turbocharger repair - ripped off!

[Dave Williams]

-> Blimey in Perth we are being ripped off big time. To replace bearings
-> and balance on the latest "VST" dynamic balancer is around A$800
-> *and* on a 'care but no responsibility' clause.

 You'd save money shipping them to the USA!  Better yet, buy a balancing
machine and undercut the competition; given those prices the profit
margins could still be fat.


-> They say their balancers cost around A$35,000 each (blah) (blah),

 The one the local turbo place uses is a desktop version of my engine
balancer - ball bearing rollers, a drive belt, and a strobe light.  New
engine balancers are around US$15K, I'd expect the turbo balancers to be
a lot cheaper.  Someone swift with electronics could probably just make
his own.


-> I'd be interested in building my own turbo balancer - shouldn't be
-> that hard - any comments on this ?

 The common type uses two leaf springs.  One end is fixed to the frame,
the other has a block with a pair of ball bearings.  From that end a rod
runs down to a voice coil arrangement to measure displacement.  The
shaft spins up to its critical speed, displacement is shown on an analog
meter, and the strobe is triggered, phase-shifted to show at maximum
displacement.  I spent several days poring over the manuals for my big
Stewart Warner machine; I couldn't believe how simple it was, and kept
looking for the gotchas...


-> I used to use a bath of penetrating oil with an ultrasonic transducer
-> underneath - works wonders - though *don't* use if with aluminium ;-)

 It's the exhaust housings that are all the problem.  I use high temp
antiseize and stainless steel bolts when I reassemble them.

==dave.williams at chaos.lrk.ar.us======================================
I've got a secret / I've been hiding / under my skin / | Who are you?
my heart is human / my blood is boiling / my brain IBM |   who, who?
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