33 replies to this topic

[scw02102]

Yeah defo not valve stems. No smoke on over run or boost or from cold.

Has to be turbo seal

[ukcat]

be carefull !! even brand new turbos can smoke with these less restrictive exhaust systems. it is an inherent problem with the design of the turbo. as stated in my earlier post the way they are designed meansn they actually rely on a certain amoint of back pressure in the exhaust to maintain the seal !! i am unsure on uptated turbos/seals but just be aware that a brand new oem/original turbo could give exactly the same result

[scw02102]

be carefull !! even brand new turbos can smoke with these less restrictive exhaust systems. it is an inherent problem with the design of the turbo. as stated in my earlier post the way they are designed meansn they actually rely on a certain amoint of back pressure in the exhaust to maintain the seal !! i am unsure on uptated turbos/seals but just be aware that a brand new oem/original turbo could give exactly the same result

what would you recommend? All I know is the car has never smoked for the last 6 years but now started and not changed the mods, car setup is the same.

 

I get what your saying about less restrictive system but there isnt a tuned VX220 on the market that doesn't have a bigger free flowing exhaust as you cant make power beyond stage 1 with out binning the standard exhaust.

 

Mines a Larini so only 2.5" not 3" tullet so cant be that much difference between standard 2.25 and 2.5? Or is it the decat thats making the difference?

Edited by scw02102, 15 June 2019 - 06:36 PM.

[ukcat]

 

be carefull !! even brand new turbos can smoke with these less restrictive exhaust systems. it is an inherent problem with the design of the turbo. as stated in my earlier post the way they are designed meansn they actually rely on a certain amoint of back pressure in the exhaust to maintain the seal !! i am unsure on uptated turbos/seals but just be aware that a brand new oem/original turbo could give exactly the same result

what would you recommend? All I know is the car has never smoked for the last 6 years but now started and not changed the mods, car setup is the same.

 

I get what your saying about less restrictive system but there isnt a tuned VX220 on the market that doesn't have a bigger free flowing exhaust as you cant make power beyond stage 1 with out binning the standard exhaust.

 

Mines a Larini so only 2.5" not 3" tullet so cant be that much difference between standard 2.25 and 2.5? Or is it the decat thats making the difference?

 

 

Im not really sure !! - Im just really sharing information that i have gained from previous experiences. Its probably not really helping you much  is it. I Know that non smoking turbos can start to smoke when less restrictive exhausts are fitted. But also as you say there are lots of our cars with after market exhaust systems fitted. Do these cars actually smoke under similar circumstances ? I Know you said it happens when its really hot and on idle for along time. What sort or temps and times are we talking about ? could you advise and hopefully get advice from others   ?. Maybe there is a certain amount of variance in the turbo/engine manufacture + Wear on the turbine spindle  (Oil pressures,etc etc etc) where some will pass oil easier/earlier  than others !! 

 

 

[scw02102]

Basically normal driving and stopping at lights for 1-2 mins no smoke at all.
Leave it running for 5 mins after it’s fully warmed up (not from cold) then blue smoke plus it’s smells.
I can smell oil burning inside the car never have before.

[scw02102]

It’s not something you could miss, it’s a lot of smoke and if you hit any traffic you would notice as it smokes before the water temp hits 97C when the fans kick.

[james4563]

My Celica had decat and I blew the oil seals on that turbo. It smoked a LOT, maybe you're right and the decat causes it to fail.

I have 3" on my vxt and no smoke from a vxr turbo. Covered about 50k plus.

Could always take off the down pipe from the turbo and see what it's like inside. If the oil is leaking through there it'll be filthy I'd expect.

[ayresyy]

It’s not something you could miss, it’s a lot of smoke and if you hit any traffic you would notice as it smokes before the water temp hits 97C when the fans kick.

 

 

    What oil are you using?

[siztenboots]

the oil thickness from cold compared to hot is like treacle to water

plus it only takes a tiny amount of oil to make a lot of smoke , unless you are burning 1L / 1000 miles , its okay.

[ayresyy]

the oil thickness from cold compared to hot is like treacle to water

plus it only takes a tiny amount of oil to make a lot of smoke , unless you are burning 1L / 1000 miles , its okay.

 

I was thinking of what oil grade rather than consumption levels, but good point.

 

 I hope it uses less oil than my other half's Vauxhall, the handbook says 1L per 1000 miles is acceptable!

[coldel]

Quite a lot of cars burn a fair amount of oil as norm - 350z's are known for doing 1l per 1000 miles too and quite normal.

[scw02102]

BOT always service it and according to the service book its 0-40w. 

Its not smoking from cold (0) figure so although that is thin that doesn't sound like the issue, plus its had the last 7 services at BOT and I'm sure he uses the same oil all the time.

Car doesn't really burn oil, the stick is always full so its only a drop or so that hitting a red hot exhaust and smoking, hence from cold its fine.

 

As the smoke only happens when the engine is hot and left on idle I could change to a 50 thicker grade but thats not going to fix the problem properly. 

As above I haven't disconnected the down-pipe (hot side) but im 99% sure its a tiny bit of oil just dripping in the downpipe and then smokes comes out the exhaust.

The cold side of the the turbo is dry to the intercooler. 
After hours or searching on the web, its a classic sign of seals worn on the hot side of the turbo.

 

Spoke to Courtnay Sport and its now booked it for a new turbo (hybrid 360 bearing, cut back blades and up-rated seals) as I cant be bothered spending £400 labour every time it needs changing.

Fingers crossed this will fix the issue and make the turbo last longer. The old LET turbo lasted from new and covered 63,000 miles! VXR just over 3,000 but I guess that the oil seal failure was just bad luck.

[scw02102]

UPDATE:

Back pressure sounds like it was the issue that caused the failure.

 

After calling turbo Technics today thanks to the tip off from Tony.
Apparently its common for the VXR turbo to fail on oil seals when running low back pressure as the turbo is expecting or like more back pressure.

 

If you have a sport cat or std car you will be fine. When running a bigger exhaust and decat the flow rate upsets the seals and often leaks. They apparently fix loads! Best way is to change the bearing or and fit uprated seals.

They said with the 360 bearing and uprated seals the back pressure wont matter and will last much, much longer.

They build them for Courtney Sport anyway so wasn't trying to make money out of me.

Edited by scw02102, 21 June 2019 - 08:08 PM.

[scw02102]

UPDATE

 

Turbo was the fault, oil seal on the turbo unit had failed.

 

New turbo fitted today at CS and no smoke!!!

They checked the oil stem seals, all dry!

 

Lets hope this new uprated turbo and step seals last longer!