Turbo oil seals

[2qik4u]

I have a turbo that has like 30 miles on it that the oil seals are blown on due to me making a noob mistake and letting my oil return line get kinked. the turbo doesnt have any shaft play at all!! in out up down side to side no play!!! I am going to rebuild myself. I have looked at like 30 rebuild kits and dont understand what parts in the kit are the actual oil seals. does anyone have pics of what the oil seals look like in a journal bearing turbo??? or can anyone give me a good idea as to what they look like???

 

[JusMX141]

Read through either of my rebuild guides in the turbo & intercooler tech section of this site and I'm sure you'll get an idea of what the seals look like.

If you ran the car with a kinked oil drain, the oil simply had nowhere to go. Chances are if you fix the drain you'll be fine without rebuilding the turbo. If oil burning persists, then you can rebuild.

 

[2qik4u]

it smoked so bad I dont think there is any way the seals couldnt be blown. but I will try it before i rebuild it!!! thanks for the info.

 

[JusMX141]

The turbine and compressor seals aren't an actual rubber "seal", it's a small piston ring. The inability to drain will push oil between the seal and the housing, and even around the seal groove in on the turbine shaft.

If you catch the drain failure soon enough, before the oil has burnt and stuck to the seal and the housing, you'll be just fine without rebuilding.

 

[2qik4u]

thank you alot for the info. it hasnt been run very much at all and I think I will be able to salvage the turbo without having to rebuild it. im going to take it apart and clean it with a compressed solvent. probably mineral spirits. then I will put it back together and see what happens. is an -8an line from the turbo to the pan a big enough return line?? I dont see why it wouldnt be but what is your opinion?? the only problem I have is that I put a neon 420a oilpan on the car and that is an aluminum race pan and it has the return line hole all the way in the back and on the other end of the pan. so I have to do some prcision plumbing to not only get the length right but also to have it decline from the turbo all the way to the hole in the pan. and as low as my turbo in mounted I have about 8 inches of fall from turbo to pan. the return line is almost 3 feet long. any mor info would be appreciated!!