turbo seal failure

[spatulahunter1]

I had a surprising turbo failure today and I was hoping for some feedback on what might have caused it. I have a evo316g on my 95tsi. I was letting the car run while I ran up to the autoparts store today because the battery was a little weak and I wanted it to charge. I was going to the store for a new MAF because mine was throwing a code. The car wasnt idling smooth but it was running so I decided to let it just idle and charge. When i turned onto my street coming back I saw a ton of white smoke and quickly ran up to shut the car off. It was a little low on coolant but it was not overheating. The turbo however was covered in black burnt oil. I pulled the intake hose and sure enough oil had blown past the seal onto the intake turbine part of the turbo. Surprisingly though the turbo still has no shaft play. Also the turbo has only about 5000-10000 miles on it however it has sat for awhile since this is a project that has taken backseat to my motorcycles.
Could the seals have weakened from lack of use? Could there have been enough coolant to keep the car cool but not the turbo? Any other ideas?

 

[LiquidX]

I can say that the turbo doesn't rely on coolant to run. It's there just to help prevent coking from hard shut offs.

Was today the first day it was ran? If so, how long did it sit for?

 

[spatulahunter1]

It was ran for short periods just to keep everything charged and lubed every couple weeks. Also I forgot to mention there was excessive crankcase pressure when i took the oil cap off which probably caused it. pulled the pcv and it worked fine so im not sure how it built so much pressure without releasing. Is it possible that oil pressure was so high it blew past the seals? If so is it possible that the turbo is still alright or will those seals have to be replaced for sure?

 

[LiquidX]

If Justin doesn't make it here, contact him at JusMX141. He should hopefully have better info for you regarding your situation.

 

[romeen]

Leaking valve stem seals can cause the smoking during idle and also explain oil in the exhaust manifold and turbine inlet if the car has been sitting for an extended period of time. Best way to check it out is to remove the exhaust manifold and look for oil leaking down the valve stems and/or collecting in the manifold. You can also remove the valve cover while doing a boost leak test and try to detect air escaping past the valve seals.

BTW, I have a spare 2G MAS and I'm in Vancouver. PM me if you're interested.

 

[BLINKY619]

same thing happened today... i took the j pipe off and there was oil... so that means it needs a rebuild?