Blown turbo (seal)???

[newtypedsm]

so i was out at the beach tonite and pulled into a gas station, noticed a popping sound, like and exhaust leak kinda loud. drove off, got to a light and after leaving it i heard a loud POW, then somke started pouring out of my vents, under the hood and out of the tailpipe, along with the car running like crap and not getting any boost at all. i pulled off, watching the temp gauge which didnt move, and oil pressure gauge, which stayed the same, and turned off the car. 10 minutes later after inspecting for any leakage and not seeing any, i cranked it up qand it ran fine with a hint of smoke from the exhaust side of the turbocharger, gave it a little gas and she started smoking like cheech and chong again and running rough. i felt the compressor side wheel and didnt notice any shaft play. about 500 miles ago the motor was replaced with a 90K mile motor, but the same turbo (137K miles) remains on it. im hoping to God that its the turbo, since this would be the easiest fix. if i remember right, the oil feed line connects to the exhaust housing of the turbo. is it possible that the exhaust side oil seal has blown and oil is being dumped into the exhaust, causing the O2 sensor to read bad hence making the car run rough after the throttle is opened slightly?

 

[dawgedeclipse]

Hrmm, blue smoke? If so then yes the turbo has said it final boosting goodbye to you. Ive heard soo many stories about guys driving down the highway and seeing and hearing the same thing you are describing.

 

[newtypedsm]

well it was 11 pm at night, but when the smoke passed the flourescent lights, it appeared blueish, but that could have been the flourescence...

 

[dawgedeclipse]

As stated ive heard a few stories of guys on the highway driving, hearing a loud pow and seeing a big puff of smoke out the rear. Normally its the turbo. You can try a intake leak test and see if maybe something just came off....worth a shot i suppose.

 

[newtypedsm]

well, ive ruled that out...thats what i thought it was when at first it popped and i had no boost, but then i saw the smoke. i have a buschur upper IC setup with the GM MAF and the pipes have popped loose several times, but when i opened the hood i grabbed the pipes, tried shaking them, but they were more secure than they ever have been