Turbo Problems, need a mechanics opinon!

[GUNN]

Need a bit of advice please, My car has been spewing out nice blue smoke for about a week gradually getting worse. I thought HGF, valve stem oil seals or turbo. I did a compression test that showed everything normal. I looked at the plugs, again showing normal. The car doesnt spew out smoke untill its up to temperature so in my experience not the valve stem oil seals as it doesnt start with a ploom of smoke after a stand still. So that left the turbo, the only way I could think of testing it was to loosen off the exhaust mani and pull it away from the block a good 15mm. I blocked the backbox up with an old towel and started the engine up to warm her up. When she got up to temperature I revved her and NO BLUE SMOKE coming from the block, I took the towel out of the backbox and LOTS OF BLUE SMOKE! Is this a conclusive test to show that the turbo oil seals have gone? As everything else shows normal.

 

[Beaniemoo]

It certainly sounds like it might be a turbo fault I must admit. Another test that I've found is if you take the inlet hose off the front of the turbo (from air filter) and check the impeller for play. There may be slight play up and down that will be taken out then its spinning and the bearing is full of oil, but if that is exessive or if there is any play in and out you have a turbo bearing on its way out.
Just an idea

 

[diamond geezer]

sounds like turbo seals. oil tends to get thinner as it heats up, so could be why it doesnt smoke when first started up., p.s. blue smoke is oil, so get the turbo checked.

 

[GUNN]

Thanks lads, I checked the turbo for play and theres a TINY amount left, right, up and down but no play any other directions which is normal isnt it as it needs oil to float on?

 

[diamond geezer]

thats not a problem, most tend to do that after a while. it should boost up as normal and work as normal, but if the seals go, oil leaks into boost pressure and in to the engine and as it burns, get chucked out as blue smoke. once you have sorted the seals, it may be worth changing the plugs, just incase they have got contaminated.

 

[bmh.01]

Take the turbo off and check for oil residue in the downpipe?

 

[GUNN]

I did have a look and it looks coked up but as it only happens when its ran up and revving then it gets burnt off too quick for me to check.

 

[ditz]

just pull the boost pipe off (pressure side) start it up and rev it
if it covers you in oil your turbo is shot

 

[ditz]

and yeah up/down movement is fine but end float will cause problems

 

[TomTom]

GUNN turbo boost pipes (tiny black ones) are common on the 1.8KTs, don't rub through or anything but even when they are a little bit flakey they can give you problems - you'd notice a lack in performance usually.

Turbos an easy one on them anyway. Let me know if you want a quote although your miles away.

 

[GUNN]

GUNN turbo boost pipes (tiny black ones) are common on the 1.8KTs, don't rub through or anything but even when they are a little bit flakey they can give you problems - you'd notice a lack in performance usually.

Turbos an easy one on them anyway. Let me know if you want a quote although your miles away.

Hi tomtom, what do u mean by the turbo boost pipes? The little sensory pipes fail? could you elaborate please?

 

[ditz]

no. he is talking about the boost pipes, you'll have one that goes from the turbo to the inlet manifold via intercooler if fitted and one that goes to the airbox
quite big pipes
take the pressure one off of the inlet manifold and try what i said
chances are it will throw oil at you

 

[GUNN]

hi ditz I had the filter off on the inlet but havent disconnected the boost pipe, i will do that tomorro. I notice though a little puddle of oil on the inlet side when I took the filter off.

 

[ditz]

yeah thats normal that will be out of the breather
a small amount of oil is normal on the pressure side too

 

[GUNN]

So if i disconect the turbo to intercooler pipe and put my hand over the outlet it should get soaked in oil? I will give that a go tomorrow. Is it possible that JUST the exhaust side seal has went or do they both go at once?

 

[TomTom]

Nah I'm on about the tiny vac style pipes. They have a rubberised end where they push onto the sensors / turbo etc. Ones black and one is white, they run from the boost control valve to the turbo.

Do you feel a massive gain in power where you normally feel the turbo cut in? Points towards the pipes but to be fair the pipes won't give a cloud out the exhaust. Well worth checking before you bolt a turbo on it. About £25 IIRC.

Whats your oil level doing?

 

[GUNN]

Nah I'm on about the tiny vac style pipes. They have a rubberised end where they push onto the sensors / turbo etc. Ones black and one is white, they run from the boost control valve to the turbo.

Do you feel a massive gain in power where you normally feel the turbo cut in? Points towards the pipes but to be fair the pipes won't give a cloud out the exhaust. Well worth checking before you bolt a turbo on it. About £25 IIRC.

Whats your oil level doing?

Oil level is decreasing slightly. One of the sensory pipes does keep disconecting itself, and I also cut on of the pipes that went the air filter when I fitted the K&N as I thought its just a breather, I will get a pic of it in 2 mins.

And because I have the K&N I put a small breather filter on the camshaft cover breather instead of having a big plastic pipe going to the K&N, clean oil comes out of this so I have put a catch tank on it.


You can see the sensor that keeps disconecting itself, I used a small jubilee clip but the rubber end is so thick the jubilee didnt grab it well and fell off.


And here the one that I cut, I did have a metal pipe with a breather nipple on and some small tubing connecting it but i found that it made no difference connected or disconected. I had to remove the pipe because the K&N was hitting against the chasis of the car as the pipe was too long.

 

[nath17t]

sounds like the rear oil seal in the turbo is weping it smokes when it is hot because the oil is burning in the hot exhaust the oil would only go threw the engine if the turbo was properly fucked and it would smoke all the time it will look worse than it is, it doesnt take much oil to make a big cloud of smoke and when it starts to get really bad it will burn more white than blue

 

[ditz]

So if i disconect the turbo to intercooler pipe and put my hand over the outlet it should get soaked in oil? I will give that a go tomorrow. Is it possible that JUST the exhaust side seal has went or do they both go at once?

yeah it is possible i have seen it before,, but its more common on the pressure side as the oil is effectively being pulled through

 

[GUNN]

Well to put a conclusion to the thread my car blew up...


....only joking, when I took the turbo off oil pissed out the turbine and compressor and the LAMBDA sensors were covered in oil. The block to exhaust mani was bone dry so im very confident that its the turbo oil seals.

BUT I have mayonaise on my oil cap and I know its a sign of HGF, im just wondering if the water can be mixing with the oil in the turbo if the seals have gone? There was water at both ends of the turbo but may have been condensation through the night time.

 

[bmh.01]

If its a water cooled turbo then theres every chance I guess. Especially if you found coolant in the turbo.