Turbo Seals, Valve seals, or lower end?!?!?!?!?

916MKIIIx2 · 12-09-2009, 08:35 PM

Alright, so I seem to have a major problem with my 7MGTE now... So here goes... After a long long idle it will start to puff out a light cloud of greyish blue smoke, now this is on an idle longer then should be done, had fan blowing on engine to keep from overheating, it does not smoke when driving under regular conditions, however when I give it high boost I get a steady flow of smoke from the tailpipe, the only other time it smokes is on hard downshifts above 4 grand. I have no power loss or check engine light, just a stinky cloud of smoke....

cre · 12-10-2009, 01:15 AM

I would start with disconnecting the lower intercooler pipe and see just how much oil is in there. There will always be some, but if it pours it may be the turbo's seals... if it does have a lot, drain it and the intercooler, get the IC flushed and put it back on and check it again in a week.

Does your dipstick get blown out at all? That would be indicative of bad rings. Bad valve stem seals tend to first show signs when starting the engine cold. Do a compression test (first dry, then wet) to see what's going on with the rings... it's not a 100% indicator of the condition of the rings as a bad valve will also cause a low reading but it's the place to start.

916MKIIIx2 · 12-10-2009, 01:36 AM

No dipstick problems, and it tested perfect on a dry compression... lol I hate to say this but I forgot how to do a wet test... so enlighten me lol, I'll definitely unbolt the intercooler and give it a good cleaning along with the connecting hoses and BoV arm, maybe I'll just take the turbo apart and replace the seals anyway... who knows the turbo has been ran pretty hard on this one, might need to replace more then the seals but hopefully not since it hasn't lost any power.

cre · 12-10-2009, 01:48 AM

I don't recommend trying to do any work on the turbo which involves removing the inducer or exducer unless you've got the equipment to ensure that everything is properly balanced afterward. It may seem as simple as marking the nut and axle and inducer, but at the speeds that assembly moves at the smallest shift could reduce its life immensely.

BOV arm? The BOV doesn't have an armature The waste gate actuator's arm or the waste gate's arm? You may lubricate the waste gate actuator where the armatur enters the dirphragm housing with a good moly based grease, the pivot where it meets the waste gate's armature will be fine with that same grease.... as for the pivot where the waste gate's armature comes through the housing I would leave alone. The most lubricants will not hold up to the temperature that it will be subjected to and may cause more harm than good. If you want to lubricate the waste gate itself, go to an aviation shop and ask the for a lubricant for that purpose; the manufacturers of those components are subject to MUCH higher standards and are thoroughly regulated.

916MKIIIx2 · 12-10-2009, 02:12 AM

Ahhh no you misunderstood, I meant the pipe that one thats just above the turbo and manifold from the intercooler. Not the stock BoV

916MKIIIx2 · 12-10-2009, 05:23 AM

Can I replace the seals without disturbing anything that needs balancing?

cre · 12-10-2009, 05:39 AM

No. Well, the O-ring to the compressor housing, but noting that keeps oil in.

916MKIIIx2 · 12-10-2009, 06:06 AM

Guess ill see how much it will cost to have it done at the shop I usually go to, hopefully not too much.

cre · 12-10-2009, 05:54 PM

I would expect $100 to $200... I'm not sure though as I've never priced out a rebuild alone.

As I said already, I recommend having a shop that specifically rebuilds turbos do the work. You might be able to do the job yourself and have it be quite reliable, but it's one of those things that if it's not can cause damage to the point that the turbo may not be rebuildable; That's why I prefer to have a shop do it.

916MKIIIx2 · 12-10-2009, 07:52 PM

Yeah he priced me 200 for the rebuild and reinstall of the turbo, and an oil change and coolant flush, its been awhile and its getting cold here -.- lol

12-09-2009, 08:35 PM	#1
916MKIIIx2 3" Exhaust Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 152	Turbo Seals, Valve seals, or lower end?!?!?!?!? Alright, so I seem to have a major problem with my 7MGTE now... So here goes... After a long long idle it will start to puff out a light cloud of greyish blue smoke, now this is on an idle longer then should be done, had fan blowing on engine to keep from overheating, it does not smoke when driving under regular conditions, however when I give it high boost I get a steady flow of smoke from the tailpipe, the only other time it smokes is on hard downshifts above 4 grand. I have no power loss or check engine light, just a stinky cloud of smoke....

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12-10-2009, 01:15 AM	#2
cre Toyota Racing Development Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 5,038	I would start with disconnecting the lower intercooler pipe and see just how much oil is in there. There will always be some, but if it pours it may be the turbo's seals... if it does have a lot, drain it and the intercooler, get the IC flushed and put it back on and check it again in a week. Does your dipstick get blown out at all? That would be indicative of bad rings. Bad valve stem seals tend to first show signs when starting the engine cold. Do a compression test (first dry, then wet) to see what's going on with the rings... it's not a 100% indicator of the condition of the rings as a bad valve will also cause a low reading but it's the place to start.

12-10-2009, 01:36 AM	#3
916MKIIIx2 3" Exhaust Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 152	No dipstick problems, and it tested perfect on a dry compression... lol I hate to say this but I forgot how to do a wet test... so enlighten me lol, I'll definitely unbolt the intercooler and give it a good cleaning along with the connecting hoses and BoV arm, maybe I'll just take the turbo apart and replace the seals anyway... who knows the turbo has been ran pretty hard on this one, might need to replace more then the seals but hopefully not since it hasn't lost any power.

12-10-2009, 01:48 AM	#4
cre Toyota Racing Development Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 5,038	I don't recommend trying to do any work on the turbo which involves removing the inducer or exducer unless you've got the equipment to ensure that everything is properly balanced afterward. It may seem as simple as marking the nut and axle and inducer, but at the speeds that assembly moves at the smallest shift could reduce its life immensely. BOV arm? The BOV doesn't have an armature The waste gate actuator's arm or the waste gate's arm? You may lubricate the waste gate actuator where the armatur enters the dirphragm housing with a good moly based grease, the pivot where it meets the waste gate's armature will be fine with that same grease.... as for the pivot where the waste gate's armature comes through the housing I would leave alone. The most lubricants will not hold up to the temperature that it will be subjected to and may cause more harm than good. If you want to lubricate the waste gate itself, go to an aviation shop and ask the for a lubricant for that purpose; the manufacturers of those components are subject to MUCH higher standards and are thoroughly regulated.

12-10-2009, 02:12 AM	#5
916MKIIIx2 3" Exhaust Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 152	Ahhh no you misunderstood, I meant the pipe that one thats just above the turbo and manifold from the intercooler. Not the stock BoV

12-10-2009, 05:23 AM	#6
916MKIIIx2 3" Exhaust Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 152	Can I replace the seals without disturbing anything that needs balancing?

12-10-2009, 05:39 AM	#7
cre Toyota Racing Development Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 5,038	No. Well, the O-ring to the compressor housing, but noting that keeps oil in.

12-10-2009, 06:06 AM	#8
916MKIIIx2 3" Exhaust Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 152	Guess ill see how much it will cost to have it done at the shop I usually go to, hopefully not too much.

12-10-2009, 05:54 PM	#9
cre Toyota Racing Development Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 5,038	I would expect $100 to $200... I'm not sure though as I've never priced out a rebuild alone. As I said already, I recommend having a shop that specifically rebuilds turbos do the work. You might be able to do the job yourself and have it be quite reliable, but it's one of those things that if it's not can cause damage to the point that the turbo may not be rebuildable; That's why I prefer to have a shop do it.

12-10-2009, 07:52 PM	#10
916MKIIIx2 3" Exhaust Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: California Posts: 152	Yeah he priced me 200 for the rebuild and reinstall of the turbo, and an oil change and coolant flush, its been awhile and its getting cold here -.- lol