turbo pissing oil

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logik
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turbo pissing oil

Post by logik »

Hey all,

A month or two ago i went and bought a recond TC06 off a mate, which cost me $250 with a full rebuild kit which had been installed. Got a friend
to install it for me (it was off a cordia and housings needed to be swapped), so he moved the exhaust housing to suit before bolting back
in.

What can i say? For a week it was pure bliss, no wastegate creep, instant boost.. Then i had a few problems with my battery. Was driving back from
Dardanup and the car would hesitate coming on boost - later diagnosed as dead alternator. I tried to force it a few times but id hear a smallish
bang, somewhat like a popping under the bonnet.

Got the car home, swapped alternator and new battery... Now whenever i take the car for a run and come on boost (doesnt really matter how hard),
i'll be able to smell oil rather quickly. If i boot it down the road 1st 2nd 3rd big clouds of smoke will billow out the back after 2nd gear.

Seems to be a lot of oil on/near the wastegate actuator arm, and thats where its burning. The clouds of smoke from the back are probably oil dripping
onto the exhaust.

I've nearly had it with this car.. is it a simple problem? Does anyone have a diagram of the whole turbo with the oil line assembly, has the oil ring had
it? (new ring too)

If anyone can shed light on this, drop a post.
David
I like starions more
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Turbo rebuild kit huh?

Post by David »

Simple explanation -

Your static oil seal isn't.

Complex explanation.

When your friend fitted the "full rebuld kit" what was the ID of the CHRA around the static seal, and just how did you prepare it, remove the coke and other stuff etc.

Also, how much damage was there to the shaft?

Finally, are you sure you actually fitted the static seal?

These answers and more will help me to advise you. But it sounds like you rebuilt the turbo wrong. You also need to clean the CHRA housing until it's spotless. Worst case, your static seal didn't turn (ie, caught on a piece of coke) and now it's ripped a hole in the CHRA housing and the shaft.


It's possible you've just crimped the oil return line or something like that, but most likely the rebuild is cactus.

Check for crimps then pull the whole thing out.

Also do a jitter test to ensure you don't have a more significant issue such as damaged piston ring lands causing excess crankcase pressure.

(ie, when you undo the oil filler cap and leave it sitting there, and idle, does the oil cap jitter or is it sucked down).

Also, make sure your turbo spins, and isn't siezed.

That about covers it.

Hope this helps.

Regards
David
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logik
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Post by logik »

What i dont get is, all this worked perfectly... without leaking any oil whatsoever for a week or two. The turbo still does come on boost, so
nothing has seized.
gordonspec® racing
David
I like starions more
Posts: 162
Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2004 11:07 pm

Worked for about a week?

Post by David »

It might have been incorrectly rebuilt then...

But it still sounds like the static seal is now not working.

Check for the oil return line (blockages) and crankcase overpressure still, but if that much oil has been leaking out, you may need to tear the turbo apart and rebuild it again.

It may even be damaged now.

Also, did you replace the oil feed line?
ANything like temporary oil starvation might also damage a turbo.

Best bet - get a SH one that you know is good.

It's not that you can't rebuild turbos. I've done it myself, but they have pretty fine tolerances, and if you don't have the equipment to measure those tolerances, then you need to know where to look for signs of damage.

And you can't just pull them apart and replace the seals/rings/bearing or you'll get exactly the symptoms you have now.

But if the oil's leaking out the back (into the turbine snail) then it's almost certain you've lost the static seal. (Turbo's have a dynamic seal as well, just in front of this which minimises loss when it's spinning and not under boost).

Keep in mind that if you've damaged your engine, then under boost, you may get high pressures in the crankcase. This is dangerous and can lead to an explosion, but aside from that, it will blow oil straight past the static seal and stuff it up.

If that's been happening, then you have a serious problem still, but if it's recent, the damage might not be that bad.

The standard rule applies. If it's not working right, stop using it or you'll only do more damage.

Regards
David.
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mrb1
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Post by mrb1 »

David is right everything might be a max tolerance. The new parts worked ok until something got dislodged. Maybe a bit of carbon was helping it seal before. Also there is a chance that the balance might be disturbed if the compressor wheel is not put on in exactly the same place. I have rebuilt my turbo 2 times in the last 8 years. I did not check/measure anything (apart from inspection for obvious damage) but did make sure it was clean. I have been lucky I guess. However the second rebuild has not lasted as long as the first so some new bits are probably needed.
If the centre bearing housing wears then the brass coloured bearing will have too much clearance (even a new one). Once stuff starts to move around it will wear out again VERY quickly even in 2 weeks. Also the shaft can wear as well.
Take it to a turbo place otherwise you may really do some damage. Yes it will cost a bit but it may cost a lot more it you don't.

Once thing to check is that the piston ring gap is at the top not the bottom.
I will post a picture of what can happen tomorrow if you leave it for too long :(
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mrb1
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Post by mrb1 »

This is what can happen if you leave it too long.

Looks ok from this end :? (still spins freely)
Image


But not ok from this end :(
Image

And even worse in here :( That's part of the exhaust wheel embedded in the exhaust housing :( Notice the various gouge marks as well. :(
Image

The rest of the exhaust wheel went down the exhaust!

The only thing usable from the is turbo is the compressor wheel. This turbo was leaking oil from the exhaust wheel end. BE WARNED!
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