Is this a bad turbo symptom?

[tsi1991awd]

So when I start the car sometimes when it's cold or just anytime really, it makes a whining type noise, kind of like a "supercharger"...sometimes when I'm driving (even after the car is warmed up) and I'm NOT in boost, it makes this noise. Then when I step on it, the turbo will make it's usual high pitched whistling noise. Sometimes I can hear it spooling but it only has intermittent power (ie: it'll pull then kind of let off, even though I'm giving it the same amount of throttle and then pull again, etc.) Then if I let off the gas completely and get back on it, it's totally fine.

I haven't had time to check for shaft play, but I am almost 100% certain this is the original 14b turbo from 1991....I would not be surprised if I looked in there and saw only one blade on the wheel

 

[MaxGdsm]

have you checked for boost leaks. i had a friend with a similar weird sound and it turned out he had a boost leak that was tiny but once he built enough boost it would open up more and leak like crazy.

 

[Dsm2go101]

The whining noise that you are hearing is the blades rubbing up against the wall of the turbo. The turbo is on the way out. I'd recommend replacing it especially if its the original turbo on the car.

 

[Sarge32]

The whining noise was the first signs of my 14b going out as well. Mine did it when I started to load the engine. Impeller would scrap the housing

 

[UGOT8UP]

You have big turbo issues. Like prev started you have the the impellers scrubbing the side of the housing. If this is your daily driver you might want to stop driving it. When my Regal made that sound it only lasted 18 miles before it self destructed and that was on a BRAND NEW Turbonetics turbo, I hit 28psi heard a chirp than 18 miles later it turned my car into a mosquito sprayer

 

[fwdmaster]

It can be a boost leak,I had a boost leak around the throttle body area and it sounded like a supercharger also

 

[tsi1991awd]

Yea this is the original 14b I'm assuming. There was only one owner before me, some older guy....I believe his kids used this car when they were in college because it had college parking stickers on it and different states and whatnot. The way the turbo feed/return lines look, it seems like the original. The car is 100% stock so.....

I'll check it out on Monday and do a BLT....I'm pretty sure it's dead, and if so then it's time for a 16g

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

It sounds like it's time to make time to check for shaft play! It should take like what, 10 minutes to check that and have it back together. WOW

 

[tsi1991awd]

It sounds like it's time to make time to check for shaft play! It should take like what, 10 minutes to check that and have it back together. WOW

Kind of hard when you're at work from 6am to 10pm...drive to work in the dark, come home in the dark. And I don't feel like doing anything when I get home

 

[se0nz]

Kind of hard when you're at work from 6am to 10pm...drive to work in the dark, come home in the dark. And I don't feel like doing anything when I get home

i work about the same hours, but i work from about 6 to 9pm... drive an hour to work and then still about 30 mins to get home. but still a BLT is real quick, take off intake and stick it on there and test. takes about 5-10 mins depending but yeah it's quick. i would start there but sounds like the turbo has had enough. GL

 

[jdodds]

It might not be as bad as most are suggesting. I had that same sound. Sounded like I had a supercharger with a really loud belt on it. It turned out that the timing cover was getting rubbed by one of the belts. Start it and try to push on the timing cover a bit to see if you can make it worse or make it go away. Hopefully thats all the noise is.

 

[BulletShiftTSi]

thats what my old 16g sounded like before hand.

You will always have shaft play after a while but if you wanna elminate the blades rubbing later on down the road seeing is how its your daily driver, your new turbo (go 16g!) get it ported and clipped.

Clipping is when they cut off the very top tips of the blades to keep them farther away from the housing.