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Horrible smoking out tailpipe and oil leak after turbo install

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Haase

10+ Year Contributor
141
1
Mar 18, 2010
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
so after i get all done installing my turbo i start it up and it runs fine, i have several exhaust leaks around my manifold i notice, but nothing thats too hard to fix, i hold a piece of paper out to see where the leaks are and notice its getting spritzed wit what apears to be oil... not sure where its spraying from. then i look at the back of the car and it is BILLOWING white smoke out the tail pipe. seeing this i say some colorful words and being sick of working on it call it a night. I am running a 16G turbo, and i have my PCV valve tapped into for my BOV line, and my boost gauge, the turbo has coolent and oil lines going to it, not sure ### other info is needed but any suggestions would be really helpful! thanks
 
Since your car was never meant to have a turbo, the first question that comes to mind is what does your oil drain look like? Any kinks? Does it dip below the inlet of the oil pan at any point, or does it drain into the pan below the pan's static oil level?

Also, what's this about tapping into the PCV line for your blow off valve?
 
Yes, check your oil return. It may be to small, that's how I blew my last turbo.
Also, are you running a restrictor?
 
Ive heard before that running the PCV valve to air intake manifold then you tee it to the BOV i know quite a few folks who do that

but then i know people who say take that crap out, and hook it into your FPR vacum line thats if you have no where else to do it.
 
Yes, check your oil return. It may be to small, that's how I blew my last turbo.
Also, are you running a restrictor?

the oil return line came with the turbo, so i don't think its too small, and i don't think im running a restrictor. I'm pretty sure the oil leak is getting into my exhaust somehow somewhere and that's ### is causing the massive smoking

Since your car was never meant to have a turbo, the first question that comes to mind is what does your oil drain look like? Any kinks? Does it dip below the inlet of the oil pan at any point, or does it drain into the pan below the pan's static oil level?

Also, what's this about tapping into the PCV line for your blow off valve?

yea the PCV valve is common to tap into for these projects, but my oil return line enters my oil pan at the top on the deeper side of it, on the top opposite side my oil plug is
 
What kind of turbo is it? New or used? If it came with oil lines and all that it sounds like it may be an ebay turbo. Maybe a restrictor will solve the smoking but if it's one of these ebay turbo kits then there's a strong chance it will fail.
 
What kind of turbo is it? New or used? If it came with oil lines and all that it sounds like it may be an ebay turbo. Maybe a restrictor will solve the smoking but if it's one of these ebay turbo kits then there's a strong chance it will fail.

its not an ebay turbo, its a Hahns racecraft super 16G that i bought from another member on here. it only has 1000 miles on it so i doubt the shaft seals are blown it... as for the restrictor, i didn't add one but to be honest im not sure what it is so i guess i can't answer that 100%

Also, would it matter if i mistakenly swapped places of my oil feed and oil return lines? as in i put the feed where the return should be and vise versa? I don't think i did but im just throwing out ideas... would that make any difference?
 
its not an ebay turbo, its a Hahns racecraft super 16G that i bought from another member on here. it only has 1000 miles on it so i doubt the shaft seals are blown it... as for the restrictor, i didn't add one but to be honest im not sure what it is so i guess i can't answer that 100%

You should always put a restrictor on the oil feed side. It's a little fitting that shrinks the diameter of the inlet feed so that it can only reach a certain pressure. On a fresh start, our oil pressure can reach as high as 90+ psi which will fry just about ANY turbo, ball bearing or not. They are more important when switching to a ball bearing turbo, because those cannot handle as high of an oil pressure as journal bearing, but our car also doesn't have a low oil pressure oil pump like those of our turbo counterparts, so even a journal bearing turbo doesn't like our stock pressure.

Haase said:
Also, would it matter if i mistakenly swapped places of my oil feed and oil return lines? as in i put the feed where the return should be and vise versa? I don't think i did but im just throwing out ideas... would that make any difference?

Yes, that would make all the difference in the world. Just ask Carter. If you swapped those lines, you 100%, for a fact, blew your seals and it will need rebuilt.
 
Would there be any way to tell which is the feed and which one is the return? cause right now wit the turbo sitting it front of the engine wit the hot side and downpipe on the passenger side and the cool side and filter on the drivers side i have the feed line in the front of the turbo and the return line on the back of the turbo... not sure if that tells you anything but im not sure how to tell if thats right or not
 
The feed should always be top to bottom. That way it freely drains out of the turbo. Never anymore than a 20* angle. Otherwise it builds up in the CHRA and blows seals, which is the unfortunate truth for your predicament.

The feed should be a smaller diameter than the drain.
 
The feed should always be top to bottom. That way it freely drains out of the turbo. Never anymore than a 20* angle. Otherwise it builds up in the CHRA and blows seals, which is the unfortunate truth for your predicament.

The feed should be a smaller diameter than the drain.

so would this be wrong you think? i apologize i had to do the writing on the photo editor on my phone LOL. the return is at the exact same kind of angle just in the back of the turbo where you can't see it
 

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The oil feed needs to be on top and drain on bottom. That is probably why you are smoking, the oil is not being able to drain and is backing up in the turbo and pushing oil past the seals an into your exhaust, causing it to smoke worse than a whore.
 
The oil feed needs to be on top and drain on bottom. That is probably why you are smoking, the oil is not being able to drain and is backing up in the turbo and pushing oil past the seals an into your exhaust, causing it to smoke worse than a whore.

Uh-oh... so does that mean that this turbo wont work unless i modify a downpipe off the manifold to turn the turbo over, kinda like a stock 4G63 turbo setup???
 
you need to clock your turbo. Only the hotside and coldside won't move, you will rotate your center section so the feed is on top.

I am not familiar with that specific turbo but it looks like you will need to loosen the turbine housing clamp and probably take of a snap ring on the cold side and rotate your center section.
 
you need to clock your turbo. Only the hotside and coldside won't move, you will rotate your center section so the feed is on top.

I am not familiar with that specific turbo but it looks like you will need to loosen the turbine housing clamp and probably take of a snap ring on the cold side and rotate your center section.

exactly!
 
you need to clock your turbo. Only the hotside and coldside won't move, you will rotate your center section so the feed is on top.

I am not familiar with that specific turbo but it looks like you will need to loosen the turbine housing clamp and probably take of a snap ring on the cold side and rotate your center section.

OOOOOOOOOH ok! I'm sorry i must seem retarded but this is my first time ever messing wit anything to do wit a turbo LOL. ill see if i can mess around wit it tomorrow and let you guys know how it goes, thanks again, and if anyone has anymore input feel free to post it cause i still need all the help i can get LOL
 
Your turbo is probably past the point of rescue if you have been denying it the ability to drain. Hopefully no oil passed between the seal and the housing and burnt / stuck to the housing or seal....if it did, you'll need a rebuild to get the turbo to ever stop burning oil again.
 
Before I knew any better I ran a 16g the same way...oil feed/return on the sides. Honestly, it was fine. I was blowing oil past the seal too, but that was fixed once I got a restrictor.
 
Before I knew any better I ran a 16g the same way...oil feed/return on the sides. Honestly, it was fine. I was blowing oil past the seal too, but that was fixed once I got a restrictor.

yea i haven't looked at it in detail yet but im not sure how to separate the cold side from the middle part, but after realizing what it really was (and hitting myself for not realizing it) i found out i am running with a restrictor. Once i get the turbo apart and back together how should i check to see if the seals are blown???
 
You might be lucky....MIGHT....I don't know though. I wouldn't bet on anything......I'd put a hundred fifty dollars back to have it repaired by this guy just in case it is toast. He does really good work from all the rants and raves I've read on here.
 
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