philodox

Hey Guys,

Been a while since I've posted here on the forums. Been very busy the last few months. As many of you may remember I was one of the first to have the Greddy Turbo kit installed. I love it, but now after 6k miles I am having a very major issue. I am hoping that one of you may help shed some light on it.

Basically, this happens at random. The turbo will sound like it has stopped turning completely. When this happens it is impossible to get into positive boost. It comes and goes. I have sidelined my 8 for the time being until I can get this issue resolved. Also, I am getting oil into my exhaust system (white smoke). Oil is also leaking from the turbo. I checked my engine block and I am not leaking oil from the engine, just the turbo.

Any ideas on what this may be? Bad bearings perhaps? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

-Jon

rgonza

do a check to the cat coverter if it is clogged this overheat your turbo causing a premature bearing failure. Do you have a EGTgage installed? If youre run above 1350 deg. f. that's may your problem. The Greddy turbo kit tends to run at highter egt Temperatures, When i haved installed in my car i seen it up 1500 deg. F. An it melt the cat converter.

philodox

Yes i do have a EGT Gauge installed, It never goes above 700deg C. Doesn't even get close unless I am really really pushing hard.

I can say this with certainty. I moved to Georgia recently and drove my rx-8 down. 750 mile roadtrip. The issues didn't start until after the road trip was completed.

So you believe it's the bearings? If so that is good news. I can change the bearings out myself. Just have to find someone that can sell me a replacement set.

rgonza

Tha's unit is from mitsubishi is easy ti find the repair kit . Turbo City In California. then have this one in stock for $125.00.

rgonza

i'll recomend to you no use the car uppon you repair the unit to avoid complete unit failure. maybe you have only the seals damage. and this is cheap to repair.

MadDog

You're in Athens? I wish I would have known that! I grew-up there and I just got back from spending 2 weeks there over the holidays! I would have been cool to say hello! Great town....great town.

philodox

Would a blown seal cause the lack of boost pressure? The lack of positive pressure only occurs sparatically.

rkostolni

I would also just like to say that I have already decided I will never again buy any Greddy turbo kit because they do not warrenty their parts. I don't buy from companies who don't stand behind their work.

Broke_Apex_Seal

sounds like the bearings are shot(oil keeps the shaft centered). New turbo is in order from what it sounds like. pull of the intake pipe and have a peak I bet it is eating the comp housing....

automaton

Sounds exactly like bad bearings. If it was just some oil in the intake or exhaust, I'd say seals, but for the turbo to stop working is almost certainly bearings. While you've got it apart, you might as well get some work done to it. Get the vains clipped for a little more top end... ported and/or polished (the turbo, I mean).

I'm very seriously considering the Greddy turbo, so it's encouraging to me to see you have had good exhaust temps.

How have the underhood temps been? Do you keep track of them? Is driveability still good?

Moonrover333

well i'm gonna have to go with popular opinion due to the fact that a local friend had a greddy twin turbo kit and both turbos died due to crappy seals and this was after bout 4-8 months i guess i'm just gonna stay NA or go with PFS kit damn you greddy

philodox

oh, the drivability is still great.. as long as I can get the turbo to go into boost... it's annoying not being able to drive right now. I need to take the turbo out and look at it to inspect it for damage.

Would bad seals cause the lack of boost pressure? It only happens every so often.

MadDog

Do you think GReddy is making these turbos? They're not.

automaton

Unless the seals were heavily degraded, you should still be able to build boost. It also shouldn't be an occasional thing, if it were the seals. I'd put money on the bearings being toast. The bearings could be worn and still manage to line up sometimes, or most of the time as may be the case, but the turbo would stop spooling (or slow to a crawl) as soon as the bearings managed to fall out of alignment.


Honestly, I would think a bearing replacement wouldn't be much harder than replacing the seals. The bearings will probably need to be pressed in, which could be inconvenient, but it should be simple.

zoomzoom_8

sounds a lot like the problem I had after only two months, i have heard that the oil drain is inferior but i am not sure on that, but to me, sounds like my blown seals and bearings. I actually had oil coming out of the cat pipe on mine! it would smoke when i started it until all the oil was out and then at idle, going down the road it did not. I was still getting boost though as I remember.

I upgraded the turbo in leu of rebuilding the greddy one.

rkostolni

Looks like I just joined the club of blown turbos. Died today on the dyno. Only 1000 miles on it.

PUR NRG

Bummer to hear that. Do you know the exact sequence of events that led to its demise?
________
DC MARIJUANA DISPENSARY

rkostolni

Got a few more details. They did 5 or 6 pulls, made 287hp @8psi in 3rd gear. Then boost began rapidly falling off. Currently it will make something like 8psi at low rpms, but it rapidly falls off to <2psi. They pulled the intake pipe from the turbo and found lots of oil in the turbo housing.

MadDog

sonofabitch....that's discouraging.

Can you tell us what kind of precautions they took as far as overheating went? fans, time between runs, etc?

rkostolni

I'm not sure, I wouldn't think any of that could cause the bearings in a turbo to go out though. My turbo has always been low on boost though ~4.5psi. So maybe it was defective to begin with.

MadDog

So you weren't there when it happened? Damn, I don't think I'd let anyone touch it without me watching. Were they doing any tuning before the run that killed it? I'm picturing a glowing red hot turbo here. I would certainly think that overheating the turbo could cause the bearings to go out early.

two rotors

It is a bummer,but you guys have been pushing hard.

I am in the process of installing a Greddy Turbo kit.Just for a fast touring car.

Just out of curiousity did anyone put a non-return valve in engine breather hose(even if you have a Greddy oil separator tank)?Is there an issue/effect of pressurising the crank case?

Moonrover333

i know greddy doesn't make the turbos but they **** me off they know they have these problems yet still do not fix em, they give us crappy tuning with no apology or anything don;t waranty parts when they break. i just think its kinda bs, i'm not satisfied with greddy at all other than price of kit. but ohs well just seems a lil low class to me

FLybOi drE

maybe greddy kits keep blowing cause of over boosting...this stuff really just discouraged me of going with greddy...PTP better freaken come out with their turbo or ima be freaken pissed off

rgonza

Ones Of the most causes for "Greddy Turbo" Turbocharger bearing failure is the abcence of BOV not including in the kit.