14b turbo

[winterftbl]

How or where can you take a 14b turbo to find out if it needs a rebuild or not?

 

[DSM4me44]

You can check it yourself. If you blow smoke out when you drive, thats a cue that your oil seals on it might be bad. It was for both of my turbos. Also check for shaft play. Push and pull on the shaft where the fins are and see if it moves. A little bit of back and forth on a used turbo is normal. I said a little bit. However, up and down movement is bad.

 

[Xeiros]

I know you can get a rebuild kit for around $80, but what do you think would be an average or fair price to have it rebuilt at a shop?

 

[scottsee]

Forced Performace will upgrade it to their 16g

 

[Calan]

Also check for shaft play. Push and pull on the shaft where the fins are and see if it moves. A little bit of back and forth on a used turbo is normal. I said a little bit. However, up and down movement is bad.

I think you've got that backwards. A "little" side-to-side/up-down play is normal for a non-BB turbo because the shaft rotates on a thin film of oil (should be less than .03" clearance I believe). You shouldn't be able to feel any axial play (push/pull on the shaft), as this should be less than .002".

Check out http://store.forcedperformance.net/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=Info_FAQ

Unless you know what you are doing (which I don't)... you're probably better off having a shop do it. And for the money you'll pay for a reputable shop to rebuild your 14b, you could probably get a brand new comparable or even better turbo (s16g, b16G) for another $50.

I just went through this decision process myself with my s16g, and decided to spend an extra $130 and get a new Evo III b16g. I could have gotten a brand new MHI b16g for about $50 more than what it was going to cost to ship and rebuild my old one.

Something else to remember about rebuilds; the prices you'll find quoted on various sites won't include the extra money you may have to spend for parts not covered under the rebuild (such as chipped or broken wheels, etc.)

If you really want to go with a rebuild though, +1 for Forced Performance... good people with lots of knowledge and very good customer support.

 

[DSM4me44]

I had my old T25 rebuilt and there was only one shop in driving distance here where i live. The total was like $606! But i tryed rebuilding one myself and ended up breaking stuff and snapping things.

Calan might be right, but every turbo I have had my hands on has had some sort of degress of back and forth, very little though, of shaft play. It has never been enough to where the fins get damaged.