TROUBLESHOOTING

Turbos are only simple to those who know how they work and interact with an engine. I pride myself on helping our customers understand as much as possible about their turbo problem and hopefully help the customer spend only what they need to.

Two facts about turbos that I believe you need to know are that a turbo is an exhaust gas driven air compressor and turbos require clean pressurized oil as soon as the engine is running

Turbos fail for a few reasons; excessive coking, oil contamination, blade strike, oil starvation, and poor engineering. Many times the failure is one or two of these factors combined.

Diagnosing a turbo failure is best done with physical examination. (Engine off and cool) Wiggling the rotating assembly up and down and in and out will tell a lot about the condition. Journal bearing turbos have a little up and down play to allow for pressurized oil to fill the gap. This pressure jacket suspends the shaft during operation and allows it to spin millions of times during service. Too much wear allows for contact and failure. There should be no discernible play in and out. If physical examination is not possible then the following signs may help with your decision to get the unit examined professionally.

1. the maximum boost level fluctuates even with steady load and throttle
2. the regular "whine" from the turbo has become louder or has disappeared
3. the maximum boost level has dropped off significantly or is non-existent
4. oil consumption is increasing in conjunction with increasing quantities of light colored smoke from the tailpipe
5. your turbo produces no boost at all
6. boost has dropped off significantly in combination with rattling instead of the characteristic whistle

1. change the engine oil frequently, even with synthetic oil
2. allow the engine to reach regular operating temperature before getting into boost
3. allow engine to idle for 45 seconds or more before shut-down

Please call if you have questions about your turbo. I can help.