what causes a turbo to go bad??

[kwcook]

I put a used, but in excellent shape stock turbo on my 85 t type about 2-3 years ago. the turbo that was on the car when I bought it was starting to make my car smoke and was starting to lock up.
The turbo I replaced my old one with had very very slight movement on the fan but it didnt touch the housing. I took the turbo off today and it has more movement and is starting to barely touch the housing, if you move it while you are turing the fan.

It is not smoking or nothing it is just starting to make some contact to the compressor housing.

What causes this and what should I do.

Thanks
Kyle Cook

 

[turbo2nr]

I think that a tough childhood and maybe comming from a broken home has a lot to do with a turbo going baad.

Contact with the housings is of course, very bad. Turbo should be rebuilt, or sold to a Honda owner.

 

[Ormand]

If the blades will touch the housing, it's time to repair. You can send it off, John Craig will rebuild it, with new bearings. Another option is to buy a "rotating element" which as the center section, with the turbine and the compressor wheels attached. You would have to take the old turbo apart, and use the housings with the new center section. Old age, high boost, dirt in the oil, too few oil changes, all those things wear the bearings, and when the bearings won't hold the rotating stuff away from the housing, the things can destroy themselves, real quick.

 

[Taffy]

When the engine bearings start to go bad, they end up in the oil that feed the turbo. That is what kills the bearings in the turbo. When the berings go, the wheels start touching the housings.

 

[turbo2nr]

That happened to me. First a little motor knock, then bad rod bearing noise, motor got rebuilt, then turbo got rebuilt.

 

[kwcook]

thanks guys. I hope my engine bearings arent starting to go bad

 

[BEATBY6]

here is some infohttp://turbochargers.com/Support.htm

 

[Silver 'T' Top]

Originally posted by turbo2nr
That happened to me. First a little motor knock, then bad rod bearing noise, motor got rebuilt, then turbo got rebuilt.

Ditto here also, motor had noise, pulled it today, looked at turbo ,loose as can be, time to upgrade that damn thing also I guess !