Can turbo seals be bad but turbo has no shaft play and spins smooth?

[95EclipseGST]

I have an EVO III 16G turbo that i had a dealer tell me the shaft seals are bad. I took apart the whole engine today and the turbo spins free and smooth and no shaft play. Can the turbo still have bad seals even though i cant see or detect anything by spinning and looking at it? Im looking for a place i can send it to be looked at.

 

[Ibbanez]

Well I do know that I had a 57 trim on another car and due to high ass oil pressure the seal went bad and oil got all over my intake piping and such, but there was minimal shaft play. But I think if they are blown blown the shaft does move a bit. Someone else might wanna chime in.

 

[Burntz]

Yes seals can get blown without the turbo being blown. Excess oil pressure is almost always the culprit, or running the turbo hard then not giving it a chance to cool down.

I wouldn't run the turbo with the blown seals though, you'll get a TON of smoke, and its not great for the turbo or anything else. Get them replaced.

 

[blakktalon]

Did you hook the turbo up and drive with it yet? Was smoke coming out of your exhaust? Yes the seals can be shot without shaftplay, look for oil in the intercooler pipes/downpipe, why did you take your engine apart?

 

[dsmspickdad]

Yes the seals can go bad with out having shaft play. Take it to a turbo shop they can put in new seals for you. You can put new seals in yourself but I don't know how experienced you are. Is it on or off the car?

 

[95EclipseGST]

The turbo is off the car. PM me if you guys have a good place to take the EVOIII 16G turbo for replacement seals. I will probably just buy a new turbo and then sell this one to someone who can fix the seals. It doesnt have bent fins, spins smooth, and no shaft play. The turbo was blowing smoke between shifts "i think it was the turbo anyway" ..I just pulled the whole engine and have a spun rod bearing too and oil in coolant. The turbo seals are bad only because the Mitsubishi Dealer Mech, told me that, so i guess i'll just get a new one while the engine is out.

 

[tnl]

if you had those problems then it might have been more then the turbo. was there oil all over the turbo? that may still be a perfectly fine turbo. you should take it apart and try it. Visual Frequently Answered Questions - Home Page

 

[TFFC]

Think about what your saying. Shaft SEALS!!!!! What does a seal do? It seals oil in or out. So yes you can have bad shaft seals and no shaft play. Now if you said bad shaft bearings, then yes you will have a ton of shaft play. Their are a few things that can produce bad shaft seals, Number one culprit is usually alot of oil pressure(feeding from the oil filter housing) but since its only a 16g your prob feeding from the head like your supposed to. Another big one is your oil return line is blocked not letting oil drain back into the pain, or you have to much oil in the pan, so when your return is trying to release the oil it can't because the oil level is to high. Hope this helps, If you need a rebuild, hit me up.

 

[reddragonvr4]

if you dont feel safe rebuilding it your self you can go to Majestic Turbochargers, Inc. Home Page

there a good shop with a good price

 

[95EclipseGST]

I do have the oil line going to the oil filter housing. That is how it was hooked up to teh engine when i bought it from a guy off dsmtuners classifieds. So with this new EVOIII 16G Turbo, i need to get the info on where to be getting this oil pressure send to on the head, or a picture of where it hooks up to. Thanks for your answers. This 6 bolt rebuild is a nightmare.

 

[awdboosted1]

at least it was just your seals!! my bearings were bad and had no idea and all most really messed up my stage 3 buschur motor. there were metal shavings from the turbine all in my intake and piping...

 

[JusMX141]

The turbo is off the car. PM me if you guys have a good place to take the EVOIII 16G turbo for replacement seals. I will probably just buy a new turbo and then sell this one to someone who can fix the seals.

If all you need would be new seals and journal bearings I could make your turbo as tight as a new one at a fraction of the price charged by many shops. Otherwise, I'll buy your turbo as a rebuildable core if you insist on a new one.

 

[Jafro]

If you ever want to test the shaft seals, it's real easy if the turbo's ON the car. All you do is plug off the compressor inlet and boost the intake system with the car off (boost leak test). You'll hear air escaping inside the turbo, and you'll have air exiting the exhaust pipe. Tape a plastic bag around the fart can if it's noisy and you need a visual. It will blow up.