Bad turbo seals

SupraTrbo89

Member
Sep 21, 2006
233
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West Chester, PA
I'm pretty sure the seals on my turbo are bad and will be rebuilding/upgrading soon.

Yesterday I started my car which does not smoke on startup at all since I replaced the valve seals. I left it running in the driveway and was inside my house for about 15 min.. When I went back outside there was a steady stream of smoke coming out the exhaust. I drove around the block and got out and check it and it was not smoking anymore. I have also noticed a puff of smoke pass my car when I stop at a red light.

Does it makes sense for a turbo with bad seals to smoke if left idling for a while?
 

George_Bonilla

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Mar 29, 2015
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Turbo is questionable then. Either try another turbo or rebuild your current one. It's cheap and pretty easy once you get the exhaust side off.

Look for oil leaks else where too. I had smoke when my center valve gasket tanked. Spark plug galley filled with oil, once I fixed that, no more smoke.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
 

suprarx7nut

YotaMD.com author
Nov 10, 2006
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One of my old CT26's had failing oil seals and the telltale sign for me was the smoke on deceleration if I kept it in gear coming to a stop. Replaced it with a Driftmotion 50 trim and the problem was solved and I got a small improvement in potential power.
 

SupraTrbo89

Member
Sep 21, 2006
233
5
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West Chester, PA
suprarx7nut;2095224 said:
One of my old CT26's had failing oil seals and the telltale sign for me was the smoke on deceleration if I kept it in gear coming to a stop. Replaced it with a Driftmotion 50 trim and the problem was solved and I got a small improvement in potential power.

Yea the car is using a decent amount of oil and am fairly certain it is the turbo. Even after hitting boost I can smell burning oil. Car still seems to boost and run fine though. I will look to replace this over the winter months as I take the car off insurance and it stays in the garage.

How did you like the DM 50 trim? My car has full exhaust/intake and a new stock HG with ARP studs. I don't plan on pushing more than 10 psi on the stock HG and was thinking the 50 trim would work for my current power needs. Why go with the 57 trim when the 50 trim would have a little quicker spool.

A new DM 57 trim (not having one rebuilt) now comes with a brand new exhaust housing with an upgraded larger wastegate port. To my knowledge you don't have the option for the 50 trim wheel. You can only get it when you have an old one rebuilt. Not sure if that makes the 57 trim worth getting.
 
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suprarx7nut

YotaMD.com author
Nov 10, 2006
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I'd always aim to get the smallest turbo that meets your goal with reasonable efficiency. Any excess size in the wheel just creates extra lag and lessens the overall driving experience, IMO. Only get what you're going to actually use.

I ran 10-13 psi (stock intercooler couplers kept popping loose) with my 50 trim and loved it. The CT-26 gets less and less reliable quickly when you get into the 57 and 60 trims. I thought the 50 trim was a great upgrade. I drove the crap out of it for years (redline pulls most times I drove it) and that turbo was still in great shape when I sold it last year.
 

SupraTrbo89

Member
Sep 21, 2006
233
5
18
West Chester, PA
suprarx7nut;2095230 said:
I'd always aim to get the smallest turbo that meets your goal with reasonable efficiency. Any excess size in the wheel just creates extra lag and lessens the overall driving experience, IMO. Only get what you're going to actually use.

I ran 10-13 psi (stock intercooler couplers kept popping loose) with my 50 trim and loved it. The CT-26 gets less and less reliable quickly when you get into the 57 and 60 trims. I thought the 50 trim was a great upgrade. I drove the crap out of it for years (redline pulls most times I drove it) and that turbo was still in great shape when I sold it last year.

That's good to know. I'll most likely look to get a DM 50 trim over the winter. Thanks