[TheCrush]

it all started with a small whistle, which got louder and louder until I had no more boost and there's oil on top of the turbo. it happened pretty fast and I know my turbo is dead, but I have some questions.

what could have caused this? the turbo only had about 40,000 miles on it, and no shaft play.

is it ok to drive like this? I am burning small amount of oil sometimes and of course my car is slow, but as long as I make sure I have enough oil in there it won't hurt anything right?

anything I can do to prevent this from happening to the next one I put in? I always change the oil at or before 3000, but who knows about the previous owner.

thanks in advance

 

[flytalon93]

I wonder if any of your oil lines are clogged. Have you ever had the turbo apart to see if there is even any oil getting into it? Not sure about driving it like it is, if the blades start to wobble and shear the housings you could get some metal particles shot into your chambers/valves and make even a bigger problem. 40,000 only, damn thats decently young turbo to go out.

Just a side note here: I also had a high pitch whistle noise under boost and was scared that I was starving my turbo of oil. Right now I have her taken apart and I discovered my turbine housing has a huge crack in the flapper area. I mean you can see your finger through this crack. But that was where my whistle and loss of boost was coming from. Turbo (118,000) is fine and almost ready to bolt back on, waiting for my replacement turbine housing.

Good luck
Steve

 

[TheCrush]

thanks...


yeah that's prob what happened, maybe somethin got clogged and popped and that's why there is oil on top of my turbo. it's not spinning at all so Im not worried about shit coming apart. I guess Ill find out what it is once I put a new one on but till then who knows.......not looking forward to that I garuntee half them studs bust

 

[j.d.roost]

Please pull the intake boot off and let us know if the shaft spins freely.Also let us know if there is any shaft play.( I said shaft play. )
thanks.jd

 

[j.d.roost]

I think I misread your post. You say there is no play. I assume you checked things out allready.
jd

 

[Zelite5]

Sorry to come here on this thread, but I was just about to ask the same question. I think my turbo may be going bad. It started the high pitched whistling a few months ago, and I think it's getting worse. It only does it during partial throttle though, not at WOT.
But there is oil getting to the turbo. In the morning after the car's been sitting, I turned the car on and after a few minutes, the oil feed line and return lines got warm (so yeah, oil is going through it).
But also, it creeps. I'd think a turbo that's going bad would lose boost, not creep.
There is very minimal up and down shaft play (which is supposed to be normal), no side to side play, it spins very freely, and the compressor wheel is fine. It's also a non-smoker .

What do you think? I put the brand new turbo on in August. It should not be bad already, especially considering I drive like a pussy most of the time and hardly ever get on it. Why would a turbo go bad so soon if it's getting oil and water??

 

[Big Red 211]

Crush, clean out your oil feed and return lines for the turbo when you install a new one.

Uhm, air leak maybe?

 

[Zelite5]

Uhm, air leak maybe?

Zero boost leaks.

 

[Big Red 211]

Yea I didn't think that would be it cause you said it does it at partial throttle and not wot. I would take a mechanics stethiscope (sp?) and have a friend rev the engine while your touching the stethiscope to different parts of the engine. You should be able to locate what part is making the noise and go from there. Your turbo should have lasted longer than that unless it was defective.

 

[Zelite5]

Well, it doesn't do it at idle, so I'm not sure if that'll find it. It only does the whistle at partial throttle and starts at about 3k rpms (when it spools). Idk, thanks for the input though. I may have to just pull the turbo and see what's up. Does anybody else have and suggestions? (yes, I've searched a million times) Argh...

 

[Boostn4]

Ever since I installed my 14b, it has made a whining noise at full boost. Its comparable to a supercharger whine, but not quite as loud. It will blow black sute due to being rich every now and then, but other than that it doesnt smoke. I have no boost leaks and oil seems to be flowing well. I have had the turbo on the car for 5k and it runs beautiful.

 

[TheCrush]

forgot to ask........

it might be alittle while until I get a new turbo.....since I have no boost is it ok to run 87 or 89 octane? gas is expensive

 

[Boostn4]

If you are prepared to see alot of knock and less power than you have now then go right ahead. 87 octane is horrible gas for any turbo charged or "modified" vehicle. When I first purchased my car, the dealer filled my gas tank full for me. Hey great! I'm thinking but I could of swore I could here it knocking a bit on the way home. Come to find out the dealer filled it with 87 and I'm stuck with a full tank of it.

 

[Big Red 211]

Well, it doesn't do it at idle, so I'm not sure if that'll find it. It only does the whistle at partial throttle and starts at about 3k rpms (when it spools).

So it won't do it when your in neutral? I'm asking cause everything works the same if your in neutral or in gear except you don't build boost in neutral cause you don't have a load on the engine. That would mean that your problem is boost related (not rpm related) so imo it sounds more like a leak.

it might be alittle while until I get a new turbo.....since I have no boost is it ok to run 87 or 89 octane? gas is expensive

Yes, I run 87 on the street with a working turbo. I'm poorer than you are.

Ever since I installed my 14b, it has made a whining noise at full boost. Its comparable to a supercharger whine, but not quite as loud.

Do you have metal intercooler pipes? They make the intake louder. I can hear my turbo spool up but it hardly makes any noise at idle.

 

[Zelite5]

So it won't do it when your in neutral? I'm asking cause everything works the same if your in neutral or in gear except you don't build boost in neutral cause you don't have a load on the engine. That would mean that your problem is boost related (not rpm related) so imo it sounds more like a leak.

Yeah, you can hear when it starts sucking air in, around 3k or so, the whistle goes along with it. It's like when it gets to max spool, or close to it, it starts whistling. I swear I have no boost leaks, but I guess I'll have to check yet again (even though I did have them all taken care of and it still made the noise a few weeks ago). Maybe leak in the turbo?...

 

[Boostn4]

Thats what I am thinking, possible bearings shafts and seals going bad, which is not going to show externally without tearing it apart. You might as well re-build it at that point. Yes I have all metal intercooler piping, upper and lower. I notice some slight nicks in the compressor blade, nothing hazardous. This turbo probably has a big history, but it runs fine which is very surprising. Does anyone know if the exhaust wheel of a 14b is the same as the exhaust of a 16g? I know the turbine wheels on 16gs and big16g's are the same. If they are the same, it makes me want to consider something alittle more powerful(when I upgrade) because I will more than likely get bored of it. Anyone want to donate to my turbo fund, all proceedings go to a nasty time slip, he he.

EDIT* The slight nicks in the compressor blade are probably the main reason I am having the whining sound.

 

[Big Red 211]

Maybe leak in the turbo?...

Yea, like a cracked housing. I'll bet that's what it is.

Yes the 14b, 16g, and B16g use the same turbine wheel. 14b uses a smaller turbine housing. I'd get a 20g or a big Garrett. That's what I did.

 

[Gonzo2]

Is this high pitched whine something other than the normal high pitched whine of a turbo? It's supposed to whine after 3000 rpm, that means it's spooling up correctly, right? My brother's T25 whines, my old 14B didn't whine, but it had gobs of shaft play, my 16G whines.... I don't see the whining as meaning there is a problem. Obviously in the case of TheCrush, there is a problem (random oil + no boost), but for Zelite5, are you sure that it wasn't doing this before?

 

[Zelite5]

Is this high pitched whine something other than the normal high pitched whine of a turbo? It's supposed to whine after 3000 rpm, that means it's spooling up correctly, right? My brother's T25 whines, my old 14B didn't whine, but it had gobs of shaft play, my 16G whines.... I don't see the whining as meaning there is a problem. Obviously in the case of TheCrush, there is a problem (random oil + no boost), but for Zelite5, are you sure that it wasn't doing this before?

Really, I remember when I first put the B16g on, I heard a noise similar to a jet engine (sort of whining noise) when it spooled. But in the last few months, the noise has gotten very bad/annoying/scary. It really sucks; I've lost low end power (giving me bad gas mileage for city driving), and if I give it full throttle, I creep.
I'll let you guy know what I find when I do yet another boost leak test (Monday), although I'm very skeptical of the outcome. We'll see...