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White Smoke On Full Boost - And Average Price Of A Turbo?

hop1308

By hop1308,
in Engines & Forced Induction

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hop1308

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Hi guys, I've got a R34 GT-T and i finally floored it to about 7RPM and noticed that a cloud of white smoke came out of the exhaust behind me. I've searched around and a lot of people say its either a coolant leak or a turbo on its way out.

My cars running about 10psi. Is there any other signs that i should look for to find out if my turbo is on its way? It seems to hold boost fine and hasn't lost any power.

And because of this im wondering how much a replacement turbo would be, im curious about the price of the cheapest one that will do the job, and approximately how much people charge to install them.

Thanks heaps guys

The Dan Grand Master

The Dan

Posted
Posted

The hardest thing for most people is identifying what colour it REALLY is.

I would take it somewhere to have it checked.

When your engine pings, the smoke it will spit out can look white in the mirror but its not. It could also be spitting a bit if oil out the breather on the cam cover and burning it through the engine. Any if those things are easily fixed if identified.

StevenCJR31 Veteran

StevenCJR31

Posted
Posted

Hi guys, I've got a R34 GT-T and i finally floored it to about 7RPM and noticed that a cloud of white smoke came out of the exhaust behind me. I've searched around and a lot of people say its either a coolant leak or a turbo on its way out.

My cars running about 10psi. Is there any other signs that i should look for to find out if my turbo is on its way? It seems to hold boost fine and hasn't lost any power.

And because of this im wondering how much a replacement turbo would be, im curious about the price of the cheapest one that will do the job, and approximately how much people charge to install them.

Thanks heaps guys

when you say the "cheapest one" are you talking about a stock secondhand turbo or rebuilt turbo or a hi flow or what? as they are all different prices

hop1308 Collaborator

hop1308

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well i red lined first and second again and no smoke this time. what does this mean? and i really cant get to the turbo without removing parts first, or is it reachable from underneath or something?

Sinista32 Grand Master

Sinista32

Posted
Posted

For piece of mind as Jez mentioned comp and leakdown test.

Nothing worse than worrying - could be something could be nothing but believe me you need to know now.

Longer you leave things the more expensive it gets. Take it to a trustworthy shop/mechanic.

hypergear Grand Master

hypergear

Posted
Posted

because hig

well i red lined first and second again and no smoke this time. what does this mean? and i really cant get to the turbo without removing parts first, or is it reachable from underneath or something?

I presume it is smoke from burnt oil. It does sounds like a turbo issue.

At high RPMs there are greater amount of thrust load on bearing collars causing greater amount of shaft movement or gap, allowing greater amount of oil escaping from the rear end seal. Plus in 4th gear it takes longer reaching 7000 rpms which also means more time given. So there is a leak just the amount its leaking and the given time for leakage is not great in lower gears, which you might not be able to notice it while driving.

Check and make sure engine is not over filled, and oil drain is not blocked. Remove the intake pipe and have a feel of the turbo shaft movement.

Strip the turbo is easy. you can get every thing down from the top.

The Dan Grand Master

The Dan

Posted
Posted

because hig

I presume it is smoke from burnt oil. It does sounds like a turbo issue.

At high RPMs there are greater amount of thrust load on bearing collars causing greater amount of shaft movement or gap, allowing greater amount of oil escaping from the rear end seal. Plus in 4th gear it takes longer reaching 7000 rpms which also means more time given. So there is a leak just the amount its leaking and the given time for leakage is not great in lower gears, which you might not be able to notice it while driving.

Check and make sure engine is not over filled, and oil drain is not blocked. Remove the intake pipe and have a feel of the turbo shaft movement.

Strip the turbo is easy. you can get every thing down from the top.

You don't think it's more likely the standard breather system is pumping oil out in front of the turbo?

I would say that is more likely than blockages in factory drain hoses

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