Turbo Gurus - Is this turbo leaking oil or is it fine?

[TROLL]

I was looking into the marks on the back of the shaft when it was brought up to me that the oil on the exhaust blades may be a bad sign... this turbo was bought used and said to have 2500 low boost miles on it before it was pulled off. It was never ran at high boost because they were trying to diagnose problems on the car, and it ended up having low compression so they pulled it. It apparently sat for months before I just bought it.
I dont know if these photos will indicate anything but I'm looking for help right now because I'm a little skeptical. There is 0 shaft play and the wheels spins smoothly. There's no oil anywhere but where it was in those pics. The turbo looks very clean overall.
I called the guy who sold it to me and he said he had it stored next to his old bearings, etc and some oil from them may have gotten onto the turbo, but its just a little coincidental that the only oil anywhere is right on the shaft and blades and nowhere else.
Since taking the photos I have cleaned up both the compressor and exhaust blades and will be keeping an eye on the exhaust blades to see if any more oil forms. So far after having it tipped up for about 12 hours I dont see any new oil anywhere.
Is there any other way to tell if the turbo is good or not? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bryan

http://www.bryantroll.com/other/vf34exhaustside.jpg

http://www.bryantroll.com/other/vf34exhaustside2.jpg

http://bryantroll.com/other/vf34/vf34compressorside.jpg

http://bryantroll.com/other/vf34/vf34compressorside2.jpg

http://bryantroll.com/other/vf34/vf34exhaustside3.jpg

http://bryantroll.com/other/vf34/vf34sideview.jpg

[igo4bmx]

that dirty for only 2500 miles???

i've been running both filtered and filter less on my honda, with about 10k miles on it, with no dirt on the blades...

[TROLL]

the motor had low compression and who knows what else so it may have been blowing oil through the turbo causing some buildup. like i said i cleaned it up. i also contacted IHI and they responded saying:

regarding the mysterious 'groove': "According to our quality technician, IHI uses these 'grooves' to balance the shaft. These are normal and should not affect the performance of the turbocharger."

regarding the oil: "If the vehicle did not have indications of heavy white smoke from the exhaust (prior to removal of the turbocharger) there is no problem with leaky seals. Also, the oil on the turbine wheel appears to be clean and not burnt from exhaust gas temperatures."

install is set for this weekend so we'll see then if it performs as it should and does so smoke free.

bryan

[igo4bmx]

good luck...

don't forget to prime the oil pump before you actually start it

[JasterM5]

regarding the oil: "If the vehicle did not have indications of heavy white smoke from the exhaust (prior to removal of the turbocharger) there is no problem with leaky seals. Also, the oil on the turbine wheel appears to be clean and not burnt from exhaust gas temperatures."

Bryan

By that statement, my Turbo is Fine

[sfd]

totally off topic but i wish subbie ihi's didn't have the propritory flange. :(

[Safir]

that could be fixed ;)

or buy a garrett adaptor kit :)

[sfd]

hmm something to look into. mazda 323 gtx turbo manifold uses an ihi vj20 (vj22 on gtr models) and we've nothing besides those two and us spec probe turbos to work with. then some minor vj10/14 hybrids. be interesting to see a nice subbie turbo used. vj20 is only good for up to or around 15psi.

sorry bryan. back on topic. that is a bit weird but after you saying you cleaned it up and its looking decent, id say go ahead. i guess the only way to really find out is when its on and running.

[specVogel]

i have only worked with volvo turbos which are mostly mitsu turbos and whats pictured only happens when the bushing for the turbine shaft is worn out and allows oil to seep through. but if there is no play in the shaft i would think that the turbo is still fine. either the turbo got oil in it when it was sitting or maybe the car it came off of had bad piston rings or something and was blowing alot of oil into the exhaust.

[2point4DSM]

Correct me I'm wrong but even brand new Mitsu turbos will leak oil if they are placed on their side long enough.

[specVogel]

theres a chance but it would have to be sitting on its side for a while.

[igo4bmx]

i have only worked with volvo turbos which are mostly mitsu turbos and whats pictured only happens when the bushing for the turbine shaft is worn out and allows oil to seep through. but if there is no play in the shaft i would think that the turbo is still fine. either the turbo got oil in it when it was sitting or maybe the car it came off of had bad piston rings or something and was blowing alot of oil into the exhaust.


wouldn't bad piston rings burn oil, making it burn out as a gas?

[2point4DSM]

wouldn't bad piston rings burn oil, making it burn out as a gas?

Depends on how bad the rings are. If the piston is burnt pretty good and the piston ring has crumbled around that area then that cylinder could spit out a lot of unburnt oil cause the spark plug would get coated pretty easily.

[TROLL]

is a while classified as 6 months? cause thats roughly how long this has been sitting...
bryan

[xEJ20x]

I would assume with a possible oil leak in the turbo, you would see blue tinted exhaust.
Have you noticed any signs of oil in exhaust?
Any oil build up in the tailpipe?

[TROLL]

its never been installed on my car, just got it two days ago.
bryan

[2point4DSM]

is a while classified as 6 months? cause thats roughly how long this has been sitting...

Probably a week or less and they already start to leak. You can never tell how long they have been on the shelf when you buy them new but even ones freshly rebuilt will look like that in a few days. Of course that is if they are sitting on their exhaust housing side.

There isn't a rubber seal in a Mitsu turbo to prevent them from leaking. Instead there is a slinger to keep the oil from migrating that way and then a shield. Rubber seals woudn't last in that environment. Of course this all going by memory considering the last time I had a really good discussion about this with my turbo rebuilder was over half a decade ago.

LOL

But just like mentioned in the 3rd post you shouldn't have any worries.

[TROLL]

ok like i said i wiped the blades clean and had it tipped up on the exhaust side for probably 18 hours without seeing any oil. i put it in the box again wrapped up not really paying attention orientation and after maybe 6 hours i can see a tiny tiny bit of oil sitting there again.
it could still be oil thats sitting on the turbo or oil thats sitting in the turbo and leaking out... oh well, i think the install is set for sunday so i'll keep everyone posted.
bryan

[Philly Boy]

If you have an air compressor, blow the air to the exhaust housing where the up-pipe meets the turbo. See if any more oil comes out of both exhaust and compressor blade.
And also you will hear decent turbo spinning sound. Also check if you hear any unusual or weird sound from the blades. It should be high pitch whining sound.
I have an air compressor if you need one.

[SexyDSM95]

Install it and see if it smokes!

[xEJ20x]

Install it and see if it smokes!

Is that the DSM way of seein if something is broken? :mrgreen:

[2point4DSM]

With a turbo, sometimes it's the only way. Unless you can pull them apart and actually check the bearings and clearances.

But yes, DSMrs like to figure things out the hard way, lol.

:lol:

[wgknestrick]

90% chance that is bad. Oil is usually already burned by the time it reaches the exhaust housing in our cars if it came from the engine. Oil witnessed on the blades got there from the bearings.

[96s14]

i would suggest a couple things, one get a oil cath can, net really to do with the turbo but if there is oil in there its gonna be clogging up your throttle body, 2 check all the gaskets and seals, especially the feed and return lines. as for the dirt, thats just plain odd. are you using a filter?

[WhiteXFire]

I find it amusing how no one really reads through a thread.
The turbo was just purchased, it was used from another car that supposedly was only hitting "low boost" because he was having problems, and it sat uninstalled for 6 months.

Anyway, when are you doing this...I'll swing by and assist Barry with the install entertainment/humor job.