Turbo investigation

[cwspellowe]

Before I go ripping the car to pieces tomorrow, can anyone suggest any reason for this happening?



Compressor housing popped loose as I came back from a test run. It appears the securing washers have bent and allowed it 2-3mm away from the seal.

My thoughts are that.. where I moved the actuator, I used my own bolts and washers to clamp the turbo after clocking it. Is it likely that the washers I used were the wrong size/too weak, and boost pressure overcame them?

Or is something more sinister at work considering oil is leaking out?

Suggestions please...

[darrenjlobb]

Most likely boost hoses flex'ing / or hitting bulkhead.....if the hose is routed anywhere tight (ie via inlet mani), and it can expand (like stock hose without plastic) then it forces compressor housing dowards, spinning it on the bolts.

Did it make any grinding noises..that housing looks very pissed, id be suprised if that hasnt score wheel / bend the compressor wheel

[cwspellowe]

Turbo housing doesn't look to have moved though, just popped the washers?

Diagnosis? Dead, Jim?

[darrenjlobb]

Little weird how its pushed it sideways, as it normally just rotates, altho do i remember seeing this blower has a 90degree outlet on it? which might explain...

Turbo might be ok, depends, take a photo down the inlet...did you here it grinding / screech at all?

[cwspellowe]

No grinding or screeching, happened at the bottom of the drive with vac on the boost gauge, just as I was about to reverse onto the drive. Stopped, saw oil piddling out slowly, rolled it up the drive and switched off. No weird noises at all.

Impeller/shaft isn't central in the inlet but with it having popped off at one side I wouldn't expect it to be..7



It doesn't turn though, feels stuck on the housing but could hardly get my fingers in there. I'm hoping that it happened at a slow enough speed to not be terminal damage but i'm not counting on it.

There's oil you can see in the inlet though, which worries me.

---

Wait hold on, just examined the compresssor blades. It's dead.

FML.

[darrenjlobb]

Well and truly dead...tbh the tolerances are so small, the housing only has to move 2mm and ull grind the crap out the wheel, new blower time, could re wheel it, but probs easier to find a new blower...

Are you sure the housing itself cant hit the bulkhead / steering rack or anything anywhere? bearing in mind engine movement...

[C.A.R.]

Shit dude that sucks

Wonder why it happened?

[cwspellowe]

100% sure Darren, has a good 20mm clearance all round.

I'm leaning more and more to weak washers I fitted, can't think of any other reason why. Unless I missed a bolt AND the one next to it has an ill fitted washer/wasn't torqued up enough.

Cheapest I can find the same turbo is £150 and in nowhere near as good nick as this was. f*cking rage.

[darrenjlobb]

Well weak washers wont help, but the turbos operation dosnt try to force it off... like i said orignally its most likely due to boost pipe expansion and the energy going somewhere, had similer issues with Ruans VNT, only his coldside was holding, and it was spinning the entire cartridge in the hot side iirc, kept doing it, so we ended up putting two spot welds on it, that stopped it...altho i remember the next thing to happen was snapping the comp housing off, due to constant expansion / contraction of the pipes slowly flexing the ally to breaking point...

[Ricky]

I'm kinda worried about mine now, mine's similar to that and I don't want it coming apart like that!

[Dave]

Was this the 2256?

[Jonny81191]

Gutted for you, that sucks mate.

I hope you get something sorted soon and get the beast back on the road!

[Rippthrough]

Use form G washers, or some properly hardened 10.9's

[cwspellowe]

Thanks Phil, latest most un-useful post ever

Nah another 2056 is on the cards, seen as I have the elbow, mani etc made up for it already. Just £££, cheapest I can find is £150 which is the same I paid for this, but this was practically new. FML.

[Dan!]

I know its disappointing that this turbo was nearly new and another one will be used and more expensive, but performance/reliability wise I wouldnt worry about it, it will still push silly boost for years and probably outlast the engine!

[cwspellowe]

Yeah but i'm a tart, I don't like fitting evidently used stuff. Which is daft because it'll never be seen, but in my head a new turbo should always be better than a used one.

Urgh.

[strictly_perv]

Is that deffinatly a genuine turbo? Not a cheap copy?
Talking of replacement turbo's, has anyone used a cheap chinese turbo before? I can imagine them being crap as turbo's are very finely made but I've never seen one before to be fair so I can't judge.
Someone needs to buy'n'try one

[cwspellowe]

Definitely a Garrett, has all the authentic stamps and Honeywell actuator. The only reason I can think it failed is operator error...

[Rippthrough]

Thanks Phil, latest most un-useful post ever

Bet you remember it for next time though!

[Jake]

Is that deffinatly a genuine turbo? Not a cheap copy?
Talking of replacement turbo's, has anyone used a cheap chinese turbo before? I can imagine them being crap as turbo's are very finely made but I've never seen one before to be fair so I can't judge.
Someone needs to buy'n'try one

A friend of my uncles used a "cheap" Chinese turbo (still £500) on his R5GGT with a Clio 2.0 engine and it literally just melted.
Steer clear IMO.

Really gutted for you Chris. Hate it when you think all the work is done and something like this happens, ill keep my eye out / have a look around for another one for you.

[CJ_Derv]

gutted pal, hope you find one cheap enough and get going again asap

[cwspellowe]

Right, new blower will be here Saturday.

Can anyone recommend a way of bracing the compressor housing so this doesn't happen again? I'll be triple checking this one before I fit it but can never be too cautious it seems.

[samass]

Don't use bolts made of cheese?

[cwspellowe]

Well between the two blowers I should have enough Garrett bolts to fix it haha. I'm thinking some kind of plate though, as the charger only has 6 bolts/washers and the actuator mount holding it together.

[CJ_Derv]

How it comes should be adequate, its how its designed so why change it, cant see why it would need bracing bud

[Ricky]

Just use better washers?

Is your's like mine where the two original bolt holes where the actuator bracket was are further away from the backplate?

[cwspellowe]

Yeah but you saw what happened to the last one

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And aye Ricky, think the side that's failed is the side where the actuator bracket was

[darrenjlobb]

Making it stronger is all well and good, but you need to work out what force pulled it off and fix that first...

[n0v0s]

Gutted for you! Did the actual backing plate come away with the housing? if so, then the backing plate has 4 screws holding it on, they are hidden behind the actual compressor wheel. if they were loose, the whole cold side will move with the wastefate opening/closing..

I wish I had outbid Toby for this, only went for £50, fkin pc crashed! All the best with your new one

[cwspellowe]

Dafuq he only paid £50 for it? Goddamnripoffsunnovabish

Going to have a look tomorrow and see what happened, I don't think the backing plate came away though just the comp housing, at least from what I can see.

Still prepared to put money on me f*cking it though, i had that housing off and on so many time I stripped one of the threads..