All diesel engines have some blowby -- easy enough to check on a 603, just pull the hard plastic hose out of the intake boot in front of the turbo.

I believe mine is bad, due to the amount of oil consumption (too high for the front seal leak to account for) and blue smoke on startup (new head about 60,000 miles ago, although quality of that job is unknown).

To check, take the intake boot off with the engine stopped and rotate the turbo by hand. It must turn very smoothly and have zero axial play. There will be barely detectable side play as it has floating bearings. It must turn very easily, although it will not spin freely without oil pressure, and must not bind anywhere in rotation. Rough, tight, or gritty sensations while rotating it indicate wiped bearings.

Last turbo cartridge I got was $400 for the job, rush basis with overnight shipping since I was in a hurry. Car ran MUCH better (it was my old Volvo TD).

If you have used Mobil 1 for the entire time of operation, the turbo may indeed never wear out, but dino oil and interstate rest stops kill them fast -- you pull off the highway and shut it off with the turbine red hot, and the oil cokes in the bearings. Not too much later, the bearings have been eroded by the carbon buildup, and it starts to run slow and leak oil out both ends.

A big leak out the back will make huge clouds of blue smoke, out the front you get excessive oil consumption.

If you have oil traveling out the crossover while idling, you definitely have a leaking seal, and usually that means the bearings are gone.

Peter

On Mar 12, 2012, at 5:11 PM, Dieselhead wrote:

From no responses, I gather nobody else has had a turbo failure. Is that right?

Is it correct that any oil in the compressor is conclusive evidence of seal failure?

Does anyone have experience with buying a turbo cartridge?


Does anyone know what turbo is on an 87 SDL?  Garret or KKK?

It looks like some things are accessible from above, and some from below. What is the best method for getting the turbo out?



***********prior post***********

I think I am on to something. With the crossover off, the insides are abnormally clean. Like a complete M1 wash. No gunk, no black, except where oil has pooled a little.

Started up the engine. when I revved up the engine enough so that the turbo started, and held it there, there was oil climbing up the throat of the turbo and running counterclockwise to the high side of the throat. if I ran the RPM up to 3k or so, then the air blew away the oil.

It is not enough to get a bath. I am suspecting that what I am seeing is enough to wash the crossover/intake clean, smoke, especially on startup, and washdown the port side of the engine through the crossover pipe not being sealed well.

My guess is that any visible oil is too much oil.  Is this correct?

The turbo seal failures I have heard of have been catastrophic. This is not. But I suppose it could go catastrophic at any time.

Any body got a cheap source for a turbo cartridge? Les Blumner had a source that was something like $80. I have seen $250.




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