Now that I've solved my check valve problem, I can get back to documenting the install

Time to prep the turbo itself! I actually did this the night before the install, indoors. It's a nice easy thing to do ahead of time so you don't feel like you're just stuck waiting to get started the next day.

The body of the turbo (small part in the middle with the bearing) has a small oil inlet on one side, and a larger oil outlet on the opposite side. We need to install adapter plates and female compression fittings to each of these, so that the oil feed and drain lines can be connected.




That's the oil feed side. There's a thin gasket that goes on first, then the thick adapter.




Then add some teflon tape (PTFE plumber's thread tape) to the fitting and thread it into the adapter plate.




Same thing for the drain side:













Don't be surprised if the the turbine and compressor housings are not oriented correctly relative to each other, or relative to the turbo body. It's completely adjustable. You actually get quite a good view of the housing bolts in the photos above. Just loosen all the housing bolts slightly (about 1/4 turn should be enough; only loosen them enough so that you can rotate the housing), then rotate the housing relative to the body. The rectangle turbine housing inlet and the oil drain hole need to be pointing straight down. The compressor outlet and oil inlet need to be pointing straight up. Tighten the housing bolts in a star pattern when you're done.

Even if yours comes perfectly aligned already, you should double check that all the housing bolts are tight.