Maintaining turbo

[Josejoe]

Hi I just bought a 98 gst. Under the hood it looks pretty filthy so I was wondering what the proper procedure was to maintain the turbo as well as any other suggestions for general maintenance

 

[my dreamt dsm]

Get a eclipse manual keep up on maintiance. For the turbo take off the intake inlet and feel the turbo blades. Move it shaft it sits on back and forth up and down. If it moves a lot it's bad. Whats the mileage on the car?

http://www.dsmtuners.com/sub.php?page=dsm_maintenance

 

[Josejoe]

45000

I'll check the blades tomorrow thanks!

 

[smokestack]

This should help you out. Follow this guide u should be fine.

Turbocharger Maintenance 101

 

[clipto]

Regular oil changes and don't over work the turbo is all you really need to do to maintain it.

 

[Mykill2GB]

If you ran stock boost and maintained your turbo properly could it last 140k and have zero shaft play and i mean zero or did my turbo get rebuilt or replaced?

 

[WES_393]

If you ran stock boost and maintained your turbo properly could it last 140k and have zero shaft play and i mean zero or did my turbo get rebuilt or replaced?

Yes it's possible. But it also depends on the turbo. A 14b or 16g would be MUCH more likely to last 140k miles than a T25. The T25 is probably the most unreliable Japanese turbo in history. They are legendary for randomly crapping out without any warning signs, even with religious maintenance.

For turbo life in general, be sure to use oil that has a higher levels of ZDDP. Engines and turbos both love a healthy amount of Zinc and Phosphorous. I'd suggest Rotella 15w-40.

 

[1990AWD]

For turbo life in general, be sure to use oil that has a higher levels of ZDDP. Engines and turbos both love a healthy amount of Zinc and Phosphorous. I'd suggest Rotella T-6 5w-40 Synthetic.

Fixed.

Also, regular oil changes and warming and cooling the car down help a lot.

 

[Mykill2GB]

Yea wonder if it was rebuilt there is zero shaft play i must javelin the best built t25 ever or some one threw some ebay crap in t25 should say garret right on it right ill have to look closer

 

[COdsm]

I'd say don't bother with a turbo timer, but be sure to sit at idle for 30 seconds or so before you shut your car off, so you don't cut off oil supply to your turbo. Even the owners manual reccomends you do this. Simple tip but its for the longevity of the turbo.

 

[WES_393]

Yea wonder if it was rebuilt there is zero shaft play i must javelin the best built t25 ever or some one threw some ebay crap in t25 should say garret right on it right ill have to look closer

No, the T25 doesn't say "Garrett" on the compressor cover. If it says anything like "turbocharger" then yes, it's an eBay special. I wouldn't be surprised if it was rebuilt or replaced at some point, so I wouldn't worry about it's origins. I'd personally be looking for a 14b or 16g to toss on their instead.

I'd say don't bother with a turbo timer, but be sure to sit at idle for 30 seconds or so before you shut your car off, so you don't cut off oil supply to your turbo. Even the owners manual reccomends you do this. Simple tip but its for the longevity of the turbo.

I agree that turbo timers are pointless, and actually kind of dangerous if not installed properly. But most of us drive a few minutes through a neighborhood of some kind, and still use the factory water ports, so cool-down time isn't totally necessary. However, the point is to avoid shutting down the engine while the turbo is still hot from boosting.

 

[COdsm]

I agree that turbo timers are pointless, and actually kind of dangerous if not installed properly. But most of us drive a few minutes through a neighborhood of some kind, and still use the factory water ports, so cool-down time isn't totally necessary. However, the point is to avoid shutting down the engine while the turbo is still hot from boosting.

Good catch, I should have specified when it's hot. I rarely have drives short enough that I don't end up getting into boost and running operational temp.

 

[Mykill2GB]

Thanks guys i know about turbo timers suppose i can save a hundred bucks by sitting at idle huh well i will Di that also is a rebuild easy to do i might get a used housing and rebuild seem to be around 50-150 for a used 16g with shaft play on craigslist which is alot cheaper than new im guessing

 

[99ECLIPSEGSXDSM]

I would just get a 14b for $100 and be done with it instead of buying a blow 16g that might not be rebuildable and then throwing more money into it. Sounds to me like you need to read up about turbos before you do anything tho. I'm not trying to be a dick but it's not as simple as just swapping the turbo out

 

[Mykill2GB]

Is the 1g turbo worth putting in, t28 is direct fitas well isn't it better? But either way i kinda just want to stay stock at what point is stock just to little or can stock boost be maintained at every level?

 

[LandSpeed-DSM]

To build on what WES said, a high ZDDP/Moly oil goes a long way.

As well as changing that oil and your filter frequently.

Several of us are also running a filter in the oil feed line, and a pressure sensor.

 

[WES_393]

To build on what WES said, a high ZDDP/Moly oil goes a long way.

As well as changing that oil and your filter frequently.

Several of us are also running a filter in the oil feed line, and a pressure sensor.

And using a good oil filter. There's a reason FRAM is called the orange can of death. All of the recommended oils and liters can be found in the gynormous oil thread on here.

An inline filter before the turbo is also a very good idea. A $20 feed line and a filter/restrictor from Forced Performance can go a very long way for turbo life. Especially if your running a turbo that's picky about it's oil *cough" Holset *cough*.

Is the 1g turbo worth putting in, t28 is direct fitas well isn't it better? But either way i kinda just want to stay stock at what point is stock just to little or can stock boost be maintained at every level?

In my experience, MHI (Mitsu) makes a nearly indestructible turbo. I'd run a 14b over a T28 anyway, regardless of power abilities. I know I could beat on the 14b for years without issues.

As for when is stock too little? The stock turbo is too little at anything more than stock power. And boost doesn't make power, airflow does. Running a T25 at 20psi is very different than a GT35R at 20psi.

 

[Mykill2GB]

Is the 16g better yet or not as reliable as 14b

 

[99ECLIPSEGSXDSM]

Both are MHI so both will last a long time. There's really no point in running a t28 over a 14b unless you want the t28 for autocross and stuff like that. Plus 100 for a 14b compared to 975 for a t28... It's just not worth 875 more and this is coming from someone running a t28. Love the turbo tho

 

[clipto]

Thanks guys i know about turbo timers suppose i can save a hundred bucks by sitting at idle huh well i will Di that also is a rebuild easy to do i might get a used housing and rebuild seem to be around 50-150 for a used 16g with shaft play on craigslist which is alot cheaper than new im guessing

Daily driving a water cooled turbo you really don't need a turbo timer. Usually it takes a few minutes to pull into a parking spot lets say your going to the store your not whomping on it right then anyways so it's unnecessary to really use the turbo timer besides wastes gate or you wanna show off your car is idling like a magician. Unless you smash on your car every day and always quick to get out and the turbo is blazing hot then sure get a turbo timer, but most the time it's rather not necessary. Most time you already slowly cruiseing at 30 or 10mph a few minutes before you reach your destionation to turn off your car therefore it's already cooled down. Best thing would be a oil cooler if anything. Just port that hotside whenever you get it then you will always be good.

 

[Mykill2GB]

The turbo on my tsi. Says a/r . 48 is this a stock t25???

 

[clipto]

Ya that's a t25.

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[Mykill2GB]

Thanks wanted to make sure it wasn't some cheap ebay crap

 

[clipto]

Best upgrade but there still pricey little bastards are the T28 turbo's for stock replacement but I think that turbo has gone 11's. But best next thing is order a 16g install kill and swap to a 14b or 16g turbo witch would be better in the long run. Last 2 14b's I had back in the day cost no more then $50 eatch. Most I payed was $250 for a evo 3 16g. Shop smart mod your car even smarter.