DIFFERENCES BETWEEN T2, T3, K14 & K24 TURBOS

[shorttimer]

OK, I admit I'm a novice at this, in fact I have never driven a turbo engined vehicle. I'm old & want to learn, so I can make a good decision on which turbo to look for. I had an OK running 1.6NA, but it was just too slow for me. That means it was really slow! I purchased a 1.9TD which was supposed to be a drop in & wasn't. The turbo that came with is a T2 and it needs a rebuild. The exhaust manifold is the one with the trapezoidal shape exiting and does not have an EGR.  The type of driving I normally do is around 60 & I drive fairly conservative, however I need enough power to get up to freeway speeds without getting plowed into. I may tow a small trailer on occasion. I also may try a few aero mods for less drag. I have a 020 with a .71 5th gear. So if economy was the norm, would a turbo I need be making boost at a steady 60mph, or would the correct size be one that would go into boost when down shifted a gear? Or what speed? And which of those turbos listed would get me close to the ball park? And why?

Thanks in advance to the experts on here.

[theman53]

For cost effectiveness and not performance oriented then I would just rebuild the T2 you have. xsboostturbochargers.com is a local guy to me and does very well. He has been to all the big classes, has the expensive equip, and knows what he is doing. I would send it to him if it were me. The T2 is supposed to be the garrett version of the K14 for the vw engine, just like the T3 and K24 are supposed to be the basically the same turbo. You should have very quick full boost with the T2 which would suit all your driving needs. You don't need boost to go 60mph, if you are boosting there depending on how the LDA is adjusted, you could get less mileage. Cruising boost I usually have under 3psi as there is no need to keep dumping fuel from the LDA, you just need to keep going. I am not a fan of small turbos, but for 350.00 or so xs will rebuild it and you would just need to install. For what you are doing a bigger turbo wouldn't help.

[aki91]

Can somebody please tell me which is stock 1.6 td turbo and how much boost it can make?
I am noob in VW diesel world i used tu preffer gassers until i got a diesel  I am overhauling Golf mk1 '78 it had a 1.5d but i put a 1.6d.
After i finish with body and other things i am planing to put a turbo on my 1.6 n/a for some torque 
Sorry for off.

[vanbcguy]

The T3 or the K24 came stock on most 1.6td engines. Note that there are a great many turbos called a "T3" or "K24", the designation just refers to the general size of the turbo. There are tons of variants that all have different performance characteristics.

The K24 or T3 used on the VW diesels can run happily up to around 22 PSI. Anything beyond about 15 PSI is a complete waste though unless you have an intercooler - the air coming out of the turbo will be so hot it will erase any performance gains from higher boost while restricting the exhaust.

[aki91]

Thank you for the answer, 15 psi or 1 bar is enough for n/a engine, also i want to put intercooler for lower egt. I have a couple of questions about tunning n/a pump to turbo , but another time i dont want to go more off topic here.
I am glad that here are many smart people that are willing to help 

[shorttimer]

So if the T2 & K14 are similar as the T3 & K24 are, how would you describe the driving characteristics of the differences of the pairs? Is there a little difference or a fairly large difference? What style of driving would favor the larger turbos? What's the difference in RPMs where they start to work?

[vanbcguy]

The T3/K24 come on in the mid-2K area, you'll see real boost around 2200 RPM or so and max boost upwards of 3000 RPM.  They are capable of running basically forever in the mid-20s without blowing up (though they are old designs and nowhere near as efficient as a modern turbo).  But in normal around town driving they can be somewhat laggy.

The T2/K14 should be on boost around 1800 or so with full boost by the mid-2K area.  They are usually only good till around 15-18 PSI or so.  The exhaust side is a bit more restrictive than the bigger T3/K24 so they aren't as good if you are planning on running higher RPMs with lots of boost, but for regular daily driving they are probably the best factory IDI turbos out there for a mild performance engine.

There's also the K03 that was found on some AAZ engines.  It isn't really good for much over 12 PSI but it spools really low.

[theman53]

I ran the bigger turbos and with fuel and a 3" downpipe I had boost starting to build a little over idle with full stock boost around 1800 but full 24psi by the mid 2000 rpm range. If you get the turbo rebuilt spend the extra and get the 360 main bearing. The turbo will spool 2x as fast with that over the stock 270 bearing.
For cost benefit if you have a T2 then you should run it as it doesn't sound like you are wanting tons of performance. To get another turbo would cost at least as much as a rebuild on the one you have and it won't be rebuilt.

[GEE-BEE]

Find a t3

here is complete

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Tuning-Garret-Turbolader-VW-BUS-T3-1-6-JX-Turbodiesel-Syncro-Motor-Golf-TD-JR-1V/390875584571?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D24140%26meid%3D8177777517154108372%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D10246%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D171375997899&rt=nc#ht_499wt_1221


gpopshop.com has done welll for me

here is your t3 manifold

http://www.vwdiesel.net/forum/index.php?topic=34935.0

what platform ?

I just found a mkii td snorkel to copy

I will mfg in two versions
2.25 for t2/t3/k14/k24
or ko3 size

I will make with one nipple for the ahu

the 1.6 td requires two breather nipples
Iam doing a daily driver with a ahu motor/ ko3/ko4 hybrid for my son's
turbo and manifold non egr was 75.00 u.k. pounds

using a aaz polished intake as not much boost, so no intercooler

GB

[Syncroincity]

I have a T-2 also, and it makes 15-17 psi all day long intercooled, EGTs max out at about 1100 uphill, running a Giles Performance AAZ pump. I got the rebuild kit on Ebay for about $70 with the 360-deg thrust bearing... Check the date stamp on the turbo (a roundel with the mfg year in the middle) the earliest ones had carbon seals while the later ones have dynamic seals. Mine was made in '91 and had the dynamic installed. No difference in performance, you just need to know which one to order. If you rebuild it yourself, mark all the positions of the wheels and nut very carefully prior to teardown so you can index everything on reassembly and maintain the factory balance. It's not a hard job, but everything needs to be surgically clean during reassembly.

Here's the kit:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/380390903018?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT#ht_2385wt_1125

It has everything you need except for the rubber o-ring for the cold side housing, the supplied one is too large, and if you use the new clamp sections you need to drill holes to match your old ones.
G-Popshop seems pretty good and is popular, but there are some complaints on various forums. There's a guy in NJ here that does high-quality rebuilds, Scroll Products...  http://scrollproducts.com/en/

[theman53]

xsboostturbochargers.com

[shorttimer]

Just want to say thanks for all the responses. I haven't completely made up my mind, however I'm thinking more about the T2 rebuild with the 360 bearing. Wish I could afford a Giles pump.

[Syncroincity]

Just want to say thanks for all the responses. I haven't completely made up my mind, however I'm thinking more about the T2 rebuild with the 360 bearing. Wish I could afford a Giles pump.

Rebuild it yourself, and the money you save gets you halfway there...

One tip; don't remove the inner circlips for the bearings. It's unnecessary, and they are a pain in the pills to get back in there.