turbo whistle and blue smoke after TOB install?

Archer Fabrications · May 23, 2012

hey, i didn't know where to put this thread so mods feel free to move it if necessary.

So i just finished doing my throw out bearing install and i also did a fuel filter change along with that and some other shift linkage goodies. As soon as i started up the car everything looked fine, took it out for a test drive and when i boosted the turbo made a high pitch whistle at 5 psi, and kind of faintly drounds out by the waste gate by 20psi, i know turbos are supposed to whistle, but this is a Ball bearing PTE turbo and im afraid it is blown.

Here is the interesting thing, i did nothing with oil, i did nothing with the turbo, i only took off the down pipe t case and trans. How could my turbo all of a sudden be making weird whistling noises it never has before at 5 psi? also my oil pressure is hovering at around 18psi.... It used to be at 30psi when idling at 1k. at 1k now it is much lower. the motor has 4300 miles on it, could all my bearings be finally breaking in? or breaking? i dont hear any knocks except coming from the transmission faintly (reason i wanted to swap the TOB, looks like it didn't fix the issue)

In the process of the TOB install the car was on jack stands in the front for about a week and a half. Abuddy i had helping me out thought it could be the valve seals from sitting causing the blue smoke? I don't know everything but im thinking it points to a blown turbo, but it wasnt making any of these issues when i brought it to my buddys house to first start working on it. Could the new fuel filter have something to do with this? Maybe because the fuel filter haden't been touched in so long that a new one was making stronger combustion gasses spooling the turbo up more? i have no clue. I have checked everything turbo has normal BB shaft play so barely more then a journal bearing turbo. I haven't taken a log yet but i'm about to go out and see whats up. there is no oil leaking everything is dry and i am totally stumped why im getting these problems NOW after working on something totally unrelated :mad:

please excuse grammar, i will edit when i come back with logs. thanks in advance.

Archer Fabrications · May 23, 2012

I known Justin will laugh because he knows how bad i want an fp turbo and how ling i've been trying to not have a pte turbo LOL

i just hope its not dead, the smoke is pretty much gone if its there at all its very faint.

I have a video of the whistling, it sounds like an hx40 whistle bit at 5 psi... And its only ever before had a woosh sound you can hear the before the whistle started in one of the videos that pops up after this one "400+ AWHP dsm small pull 20psi" never a whistle at that low boost i notice it all the way up but it gets higher from spinning.

Archer Fabrications · May 25, 2012

140 view and no thoughts?

rEclipserGST · May 25, 2012

140 on the thread, 1 on the video.

Turbo sounds perfectly normal whistling/winding. Did you change any metal pipes around or tighten anything up?

If you mess with justin, just send it back to check if you don't want to pull the head to check the valve stems. But you should be able to pull the exhaust mani off and visual inspect a little bit.

Archer Fabrications · May 25, 2012

rEclipserGST said:
140 on the thread, 1 on the video.

Turbo sounds perfectly normal whistling/winding. Did you change any metal pipes around or tighten anything up?

If you mess with justin, just send it back to check if you don't want to pull the head to check the valve stems. But you should be able to pull the exhaust mani off and visual inspect a little bit.

EVERYTHING IS EXACTALLY THE SAME IN THE INTAKE TRACK! i just don't understand what it could be

I didn't go through Justin for my turbo, my turbo is a BALL BEARING turbo and not rebuildable.

Look at the other video i have on youtube that pops up after you watch the video that whistling was not there. It doesn't sound like dieing turbo sounds for sure... but it just wasn't there. i didn't have ANY boost leaks or exhaust leaks before. All i did was change fuel filter that was the only thing related to the turbo that i changed that might have had an affect. everything else was unbolting and bolting back up the transmission, nothing turbo related.. its just weird every time i boost now it makes this whistle.. no shaft play no signs of dead turbo just funny noises. nothing is in my intake system what so ever. and i tested the system to 40 psi and no leaks so im kinda interested in why the hell it makes these noises, unless something happened to the filter that when it is sucking in makes the noise? Im going to get mesh to put over the inlet to see if it has anything to do with the filter. it only made wooshing sucking noises before at low boost that were really loud, never whistling like a holset at 5 psi. It almost sounds like its over spinning at 5 psi

Oh i think the smoke is gone, took a drive yesterday and didnt notice any. :idontknow:

Edit: when i did a boost leak test the MBC did leak out the little hole it has, i wonder if that hole would make the whistling sound. Im gonna run waste gate pressure and see if that is the issue, if it is then what ever on the sound. i have only had the MBC up and running for about a week, but didn't notice the sounds then?

JusMX141 · May 25, 2012

Yeah that thing would have to go back to PTE if it does end up needing serviced.

Only thing I can think of is a possible kink in the oil drain that wasn't there before, or perhaps something changed in the PCV system (vent hose routing blocked, etc).

Archer Fabrications · May 26, 2012

JusMX141 said:
Yeah that thing would have to go back to PTE if it does end up needing serviced.

Only thing I can think of is a possible kink in the oil drain that wasn't there before, or perhaps something changed in the PCV system (vent hose routing blocked, etc).

The oil drain is not kinked in any way, its the blue FP drain tube, but i inspected it and it looks straight. the PCV system is blocked off the intake manifold and running a hose from VC into a Gatorade bottle catch can

i need a calan catch can pretty soon, i just need to get the funds together, but i'm also having some trans noises on top of this turbo whistling :banghead:

okay there is officially no more smoke, hasnt been for about a day or so, the turbo whistle is still going on, i took off the boost controller, and put a mesh screen over the turbo, it does the same whistle only quieter, i let the turbo spin down and it didnt sound as smoothe as it normally does. The turbo has no shaft play so its not touching the compressor housing or anything. its time for new oil though.

Archer Fabrications · May 30, 2012

New oil sound is still there... I just dont get why it started making this whistle out of no where after sitting for a few
Days..

50trimgst · May 31, 2012

My throttle body gasket went bad and did this same sound just a thought.

Archer Fabrications · May 31, 2012

I just put new gaskets around my throttle body and put a thin layer of rtv
Inbetween the tb and elbow, because its a metal gasket, tb to manifold is composet. My boost leak tests dont show any leaks what so ever, but i guess i haven't tested with the throttle plate open? The tester blows off the turbo before i hear any leaks. Actually the boost controller leaks where its supposed to but thats not what is causing the sound...

eclipsechris · Jun 25, 2012

ever fix the problem?
i put a new o2 high flo o2 housing on mine,
and it whistled ALOT more.

Archer Fabrications · Jun 25, 2012

eclipsechris said:
ever fix the problem?
i put a new o2 high flo o2 housing on mine,
and it whistled ALOT more.

the trans broke a 3rd 4th slider/sleeve and i noticed the whistling was only at 5 psi so maybe when the engine hit that speed and the trans, the trans whistled? i dont know the turbo doesnt have any shaft play and doesnt have any oil leaking from it. i dont really know what to do but blame it on the trans. smoke im blambing on the valve seals or piston rings because the car sat at an angle on jack stands for 2 weeks and the smoke went away after the first few miles of driving.

Chumpaumpalumpa · May 5, 2015

UrbanSmoker said:
the trans broke a 3rd 4th slider/sleeve and i noticed the whistling was only at 5 psi so maybe when the engine hit that speed and the trans, the trans whistled? i dont know the turbo doesnt have any shaft play and doesnt have any oil leaking from it. i dont really know what to do but blame it on the trans. smoke im blambing on the valve seals or piston rings because the car sat at an angle on jack stands for 2 weeks and the smoke went away after the first few miles of driving.

I know this is obviously old but I had the same thing happen after not touching it I was adjusting the BOV but turns out there was a fat exhaust leak at the down pipe because the gasket failed. Has happened twice now. Better start using those gaskets with the copper ring on the inside.

Archer Fabrications · May 5, 2015

Car has been fine, i got a shep trans after it broke. Had a vband side exit and all was fine, the smoke coukd have been pcv related. Car has been sittinf this time for 4 months. I'm making a manifold and have a new turbo. Hipe everything is still good haha.
Oh also, the center diff blew up so that could have been the whisteling bearing swirly sound.

Regardless i sold the 6152, had an hx40 with no issues, now i have a 6466 awaiting install.

Chumpaumpalumpa · May 5, 2015

UrbanSmoker said:
Car has been fine, i got a shep trans after it broke. Had a vband side exit and all was fine, the smoke coukd have been pcv related. Car has been sittinf this time for 4 months. I'm making a manifold and have a new turbo. Hipe everything is still good haha.
Oh also, the center diff blew up so that could have been the whisteling bearing swirly sound.

Regardless i sold the 6152, had an hx40 with no issues, now i have a 6466 awaiting install.

Awesome cant wait to see what you do with that

ErikTande · May 5, 2015

Chumpaumpalumpa said:
I know this is obviously old but I had the same thing happen after not touching it I was adjusting the BOV but turns out there was a fat exhaust leak at the down pipe because the gasket failed. Has happened twice now. Better start using those gaskets with the copper ring on the inside.

You had a whistle or whining sound from an exhaust leak on the downpipe? I have a whistle right at 0 psi and it's driving me nuts, I wonder if that's my problem...

Archer Fabrications · May 5, 2015

I personally notice clicking sounds rather than whisteling when an exhaust is present.

Chumpaumpalumpa · May 6, 2015

ErikTande said:
You had a whistle or whining sound from an exhaust leak on the downpipe? I have a whistle right at 0 psi and it's driving me nuts, I wonder if that's my problem...

It was huge and its right under the turbine wheel so yes the whistle is very prominent even at 2inHg you'll start to hear it spool it sounds amazing LOL

You do however run very lean at idle and cruise if its big enough and thats obviously bad.

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