Serious turbo problem again!!

[Jcerb]

After both turbo's were rebuilt on my 2.5 the rear (over the diffuser) had developed a slight leak from where the centre seal to the exhaust side, which a seal looks to be retained by a snap ring. Had this looked at by universal and they rebuilt it again. I spent hours and hundreds of pounds replacing EVERYTHING breathers the lot, seperator, oil lines, gaskets, studs, k nuts, oil, oil seperater, water unions etc etc. Primed up, all properly and idled car. All seemed fine, then realised the same thing was happening again! This time a lot worse, oil burning from the turbo which was dripping from the seal yet again! Luckily I have the diffuser out and this is why I caught it the first time as was visible. Now it is constantly smoking badly after 10 mins idle only. Universal said no crack was present anywhere and thought it was a bit strange the first time it happened, I will call them Monday to discuss. Engine is sweet on 28k and runs very well and put out 312.80 bhp at standard setup which is healthy after the first turbo rebuilds. Any idea?? Anyone have a spare turbo?? Many Thanks. Joe

[jontysafe]

You need to measure oil pressure at turbo

[Jcerb]

Ok is this fairly simple to do? Extremely proplematic example of a Noble this one has turned out to be!! Never again

[Adrian W]

Is the oil flow reducer still in place, not sure about the 2.5 but on the 3.0they are at the block end of the oil line, if this was lost or not noticed when taken apart this assembly error could easily cause your issue.

Edited by Adrian W on Sunday 13th September 03:37

[Jcerb]

Hi Adrian, do you mean restrictors? These are present, though were not before. Universal Turbos did these for me recently. Checked nothing was blocked. Or am I missing something else here? Cheers

[Jim O.]

Have you checked the turbo's oil drain line to make sure that it's freely flowing back into the oil pan? Also, make sure it's not folding over on itself and kinking where it makes the bend from the vertical drain outlet to the horizontal fitting on the oil pan. I've seen instances where the oil drain line is an inch or two too long, causing this to happen.

Are you sure you're using the proper oil restrictor on the turbo oil feed? A restrictor and a regular fitting look pretty much identical once they're installed. I'd suggest removing the oil feed line to double-check.

Are you sure that the turbo is the source of the oil, and the oil isn't coming from anywhere else? When the turbo was off, did you check for oil inside the exhaust manifold? Is there any oil in the I/C piping, or on the compressor side of the turbo (remove the air intake hose and check in the compressor inlet)?

[Jcerb]

Hi Jim, oil drains are perfect new and no kinks at all, I was so careful with this on the install as I could see the length is critical to avoid a kink. Nothing blocked at all. The oil restrictors were modified by universal turbos and Chris there said they developed these unions along with the turbos from day one. The intercooler and pipe work is bone dry, no oil burning from the exhaust side. The leak is purely from the piston ring seal, clearly visible with a mirror plus easy to see as the diffuser is removed. I was told this was strange the first time around by Universal, so I think this will have to be shuttled up to Jetstream to be safe. The hours spent on the car are unbelievable, it looks as new and is so frustrating. Oil is 2/3 between the markers Helix 5w 40. Goodrich stainless steel lines brand new and perfectly installed. Is there a simple way of checking crankcase compression? Odd when the front turbo by the bulkhead is fine. Thanks for your help

[Adrian W]

Try swapping the turbos and see if the problem moves, obviously only the turbos, no associated pipes or hard wear.

[Jcerb]

Thats a big effort to change that around! The exhaust was a nightmare to get lined up according to the garage on the front turbo downpipe. Plus those gaskets are pricy, last resort maybe, though hopefully rather than disturb the perfect one trace the reason for this failure. The saga continues!

[Adrian W]

Hmmm I thought about 45 mins each, front through the triangle with down pipe and the rear with the I/c box off

[Jcerb]

I need counselling before I try any more work on it! It's going to Jetstream as nobody seems to know why it's happening including Universal. Fingers crossed, thanks to you all. Watch this space for now the most expensive 2.5 ever!