Turbo going?

[jongreene]

1st off my turbo has zero shaftplay and spins free as ever, but recently my cars been puffing a tiny bit of grayish smoke between shifts. The puff only comes in the upper boost range, usually around 15psi. Is that most likely my seals going out? .....car has 117k btw, original turbo.

 

[dsmoverboosted]

grey or black is unburnt fuel, is your bov recirculating? Sounds like its running a bit rich between shifts which makes me think your recirc pipe is off a bit or something (assuming your bov pipe is even hooked up

 

[patrarch]

Are you sure it's grey? When my turbo was going out I couldn't tell if it was white, bluish white, greyish, or what. The problem with that is every color means a different thing. How does it smell? Sweet or burnt? My turbo had no shaft play either, but I was blowing smoke of a whitish-greyish tint after shifts. Then one day it just completely blew when I was just casually driving. White/greyish (appearance) is usually burning coolant (blown headgasket) but it smells sweet. However, when oil is burned in the turbo from it going out it burns whitish/grey also (unlike when oil normally burns), but smells like..well..burnt oil. I usually lean towards the turbo going out when it's this color. I had no idea it was my turbo for me until the day it blew, though. If you want to be completely sure do a compression test, boost leak test and somehow smell the smoke and figure out exactly what color it is (from outside the car- tint on windows changes the shade.) Also- my turbo going out started as a small puff, then gradually grew into huge clouds and constant streams of smoke. By time I replaced it just starting my car filled my entire neighborhood.

 

[jongreene]

Its not unburnt fuel...Ive already got that sorted out, nor does it smell "sweet". A blown HG would smoke at idle as well as driving. This smoke is not white as from a blown HG but definitely a gray.

 

[dsmoverboosted]

If your sure its not unburnt fuel than its your valves seals or turbo thats on its way out

 

[96gsdsm]

What type of oil are you using?
I use moble 1 and when my turbo went the smoke was pure white.
different types of oil will burn different colors.

Valve stem seals usually will leak at idle and then get progressively better at higher RPM's.

If it's a headgasket you would be able to see oil in your antifreeze overflow bottle, or antifreeze in your oil.

From what your describing it pretty much sounds like your turbo is on it's way out.

Take your lower intercooler pipeing off from the turbo, if there is oil inside your pipeing, your turbo is starting to spit oil and a replacement will be in order.

A compression test will tell you that your motor is in fine working order and that your piston rings and or valve stem seals are not leaking. A compression test gauge is like $20 from your local parts store.

 

[IllusionX90]

I have the same problem, I have no oil in my antifreeze lines or antifreeze in my oil. My oil was black, when I pulled my intake line off to check the shaft play and it spins, little bit back and forth and it smelt like burnt oil when i pulled it off and when I pulled my hand out it was covered in black. I get white smoke after using coming out of boost, aside from getting horrible gas mileage, gotta recirculate my BOV or find an original and change my o2 sensor.

How did you know when you turbo went?

 

[96gsdsm]

How did you know when you turbo went?

When you let your car idle for 2 minutes, 1/2 way out of the garage, and neighbors run over all freaked out and ask if they can help you put out the fire.

Seriously... it's a smokescreen that would put James bond to shame. When a turbo goes... you WILL know.

 

[MrBoxx]

Seriously... it's a smokescreen that would put James bond to shame. When a turbo goes... you WILL know.

I fogged up two lanes of highway. My then-girlfiend following me couldn't see the road. By this time, the smoke was constant, so the turbo was more or less toast.

Almost any time you get the 'puff' of white/gray smoke after shifting or coming out of boost, it's the turbo. I'm still formulating theories as to why; less pressure on the wheels lets the shaft shift enough to leak large amounts of oil, sudden vacuum in the ICP pulls up the oil that has been leaking and burns it in the motor, etc.

Keep checking for shaft play, keep monitoring the LICP for oil puddles, and at the first sign of your compressor wheel touching the compressor housing or inlet (scraping noise while winding down, incredible shaft play, bent/damaged fins, scaped compressor inlet, etc) that's your signal to get a new turbo as soon as possible. Further damaging your turbo could cause some serious problems down the road, like breaking off compressor wheel fins and ingesting them into your motor.

 

[jongreene]

Im using castrol syntec for the 1st time.What other symptoms are there if the valve seals are bad?...I just want to rule that out. If its turbo indefinitely.....Evo 3 time

 

[96gsdsm]

Im using castrol syntec for the 1st time.What other symptoms are there if the valve seals are bad?...I just want to rule that out. If its turbo indefinitely.....Evo 3 time

A compression test will tell you what condition your headgasket, piston rings, and valve stem seals are in.

Valve stem seals tend to leak alot more at idle, and alot less at higher RPMS.
Symptoms would be smoke at idle, going away as you got the car moving, as well as low compression.

 

[jongreene]

1 more thing...I just checked my overflow bottle/tank...the fluid isnt green but kind of cloudy and dirty looking. Should I worry or is it just old and in need of a flush? this was definitely a mixture and since oil and water dont mix....

 

[96gsdsm]

1 more thing...I just checked my overflow bottle/tank...the fluid isnt green but kind of cloudy and dirty looking. Should I worry or is it just old and in need of a flush? this was definitely a mixture and since oil and water dont mix....

If it's dirty, no biggie, give it a good flush. If there's oil in it, then you have a bad headgasket.

Do a compression test. It will tell you if you headgasket is good or bad. Those numbers are going to be more definate and correct then anyone could ever tell you at this point.

Do a compression test
Do a compression test
Do a compression test

http://www.dsmgrrrl.com/FAQs/compression.htm

 

[jongreene]

Alright so what do you suggest I do?.........ha jk jk compression test 2moro if weather permits.

 

[staticbrainwash]

Hey man, just bring it over sometime if you want some help with it. You gotta pick up those couplers and whatnot anyway.

Just let me know.

 

[MrBoxx]

Jeez... I was just in Midland over the weekend. If I had looked at your info a little harder last week and saw that, I would have offered to come over and check it out too.

 

[staticbrainwash]

You've been talking about coming back a lot but we never get a chance for our dsm's to meet and finally smell one of their own kind. Haha.

You gotta drop a PM or something next time you're back around. It's never bad to meet a wiseman and get some input!

 

[jongreene]

TOTALLY AGREE with Geoff.......compression test results= 150, 152, 150, 151

 

[atlguyinbama]

I have to agree with earlier posts that if its greyish-black smoke it is fuel related (especially between shifts). I would look more towards a boost leak test...
BTW, how was it that you were checking for unburnt fuel? Its kinda had to do while shifting going down the road.

 

[staticbrainwash]

I know for a fact that for a long time when he first got the car it was running a 255 with no afpr. I finally got him to pick one up for it and the car runs A LOT better.

It may be mis adjusted just a tad, but i'm pretty sure it's running what it should for pressure. As for his other mods, he's got nothing that would add a lot of fuel to make him run real rich.

Except for a big exhaust manny leak, and possible boost leaks. But that should be attacked this weekend.

 

[jongreene]

Well said Geoff

 

[jongreene]

Wisemen have any comments on compression numbers?

 

[MrBoxx]

Compression numbers look okay. The bottom service limit is 121, with the normal being 164, so you fall into the "good" range, plus there's less than a 2 psi difference between cylinders.

 

[jongreene]

So the puff between shifts can be narrowed down to my turbo?

 

[staticbrainwash]

Possibly, but more likely is you're running rich on shifts. If you were blowing all the time while IN boost, and not really othertimes, then yeah turbo. But i'd say you're just running rich on shifts.