blown Turbo or Head gasket?

[jackalopeTsi]

this morning on my way to school i heard a funny sound coming from my turbo, i didnt think much of it because it was kinda cool outside, probably a bad i dea(has made a similar sound before but stopped after the car warmed up), later on i still hear it and when i hit some boost, more than 5 or 6 psi after i let off the next time i get on the gas a puff of white smoke comes out of the exhaust. there is no smoke at all until i spool the turbo. its a white smoke. i thought it was a head gasket at first but wouldnt it smoke more frequently, it only smokes after the turbo is spooled higher than around 6 psi. is my turbo or headgasket fried, i didnt see anything wrong with the oil but ill check it again after it cools off.

it is a 1991 fwd( if that has any relevance) with around 160,000 miles on the odo.
not sure if its the original turbo, previous owner may have rebuilt it or replaced it. it is a 14b and there is a significant amount of shaft play, much more than i remember. what couls cause this, not allowing it to warm up when starting, not letting it cool down,or just being that old.

mods:
RNR 2.5" catback
K&N Filter
boost controller(around 15 psi)
logger doesnt show hardly any knock
temp. guage hasnt moved

Update:
is it normal for steam or small amounts of smoke to ocme from the dipstick tube and out of the valve cover when you take the oil cap off( maybe im just paranoid and detailing everysmall thing that has a possibility of being bad)

thanks

 

[unior]

yeah but it works. and no not a t3/t4. a full t4. not all of us are full of money

damn stock turbo to straight t4 - when does it spool on that stock manifold? do you have any idea of the specs on it...im just curious....

btw i agree not all of us are full of money....thats why i'm still slowing collecting parts to go garrett - i'm gonna try and weld up my own o2 housing...but everything else i just bought - I've done rigged up stuff like that before but the results just don't usually impress me.

i have friend running a 2.5 liter RB25DETT inline 6 cylinder nissan motor in a 240sx...he has a t3/t04e 56 trim with stage exhaust wheel - even on that 2.5 liter 6 cylinder motor the spool is terrible....mostly i think because of his rigged stock manifold...

 

[95kate]

it'll be fine with stock, but try to get fmic asap. also... make sure to put panty hose on the TB just in case the compressor wheel starts rubbin the housing. it wont stop a big piece but if a big piece goes, then you're gonna be screwed anyway. it isnt very likely but it is possible. the thing it should stop is the lil shavings. as for supporting mods, make sure you set your wastegate spring (sorry i dont trust boost controllers too much) to 14 PSI. it's a lil low but you know it's safe. required mods... boost guage. needed mods.... 1g BOV or better, fuel injectors, high flow cat (might wanna make sure your cat aint clogged after you change turbos), boost controller, various wastegate springs, FMIC, and of course NGK's and Accel wires. that's all you really need that i can think of. everything else pretty much just helps. if you plan on runnin some high PSI (21+) i'd definately take a look at some pistons, and possibly thermal treating the head.

EDIT: oh and if you can, studs are better than bolts. those bolts (stock bolts) were $6.99 each 2 months ago at the dealership and no one else had them.

 

[95kate]

damn stock turbo to straight t4 - when does it spool on that stock manifold? do you have any idea of the specs on it...im just curious....

btw i agree not all of us are full of money....thats why i'm still slowing collecting parts to go garrett - i'm gonna try and weld up my own o2 housing...but everything else i just bought - I've done rigged up stuff like that before but the results just don't usually impress me.

i have friend running a 2.5 liter RB25DETT inline 6 cylinder nissan motor in a 240sx...he has a t3/t04e 56 trim with stage exhaust wheel - even on that 2.5 liter 6 cylinder motor the spool is terrible....mostly i think because of his rigged stock manifold...

well i havnt dynoed it yet. when i test drove it, it scared the living hell outta me so bad my legs were shaking. i got outta the car pale. i never made it outta 3rd or even red line 3rd yet. i went from 0-105 pretty dam quick. i only know that because i had someone ridin with me and he said "You know you're going 105 in a 45 right?" i was too busy watching the road to look at my watch or mt speedodometer. the only thing i looked at was my tach. i dont have any specs on it but here is what i experienced.

i'm pretty sure i have a boost leak from a faulty gasket (plenum gasket). the take off is different. in the stock one (GS-T btw) you have this "bog down" kinda feeling then it throws you into the back of the seat. it doesnt have that anymore. you take off like a N/T good pull no "lag" feeling. when it hit's 4800 RPM it pushshes you hard into your seat and keeps pushin harder and harder and harder until you let off the gas. i have the wastegate set to 10 PSI (supposedly which is why i need a boost guage). it doesnt stop at 5000 RPM like my old one. this sucker dont stop. iono the specs on the turbo by heart but the turbo is capable of pushing 45 PSI. it's Garrett T4-0b, if ya wanna look it up.

 

[unior]

it's Garrett T4-0b, if ya wanna look it up.

well the thing that amuses me is that you don't even know the real specs on your turbo yet you still figured out how to rig it up to your car

the thing has a rather large exhaust side - but the compressor side sounds poopy

btw it dosnt say case IH on it anywhere does it?

 

[jackalopeTsi]

about the panty hose thing, would that be a problem if i didnt boost hardly at all i maybe hit 1 or 2 psi, very careful. i am about to install a fuel pump, its siting in my backseat now, a 3kgt vr4 fuel pump, about 180 lph.and ill have a fmic maybe by january. what size injectors would you all recommend for the evo 16g. would 550's be enough or should i go 660's? im gon to go with the maft blow-thru setup. i have some ngk plugs but need wires bad, they siezed up and i pulled the rubber off the plastic while pulling a couple off. what is a good wire set thats not too expensive.

 

[unior]

ok all you need to safely run that big 16g @ 15 PSI is a higher flowing fuel pump

everything else bolts up

just to reitterate 15psi means 15 psi

 

[95kate]

about the panty hose thing, would that be a problem if i didnt boost hardly at all i maybe hit 1 or 2 psi, very careful. i am about to install a fuel pump, its siting in my backseat now, a 3kgt vr4 fuel pump, about 180 lph.and ill have a fmic maybe by january. what size injectors would you all recommend for the evo 16g. would 550's be enough or should i go 660's? im gon to go with the maft blow-thru setup. i have some ngk plugs but need wires bad, they siezed up and i pulled the rubber off the plastic while pulling a couple off. what is a good wire set thats not too expensive.

yes because even though you might not have any boost, your compressor wheel is still spinnin.if it rubs that housing, then you got a chance of metal shavings getting into your cylinders. 550's is enough for now. by the time you need 660's you'll know you need them. as for wires i recommend Accel wires. i got mine for $50 at pep boys. if you want cheap then get X-cel. remember tho that you get what you pay for with those.

unior... when i bought the turbo i was an idiot. i SHOULD have got a t3/t4 0e hybrid, but i didnt. so i got the largest "good deal" wastegate i could find because i wanted to make sure i didnt have 45 psi going to my engine. wether it would spool it up or not wasnt my concern. my concern was makin sure i didnt spend another $3000 on ANOTHER engine, and having it broke down. i havnt seen my car in a month and i didnt find this site and start learning until just after i last saw my car. iono the specs on my car or turbo since i'm still working the bugs on it. i dont even know my 1/4 time (i suspect mid 14's, but i didnt have 2nd gear on that test run, my buddy that was with me says high 12's). i dont know about my car too much now but i'm sure as hell gonna find out when i get it back.

 

[unior]

well just so ya know 95skate that turbo you have on there probably will support something between 500-600hp