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Is my turbo a VF39 or VF52 ?

18217 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Hondafan
Can anyone identify my turbo by picture? Is it a VF39 or VF52?






Thank you.

Rodrigo.
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Well if you have an 08 that's actually a TD04.

If you have the 09, then you have the VF52.

Here's how it breaks down

1) VF52 is essentially the same as the VF48, but with a different flange that bolts directly to the intercooler. The VF48 just has an open end that uses a hose clamp and tubes to connect to the intercooler.

2) VF48 is essentially the VF39 but with a revised, larger wastegate to help control boost creep.

3) The above two points mean your turbo is essentially a VF39 with a larger wastegate and a different flange to connect to the intercooler.
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RcrsWetDream, but are those parts OEM/Stock?

What do you mean by different flange? Is not the OEM one?

Thank you.
I'm asking this because I can't use the stock OEM ROM for this car.... when I flash the Stock ROM I have problems at 2500-3000RPM.... perhaps the last owner made some upgrades and now tried to make it stock again, I don't know... you say large wastegaste, is this WG OEM?
Thank you.
If you car is a MY08 you have a TD04 (stock from 02-08 USDM WRXs) 09 and up (USDM) WRXS use the VF52. The VF 39 was an 04-06 (USDM) STI. All are/were stock and mostly interchangeable (the 08+ WRXs have a slightly different layout now).
All the turbos mentioned in this post are stock on the vehicles. The 08+ models adopted the legacy gt layout, so now the intercooler bolts directy to the turbo. That's what I mean by the different flange. Look at your pictures and you can see that. The larger wastegate was something done by IHI to combat boost creep issues with the VF39, and they called the new turbo the VF48. There may be a couple other changes but that is the main one. Again, the VF48 is the stock turbo on the 08+ STi's, which is internally the same as the VF52, which is stock on the 09+ WRX. The only difference is the 52 has that flange that bolts directly to the intercooler.

In your case you have the TD04 turbo, just with that flange to bolt directly to the intercooler. Previous WRX's 02-07 had a rubber/silicon pipe that connected the turbo to the intercooler.

Look at post #18, side by side shot of the 48 vs 52. You can see the flange I'm talking about better.

http://www.wrxtuners.com/forums/f121/boost-addicts-08-wrx-project-24991/index2.html
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I'm not trying to be presumptuous, but I doubt the turbo has been upgraded, even though you were told it was, as the factory downpipe is also in place. I doubt the original owner would hang on to an original downpipe and not the turbo, while changing it all back to stock. When I save parts, I save the mos worthwhile ones. I guess it's possible the original was sold, but being that you have a WRX, and not an STi, I would say it's safe to bet you don't have a VF52 of a VF39. I'd say that looks identical to my TD04, but that's not easy to confirm with the heat shield in the way.
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