If you have any questions that are not answered below please send them to us and we will be happy to answer them for you!

Table of Contents

Do you warranty your work?

Yes, we give a 6 month warranty on workmanship unless stated otherwise. This is for OEM applications only. However, our warranty does not apply if a bolt gets sucked into the turbocharger. There is no warranty implied on aftermarket or high performance upgrades.

If I send in my turbocharger, how fast does it take to rebuild?

Turn over time is usually a day or two as long as all of the parts are in stock. We try to keep most parts in stock at all times.

If I buy a rebuild kit and parts, how much is a standard rebuild?

We typically do not rebuild turbochargers unless we supply the part. We can’t offer a warranty on cheap parts. Also for safety reasons. If we are testing the turbocharger on the VSR we don’t want it to explode.

Do you charge for an estimate?

Yes, there is a $75 dollar charge for an estimate. This charge is for the tear down and diagnostics of why the turbocharger failed. But, the charge will be credited to the rebuild. So there is only a charge if you don’t proceed to a rebuild or new turbocharger.

Do you offer VSR balancing if I send in my turbocharger that I rebuilt?

No, we typically do not. Unless you are a trusted turbo rebuild shop. If you send in a CHRA or turbocharger, you will be charged for tear down and reassemble. Again these are for safety reasons and VSR contamination.

We do not offer VSR balancing for turbochargers we have not built in house. Balancing is a 7 step process. This process is done throughout the rebuild. The VSR balance is only a finial assembly balance. It can’t be preformed on a turbo without having conducted the previous steps. Doing so can cause damage to the machine or operator. We will not check the balance on your new EBAY turbo.

Do I have to change both of the oil lines on my turbo?

Yes, the warranty will be voided if you do not replace your oil lines. All turbos need oil and if the oil feed line is clogged, it will fail, and FAST! Oil is used to lubricate the bearings as well as cooling the turbo. If the oil return line has any build up or restrictions in it, oil will back up in to the bearing housing. This will cause the oil to push through the seals into the exhaust or intake making the engine smoke.

I just put a turbo on my car and it smokes when I start to make boost. I know the turbo is good. What can cause this?

Usually it’s related to pressure in the crankcase of the engine. Pressure can be caused by piston blow by. Check valves are often the cause of this problem. If there is a bad check valve on the PCV line it can get flow in both directions. Once the turbo makes boost it will pressurize the crankcase. This will cause the oil not to flow out of the turbo pushing it past the seals causing the car to smoke.

My turbo makes boost but when I let off on the gas it smokes really bad. What’s wrong?

The oil seals in the turbocharger are bad. The turbo will need a rebuild. The reason the turbo smokes after boost is from lack of pressure against the weak seals. The oil seals are more designed to keep gasses out of the turbo not as much to keep the oil in the turbo.

When the turbo is under boost it has positive pressure against the external part of the seals, keeping the oil in the turbocharger. When you let off on the throttle there isn’t any pressure against the seal holding the oil in the turbocharger. This is very common with worn out or damaged seals, but there are always exceptions.

I want to put a turbo on my car. What turbo should I put on it?

To determine what turbo you want you first need to answer a few questions:

  • What engine do you have?
  • What horsepower are you trying to achieve?
  • What are you trying to do with the vehicle?
  • What is the max RPM you will be taking the engine to?
  • Is the engine gas, rotary, or diesel?

 

My car has 157,000 miles on the engine. I want to put a turbo on it. What turbo will work well on my car?

If you have a gas engine, it may not be a good idea to put a turbo on if your engine has more than 80,000 miles on it. It can be done and the turbo will work, but the engine’s tolerances are not as tight at that point. It is easy to push an old engine too hard. Additionally, putting a turbo on an engine can get costly depending on how you set it up and you may not want to put money into a worn out engine. If the engine does blow, as a result of the turbo, there is a good chance it can take the turbine wheel out with it. Diesel engines, however, are different as you can get more miles out of the engine. We will be happy to set you up with the proper turbocharger for your car.

What is a wastegate?

A wastegate is a valve connected to the exhaust going to the turbocharger. When opened the wastegate by-passes the exhaust around the turbine housing. This causes the turbocharger to maintain a desired and stable level of boost (RPM). When the turbo reaches its desired boost level, the wastegate will open and stabilize the boost by expelling the extra exhaust gases. When it closes, the turbo speeds back up.

What is the difference between a wastegate and an actuator?

A wastegate is a valve. The valve is opened and closed by an actuator. The actuator is usually a sealed diaphragm connected to the engine intake manifold pressure. The boost pressure from the manifold will expand the diaphragm pushing a rod or stem, which in turn opens the wastegate.

I turned up the boost on my turbocharger and now it’s unstable going up and down. Why is it doing this?

That is called a “BOOST SPIKE”. This can be caused by a bad wastegate design and/or location. It is more common on internal wastegate systems. The port on internal wastegate systems is usually too small or at the wrong angle to maintain a stable boost level. A wastegate port that is too small will not let the exhaust gasses escape fast enough to slow down the turbine wheel.

Should I put a blow off valve on my turbo system?

Yes, a blow off valve (BOV) is a very good idea. It will keep the turbocharger alive much longer. When you are driving your car, the throttle plates are constantly being opened and closed. When the throttle plate is closed the turbo is blowing into a wall. This causes extreme axial load on the bearings, which will make the turbo prematurely fail. The BOV also keeps the turbo spinning while you shift from gear to gear keeping the spool-up time down between shifts.

Where should I put a BOV on my engine?

The correct placement for a BOV should be as close to the compressor discharge as possible. The BOV should always be before the intercooler. The signal line going to the BOV should be after the throttle plate. When the throttle plates shut a surge of vacuum will open the BOV.

What is an intercooler? Will it give me more power?

An intercooler is very similar to a radiator, but instead of cooling the water in the radiator it is cooling the air going to the engine. Basically, an intercooler cools the compressed air from the turbocharger. When air is compressed it creates heat which causes less density. Air has more molecules and density when it is cooler. With more molecules in the air it will produce more power when the spark plug ignites the air/fuel charge. A properly designed intercooler will increase power and lower chance of denotation.

My diesel engine does not have a BOV. Should I put one on?

No, a diesel engine does not have throttle plates so there is no need for a BOV. This is another reason that a diesel engine can run higher boost levels without destroying the turbocharger.

How much boost can my turbo make?

It can easily make enough to self-destruct. The type of turbo needs to match up with the type of engine you have. As a rule of thumb most turbo standard bearing structures are designed for a max boost of 15lbs to 18lbs in short bursts. This is for GAS engines that are using a BOV, not for diesel engines. This example is not for all turbos. You should always check the manufacturer’s specs. If you have any questions about a specific turbo give us a call and we can look the specs up for you. The thrust bearing design is what limits most turbos to run high boost levels.

ONCE A QUOTE IS GENERATED YOU WILL BE CONTACTED BY OUR STAFF WITHIN 1 BUSINESS DAY. YOU WILL HAVE 7 DAYS TO APPROVE THE REPAIR. IF YOU DO NOT APPROVE THE REPAIR THE TURBOCHARGER WILL BE RETURNED AT YOUR EXPENSE. ALL TURBOCHARGERS LEFT OVER 30 DAYS WILL BE SOLD TO RECOVER COSTS INCURRED.