ianbobo

my standard T3 turbo holds at 9.5- 10 psi and there is no smoke or oil consumption BUT I have noticed some radial shaft play and no axial play. Its the original turbo on my sapph 4x4 which has now clocked 80K. its got mobil 1 5w/50 in it but will be changing over to mobil 15w/50 next oil change.

is this play a sign that a refit is due? i have been told that the clearance will disappear as soon as oil flow & pressure floats the bearings/shaft.

pacwest

You only need a refit when you run out of air say on a Stage III (upgrade!) or when you have a James Bond style smokescreen behind you from the seal letting go. To tear it down, refit a new bearing and balance the shaft and reinstall it would be so close cost wise as opposed to just replacing it if it shreds itself to death.

I've had lots of turbos that had a bit of play. You should only be worried and testing for play if you have the axial and radial specs on hand to worry about along with a dial indicator. A little bit of play is ok. Defining what is "little" is the real question.

ianbobo

When i press the compressor end of the shaft radially it appears/feels to rub against the housing ( when no oil pressure/ engine off)

tabetha

If it can actually touch when not running it won't be far behind when running till it's touching, so the question might be, how much do I want to chance shreds of alloy turbo going into my engine ?, turbo rebuilds are cheaper than full engine builds!!
tabetha

pacwest

Sounds like a lot more than "some" play. Get that sorted.

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

rebuild time; thats way too much play

ianbobo

Maybe I could explain better: It feels as it is very lightly rubbing somewhere as i was unable to see any rubbing marks at the intake + when i manually give it a spin it rotates freely and smoothly-no noises.

Doesn't the intercooler (standard) prevent impeller shreds from reaching the engine in the case the compressor fails? or are the passages in the intercooler large enough to allow these to get past??

pacwest

Sell your turbine housing on eBay/forums to some American guys (they want them and will pay well) and buy a new (or new to you) turbo.

ianbobo

A new to me T3 would be in the region of what??
I was considering doing the rebuild myself after purchasing a kit.
Is there a way of replacing all seals & bearings without disturbing the balance of the rotating setup? There is no one locally (Malta) I know of who can be trusted with the job.

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

i would always recommend getting the shaft balanced correctly on a balancing machine, even if you dont do it

a rebuild can be as little as £200 balanced; most UK companies will have no problem posting abroad to Malta

lots of trust worthy people in the UK to do the job for you

ianbobo

Would i have to send the complete unit or just the bearing housing and shaft assembly?
Can you suggest any turbo works garage so I could email them?

thanks

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

i would send the whole turbo to be safe

http://www.turbocentreuk.co.uk/

http://www.crturbos.co.uk/

http://www.turbotechnics.com/docs/index.htm

ianbobo

LHD220turbo Thanks for your advice and links.

Many thanks also goes to all the members who helped and are helping me to identify and solve the prob. More suggestions and opinions are welcome & appreciated

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

no problem

lots of helpful people on here