Turbo - play in the shaft

[Matto20vt]

Hi guys, my T28 turbo started smoking on cold start up recently. When cold it whistles quite loudly when spooling up and smokes on idle for the first few minutes, but there are no clattery noises or sounds of imminent faliure. When the engine is warm it's fine with no problems at all.

It has been rebuilt with a new bearing before, and there is no sideways play in the shaft at all so no danger of scraping against the housing, but there is plenty of end to end play, if you push it backwards and forwards it moves quite a bit.

I need to do 300 miles before I can get it changed (will be doing the work myself), I dont want to run the risk of anything breaking apart and filling the engine oil with debris.

Is end to end play in the shaft a non serious thing like leaking seals that will be okay until it gets much worse, or should I get a hire car and leave it in the garage until I get back?

[stevieturbo]

end-end means the thrusts are knackered....which is pretty serious.



You could probably get away with driving it very very easy ( or perhaps disconnect the wastegate valve, so it is lying open, and will not generate any boost )

[Matto20vt]

I see, I've been running base boost since it started smoking, unhooking the wastegate would be even better, I'll do that and stay in the slow lane

[Martin Keene]

Knackered thrusts is actually more serious than knackered bearings. Even with shot bearings, radial play will be minimal, shot thrust washer can lead to a significant ammount of end play, which will soon lead to the compressor and turbine wheels crashing into their respective housings. Total failure will follow shortly afterwards.

[GavinPearson]

I'd stop running the engine before you fill your intercooler and then engine with swarf. It may be inconvenient but a total rebuild of the engine will be even more inconvenient (and expensive).

[anonymous-user]

Axial thrust is only generated by actual positive boost pressure, so unhooking the wastegate and lockwiring it open will help, but, what i have done in the past is simply to unbolt the CHRA from the turbine housing, then replace just the turbine housing, using an old bit of steel plate to block the hole where the CHRA was. then just block the oil feed and return lines, join the pre and post compressor pipes, and bingo, one non-turbo turbo - effectively the turbine housing just becomes an expensive 90 degree bend in the exhaust! (and you get to marvel at just how slow a low comp/soft cammed engine is when it's not boosted!