Guys, I need serious help w/ my turbo setup.... I got it installed today, started it up.. and oil just starts pouring out. I found that it is leaking through the exhaust side of the turbo were the downpipe meets the turbo. It is between a drip and a steady small stream, kinda depending.
My return line isn't kinked, but I had to really work it to fit in there. There is one part that is horizontal, but it never goes up. The line goes to the fuel pump block off plate. The intake line is off of the driver side, T'd in w/ my oil pressure sender.
The turbo was supposed to have been rebuilt before I bought it. A guy who knew turbos glanced at it and told me it was put together with new internals... it spun nicely by hand. I took off the air side pipe and I couldn't find any oil leaking out of that side...
If anyone needs more information, or maybe pictures, let me know...
Thanks,
Douglas

 

Well, I did a little more diagnostic today in the sun on the turbo hoping I could get something figured out.

Here is what I did.... had the oil return line shorted. It is now about as short as it can be... and as downsloping all the time as it can be. I don't think that is my problem now...

What I think the problem is: I think my turbo is just getting wayyy too much oil, and because of that the area I am dumping the oil to (my fuel pump block off plate) is not draining fast enough or something and thus causing a back up in the turbo. It takes awhile for the leak to start, then it drips, then it pours...

I am getting oil from the oil pressure sender hole that is right above the oil filter. It is T'd, runs over the back of the engine to the turbo. It is flowing over a quart a minute, which really seems like a lot.

Here is my question... how can I fix it?
#1 idea is to put a restrictor of some sort in the oil feed line? #2 was to kinda put some sort of T and an engine oil cooler in there to reduce the pressure on that line a little?

I dunno, I am just trying to get my turbo to stop leaking so much oil!


Here are some pics:

This is my oil feed line:


This is my return line:

This is my Turbo setup, pasenger side

Driver side...


Thanks,
Douglas

 

What turbo is that?

FWIW, I recently got my hands on a bunch of turbo rebuilding manuals, and I’ve seen a bunch of recurring themes on this:

- almost no turbos that are taken off for leaking oil are actually bad and need rebuilding
- The highest recommended feed pressure for any turbo that I could find was 58psi, most are in the low 50’s
- They all seem to recommend that your return be at least ¾” ID, and never slope less then 30*
- They recommend crankcase pressure stay under .2psi at all times.

 

I think you're gonna have to do a few things to fix that. I'm not sure because I don't get a good sense of scale in that pic, but the return line looks a little small. What size line is that? It should be at least -10AN (1/2"). Second, the route the line takes won't do, you'll have to get it to more of a constant downward slope. It looks liek that should be easy if you replace that straight hose end with a 45 degree one and shorten the line.

Last, you may, or may not have too much oil going to the turbo. T in a gauge right by the turbo and see what it says. Around 20-25 psi seems to be the prefered range, altho I've heard people say less when it's hot. In my setup I had to swap to a progressivly smaller delivery line a few times to get the pressure under control.

 

Rotomaster turbocharger TO4B-P.81 A/R, V-2 Trim

That is what I was told about it...

The turbo may be seeing a bit more then 58 psi on the cold startup.

How do you keep it sloped more then 30* if it is going into a surface that is horizontal (in my case into the fuel pump block off plate)?

Thanks,
Douglas

 

I am not sure on the size of the return line, but I am pretty sure it is at least a half inch. So you are saying a 45* connector at the end of the return line? That is actually before I had the line shortened today, forgot to mention that. It is about 2 inches short, I think... it doesn't goose neck like in the picture anymore.

 

he means 1/2" ID. like I said, manufacturors recommend 3/4" ID, and some OEM'sstick by that (saab does even on it's tiny T3's).

most use an angled fitting where it gets drained to, or even weld in a bung at an angle.

 

I do know from experience installing both turbo systems from " the turbo people" and "incon" for what it is worth, the more straight, and the more straight up and down, the return is he less turbo smoke from a bakced up return the better it is.