What are the symptoms of bad turbo seals?

[WakkoSS]

My car's got 44k on it and the TE44 has approximately 20k miles. I've always used Mobil 1 and let the turbo cool prior to shutdown, but can't speak for the previous owner.

Today I got on it for about three seconds and then hit a red light. As I was sitting there, blue smoke started coming out my tail pipes. I'd never noticed it before, and it usually doesn't do it at stoplights. I was thinking the turbo seals could be bad?

Does the entire turbo need to be rebuilt or what? Thanks, guys.

 

[49-blues]

When my turbo seal went it let out white smoke out of the tail pipes. Blue smoke might mean rings or valve seals.

 

[jastrckl]

blue smoke is from oil burning in the motor somewhere. oil smoke from turbo bearings, oil from rear main burning on crossover, etc will be white. Do a compression test.

 

[Taffy]

If I am not mistaked, black is fuel, blue is oil and white is coolant.

If you have blue, then you are burning oil. Possibly from the exhuast seal in the turbo. You will need to get that fixed. From what I understand, the oil gets into the turbo at low boost (vacuum) and the exhaust can get into the oil under heavy boost if the seal is bad enough.

 

[WakkoSS]

Originally posted by Taffy
If I am not mistaked, black is fuel, blue is oil and white is coolant.

If you have blue, then you are burning oil. Possibly from the exhuast seal in the turbo.

That's what I was thinking. POSSIBLY could be the valve seals, but I'd be surprised if it had ring problems at 44k miles. Car's been maintained very well. Is there any way to check the turbo seals without tearing the turbo down?

 

[49-blues]

When the turbo seals went on my gn it blew whitesmoke like a factory up and down the block, not bluesmoke. I thought i might have had a coolant leak but after just changing the turbo, everything was alright again.

 

[RobV6]

Had to put my .02 cents in.

As stated blue smoke is oil.

My stock GN,with 4,509 ORG.MI.

Throws white smoke on start up.Condensation.Water

From sitting.Have a bad muffler to prove it.

You where given the best advice.Look elswhere HTH'ED.........Rob