Turbo woes
 

Yesterday I went to put my foot in the go pedal and all was well for about 2 seconds and then a large whoosh followed by zero boost, white smoke out the tail pipe and much less power. This smoke screen put James Bond to shame... I limped it about 2 miles to my folks house and parked it. That’s whe. I noticed oil from the tailpipe. No signs of oil leaking under the hood. So I’m thinking turbo seal.

This morning I ordered the 360 rebuild kit from riffraff and started tearing out the turbo. Removal was no problem, maybe an hour or so. Started tearing the turbo apart and that’s when the uh ohs started . No play in the shaft that was noticeable really but it was pretty obvious that my wheel had been hitting the compressor housing, no big chunks missing but the fins were all worn down and shiny and there were circular striations to inside of compressor housing. The next problem was when I tried to remove the compressor wheel and it just keeps spinning, as in cross threaded. I held the exhaust wheel in place and spun the compressor wheel CCW and made no progress off of the shaft.

At this point I’m assuming shaft is ruined, wheel is obviously ruined. This is my plan for rebuild. Anything else I should consider replacing? I think compressor housing is probably fine. Your thoughts please and thank you.

1. New shaft
2. New wheel
3. 360 rebuild kit
4.???
5.????

new pedestal o rings?

You mentioned the compressor housing had some marks where the wheel touched? That may cause for concern and you may want to add a new compressor housing to your list as well.

I'd think the threads on the shaft are ok and that the comp wheel is just stripped. Depending where your at, I gotta few stock wheels, too help you out if need be...

I will definitely add a turbo reinstall kit to the list. Thanks for catching that.

So here’s photos of the wheel and compressor housing. I’d call the housing minor but I’m no turbo expert.

I truly hope it’s just compressor wheel that’s stripped and I do actually have a stock wheel still to test (if I can ever get the dang wheel off the shaft)

Appreciate the offer though 👍🏻

What do you guys think about the compressor housing damage?

Wheel backed off... There should be around 3/16 of shaft protruding from wheel... How long has that wheel been installed? I destroyed my turbo 7yrs ago, installing a WW with an impact. To this day, I'm still chasing a 5# boost loss....

That's bad. Really bad. Even worse then mine was when I rebuilt it ( ended up actually re-building a replacement turbo as mine was not usable).
Here's the thing: If the compressor wheel got into the housing that much, I'm pretty sure you will find the turbine/exhaust wheel is just as bad or worse. That means a new shaft, regardless of the threads on the compressor end.
Further, I think you will also find that the oil seal area of the center housing will have quite possibly have been damaged by being hit by the back of the turbine. So, now you need a center housing as well. Also, while the compressor housing could probably be used, with the grooves, it will likely reduce performance and turbo efficiency. These things are meant to have tight tolerances, and you are going to have a bunch of extra space for the air to escape around the wheel, instead of getting squeezed properly. Those rough grooves could also cause turbulence in the flow, further hurting performance.

You might as well finish taking it apart to look, but I think you should expect to be needing a core/replacement turbo to rebuild. By the time you buy a new center housing, shaft and compressor housing, its just not worth it. You can probably find a decent used turbo for $200-$300. Buy a new billet wheel, and rebuild the used turbo.

Or...... If you ever considered upgrading, now would be the perfect time for a new KC38R.:-X04

The wheel has been there since 2014 when I rebuilt and added that anti surge wheel, has been running good making 25# boost or so when I step on it.

When you say the wheel backed off, it came loose you mean? Allowing the shaft the travel in/out ?

I would imagine if it had been like that for any amount of time I’d have noticed.

I’ll continue taking but apart and take photos as I go. Appreciate all the input despite the bad news.

What’s a kc 38r?

😛

https://kcturbos.net/collections/7-3...nt=17903709955

An improved aftermarket variant on the Garret 38r ball bearing turbo

You could always go the cheaper route and try RiffRaffs 66mm conversion kit. It should come with everything you need for 1/2 the price of a 38R. Then you would have a rebuildable 38R!

Then you could report on performance!! I would chip in $1.00 since you would be testing it for us!!! :-jammin

Wow, that wheel is shredded. Post up pictures of the turbine side if you can when you pull it apart.

If you try the 66mm wheel from riffraff, let us know your performance changes. I'm considering that, but want to hear more from people who've some of.

I have D66 wheel and modded compressor cover if you're interested. Got it from Dieselsite.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but how do you like it? What are your noisy kennels etc?

Should have said HAD. I tried it with a 1.00 ex housing, I think it would be better with a .84.

I went back to the stock compressor cover (with the 1.0 ex housing) and WWII from Dieselsite.