Turbo advice needed.

I have an 03 Passat with 177,000 miles that needs a new turbo. I've looked at the price for a new k-03 and almost had a heart attack. I don't know how true it is, but I've heard that they don't like to be rebuilt. This gives me three options, spend almost a thousand on a new one, buy used and hope for the best, or get a Chinese copy off ebay. None of these options is great.

I would love to here any suggestions that might make my decision easier.

Thanks

http://www.majesticturbo.com/

They can rebuild it if it's rebuildable. Tell them you just want a rebuild, nothing fancy. I would not go the Chinese turbo route.

Or rebuild yourself! I don't know anything about that specific turbo, but generally speaking, there's nothing to it. About as complicated as fixing a leaky faucet.

I'd say the desired fix depends on how long you plan on keeping the car.

Aren't they tricky to balance if you rebuild it yourself?

I suggested rebuilding a turbo yourself on here a while back and was summarily chewed out by a forum member.

I can't remember who it was but I'm sure they'll be along any time now.

I've rebuilt a couple old T3's myself and had good luck but I've been told that this is impossible so don't do it.

Shawn

Almost any turbo is able to have its seals and bearings replaced. This assumes that parts are available and that the turbine and compressor wheels along with the shaft are in good shape.

Some, like the vf43, don't make economic sense or quality parts aren't readily available. On the other hand KKK parts are readily available and unit balancing from a turbo shop isn't expensive.

Trans_Maro wrote: I suggested rebuilding a turbo yourself on here a while back and was summarily chewed out by a forum member. I can't remember who it was but I'm sure they'll be along any time now. I've rebuilt a couple old T3's myself and had good luck but I've been told that this is impossible so don't do it. Shawn

My experience is limited to an old T3 as well. I suppose if you're not comfortable with it, don't do it.

What is the turbo doing? If it is just shaft play and it's a journal bearing just throw some new bearings/seals at and call it a day. I think it took me less than an hour (after I got the frozen bolts loose) to rebuild a T25

If there is blade damage on either side or the turbo is a ball bearing forget the rebuild idea. If this is the case you could buy used, or upgrade your turbo right about now.

I've rebuilt a couple old T3's myself and had good luck but I've been told that this is impossible so don't do it.

Ive rebuilt 2 old t3s. No issues either time unless you count trying to get rusty turbine housing bolts out.

Okay experts, I have a turbo that came out of a 2005 Subaru Legacy GT and it has a broken shaft. The original turbo had been replaced by the Subaru dealer and the new one failed at 6000 miles.

It this thing worth rebuilding or is it a paper weight / core donor?

If it's ballbearing it's junk, but worth it if it's journal and you can't find a replacement for less than $600 (or whatever it costs a good shop now a days for the rebuild and new shaft and bearings and maybe wheels depending on damage). It isn't just a DIY swapping of parts it will need re balanced. I have heard of people going to semi truck shops and getting the turbo rebalanced there but diesels turbos also don't see as high of an RPM. Stock boost might be okay though. An unbalanced turbo won't last more than a few thousand miles generally

In reply to jere: It's putting oil into the intake and it doesn't make boost like it used to.

jere wrote: . I have heard of people going to semi truck shops and getting the turbo rebalanced there but diesels turbos also don't see as high of an RPM.

Fuel has nothing to do with it. It's generally the size of the turbo. A turbo on a 3cylinder excavator will be working just as hard, if not harder than the one on your car.

What you are actually trying to say is that a large truck shop will not have equipment that can balance to the minute levels of force required during a small turbo rebuild. Speed isn't a factor. We generally balanced at 20,000 rpm or so and had that corollated to high speed vibe test data. The forces are minute, like .002 oz/in.

In reply to Woody:

You are at the point where it might not make financial sense. If that is an IHI vf40 then I would be cautious about the quality of parts available. Then you need to factor in that you will need to check the housing, replace the wheels and shaft in addition to the seals and the bearing AND getting it all balanced.

After taking all that into consideration it seems to me that it might make sense to buy a good used one for about $200-$250.

Ojala wrote: After taking all that into consideration it seems to me that it might make sense to buy a good used one for about $200-$250.

Bring dial indicator, fill turbo with oil, spin it to get oil everywhere and check for axial and radial movement. Greater than .010" is not promising.

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:

I talked a guy down to $50 for a turbo because I measured shaft play wrong. I got the turbo home and correctly determined that it was in perfect shape.

I felt guilty so I gave him $200 on top of the $50.

On the other hand you have guys selling turbos that are in "good shape" with " minimal play" where the shaft is audibly and visually rattling in the housing.

Ojala wrote: In reply to Woody: You are at the point where it might not make financial sense. If that is an IHI vf40 then I would be cautious about the quality of parts available. Then you need to factor in that you will need to check the housing, replace the wheels and shaft in addition to the seals and the bearing AND getting it all balanced. After taking all that into consideration it seems to me that it might make sense to buy a good used one for about $200-$250.

It's just a curiosity at this point. It's the only part of the car that I have left.

In reply to rustyvw:

If the rest of the car is stock (and the PCV system is ok) that would be the seals/bearings. It might not be your issue but there are a few other things to check, that can put oil in the intake. If the oil drain tube isn't set up right this can happen. The PCV system if the valve is shot will dump oil in the intake. If an aftermarket catch can that isn't working or set up right (if the PCV is plumbed back into the intake can put oil in the intake too .

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

Bring dial indicator, fill turbo with oil, spin it to get oil everywhere and check for axial and radial movement. Greater than .010" is not promising.

On a ballbearing turbo you don't want that movement but on a journal bearing some radial movement is normal. I don't know if that applies here but just pointing that out

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

jere wrote: . I have heard of people going to semi truck shops and getting the turbo rebalanced there but diesels turbos also don't see as high of an RPM.

Fuel has nothing to do with it. It's generally the size of the turbo. A turbo on a 3cylinder excavator will be working just as hard, if not harder than the one on your car. What you are actually trying to say is that a large truck shop will not have equipment that can balance to the minute levels of force required during a small turbo rebuild. Speed isn't a factor. We generally balanced at 20,000 rpm or so and had that corollated to high speed vibe test data. The forces are minute, like .002 oz/in.

I think I mentioned I was going off of something I heard (so some grains of salt may be needed here) but the hearsay is gas turbos get balanced to 120,000 RPM.

Maybe that wouldn't be an issue but it is a difference. Fuel type does change some things temperature wise and changes spool properties. If it is relevant maybe you can say, I really have no experience here. I was suggesting the truck shop might be a worthwhile/less/DIY/expensive compromise to paying someone else for the work.

I have no idea what these little gassers rebuild for, but I know in my shop on the diesel marine units, we replace the shafts and bearing pack and get another 30,000 hours out of them. It costs about 15% of a new one to do it.

I rebuilt the Mitsubishi turbo off one of my turbo-dodge cars in my garage. Shouldn't need to balance if you mark the shaft and wheel relations before dissasembly. The rest is R&R.