricating a new one.

 

[eljefino]

That "pipe" looks about as thick as the jack handle from a generic 2 ton rolling jack. Fabricating another one is possible for someone but I'd want to heat the ends before hammering them flat.

It's also important to get the angle of the twist between the two holes close to dead nuts on.

If it were my problem, I'd put a bevel in the busted ends and weld it. It's thick, mild steel and perfect for beginning welders.

As for failure analysis, I'd be happy it broke here and not at any of the cast ears that it bolts up to. It's obviously a brace for NVH and to keep stress off the other connection points.

 

[bullwinkle]

Looks pretty rusty-I would at least check on the availabilty of a new one, possibly even a used one (if it's not cracking in the same place). Not saying it can't be welded, but that's a pro job.

 

[JHZR2]

That "pipe" looks about as thick as the jack handle from a generic 2 ton rolling jack. Fabricating another one is possible for someone but I'd want to heat the ends before hammering them flat.

It's also important to get the angle of the twist between the two holes close to dead nuts on.

If it were my problem, I'd put a bevel in the busted ends and weld it. It's thick, mild steel and perfect for beginning welders.

As for failure analysis, I'd be happy it broke here and not at any of the cast ears that it bolts up to. It's obviously a brace for NVH and to keep stress off the other connection points.

It’s tempting to get a welding setup and learn on it…

I agree it’s necessary, the turbo and are are fairly heavy - a lot of cast iron mass hanging off the engine…

 

[JHZR2]

Looks pretty rusty-I would at least check on the availabilty of a new one, possibly even a used one (if it's not cracking in the same place). Not saying it can't be welded, but that's a pro job.

The break is rusty, the rest isn’t. Look at the bolt that it was screwed in with. I think it stress cracked through the paint and then the long end vibrated loose.

Look how clean the top end is - like new.

I’d love a new one. If that was available or easy to find I wouldn’t even have this thread!

 

[cptbarkey]

It’s tempting to get a welding setup and learn on it…

I agree it’s necessary, the turbo and are are fairly heavy - a lot of cast iron mass hanging off the engine…

I've been learning, and what I've learned is my first welder, a multi process Yeswelder welder sucks. No matter how hard I tried, i could not get a consistent stick weld or even gas-less flux was also similarly frustrating. It cant be the settings on the welder, it cant be the power sources, its not my technique or materials, I've tried 220 in the laundry room, two different generators. Start collecting scrap metal to practice on, I have started to hoard bedframes that folks toss out, its perfect L channel metal that can be repurposed.

All the YT videos and reviews will tell you differently about Yeswelder, but I'm on pause with the hobby until I can afford a much higher end HF Titanium, Vulcan or Lincoln.

 

[supton]

I’d look for a replacement, NOS, and examine it to see if bracing a good one is for the best. You could take this one, grind the rust off, put it onto the engine, tack it so that it’s correct, then remove and go to town on bracing—but if this is the first welding job you’ve done, eh.

If it’s at a bend/weld point, maybe it’s just a marginal design? if not, what might be the cause of the break? bad motor mount? or is this the engine that had the broken camshaft and thus was having a very non-factory vibration? Asking because if it was due to breakage elsewhere, then a NOS without extra bracing might be just fine.

 

[tcp71]

If you need a temporary fix until this one is repaired, find some tubing in the same size, roughly bend it to match the new one, flatten the bolt ends with a vice or hammer and drill the hole where it needs to be. This would probably last a while until you can get a proper replacement.

 

[Snagglefoot]

The 91’s have pretty much come and gone at the self serve wreching yards but you can go down and have a quick look. It looks to me that thing fatigued and fractured a long time ago, then the surfaces rusted. That’s a simple repair at a welding shop. When you get it back, Prime and paint it with some Rustoleum brand paint.

 

[JHZR2]

I’d look for a replacement, NOS, and examine it to see if bracing a good one is for the best. You could take this one, grind the rust off, put it onto the engine, tack it so that it’s correct, then remove and go to town on bracing—but if this is the first welding job you’ve done, eh.

If it’s at a bend/weld point, maybe it’s just a marginal design? if not, what might be the cause of the break? bad motor mount? or is this the engine that had the broken camshaft and thus was having a very non-factory vibration? Asking because if it was due to breakage elsewhere, then a NOS without extra bracing might be just fine.

There’s no such thing as a nos replacement. Searching the part number returns nothing.

I think it cracked at the crush/bend point, water got in over time, and it just finally vibrated free.

This is not the car with the broken camshaft. This car runs very nicely. Injector #4 was knocking a bit which gave me clue that the delivery valve seals may be suspect. That’s why I was looking everything over and found it.

 

[spasm3]

That piece, decently welded ,will be stronger than a new one

 

[oldcodger]

If you have access to a torch it can be brazed. Not as good as a weld but easier to do.

 

[tnt_motorsports]

This looks very weldable IMO. I'd take a disk grinder and make a couple passes along the crack on both sides to clean it up and allow full penetration. I would then install it back on the car and tack weld it in a couple places. This will help ensure proper orientation. Finish the welding off the car. You can grind the welds for clearance if needed but stay away from the toe of the weld so you don't create a new problem.

Just my $0.02

 

[The motor guy]

Junkyard

 

[Owen Lucas]

There’s no such thing as a nos replacement. Searching the part number returns nothing.

I think it cracked at the crush/bend point, water got in over time, and it just finally vibrated free.

This is not the car with the broken camshaft. This car runs very nicely. Injector #4 was knocking a bit which gave me clue that the delivery valve seals may be suspect. That’s why I was looking everything over and found it.

Send out an APB to all BITOGs within a 25 mile import junk yard radius.

 

[JHZR2]

Send out an APB to all BITOGs within a 25 mile import junk yard radius.

Seriously. I’d pay a BITOGer to find and get one, or weld this one properly