Replacing my Turbo.

[Lomoski]

Hi folks,
So my Turbo died. The wastegate clip broke off and it's been puking oil internally (white smoke after a descent) as well as externally. So I pulled the offending turbo and ordered a new one off aliexpress.com which is a chinese wholesaler website. Huge mistake! The turbo arrived with a broken line fitting and with a massive amount of impeller shaft slop as well as a different fitting size for the wastegate manifold that doesn't fit the wastegate. The impeller almost hits the housing and it's brand new. So needless to say, tried to save a buck and am now going to pay the price.
I don't want to make the same mistake again. I would like to buy new and from someone reputable. Any suggestions? I know there has been a lot of talk about getting them rebuilt but I don't live in the lower mainland and it seems that for the price of a rebuild you could buy a new turbo. Thoughts?

While the turbo is off I bought a pyrometer and will be installing pre turbo as I have the manifold off and can make sure there are no fillings left over. Best place to install it? I was thinking off the bottom just before the turbo where the four pipes come together.

Thanks everyone.

Marc

[Big-Bird]

http://rs-import.ca/shop/step1.php?numb ... 0122101812

Talk to Steven, tell him Wade from Calgary told you to call him. Steven will get you the right part and send it fast.

I would install the pyro probe just after the turbo...if the pyro tip breaks (which can happen) it won't run through the blades of your new turbo and wreck it. The temp difference pre vs post turbo is estimated to be around 100 degrees F cooler after the turbo.

[Growlerbearnz]

Repairing the seals is fairly easy if you use a rebuild kit, just mark the positions of everything so you can reassemble it without mucking up the balance. Rebuild kit is about $40 on Ebay.

The broken off wastegate clip? Lever? might be a bit more troublesome. Can you use parts from your chinese turbo to repair the wastegate?

[Lomoski]

I'm not a fan of the rebuilding option. I live in the mountains and am pretty hard on the turbo and having read previous posts about how important the balance is I'm not really convinced that just replacing seals and a bearing is a good idea. Thanks for that suggestion though! Plus the turbo that came from China has the wrong size wastegate lever on it and doesn't fit in the wastegate actuator. I would really like to buy a new unit. Not one that has been rebuilt unless its rebuilt by someone trustworthy that people can vouch for. I have read the posts about the company that rebuilds them for roughly 600 out in bc but I live in alberta and can't wait that long.

Thanks

Marc

[Growlerbearnz]

I didn't trust the $40 rebuild kit either, but figured I'd give it a try anyway- if it blew up I'd have a good excuse to buy a brand new turbo- or even a new engine

My $40 rebuilt turbo has been running for 3 years now at 20psi, without any noticeable play in the bearings or oil leaks. It's slightly disappointing- I'd expected to have that new turbo already. Then again, I rebuilt my turbo because I suspected it was leaking oil and was suspicious of the amount of play, not because it had already failed.

[punkrawker]

look on ebay, get the casting number off your existing turbo and look for matches. I have been looking into this same shitty similar problem and have found NEW turbos on ebay ranging from 350-700 with an average of 98% customer satisfaction rate....pretty damn good IMO.

hope this helps and keep me posted on the adventures

[vtin]

I have rebuilt turbochargers with good results without balancing. The components that are balanced from factory are the turbine wheel and shaft assembly and the compressor wheel. When rebuilding you must inspect these components for wear/damage. If the turbo is not suffering from wheel strikes on the housing, the balance is probably fine. Factory turbos are component balanced and it's not necessary to balance the CHRA assembly, although useful if you will be spinning a big turbo to it's peak rpm. I also would not but e-bay rebuild kits as the quality is never known. Buy a rebuild kit from a reputable manufacturer. Kinugawa is not bad and has a large selection of rebuild kits. I can vouch that their bearings are manufactured to spec.

Once apart, soak in mineral oils and use brushes to clean. Some scraping may be required, especially where the CHRA mates to the exhaust housing. Make sure when you rebuild that you do not damage/scratch or score any of the bearing surfaces (use a toothbrush on those spots). Clean the CHRA super thoroughly, clean all mating surfaces, oil/water ports. Clean our the seal surfaces as seals can become brittle and leave parts behind No dirt must be in the turbo once assembled, so I suggest assembling in a clean environment such as the kitchen table :). Use the same motor oil as you do in your car to lubricate the components during assembly.

Turbochargers are not all "black magic" as they are made out to be. It's just a precisely made assembly and as long as it is rebuilt with care and is not damaged before and during the rebuild you will be successful.

[vtin]

Just noticed that your were looking for answers in 2014. Hope you got the issues sorted by now.