Garret turbo ??s

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Jaba
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Garret turbo ??s

Post by Jaba »

I am in the process of doing an engine swap. The turbo in my car is leaking oil.
My replacement engine is a recon job with 25K of use.

The leaky turbo spins freely and has a bit of vertical play. The replacement turbo also has a bit of vertical play too, a bit less than the other as far as I can tell. It does not however spin freely. It is quite stiff and seems to get stiffer and easier as it is turned with a finger. It hasn't been used for about 3 years and looks fine visually.

I dont know wether to just fit it and hope it will free itself up with use or whether to abandon it and get hold of another turbo.

Thoughts ?
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

The turbo relies on oil pressure bearings. Might be a completely different running beast with fresh oil the right places.

Try it. Turbos are despite their insane working conditions extremely reliable devices.
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cavmad
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Post by cavmad »

Seems like a fair bit of work to find it's not performing properly. Can you find any local (and trusted) turbo specialists who could cast an eye over it before you fit it?
Arsing about fitting stuff to see if it works or not is not usually a good idea in my experience Jaba.
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DavidRutherford
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Post by DavidRutherford »

If a turbo goes easy-tight-easy-tight as you turn it, the cross-shaft probably has a fair bit of gum/carbon/other crap stuck to it (which makes sense if it's been laid up for 3 years).

To test: Use a pump-type oil can, and pump oil into the pressure feed for the turbo until it starts to come out of the drain pipe. Now try and spin the turbo again. If it now goes free, then it's fine. If it still still goes stiff, then I wouldn't risk it. You can strip and clean a turbo, but it's a moderately specialised job.

Alternatively just use the other turbo. They all pass a bit of oil anyway, and I don't think that's a bad thing, just as long as the engine doesn't have EGR (which the 17TD never had) then it really isn't a problem.
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Post by jeremy »

The thrust on the turbo spindle/vanes will always be in the same direction - so is probably controlled by one bearing only - so when you lift the spindle there will be some play as you are lifting it off the thrust bearing.

As the turbo is off the car you have the opportunity to make sure all the bolts used are in good condition and well greased so that if you have to remove it again soon it should come off quite easily.
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Jaba
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Post by Jaba »

Thanks for all the helpful advice.
Having never looked at a turbo before it has been a learning experience. I discovered that this turbo is really needing some exercise. The valve in the exhaust outlet - is it the wastegate valve ? was seized. I removed the elbow to the exhaust pipe to get at the seized pivot and found that after giving the previously stiff rotor a few turns it then freed off totally. Just a bit of local corrosion or carbon build up then.
Having unseized the pivot and got the rotor to spin freely I feel I have a workable turbo now.

The elbow that I took off did not have a gasket. Is this normal to have no gasket on the outlet flange connection of a turbo ?

Have decided to buy a recon kit and fit new bearings and seals on the leaky turbo so that I have a good spare if the worse happens.
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Post by DavidRutherford »

Jaba wrote:The valve in the exhaust outlet - is it the wastegate valve ?
Yes.
Jaba wrote:The elbow that I took off did not have a gasket. Is this normal to have no gasket on the outlet flange connection of a turbo ?
Yes, but a smear or exhaust poop on the mating surfaces before re-assembly can't hurt.

Sounds like you do indeed have a workable turbo there. Other than the turbine/shaft/compressor assembly and the wastegate, nothing else moves.
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