Blown Headgasket or Blown Turbo!?!? Help!

[93GSXCLIPSE]

Ok, so for the past 2 months my car has been sitting because I needed a new transmission. Finally got a hold of a good deal and put in the new tranny, clutch, and an hks ssq bov while it was sitting

anyways, I just got it back about an hour ago after not driving it for 2 months, and am driving it home from the place where it got the work done. I step on it in 3rd, as I hit the high boost switch and I see the boost gauge hit 28psi and BOOM - fuel cut...now my car has hit fuel cut before, but right after when I put it into 5th and gave it a little gas, there was NO BOOST whatsoever...none...the car still ran fine...drove exactly like a non turbo car...I get to my house, and the car is HORRIBLY smoking from the exhaust, at first less and than more...

now my question is, did I blow my turbo or my headgasket? it runs absolutely fine, but the engine is REALLY hot and it pours smoke like no other...there is not 1 psi of boost, and no bov no nothing...it is not a boost leak, because all the connections are tight and the car doesn't stutter or anything like that..there is not one sign of any

please give me some insight!

 

[K_Hill]

Have you done a compression test? Have you checked your turbo for shaft play or see if it spins freely (may have locked up). Have you checked your oil (look and see if its milky looking)? Have you checked your coolant fluid (check for oil in coolant)?

 

[dsm-onster]

Black smoke or blue/grey smoke or white?

Black: you blew an intercooler hose. And running to 28 psi on hoses that havn't been checked will do that. It'd be a good idea to run a boost leak check after a 28 psi run anyway .

Blue/grey: you're turbo is blowing oil out out of the seals. This could be due to over spinning it and causing too much shaftplay. The shaftplay is from prematurely wearing your thrust and/or journal bearings in the turbo. The shaft play chewed up the seals. OR (entirely different), you have blown the head gasket at an oil galley to the head and oil is leaking into the combustion chamber and burning.

white: coolant leak into the combustion chamber from blown head gasket.

Along w/ checking all the things K_Hill mentioned, did you have your head and blocked surfaced for your MLS head gasket? To what ft-lb did you torque the studs? Did you use oil or moly lube? Did you step the torque sequence? Did you retorque after 1-5 heat cycles?

 

[93GSXCLIPSE]

Well I just checked the turbo..there is ZERO shaft play whatsoever, but the turbo does not spin AT ALL...with force it will barely move...hence probably why the car runs fine, just has no boost at all! not even 1 psi

Is it fixable!?!?

 

[Eastwood95]

You need to take the turbo out and inspect it....turbo's can be rebuilt, just depends on why it seized up. I say if it's shot, it's time for an upgrade......

 

[93GSXCLIPSE]

so i found the problem!!!!! there was a piece of cloth/paper type thing that was stuck in the turbo fin, stopping it from spinning...i used a flathead screwdiver to pull it out, and the turbo is mint now! spins freely, absolutely no shaft play...just took it for a drive and it spools beautifully just like it used to!

im the happiest kid right now!! thanks everyone for the insight

 

[dsm-onster]

How in the world did a piece of cloth get caught inthe compressor blades?

 

[93GSXCLIPSE]

I guess somehow it probably got into the intake, when it was off during the tranny swap...probably just flew in with wind or something...and then when I hit high boost, it probably sucked it right out of the intake and caught onto the blade...

idk how in the hell that happens, but im just ecstatic that my car runs great now and I don't need a new turbo!

 

[K_Hill]

Glad you found the problem and it being a easy fix.