I just got my 91 GSX not to long ago and it has been one thing after another. But the car is almost 20 years old, so I don't see it to be to big of a deal. Did you check the turbo for shaft play when you bought it or after you got it home. I would check, turbo might need a rebuild.

the guy said it had a rebuilt turbo in it so it should be fine. unless he is bs ing me. this car is officially giving me a head ache cause i was pulling the plugs just a few ago and the inside metal piece that holds onto the spark plug ripped out. so now i have to get a new plug wire just so i can drive it to my shop. this shit is ###

i too have a teenager with issues every other day it seems like but thats the price you pay for a badass car. the best way to check the turbo is remove the intake tube from it and see if there is any shaft play

do a boostleak test. VFAQ Site - Visual Frequently Answered Questions

check the turbo for shaftplay, check for exhaust leaks.

I feel your pain man. The guy I bought my GSX from said that the FPR was bad. I got a new aeromotive FPR and it ends up being the fuel pump that is bad. I was pretty pissed off.

could be worse..when I got mine, the suspension was shot, the turbo was going, the tranfer case was damaged(unknown at the time) and the wiring was a ball of spagetti under the dash...and that was what I found out not too long after buying it....but it ran great when I test drove it..

These cars are old and you will be working on it....if you really aren't into working on a car, it might not be for you....
Start reading other posts...you'll see what I mean.

edit:
also, the turbo might have been rebuilt, but it might be more important to know why it had to be....old, possible bad oil feed line, other problems....
It's not too difficult to check the shaft for play....best to do it now and find out....also, check the oil levels...

thanks i will check the shaft play. im just pissed cause i went broke buying this car and i have only had it one day and i just cant get a break but hopfully i will get one soon. i love these cars and i really want it to run good. what should my next step be if my turbo is blown? i have never had a car with one so i dont kno. how much does a new one cost? or to rebuild the one i have? can i run w/out a turbo for a bit? or would i need to get a non turbo header to do that? caus e im kinda broke at the moment but stil need to get around to work and stuff

well the car ran perfect the first day i had it. i drove it the whole day with no problems. and i know what to look for. but just randomly it started acting up. but your right i probably should have had a specialist look at it. i was planning on starting all the maintenance stuff tomorrow then it started acting up. so idk.

90T5I said:

thanks i will check the shaft play. im just pissed cause i went broke buying this car and i have only had it one day and i just cant get a break but hopfully i will get one soon. i love these cars and i really want it to run good. what should my next step be if my turbo is blown? i have never had a car with one so i dont kno. how much does a new one cost? or to rebuild the one i have? can i run w/out a turbo for a bit? or would i need to get a non turbo header to do that? caus e im kinda broke at the moment but stil need to get around to work and stuff

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First things first, get the service manual, either online like ebay, or from an auto store...this will be your bible when it comes to finding and fixing problems

IF the turbo is blown, it's not going to run very well. I really don't think the car can runwithout one(decently) or even be converted without investing in parts that would cost money better spent on fixing stuff.

Used turbos can be had for cheap and people will part with a perfectly good turbo if they don't need it....as long as there is no shaft play, you should be good.

Some things to consider...

Check the levels on all fluids and if you have the time and money, change them so you know whats in it and how fresh it is. This includes the engine oil, the trans, the transfer case(since you have an awd) rear diff, clutch fluid(manual only), coolant, brake fluid...I think thats it.

I would take a look at wiring and and hoses/ fluid lines just to be on the safe side...those are the things that will give you the most problems and can be overlooked very easily.

Vac line can be purchases at auto shops pretty cheaply...I'd start with replacing those.

Inspect your spark plugs and replace as necessary(use the search to find the best one for your car), and consider changing the wires as well if they look to be a bit old.

Also inspect the your timing belt, look for cracks on it...thats a sure sign it's time to change it. if you don't, it will cost you big time. If you can't replace it, be very gentle with the car and don't push it....you'll put unecessary stress on it and could snap it that much faster.

Btw, this was my first turbo car as well....you'll have fun learning about it if you give it a chance and have time.

Could be a boost leak, mine sounded like a supercharger

fwdmaster said:

Could be a boost leak, mine sounded like a supercharger

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+1 a boost leak at the bov made mine sound like a super charger. Turned out that the rubber gromet which went around the bov post and in the uicp to form a seal was ripped. So I got a fmic.

When I got my car the brakes failed and i crashed.Then 2 days later i threw a rod through the block.Then a month later my car detonated and blew up a piston. Then i replaced the whole motor and the oil pump went bad.And all this is only this particular dsm and all in one year im ripping my hair out.

A proper turbo cheese is the perfect compliment to turbo whine.

In my experience-

+1 for blown turbo. Not to bee too blunt... (it's possible it's a boost leak)

I drove on a blown turbo for over almost a month. (luckinly I happened to have a bigger one on the way) You MUST be careful not to build ANY boost. When you hear that thing whine, let off. If it isn't smoking yet, it should be fairly drivable, I swapped it once I started getting smoke...

I blew mine out of my own stupidity. Blew an IC coupler and decided to drive home on it (coupler blew BEFORE my GM Maf) I had fun spooling the turbo and not going anywhere (until I realized I blew it up the next day...)

Now, if it is a distinct whine, listen to the above... If it is almost a screeching sound (sounds like it is grinding) In my experience it is an exhaust leak at the head-manifold. I don't know why it makes this sound, but every time I hear the screeching sound I know It's time to tighten my manifold bolts and it goes away.

Tim Melton said:

When I got my car the brakes failed and i crashed.Then 2 days later i threw a rod through the block.Then a month later my car detonated and blew up a piston. Then i replaced the whole motor and the oil pump went bad.And all this is only this particular dsm and all in one year im ripping my hair out.

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Damm , you have a cursed dsm

well i checked the shaft play the best i could and it seemed fine. i think im gonna pull it out and give it a better inspection. but im not losing power or anything. its still building boost tho like 10 or 12 psi. i idk. its like a high whine its wierd i had a friend who has run boost in his 240sx for like ever now and he has never heard anything like it. but i will check the exhaust manif. let you guys know what i find

Drubble said:

A proper turbo cheese is the perfect compliment to turbo whine.

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.. what? i dont get it

90T5I said:

.. what? i dont get it

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Cheese often compliments wine; but I have the feeling if there are any DSMers out there who are fine wine connoisseurs, then you've applied too much loafer-lightener to your personality.

My turbo did that but when I put on the tubular manny I noticed that two of the stock bolts were only finger tight. put the manny on and the thing just screams in a good way.

so where would i take a turbo to get rebuilt anyway? do normal autoshops do that or do i have to take it to a machine shop or something?

I've been in the rebuild business for 5 years now. Currently have 28 DSM turbos at my shop and over 200 rebuilt for customers.

jusmx141 said:

I've been in the rebuild business for 5 years now. Currently have 28 DSM turbos at my shop and over 200 rebuilt for customers.

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so have you ever heard a turbo making the noise i described? it almost sounds like the fins are barly rubbing or somrething. idk. how much u think i would be looking at to get it rebuilt?

There are many things that could cause a turbo to make that noise:

-Too much up/down play
-Lack of lubrication
-Bent turbine shaft

Normally a turbo will start with a soft whine which turns into a loud howl. The howl is normally bad news- this means the turbo is out of balance due to missing blades, and / or the wheel has already contacted the housing.

I can't give you a firm price until the turbo is in my hands. If it needs more than just the standard rebuild, it may be better for you to just look for another good used turbo.....use these guidelines by yours truly:

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/tur...-what-worry-about-when-buying-used-turbo.html

depending on the type of shaft play, you may get different sounds.
When mine went I had in/out shaft play which would cause a chirp as the compressor wheel blades hit the housing...it would do this when I took my foot off or hit the gas quickly. It was a small chirp at first...luckily a friend had a spare one so I just put that in.