turbo problem opinions

[vcrpro3]

For those more knowlegeable-opinion needed-
Turbo custom built/rebuilt by one of our suppliers about 4000 miles ago- after about 2-2.5k miles noticed oil being pushed out of bearing housing into compressor outlet .Finally had turbo taken out of car by 32 year experienced mechanic..There seems to be much side to side play in the shaft/blades with almost touching on sides per the mechanic that works in a complex that is owned by a import specialist that does many high dollar turbo installs. Showed to original source- told there is no problem,amount of play is normal.Had import shops turbo source-operators of import shop also said compared to turbos they have seen-looseness excessive-- (authorized Garrett dealer) look at it- says there is too much side play. Took it to another turbo shop,they said it is not too much play. My situation right now, as someone that does not know much about these thing, is that unless original supplier to me-turbo builder agrees it is bad, i have no warranty recourse. i've been told that oil from where i'm seeing it is result of excessive blowby and clogged pcv system-however the pcv system is functioning properly and there is absolutely NO oil in the air box and air inlet to turbo. Guys- what do y'all think???? I'm going to take it to another rebuilder to get their opinion-- sorry this so long,but it looks like this is gonna cost a lot of money that i just do not have at this time

[vcrpro3]

Let me say , there might be a problem....or not---i don't know

[moparzrule]

What kind of tube did you use for the oil return (connecting the tube on the turbo to the tube on the block), did you use silicone hose or heater hose?

If it's not touching the housing, the play is excessive for a 2K mile rebuild to not so excessive it would not be runable.

[vcrpro3]

It is the proper silicone return hose. The play is not so much the issue as the oil coming out of the bearing housing. There does not appear to be any abnormal blowby as the car is equipped with forged pistons which will be a little loose until fully warmed up and the engine also has 4000 miles (noted the oil at about 2 to 2.5k miles, but had to use vehicle while longer until backup was available) i do have an oil burning issue but like is a valve seal prob as no carbon on plugs or turbine blade-but does smoke upon startup and taking off from a stop.

[tryingbe]

Have you done a leakdown test? Once, I blocked of the PCV tube by accident, car would smoke but no oil on the intake side at all.

You can't tell much by just look at the turbo without tearing it down to the bearings to see what caused the damage.

[Chris W]

Here's a great checklist you can go through to make sure it is actually the turbo that is the problem.

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/sh...7&postcount=13

Pay close attention to the part about the oil drainback gasket and review the photo in that post. The first thing we noticed during the inspection was that your gasket had quite a bit of RTV on it which was obstructing the return flow of the oil. It should have been installed "dry" without RTV. This is why we questioned your mechanics turbo installation experience. Also, smoke on startup usually indicates burning of the oil in the combustion chamber, not in the turbo. The turbo will not reach oil burning temperatures for at least a few minutes, not at startup. I suspect the inake valve seals are worn or were not installed properly. Correcting that issue first might eliminate your oil burning problem.

Let us know how that goes,

Chris-TU

[2.2turboscotty]

Chris W helped me with a problem i was having with my turbo and i didn't buy it from him. i went down his checklist and everything was like it was supposed to be so i knew it was not my installtion error that was giving me problems. my problem was smoking at idle and taking off from a stop but didn't seem to smoke when driving, i noticed mine easily because i have side exit exhaust. i took the rebuilt turbo off and installed another one that was used that was known good. funny that the used one with 120k had very little shaft play but the rebuilt one had quite a bit more with only 100 miles on it. found out after the install that oil was getting past the rings and causing my smoking issue, so rebuilding another motor as we speak. i do think that if it has low miles it should not have as much play as you say, i questioned that myself with mine.

[Chris W]

We found that vcrpro3's turbo did not have too much shaft play and that it was within normal operating specs. There will always be some play between the shaft and the bearings and this space is taken up by the pressurized oil during normal operation. What many people don't realize is that the oil pressure not only lubricates the components but it also centers the turbine shaft in the bearing. We did not see signs of contact between the compressor wheel and the compressor housing or the turbine wheel and turbine housing. I also offered to remove the housing right in front of the customer to verify that. Still waiting to hear back from him if this is an option. Removing, rebuilding and re-installing the turbo can be a very costly and time consuming process for all parties involved. We always stress to the customer to eliminate all other possibilities prior to making that choice. Based on the burning oil on start up we feel the intake valve seals should have been replaced by his mechanic prior to turbo removal since that sounds like it is most likely the problem. Using our Warranty as a way of eliminating the turbo as being the cause is not going to resolve the issue any faster or keep costs down for anyone. In the past we have always rebuilt most of the turbos sent in under warranty even if there was no problem. Now, if the turbo checks out okay we have no other choice but to bill the customer. Even though our costs have gone up over the last 10 years our prices for turbo rebuilds have remained the same and we certainly don't want to change that now. Our warranty is still No Fault/No Hassle, but, the turbo has to "actually" fail on it's own in order for us to honor that. We are determined to help vcrpro3 eliminate his oil burning issue and will continue to work with him with suggestions and ideas until it is resolved.

Chris-TU

[2.2turboscotty]

As always Chris you have always helped out the community here and in my opinion go above and beyond. i don't know if you remember but you helped me with some problems a while ago and it was not even your part that was causing the issue. i too hope that vcrpro3 gets his problem fixed because we all know it can be a real pain to find the source of the problems with oil burning sometimes.

[turbodaytona87]

I was going to say, as long as the compressor doesn't hit it should be fine

[turbodaytona87]

I was going to say, as long as the compressor doesn't hit it should be fine

[vcrpro3]

Update--engine started and run several times for a minute or two with turbo off -no smoking at start up.

[vcrpro3]

Update--engine started and run several times for a minute or two with turbo off -no smoking at start up.

Mucho racket,btw

[tryingbe]

Leak down test?

[capeglh]

vcrpro3,
Did you figure out what the problem was?
I'm having the same exact issue and it's driving me crazy!

Thanks