Rebuilt turbo dies in 2 miles of driving (1 Viewer)

[gifu]

i have a 1HDFT in a FZJ80. Recently did a bunch of work (timing belt, water pump, main crank front seal, regrind cam, and rebuild turbo).

fired it up yesterday. took 30 seconds or more of cranking to get it to fire (I had the injector lines off, so this is fine). idled great. smooth. stopped engine, then restarted. i let it idle for 15 minutes or so to check for leaks and let it warm up and such (and just listen to the sweet purr of the 24valve roller rocker motor).

I drove the truck 2 miles... and after after deciding it was driving the way it should, good power, early boost... i put my foot into it in 2nd gear. boost hit about 12psi, engine was at 3100RPM or so, and when i went to shift to third gear... the normal "whoosh" of the turbo was replaced with a "ooofffttttt", then: no more boost.

i removed the ("new") turbo. it has massive end play, such that the compressor wheel and exhaust wheel were both touching the housing(s).

I can't imagine I did anything wrong. I was super careful about keeping everything clean while reinstalling. The 30+ seconds of cranking to start was perfect, as they want the oil to be primed before you crank it over. I check for foreign object damage, but I don't see anything in there.

I'm worried that the shop that built it will hem and ha about warrantying it.

thoughts? comments? empathy?

 

[Dougal]

How's the oil supply to it?
Did you fill the turbo with oil before starting the engine?

When it died, did it result in clouds of blue smoke following you?

 

[gifu]

well, oil supply should be fine... i didn't change anything (this conversion had 100k miles on it).

I poured oil into the oil return and let it soak before installing. then i made sure it didn't start for at least 20 or 30 seconds so that turbo would have oil before starting.

the failure did not result in clouds of smoke. just lack of boost.

 

[Dougal]

well, oil supply should be fine... i didn't change anything (this conversion had 100k miles on it).

I poured oil into the oil return and let it soak before installing. then i made sure it didn't start for at least 20 or 30 seconds so that turbo would have oil before starting.

the failure did not result in clouds of smoke. just lack of boost.

When you say "oil return", did you pour it in the top or the bottom of the turbo? Top is oil supply, bottom is the return. Normally you oil them from the top.

The reason I asked about the smoke is that when I blew a turbo it gave me heaps of blue smoke. The turbo oil supply was able to leak straight into the hot exhaust. No blue smoke may mean a lack of oil, but it's not a certainty.

 

[gifu]

the CT26 on this truck has the oil supply... under... the turbo. Very strange setup. the oil inlet and return are in the same flange, which is on the bottom. So, there is no way to oil it like other turbos.

when i put the turbo on my workbench, i blew compressed air into the oil return, and oil came out of the supply. so... it wasn't blocked.

 

[Dougal]

the CT26 on this truck has the oil supply... under... the turbo. Very strange setup. the oil inlet and return are in the same flange, which is on the bottom. So, there is no way to oil it like other turbos.

when i put the turbo on my workbench, i blew compressed air into the oil return, and oil came out of the supply. so... it wasn't blocked.

Ah right, thanks. Some of the VNT garretts are setup like that, but I wasn't expecting it in a CT26.

Do you have a way to check the oil flow? Like letting the return flow into a measuring jug while the engine is idling.

 

[gifu]

I'll put some thought into it. But, again... the truck ran fine for 100,000 miles. All I did was take turbo off, rebuild and put it back on.

 

[Greg_B]

Waste gate issue?

But eliminate the oiling side 1st....

When my turbo went south it was evident from the clouds of blue smoke behind me in any boost situation.

 

[Big Blue 84BJ60]

Wrong turbo bearings?? mabey the turbo needs oversized bearings .005" or .010"
Ive seen the oversized bearings for ct26 turbos on ebay all the time

 

[gifu]

interesting idea, 84BJ60. i'm really hoping the boneheads at the turbo shop fouled something up.

the problem is definitely the bearing; the sideplay is enough for the compressor wheel to scrape the housing, and nearly stop it from moving.

 

[Big Blue 84BJ60]

That was my thinking with the bearings, Ide be trying to get money back and take it to a new competant shop.
I bet the turbo wasnt bench tested either
anyways good luck with this one
Jon

 

[cruiser_guy]

The FIRST thing you need to do is PROVE that you have oil delivery. Take the oil supply hose off and see that you have oil flow when the engine is idling. You don't want to be in the turbo shop complaining unless you can answer this question because you WILL be asked.

Just a question, is it possible that the shop put plastic plugs in the oil and water connections to keep out dirt and debris? If so, did you remove those prior to hooking up the hoses?

 

[gifu]

cruiser_guy... the CT26 on the 1HDFT has a single flange that attaches the oil feed and oil return; both are hardline metal hoses. The oil feed attaches to the block via a banjo fitting, and the return via a rubber hose. the flange/pair of metal hoses were attached by the turbo-shop.

perhaps they used the wrong flange gasket? I hope they decide to take it apart while I'm at the shop so we can all see it together. I might sneak over there at lunch.

 

[Tapage]

I Never saw those CT26 with both lines under it .. can you share a pic with us .. ?

then, when you recive the turbo after rebuild, did you check the play on the shaft ..?