Does this turbo look like it's busted!!

[LKWTSI]

After a year of fixing everything wrong with the car, the guy before me obviously didn't have a clue, I thought I'd be free a clear of major mechanical issues. That was until the turbo started to smoke like a burning forest fire. After I asked you guys for advice on what new turbo to get I'm a couple of days away from installing a new Evo III Big16g. But wanted to share with you the outcome of sloppy maintenance (not mine by the way). I pulled the turbo apart and you can see the inside of the inlet side is destroyed and the exhaust side baffles me as to how this thing ran for as long as it did. I fly jets for a living and if this happened to one of my engines it would have been a disaster movie by now.

Thanks for all the advice and hopefully this will remind those who don't, to start doing some good regular maintenance.

 

[magna]

That is the worst turbo damage I have seen.

 

[LKWTSI]

Come on man...you've owned the car for a year and you're blaming the previous owner haha. I'm sure they didn't change the oil enough or let it get low, but YOU should have seen this coming. I'm sure you could hear the SOUND of the turbo GRINDING like a mother fu*ker. That turbo should have been swapped out a year ago when you first bought it. Just my opinion

This thing has had 2 oil changes since I purchased it. On top of that I've had to fix a dozen stupid problems, that any self respecting DIY mechanic would be ashamed of saying was "his" work. As far as blaming this knuckle head for what you consider I should have caught sooner, I am. As far as I'm aware, you don't buy a car and turn around and throw $600 for a new turbo, just because. That's my opinion.

I've worked on many different cars and setups in my life, one thing I've learned nothing is assured to work as designed. BUT no matter what you try and prevent, things fail in an instant, after a long time in coming. As for the sound of it as you so kindly point out, the thing failed in one night. The damage is the result of small parts whizzing around at 20000rpm and suddenly hitting something tougher, NOT by driving it for a year listening to the sweet sound of metal on metal.


PS it wasn't you I bought the car from was it??