How to Fit a Turbo Blanket: Step-by-Step Guide

This guide shows you how to fit a turbo blanket, from the checks before you start through to the first heat cycle. Turbo blanket installation takes basic hand tools and a cold engine. The job is simple, but the details matter: the right orientation, even spring tension, and clear space around the wastegate and sensors.

If you have not bought yours yet, start with our turbo blanket range and make sure you have the right size.

Before you start

Let the engine cool completely. Turbos hold heat long after you switch off, so ideally leave it overnight.
Check the blanket matches your turbo. Confirm the size and wastegate type against the product photos. If you are not sure, follow our guide on how to measure your turbo for a turbo blanket before you go further.
Check for oil and fuel leaks. Look at the turbo oil feed and return lines, the turbo seals and anything above the turbo that could drip onto it. Fix leaks first. The glass-fibre insulation inside the blanket can absorb oil and fuel, and a soaked blanket is a fire risk.
Read the fitting instructions supplied with your blanket. They show where the springs go for your model.

Tools and gear

Gloves and safety glasses
Long-nose pliers or a spring hook tool
Torch or inspection light
Degreaser and clean rags
Spanners or sockets if a factory heat shield or intake pipe needs to come off
Stainless steel ties if you plan to wrap the dump pipe as well

Keep plastic cable ties away from the turbo. They melt.

How to fit a turbo blanket step by step

1. Clear access

Remove any factory heat shield that covers the turbine housing and keep it and its bolts together. Take off intake pipework if you need more room to work.

2. Clean the housing

Wipe off oil residue and grime so nothing gets trapped under the blanket.

3. Test fit without springs

Offer the blanket up to the turbine housing with the stainless mesh side facing the metal. Line up the openings with the exhaust inlet flange, the outlet and, on internal wastegate models, the wastegate lever.

4. Close it around the housing

Pull the blanket snug so it sits flat, with no bunching and no bare housing showing beyond the flange openings.

5. Fit the turbo blanket springs

Hook the stainless steel mounting springs into place as shown in the supplied instructions. Work across the blanket and alternate sides so the tension stays even. Do not overstretch the springs.

6. Tidy the edges

Make sure the edges around the flanges sit close to the housing and nothing hangs loose.

7. Run the clearance checks below

Run the clearance checks below before you refit anything.

8. Refit parts

Refit the factory heat shield if it still clears the blanket, then reconnect intake pipework and anything else you removed. If the factory shield no longer fits, call us before you leave it off. Route lines and wiring away from the blanket.

Clearance checks

Wastegate actuator

On an internal wastegate turbo, move the wastegate lever by hand through its full travel. It must move freely without catching on the blanket. On an external wastegate setup, check the blanket does not press against the wastegate or its pipe.

O2 sensor

If your O2 sensor sits near the turbo outlet, keep the blanket edge clear of the sensor body and its lead. Never cover the sensor.

Heat-sensitive lines

Oil feed and return lines, coolant lines, boost and vacuum hoses, and sensor wiring should not touch the blanket. The outer surface still gets hot, so give them clearance and secure anything that could move.

Bonnet and surrounding parts

Close the bonnet and check nothing touches the blanket. Rock the engine gently by hand and make sure the blanket does not rub on the firewall, strut tower or chassis.

Turbo blanket smoking on the first heat cycle

Some smoke on the first run is normal. Binders in the materials burn off as the blanket reaches operating temperature for the first time.

Run the engine outside or in a well-ventilated area, never in a closed garage.
Bring the engine up to operating temperature, then take a gentle drive.
Expect the smoke and smell to fade over the first few heat cycles.
If the smoke keeps coming, gets heavier, or smells like burning oil, stop. Check for an oil or fuel leak onto the blanket.

Ongoing care

Keep oil and fuel off the blanket. Fix any new leak straight away.
Check the springs at every service. Replace any that are stretched, damaged or missing.
Check the blanket has not shifted and still covers the housing evenly.
Look for tears or worn patches in the outer layer.
Replace a blanket that has soaked up oil or fuel. Cleaning will not remove what the insulation has absorbed, and it stays a fire risk.

Kool Wrap turbo blankets carry a 12 month warranty.

When to choose silicone coated

If your turbo works in an oily or dusty environment, choose a silicone coated turbo blanket. The silicone-coated fibreglass outer resists oil and fuel. It suits trucks and plant engines, and anywhere oil and fuel are a risk. Fix any oil leak before you fit it.

Truck and marine operators can also browse our engine-specific industrial and marine turbo blankets.

Finish the job: wrap the dump pipe

The dump pipe after the turbo radiates heat too. Wrap it with exhaust heat wrap and secure it with stainless steel ties. Leave the O2 sensor unwrapped.

Together, the blanket and the wrap keep more heat out of the bay. Our step-by-step exhaust wrap install guide covers the method.

Want to know what your new blanket is doing for you? Read what a turbo blanket does.

Turbo blanket fitting FAQs

How do you fit a turbo blanket?

Let the engine cool, clear access to the turbine housing, then test fit the blanket with the stainless mesh side against the metal and the openings lined up with the flanges and wastegate lever. Hook the stainless steel springs in alternating sides so the tension stays even, check the wastegate moves freely, then refit everything you removed.

How do turbo blanket springs work?

Stainless steel mounting springs hook across the blanket and hold it closed against the housing. They are supplied with the blanket and the fitting instructions show where each one goes for your model. Work across the blanket alternating sides so tension stays even, and do not overstretch them.

Why is my turbo blanket smoking?

Binders in the materials burn off the first time the blanket reaches operating temperature. Light smoke and a smell over the first few heat cycles are normal and clear on their own. Smoke that keeps coming, gets heavier or smells of burning oil means a leak is dripping onto the blanket, and you should stop and find it.

Can you fit a turbo blanket yourself?

Yes. It takes basic hand tools and a cold engine. The parts that need care are the mesh side facing the housing, even spring tension, and checking the wastegate actuator moves through its full travel afterwards.

Do I need to remove the factory heat shield?

Usually you need to take it off to get access. Refit it afterwards if it still clears the blanket. If it no longer fits, call us before you leave it off, because it may be shielding something the blanket does not cover.

Need help with your fit?

If something does not line up, stop and call us on 1300 44 33 34 with a photo of the blanket on the housing. We can confirm the fit or arrange a modified blanket. Browse the full range of Kool Wrap turbo blankets for replacement blankets and other sizes.