[whistle87]

no matter what i do i cant seem to keep my DP sealed.when i first bought the car there was only one bolt holding it on.took the turbo off,drilled out 2 broken bolts and tapped all the holes,made my own gasket and put locktite on all 4 brand new bolts.month later i have lost one bolt and the rest backed off.and blew my gasket out.how the hell are u supposed to keep this thing sealed?since it is a 3in. DP,all i can get on the flange it those allen head bolts

 

[The Radius Kid]

Which D/P is it?

 

[Steve Wood]

What gasket? There is not normally a gasket between the pipe and the turbo. A gasket may shrink and allow the bolts to loosen.

Are the threads good after removing the broken bolts?

 

[whistle87]

its a THDP.3in.i know theres not normally a gasket,but i figured it would seal up nice.and it did.the threads on all the holes were fine.ill try it w/no gasket and see if that works

 

[Steve Wood]

I always use antiseize so I can remove the bolts easily. I have never had a problem with the bolts coming loose in spite of that.

 

[motorhead]

I made my own gasket out of copper sheet metal, and copper Permatex. And while it still leaks a little at the flange, it is better than it was.

I was thinking of switching to a soft aluminum, it should conform better. dunno

 

[ULYCYC]

Do you have the exhaust hanger in place at the trans mount. If not most of the exhaust system weight pulls on the downpipe and elbow.
This will loosen or snap the bolts over time.

 

[TurboDave]

whistle87:
no matter what i do i cant seem to keep my DP sealed.when i first bought the car there was only one bolt holding it on.took the turbo off,drilled out 2 broken bolts and tapped all the holes,made my own gasket and put locktite on all 4 brand new bolts.month later i have lost one bolt and the rest backed off.and blew my gasket out.how the hell are u supposed to keep this thing sealed?since it is a 3in. DP,all i can get on the flange it those allen head bolts

Initially, you'd have probably been better off with just 4 new bolts and NO gasket. The gasket allows for some movement, flexing, etc. It eventually gets blown out (depending on your system's backpressure).
Once that happens the bolts no longer have any clamping force and can easilly back themselves out.