Bad Turbo? :(
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 09-02-2010
Posts: 383
From: Philadelphia, PA
O ring hitting the blades? Do you mean the compressor side or the turbine end?
When a turbo fails the center support bearing doesn't do it's job no more causing the sealing area to fail and now leak oil under oil pressure. It can go one of two ways or both. Into the intake side or out the exhaust. In either case there should be oil smoke.
On top of that the Cat is junk do to the oil contamination.
If the shaft has caused the compressor side to hit the housing, aluminium has now entered the engine. How much damage to the cylinders is the result of the metal ingested.
I have 30 years working with turbo Caterpillar engines and a turbo is a turbo.
I even worked on the turbo Pinto's way back when. But that's another story.
When a turbo fails the center support bearing doesn't do it's job no more causing the sealing area to fail and now leak oil under oil pressure. It can go one of two ways or both. Into the intake side or out the exhaust. In either case there should be oil smoke.
On top of that the Cat is junk do to the oil contamination.
If the shaft has caused the compressor side to hit the housing, aluminium has now entered the engine. How much damage to the cylinders is the result of the metal ingested.
I have 30 years working with turbo Caterpillar engines and a turbo is a turbo.
I even worked on the turbo Pinto's way back when. But that's another story.
I'm thinking it's going into the intake side since there's a residue of oil on the intake tube connected to the turbo. I looked under the car while it was running and saw no smoke of any kind - of course the exhaust was producing heavy smoke, but the car was also cold. Didn't smell like anything like raw gas or burning oil.
Either way, Friday is the day - gonna take the turbo out and inspect to see what the issue would be. I'll definitely look into BlackTara's if I need a new turbo!
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 09-02-2010
Posts: 383
From: Philadelphia, PA
So with the car sitting cold for a few days I decided to pop the hood and take a closer look.
Removed the IC pipe from the top of the turbo just to see if I could see anything internally. There's a little bit of oil in it, and reading on the site some people say that's a sign your turbo is going bad, the seals are no good, or that it's normal to have some oil.
I'm starting to guess this could be a compressor issue. If the compressor pushes air into the engine, but the only time the high siren noise is present is when I accelerate or immediately at a cold start up (which disappears after the car is warm), then that would make it the compressor?
Hard to see, but this is the best shot I could get
Removed the IC pipe from the top of the turbo just to see if I could see anything internally. There's a little bit of oil in it, and reading on the site some people say that's a sign your turbo is going bad, the seals are no good, or that it's normal to have some oil.
I'm starting to guess this could be a compressor issue. If the compressor pushes air into the engine, but the only time the high siren noise is present is when I accelerate or immediately at a cold start up (which disappears after the car is warm), then that would make it the compressor?
Hard to see, but this is the best shot I could get
Administrator
Joined: 10-13-2011
Posts: 40,082
From: Welland,Ont Canada
I'm thinking the turbo is toast, had same issues on my '85 LeBaron GTS, and my '79 Mustang turbo Pace car and my '85 Buick , 3 good reasons I stay away from turbo cars!
Maybe time to send a PM to BlackTara
Maybe time to send a PM to BlackTara
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 09-02-2010
Posts: 383
From: Philadelphia, PA
If it's sold, here's to hoping ZZP does a Black Friday deal - they have OEM Turbos for around 650
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 09-02-2010
Posts: 383
From: Philadelphia, PA
Haven't tried that yet. I drove it to my brothers shop so we can get it on a lift Friday to take a look. I'll have to try that, but I'm pretty sure this turbo is 
While driving there I noticed if I got to around 2500 - 3000 RPM the noise would get louder/faster, then eventually stop as if it seized and restart at a lower/softer sound. Driving an SS at 25MPH with flashers sure made a lot of people behind me angry, but I'd rather have that than destroy internals!
Did scan with the Tech 2 and no codes came up either...
While driving there I noticed if I got to around 2500 - 3000 RPM the noise would get louder/faster, then eventually stop as if it seized and restart at a lower/softer sound. Driving an SS at 25MPH with flashers sure made a lot of people behind me angry, but I'd rather have that than destroy internals!
Did scan with the Tech 2 and no codes came up either...
Deceased
Joined: 06-30-2010
Posts: 25,739
From: Kannapolis NC
Alas, poor Turbo! I knew him, Horatio: a mechanism
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand miles; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it. Here hung those bearings that I have spun I know
not how oft. Where be your whistles now? your
gambols? your blow-off valve pops? your flashes of speed,
that were wont to set the tires to smoking? Not one
now, to mock your own spinning? quite chap-fallen?
Now get you to my mechanic's garage, and tell him, let
him print a work order an inch thick, to this favour he must
come; make him work at that. Prithee, Horatio, tell
me one thing.
Will this sucker run tens in the 1/4 mile?
Sorry Buddy, Michelle's Chemo left her as sick as a dog all day, and we watched Hamlet on Netflix so my sleep deprived mind changed Yorick's skull into a toasted Turbo.
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand miles; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it. Here hung those bearings that I have spun I know
not how oft. Where be your whistles now? your
gambols? your blow-off valve pops? your flashes of speed,
that were wont to set the tires to smoking? Not one
now, to mock your own spinning? quite chap-fallen?
Now get you to my mechanic's garage, and tell him, let
him print a work order an inch thick, to this favour he must
come; make him work at that. Prithee, Horatio, tell
me one thing.
Will this sucker run tens in the 1/4 mile?
Sorry Buddy, Michelle's Chemo left her as sick as a dog all day, and we watched Hamlet on Netflix so my sleep deprived mind changed Yorick's skull into a toasted Turbo.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 09-02-2010
Posts: 383
From: Philadelphia, PA
UPDATE:
Yep, turbo is definitely toast. Both the in and out lines from the turbo are covered in oil. Metallic shavings are probably all in the intercooler, and on the way to the engine.
To give myself piece of mind, and since ZZP is having a black friday sale I just pulled the trigger and got the LDK with the k04 turbo and a new intercooler. I plan on keeping my SS and turning it into a show car when I'm a old car guy, so instead of searching for a new engine which will probably be non-existent at that point, I got my hands on one that ZZP had and start fresh with a new motor, turbo and intercooler.
Yep, turbo is definitely toast. Both the in and out lines from the turbo are covered in oil. Metallic shavings are probably all in the intercooler, and on the way to the engine.
To give myself piece of mind, and since ZZP is having a black friday sale I just pulled the trigger and got the LDK with the k04 turbo and a new intercooler. I plan on keeping my SS and turning it into a show car when I'm a old car guy, so instead of searching for a new engine which will probably be non-existent at that point, I got my hands on one that ZZP had and start fresh with a new motor, turbo and intercooler.