2G Burning oil: time for a turbo rebuild?

[A Sharp]

Yes, it's an age old question, but I want to make sure that I proceed in the best way possible. Ever since I bought my 95 Talon tsi a few months back, it has been burning a considerable amount of oil. I smell it burning while I'm driving and I notice pretty large plumes of blue smoke behind the car. The plumes of smoke mostly happen when I am starting from a stop shortly after starting the car. They also happen when I'm driving slowly with low load and low RPM (for instance when I coast down to a stop in 4th or 5th gear).

I pulled the inlet hose off the turbo to check for play. I immediately noticed that there was some oil just sitting in the compressor inlet, but I've read that this is normal? Anyhow, there was definitely a lot of in and out play in the turbo, so that will need to be taken care of regardless of the oil burning.

The car has 93,000 miles on it and I drive it responsibly and perform routine maintenance, though I can't speak for those who owned it before me. The turbo setup is completely stock, but I am hitting about 15 PSI, which could suggest a boost leak.

I guess I'm wondering what rebuild kit to buy. I saw some for like $50 on ebay, but I'd rather avoid metal shavings in my oil (unless you guys think they're safe). I could probably also have compression/leakdown tests done or look at the PCV system. But I know the turbo is bad, so I'd like to take care of that and see what happens.

Thanks

 

[nelliott500]

I'm in a similar boat. I was pretty sure my turbo seals were on their way out. I had the car dyno'd on Saturday and there was a good bit of smoke on the second pull.

I saw a $45 and $55 rebuild kit on eBay but I'm not sure how much I trust it. Buying a used 14b/t25 or having it professionally rebuilt would just be silly since it's such a small turbo. I'd rather just spend the money on a small 16g.

 

[Dxc545]

A drop of oil is normal on the inlet side. You could also be leaking from the valve stem seals and getting oil into the exhaust.

In and out play is never good. A dry un lubricated turbo will have minimal side to side play

 

[JusMX141]

...there was definitely a lot of in and out play in the turbo, so that will need to be taken care of regardless of the oil burning.

There's your reason for the oil consumption. If there's significant in/out play, both wheels have ground against the housings and the turbo shouldn't be rebuilt. Buy another of the same, or upgrade...don't waste your time rebuilding something that isn't going to work out in your favor.

 

[A Sharp]

Thanks for the responses.

So if I do replace the turbo with like a 16g or a 14b, will I need to do a bunch of supporting mods? I have a Walbro 190lph pump installed already and I have heard of people just throwing turbos on their cars without doing any tuning. Could I just put a new turbo, BOV, and intercooler piping on and call it a day? For now I wouldn't care if the car didn't operate at peak performance.

I know I sound cheap as hell, but I'm a broke college student