Yet another turbo smoke questions- sorry

[rturpin]

I have been searching for the past couple of days and can't find an answer to my problem. My turbo was smoking badly, so i added a restriction bolt and raised the idle to 1k. After a fresh oil change the car does not smoke, but after 2k miles it starts smoking again and just keeps getting worse. I am using Rotella synthetic oil. Is there anything else i can do or do i need to replace the turbo at this point? I use the car for a long commute, and need it to keep getting decent mileage, so i have no desire to go with a bigger turbo, i am just looking for this one to stop smoking.

[Gr8Speed]

1. Look to see if the PCV system is failing before replacing the turbo.

2. A bigger turbo will not hurt your highway MPG. I would even venture to say you will get better gas mileage if you don't drive like an idiot because of a slower spool. Realistically, gains/losses in MPG will be negligible.

[rturpin]

I will do some searching, but how does one test the pcv system? I have already installed a OCC in this car.

[Turbo_Steve]

What year and how many miles on your car? They extended the warranty on the turbo to 7 years / 70,000 miles.

[rturpin]

its a 07 with 90k so i am out of luck.

[youngwonder]

This year my turbo smoked very badly. One of the locals took apart the turbo to rebuild it and saw that all the seals went bad and the turbo was filled with built up oil crud. I took all those steps (oil restrictive bolt, T6, 1k idle). If the PCV system is not the issue then you probably can trade somebody with your smokey turbo for a non-smokey turbo.

[Turbo_Steve]

Check the for sale section and/or put up a wtb for a low mileage k04. This will be your cheapest good option.

[rturpin]

Any thoughts on how to determine whether i might be a PCV or a turbo problem. I don't want to spend a bunch of time replacing something that doesn't need to be if i can avoid it.

How long does it take to swap out the turbo on these cars? To me it doesn't look terrible, but looks can be deceiving.

Thanks for all of the help so far.

[youngwonder]

If you have some help with people that knows what they are doing it's very quick. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

[rturpin]

I have done several turbo swaps over the years, but always on trucks. These little engines are a new animal for me.

[taf0422]

You can swap a new turbo in a couple of hours if you know what you're doing. Block off some coolant lines, pull the battery, intake system, egr valve, bolts on top of turbo, bolts connecting to DP, pull the oil drain and just slide it out the drivers side top.

[rturpin]

Thanks guys.

I have been searching, but cant find out how to test pcv without removing everything, any ideas?

[Mattyhawk1]

Originally Posted by rturpin Thanks guys. I have been searching, but cant find out how to test pcv without removing everything, any ideas?

Stock PCV Valve Removal

[rturpin]

Thank you that is what i was looking for. My OCC has been filling up so i know it isn't stuck shut, but will have to check whether it will hold pressure. It looks like my OCC check valve should help mitigate any problems that the PCV might be causing so i might need a new turbo. It looks like a rebuilt K04 can be had cheaply.

[Turbo_Steve]

Originally Posted by rturpin Thank you that is what i was looking for. My OCC has been filling up so i know it isn't stuck shut, but will have to check whether it will hold pressure. It looks like my OCC check valve should help mitigate any problems that the PCV might be causing so i might need a new turbo. It looks like a rebuilt K04 can be had cheaply.

Ahh, new info. If your occ keeps filling up you probably have other issues causing your smoking than the turbo. It would be worth replacing the pcv valve as a cheap first step. If it leaks boost and you are pressurizing the crank case you can get excess oil vapor out of the valve cover vent. I'm not sure how you have your occ setup, but it is possible that if installed wrong, this too can cause excessive crankcase pressure and can cause the turbo to push oil.

I would also suggest getting a compression & leak down test done to rule out smoking from a cracked ring land.

[rturpin]

Thanks for the info. How often should the OCC be filling? I drain it every couple of weeks (1.5K miles) and it isn't full but has some liquid in it. I have acquired a used K04, and will rebuild it and throw it in when i get a chance. If i have to pull the intake to put the turbo in i will replace the pcv while i have it off. I am planning on doing a compression check when i get a little fee time also. Depending on how that comes out i may do a leak down also.

[Turbo_Steve]

Originally Posted by rturpin Thanks for the info. How often should the OCC be filling? I drain it every couple of weeks (1.5K miles) and it isn't full but has some liquid in it. I have acquired a used K04, and will rebuild it and throw it in when i get a chance. If i have to pull the intake to put the turbo in i will replace the pcv while i have it off. I am planning on doing a compression check when i get a little fee time also. Depending on how that comes out i may do a leak down also.

Well getting some condensation about a couple tablespoons worth in that time is normal, but if filling up with oil like a half a quart or something is a problem.

[rturpin]

I might be getting more than a couple tablespoons, but not near a half quart. I will measure it the next time i drain it.

Another not: i changed the oil this weekend and the smoke has completely stopped. As the oil wears it get worse. I realize this is common, but i wasn't expecting such a drastic difference.

[Turbo_Steve]

I would start with a pcv valve. While you are changing it out may not be a bad time to get a tig(thermal insulation gasket) and do a valve cleaning. Also do you have someone's occ kit or did you do a diy setup?

[rturpin]

i will look at doing a tig (first i had ever heard of it) i was planning on cleaning the valves while i was there also. I am using a damond OCC. Do you really think this could be a PCV issue and not a turbo issue?

[Turbo_Steve]

Oh, your Damond setup has the check valve so I doubt you are pushing boost into the crankcase. Pcv probably won't make a difference here.


What weight oil are you running? Should be 5w30. If you are using 5w20 I would say that is your problem.

[rturpin]

I am actually running rotella T6 synthetic 5W-40.

[Turbo_Steve]

Looking more and more like the turbo.

[rturpin]

i appreciate all of the info you have provided, that is what i am leaning towards also.

[rturpin]

is there anyway to check the turbo seals without pulling it out? I don't want to go through the trouble of swapping it to find out it is something else. this smoke is driving me crazy.