who rebuilds stock hotair turbos?

[tpivette89]

well, now that my TA33 is sold, it looks like ill have to try and squeeze as much power out of the stocker that i can. my goal is to hit 12.99 on the weak stock turbo. mines got about 94k miles on it, so in order to achieve my goal i probably need a rebuild. there are a few local turbo rebuilders in my area, but ive never heard good things about them. anyone have any suggestions ?

BTW- i know hitting 12s on the stocker is practically impossible. i think it can be done as long as everything else on the car is worked. my combo will be as follows:

- 9" K&N cone filter
- ATR uppipe & downpipe
- Poston headers w stock crossover
- test pipe in place of cat converter
- 2.5" straightpipe catback
- Poston adj wastegate
- hotwired SyTy fuel pump
- Tomco 30# injectors
- Accufab AFPR
- KenneBell chip
- port matched heads & intake manifold
- Comp 979 springs w new locks/retainers/seals
- Dynotech built 2004R w 2800 stall
- Jegster liftbars
- S10 wheel cylinders w soft compound shoes
- M/T ET street drag radials

think its possible on 100+ octane running 18lbs of boost? i know its alot of $$ to waste on the stock turbo setup, but i want to know once and for all if it CAN be done

 

[T- Type Tim]

send it to limit engineering, those guys are on the vendor list here. I've used them 2x with good turn around time.

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

I have an 85GN with stock turbo (Limit engineering rebuild). This Company was the answer to my prayers after losing 3 rebuilt turbos and alot of money. I called Limit Engineering with my 85GN Garret Turbo and told my situation in detail. They diagonised my problem over right away----Pressurised(SP?) block. The rebuilt turbo from Limit Engineering is so good that any thoughts about further upgrades are dollar foolish. I would give them a call now. They provide a quality product. Happy Customer Brad

 

[tpivette89]

how much does Limit charge for a rebuilt stocker? what about shipping?

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

It cost me $530 including shipping. You have to send them your stock turbo as well. I believe that for an extra $125 you can get a better stock turbo as well. Brad

 

[tpivette89]

It cost me $530 including shipping

holy crap! 500+ for a stock rebuild?!? doesnt Postons charge like >400 or something? why not spend an extra 300 and upgrade to the TA33? damn. i know Limit has an awesome rep, but thats a bit much for the stock turbo i think. i may have to explore other options

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

I went thought three Poston stock rebuild Turbos last yeat before I gave up and went to Limit. The first Poston failure was due to a bad rebuild job. The next two failed right away with alot of oil blowing into my intake-1 qt per 100 miles. Poston and my mechanic could'nt figure it out. In desperation I called Limit.They diagnosed my problem right over the phone. I had a pressurized block which prevented the oil in the Turbo from draining into the lifter valley. This trashes the seals on the Turbo. The bottom line is you get what you pay for. Just my thoughts. Brad

 

[tpivette89]

I had a pressurized block which prevented the oil in the Turbo from draining into the lifter valley. This trashes the seals on the Turbo

i dont understand... so the block (or engine) had the problem, which caused the turbo to go bad, right? if thats the case, why do you place the blame on Postons turbo? it sounds like the motor itself was the issue

what causes a block to become pressurized?

The bottom line is you get what you pay for

agreed, i choose quality parts over the cheaper ones almost every time. however, i cant see spending that much on a stock rebuild when a much better turbo could be had for only a couple hundred bucks more

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

I will send you an e-mail. This site sucks when you have to write a detailed message. Spend 20 minutes writing it and then it says you are not logged. Then you have to retype it and send again. If you are lucky it may take it . The board should really address this because I an getting tired of it. Brad

 

[esinger]

Hi Brad,

If you can, post what how you releived the pressure. I'm just interested because I bought I turbo from Poston last year and about 2 months ago it started leaking oil through the seal on the exhaust side (instead of the intake).

I called Poston and they refered me to the place that builds their turbos. It's a place called East Coast Turbo in Locust, NC.

http://www.eastcoastturbo.com/

Since Locust, NC is within driving distance, I took the Turbo off and brought it to them. They pulled it apart in about 30 minutes and showed me where the shaft was over heating which caused the seal to leak. They recommended I check the oil pressure and supply. I was hoping for a warranty replacement since it was less than a year long and less than 3,000 miles on the turbo, but walked out two hours later $350 short and with a newly rebuilt turbo.

That's when I decided to buy the PTE turbo saver and hopefully avoid this happening again. I'm very mindful now of the oil pressure and any leaks.

Hope this is helpful

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

I bought a rebuilt stock turbo from Poston last year and in leaked oil throught the exhaust and plugged up the CAT. At the same time my block became pressurized because the stock oil fill cap filter plugged up with oil. I did not know this at the time. Poston sent me another turbo- It started dying right away and was throwing oil throgh the intake at the rate of 1 qt per 100 miles. Poston sent me another turbo- put it on and it died right away as did turbo two. Poston and my mechanic couldn't figure it out after we replaced both oil feed and oil drain lines.

I was desperate because I have to pay labor on replacing all these turbos. I called Limit Engineering and the diagnosed my problem right away over the phone. The oil fill cap filter was full of oil as well as the pipe coming out the side of the oil fill tube. A pressurized block prevents oil from draining out of the turbo into the lifter valley. Thus the seals get trashed right away.
Solution- bought an oil fill tube and breather from Poston and got rid of the stocker. I had Limit rebuild the second turbo from Poston and it runs great! I can actuually hear it spinning when I back off the gas and with a real boost gauge it will boost up to 20LBS. I had a great experience with Limit and would pay the higher price again due to the product as well as support. Brad

 

[esinger]

The stock oil fill tube was probably another one of my problems as well. It was actually sucking Oil into the Turbo's intake and mine was pretty much soaked with oil as well.

Since I switched the fill tube with a breather I hopefully fixed that problem as well.

Thanks

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

Esinger-I am sure that you have solved the same problem that I had. I did not tell the whole story on my resonse because of this websites strict rules. When turbo three died Limit engineering said that after you relieve the pressurized block the turbo will dry out and seal up. I made a choice after 200 miles and bagged turbo three and sent turbo two to Limit for a rebuild. Best decision I have made in my LIFE. Turbo three rocks. After all the turbo failures my new motor has solidified and really goes fast for my needs. Brad

 

[HOTSIX]

Limit Eng

Another vote here for Limit.

Had a bad stocker and called them for an upgrade to TA33.
Sent it off and had it back it not too much time. Solid turbo - performs like a champ. Good to 25+ PSI.

 

[tpivette89]

Had a bad stocker and called them for an upgrade to TA33

this is probably what ill end up doing down the road. for now im just going to run the stocker as is since it didnt seem to be giving me any problems before i tore the engine down. hopefully itll hold up for awhile

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

TPVEYYE- You are right on with your plan. My original stock 85 turbo ran great until I thought that a new Poston turbo would be nice on a new motor. I screwed up big time and paid the price as well. Good luck Brad