Hey guys, I could use some more knowledge if I could. Well about a thousand miles ago my intake/turbo developed a strange new noise. So tonight I tore the intake apart and found that the turbo wheel/shaft now has play in it which was tight when I did the injectors. The play is in and out and is about 1/4 to 3/8's of an inch of play. There is no side to side play.

 

That much play is pretty excessive. I'd look closely at the center housing where the turbine shaft oil ring seal rides and the back plate of the compressor side where the thrust collar rides. Both areas may worn too much to rebuild without replacing them. Were you getting any oil smoke out of the exhaust?

 

I thought it was a bit excessive too, it only smokes for a few minutes in the morning, but im sure its wore inside as bad as it can and will be lol. It built great boost, the smoke in the morning and the new noise was what made me say uh oh. So is it cheaper to buy a new turbo or can I go through this thing and make it right again with new guts?

 

Yes, you can buy the parts to rebuild it. But, it can get rather expensive depending on what's needed to restore it to 100%. Just the worn parts, I mentioned, can cost upwards of $300. The complete center cartridge is ~$500 and would replace all the worn stuff. You would be just reusing the turbine and compressor housings. I have seen some reman turbos being sold, but can't vouch on their quality. Do you have another vehicle you could drive while you remove the turbo and tear down for inspection? You may want to weigh your options before proceeding.

 

Well, it's a shame. I just checked that play in and out and up and down five thousand miles ago. I hate thinking about that much play being in my turbo plus the fact that its letting go so fast. so I have found a known good used turbo with 144,000 miles for 275 dollars and that will be here tomorrow. No exhaust back pressure valve but I can swap mine over, I just rebuilt all that a couple years ago. im just going to use that turbo till I can totally rebuild the one I have now if that's at all possible. Is it okay to drive till Wednesday when I can make the exchange or could she come unglued at any time?