loud turbo whine losing oil thru turbo

[Smokey Eddy]

Check to make sure you haven't blown an exhaust manifold gasket. I drove a van that did that once and I was certain that I had blown up the turbo

hmm oh okay that's interesting and a very good point. I have been smelling exhaust a little.
Good thinking Tyler. It will be interesting to try and see
I guess i'll find a mirror and a flashlight and look for soot?

[burn_your_money]

Yeah the black soot gives it away, unless your block is caked in oil

[Smokey Eddy]

I was thinking about that for a bit...
leaking exhaust pressure wouldn't explain the whine...

[burn_your_money]

It might. Exhaust manifold gaskets have a metal backing on them. That metal can/does vibrate and creates a whining like sound. It's worth looking into at least. You might be able to source the leak by revving the engine and feeling for a leak

[Smokey Eddy]

I've tried that already, no dice.
this is so frustrating. It's got to be a TINY leak somewhere.
the whine sounds a lot like the turbo is overspooling as if it had nothing to work against

... which would suggest a huge leak somewhere....
i took the pipes all off and blew into them, i know my lungs can't even make 1psi but it didn't SEEM to leak from any of the glued joints. The IC didn't seem to leak either. but that is a terribly crude way to tell...

[burn_your_money]

Bypass your IC and see if it still does it.

[rabbitman]

Find somewhere (like where the boost gauge takes it's reading) and blow 10-20psi into it to find and intake leak.....if you have a compressor and regulator.

Otherwise you can plug the exhaust partways and run it to find an exhaust leak.

[macka]

Eddy,

       you could rig an electric oil pump and pump air with a compressor through the exhaust turbine and look for leaks. That would show if the seals in the turbo are leaking. That way you at least can eliminate the turbo if its the issue.

[rallydiesel]

I think your turbo is on the way out. New whine is never good. I could be wrong though. I think your shaft is unbalanced.

[toywagen]

What about the large diameter o-rings that seal the compressor housing? I had similar situation on a fast drive home from Fort St. John, lots of sound, little boost. Also check turbine housing for cracks.

[Smokey Eddy]

What about the large diameter o-rings that seal the compressor housing? I had similar situation on a fast drive home from Fort St. John, lots of sound, little boost. Also check turbine housing for cracks.

that gasket, if you can call it that, was totally perished...
just crumbled to bits... was missing in numerous places.
Could this be the culprit?
Ideas for resealing the housing without trying to find the "right" gasket? Could i use card + some grease?

Thanks for the replies.

[Smokey Eddy]

would RTV silicone hold the pressure? I have some of that ...

[Smokey Eddy]

OK so it was leaking around the housing for SURE and leaking from where the exhaust manifold joins the turbo.

I put a very thin film [of RTV] around the compressor housing and a light bead squeezed through when i put it back together, i must say i did a damn fine job.

I then put the turbo back on with a VERY liberal axle greasing of the two mating surfaces to burn a carbon gasket between the two. i have a metal gasket but it's hell trying to get it to stay while im under the car cursing my head off trying to thread the bolts.

All together now and it's boosting like it used to. Chirping the tires on shifts to 2nd.

So assuming the turbo was overspooling can we acclaim that to be the cause of the oil loss?

[Rabbit on Roids]

OK so it was leaking around the housing for SURE and leaking from where the exhaust manifold joins the turbo.

I put a very thin film [of RTV] around the compressor housing and a light bead squeezed through when i put it back together, i must say i did a damn fine job.

I then put the turbo back on with a VERY liberal axle greasing of the two mating surfaces to burn a carbon gasket between the two. i have a metal gasket but it's hell trying to get it to stay while im under the car cursing my head off trying to thread the bolts.

All together now and it's boosting like it used to. Chirping the tires on shifts to 2nd.

So assuming the turbo was overspooling can we acclaim that to be the cause of the oil loss?

10 more psi, an intercooler, and a little more fuel and they would just be spinning instead of chirping.

and i bet your turbo is probably fine now. just see how it goes.

[Smokey Eddy]

10 more? I do have an intercooler.
I mean chirping while just driving normally.
I can spin the tires if i dump the clutch and floor the smoke pedal