Did I get a balanced eBay turbo?

[ziggo0]

Was pulling my eBay turbo apart to use the exhaust housing on a 14b I just picked up when I noticed this nut hacked to hell...I thought china turbos didn't get balanced?

 

[JusMX141]

They're all balanced when you get them or else they would literally explode instantly. How well they're balanced is the issue.

 

[donniekak]

They're all balanced when you get them or else they would literally explode instantly. How well they're balanced is the issue.

Exactly, turbo balance is measured in mg/cm. Not within the realm of most chinese factory's. Now in 10 years, who knows.

 

[Afroclipse]

Exactly, turbo balance is measured in mg/cm. Not within the realm of most chinese factory's. Now in 10 years, who knows.

Don't say that, its not the factory, its the buyer buying bulls***.

 

[JusMX141]

Here's the deal.

Most Chinese turbos are either assembled as low-speed component-balanced units at the factory, or the rotating assembly is low-speed balanced using a machine like a Turbopac. This is acceptable tooling for rebalancing a turbo that has already been high-speed balanced, but turbos that are proven durable (MHI turbos, for example) are high-speed balanced or the entire rotating assembly is VSR balanced before it every leaves the factory. This is shown by the balance grinds found on the compressor locknut of many name-brand turbos....when the turbo is assembled, obviously you cannot get to the backside of the wheel to make balance corrections, so the corrections are made on the locknut.

I've yet to see a Chinese turbo with balance grinds on the locknut.

 

[donniekak]

Don't say that, its not the factory, its the buyer buying bulls***.

So, with that logic, all of the chinese turbos sitting at the factory are ok. They become unreliable when someone buys them, cool info.

 

[ziggo0]

Glad I didn't buy it, came on the car haha. I only posted this up because of how scary that looks. It's going on 4k miles now with minimal shaft play. I'm currently retiring it for a 14b I grabbed due to being scared of it popping and destroying my new engine.

 

[Afroclipse]

So, with that logic, all of the chinese turbos sitting at the factory are ok. They become unreliable when someone buys them, cool info.

If you ask for a factory to make you turbos from certain parts and specifications, that's what they will make you. I doubt ebay companies ask for awesome turbos and get bullshit with saying something.