Why turbochargers fail thread

General Discussion
#1

After doing 20 minutes of research I found every turbo company pretty much states the samething on why turbos fail. Here’s some examples on what to do & not to do!

I’m willing to bet most people never follow 90% of what should be done when upgrading or changing turbos especially on a 10+ year old car. I will continue to ad to this page when I find more info

COMMON CAUSES OF TURBO FAILURE

  1. HOT SHUT DOWN. THAT IS, TURNING ENGINE OFF PREMATURELY WITHOUT ALLOWING SUFFICIENT TIME FOR TURBO TO COOL.

  2. INFREQUENT OIL, OIL FILTER, AND AIR FILTER CHANGES.

  3. FOREIGN MATTER AND / OR OBSTRUCTIONS IN TURBOCHARGER AIR OR OIL SYSTEM.

  4. IMPROPER ENGINE MAINTENANCE. OPERATING ENGINE WHEN OUT OF TUNE OR IN NEED OF ADJUSTMENT OR MAINTENANCE.

  5. RELATED ENGINE PART OR ENGINE FAILURE. FOR EXAMPLE, A CRACKED HEAD, BROKEN OR WORN PISTON RINGS, BLOWN HEAD GASKET, CLOGGED RADIATOR, AND IMPACT DAMAGE DUE TO ACCIDENT.
    TURBO INSTALLATION GUIDE

  6. CHECK THE OPERATION OF ENGINE TO ENSURE IT MEETS MANUFACTURER’S SPECIFICATIONS.

  7. REPLACE OIL SUPPLY LINE IN ALL GASOLINE APPLICATIONS.

  8. DO NOT USE A THREAD SEALER (SILICONE) ON ANY OIL LINE.

  9. CHECK OIL DRAIN FOR RESTRICTIONS EFFECTING FLOW SUCH AS KINKED OR DETERIORATED RUBBER SECTIONS AND SHARP BENDS.

  10. CHECK FOR CONTAMINATION AND OBSTRUCTIONS SUCH AS KINKED, WORN, AND PLUGGED OIL LINES AND OIL PASSAGES. IF APPLICABLE, CHECK INTER OR AFTER COOLER FOR THE SAME. REMOVE AND THOROUGHLY CLEAN INTERCOOLER.

  11. REPLACE AIR FILTER ELEMENT. CHECK FOR FLOW RESTRICTIONS IN BOTH INTAKE, AND EXHAUST, INCLUDING CATALYTIC CONVERTER.

  12. INSPECT FOR AND REMOVE ALL FOREIGN OBJECTS FROM THE INTAKE AIR TRACT, AND SECURE ALL HOSES.

  13. REPLACE OIL AND OIL FILTER. REPLACE ANY CRANKCASE BREATHER ELEMENTS.

  14. VERIFY THAT THE ACTUATOR “C” CLIP IS SECURE.

  15. VERIFY OIL DRAIN DIRECTION IS VERTICAL.

  16. VERIFY TIGHTNESS OF ALL CLAMPS AND BOLTS, SECURE LOCK TABS IF APPLICABLE.

  17. AFTER INSTALLATION, ENSURE TO REMOVE ALL TOOLS FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT.

  18. BEFORE STARTING ENGINE, DISABLE EITHER FUEL OR IGNITION SYSTEM TO ALLOW ENGINE TO BE CRANKED WITHOUT STARTING. ENGINE MUST BE CRANKED UNTIL NORMAL OIL PRESSURE IS ACHIEVED. ONCE OIL PRESSURE IS ACHIEVED, THEN YOU MAY START ENGINE. REPEAT AFTER ALL OIL CHANGES.

  19. Follow link for more info here… http://www.blouchturbo.com/turbofacts-1.html

#2

In response to hot shutdown, this is why the last 3 turbo cars I’ve owned, I have installed a turbo timer.

#3

I know the smaller the turbo is the cleaner the oil needs to be. with the KKK turbos I Would think that on high mileage motors it would be a good idea to clean and to make sure there is no oil sludge. even the little bit would be enough to take out a turbo.

#4

All lines leading to the turbos especially being 10+ yrs old should be replaced or cleaned.

#5

im going to make sure i dont follow any of those rules on my gti so i can finally have an excuse to upgrade lol

#6

get a tune like the old JFunkey GTI, that’ll take care of your turbo

#7

^^^but then he’ll need to upgrade his transmission

#8

HE will need to pick up the pieces of both his transmission and turbo if he goes that route.

Yet another great post.

Turbo chargers are strong units that spin over 200,000rpm in some cases. The smallest amount of dirt or interference is all it takes to destroy a good turbo.

Good clean oil is always the first thing. When you have a 100,000 mile motor on your hands it would be a good idea to take off the oil pan when your doing a turbo upgrade. You want to make sure the pan is clear and clean. If you think about it you already have the motor out. Its just a good investment

#9

this.

I had a 1.8T for a very short period. Im not one to sit and wait 5 minutes when i get to destination so i had an auto-start system that had the option to keep the car running 5 minutes after the key was pulled.

So simple! never had to bust my balls!

#10

I don’t wait cuz I don’t care enough of my stock turbo to do so or spend money on a turbo timer. On another turbo note, N/A will always be better because when you hit the gas, you don’t have to sit there and wait till the cows come home for the car to do anything. Sorry b5 guys lol

#11

I see 19 new excuses for the B5 guys to use when 91 whoops their ass. “I used a silicone thread sealer so it’s killing my turbos”

#12

Did you post in your dreams again? :wink:

#13

I love the ricer excuses gauge that always shows up on the domestic forums. Funny shit.