New turbo or rebuild?

[918_gsx]

Ok. Went to take off in the gsx, no boost on either gauge. A little smoke coming from the exhaust pipe as well. So, I just pulled the lower hose at the SMIC and the hose is covered in oil (see pic). TDO4 turbo btw. Do i need new oil seals? Or rebuild the whole thing? Don't really have the money for a new turbo but if I had to, I'm kinda wondering what other turbos would be a direct bolt on for the DP...

 

[JusMX141]

Rebuild should cure that- make sure there are no drain obstructions, and make sure your PCV system is functioning correctly because excessive crankcase pressure will prevent the turbo from draining as well.

 

[918_gsx]

Ok, I'll check that real quick. But here's the thing. I have no shaft play whatsoever. Should I just stick with replacing the oil seals? I know people are going to say to rebuild the whole thing, but this isn't a "forever" turbo for me. Just using it for the next couple of months.

 

[JusMX141]

Seals can become tired over time just like anything else- especially the turbine seal which is subject to constant heating and cooling, but I'd definitely check your PCV system as you're having an issue somewhere.

 

[918_gsx]

Wait, . Now that I think about it, I did change one other thing. The valve cover. There was an extra one in the car when I bought it. Visually, it looked good so I painted it and threw it on. I'm now wondering if it IS in fact the PCV because I didnt swap them over and the car ran good before changing VC's. But could a bad PCV valve cause that much oil to go through the lower hose leading to the IC?

Ok, swapped over the PCV valve. Didn't change anything. Going to do the VC itself next. Because like I said earlier, didn't have this issue til I swapped VC's