Turbo Smoking Issues

[jude]

Anyone experiencing any smoking issues with installs of single turbos? I am having trouble with mine. When started the car shows no sign of smoke but after 1-2min white smoke is in gulped around the car. When it dissipates is shows no trace until you get on it. I am running a large amount of boost (12psi) but haven’t been to harsh on it since it was installed. I have not ran it at the track or involved with any races so I’m doubtful it is the engine. I do have a catch can on it to catch the returning oil from the intake so it is not that either.

I would appreciate any advise or suggestions that you may have….

[mitchellmcfly2010]

I have a turbo hayabusa that has the same problem, if u find out please let me know

[1bacamaro]

maybe a bad seal in the turbo.

[jude]

Originally Posted by 1bacamaro

maybe a bad seal in the turbo.

Yeah I'm thinking the same thing too about the seal. I'm going to get the shop to change them out. The mechanics thought the catch can would have fixed it but it didn't.

I know turbos will have a slight drip but the amount of smoke I'm seeing, their is no way thats just a drip.

[jude]

Originally Posted by mitchellmcfly2010

I have a turbo hayabusa that has the same problem, if u find out please let me know

I'm defiantly going to, not a problem. Maybe this thread will save someone later down the road from the stress I'm having with it.

[1bacamaro]

two things.
one....no smoke during start up until oil gets hot and thin and then goes buy seal.
two..... there is a crack in the housing and when it gets hot it opens and leaks alittle.

[jude]

Originally Posted by 1bacamaro

two things.
one....no smoke during start up until oil gets hot and thin and then goes buy seal.
two..... there is a crack in the housing and when it gets hot it opens and leaks alittle.

Looks like it points to a turbo rebuild?

[talwell]

This sounds about 99% like a bad turbo (seal). Most people are not aware of the fact that after you stop driving any car that has a turbo that you should allow the turbo to spool down for about 30 seconds before turning the car off. Being that most turbos are line fed oil from the engine, once you shut the engine off the oil pressure drops to 0 - being that your turbo is still spinning at a massive rate, imagine what is happening to the seals and bushings while the turbine is still spinning at high rpm with no oil pressure. As well, you should also be using a special turbo blend of oil that can handle the extremely high temperatures produced inside the turbo - if not conventional oil will breakdown and cause turbo failure as well.

[GQ4Life]

must turbo owners get turbo timers to keep the car running after u turn ignition off..

also before u do turbo rebuild since ur turbo probably has no milage on it.. make sure the smoking is not cuz by
1. bad vacum at crank case..
2. restriction in the oil return line

u do still have warrenty on turbo?

[jude]

Originally Posted by talwell

This sounds about 99% like a bad turbo (seal). Most people are not aware of the fact that after you stop driving any car that has a turbo that you should allow the turbo to spool down for about 30 seconds before turning the car off. Being that most turbos are line fed oil from the engine, once you shut the engine off the oil pressure drops to 0 - being that your turbo is still spinning at a massive rate, imagine what is happening to the seals and bushings while the turbine is still spinning at high rpm with no oil pressure. As well, you should also be using a special turbo blend of oil that can handle the extremely high temperatures produced inside the turbo - if not conventional oil will breakdown and cause turbo failure as well.

The shop has installed a catch can in line with the pvc line with no luck. They have suggested another filter allowing more air flow for the pvc as well. I’ll keep you updated if this is the fix.

I’m not sure on the warranty but like you everyone seems to point towards the turbo. I usually let it run for a bit before killing it for it to cool off. Their has only been 800miles put on it since the install.

[jude]

Originally Posted by talwell

This sounds about 99% like a bad turbo (seal). Most people are not aware of the fact that after you stop driving any car that has a turbo that you should allow the turbo to spool down for about 30 seconds before turning the car off. Being that most turbos are line fed oil from the engine, once you shut the engine off the oil pressure drops to 0 - being that your turbo is still spinning at a massive rate, imagine what is happening to the seals and bushings while the turbine is still spinning at high rpm with no oil pressure. As well, you should also be using a special turbo blend of oil that can handle the extremely high temperatures produced inside the turbo - if not conventional oil will breakdown and cause turbo failure as well.

The turbo is plumbed into the stock oil reservoir unfortunately. No special oil other than stock recommendation. I will look into this though, thanx!

[Sterling]

White smoke is usually caused by water... oil causes blue smoke.

[shevyman]

sterlingnotes is right. white is water and blue is oil. also i have no idea never worked with turbos but hey go to some import forum and ask. all these imports turbo the crap out of there car and could probably give you the answer

[axis]

Turbo timers are not needed as long as you stay off it for the last couple miles of your drive. How big of a oil feed and return line do you have? Too big of a feed or too little of a return and your cause oil to back up in the cartridge and be forced out the seal. If this is the cause, fixing either will solve the problem and the turbo WILL NOT have to be rebuilt, depending on the type of bearing it has in it. A -3 feed should be more than enough and -10 or bigger return should be good. The bigger the return line the better. When did the smoking start? If it drove fine for the first couple hundred miles, then oil feed/return isn't your problem.

If you're still using M1 synthetic, you're fine. Pretty much any of the name brand synthetics or blends is perfectly fine too.

12psi is quite a bit of boost on a stock motor. You could have lifted a head. I agree that a trip to Fastlane is in order.