blown turbo? or something else? help

[four]

okay, so i just got back from the beaver run dirft event. i live in NJ, and the event was out in western PA which is about 7 hours from me.

here goes:

2pm, leave jersey, drive to hotel...everything is flawless...no problems with new t28.

9pm arrive hotel, hang out....shut off car.

10:30, start car back up to drive to pick up some smokes.

---party, sleep---

8:30AM (next day)

Start engine to warm up....more than usual smoke is comming out of exhuast (white smoke)

After car was warm, i took it for a drive, to see if the smoke goes away.
smoke goes away, i say to myself 'ok cool, no problems right?'
well i was wrong.

i arrive the drift event, hang out the whole day there, start car back up at around 7:00pm. More and more white smoke out of exhaust....a lot more this time..

so i say to myself..hmm, maybe ill drive it again, and it will go away.

so i do that...then after driving for a while, it didnt go away. i pull over...have some friends with me..we checked out engine bay....looks good, unitl i see my BOV had oil around it. i open the hotpipe right by the turbo, and i see oil in there...

i start the car right back up...no more smoke...i drive to the hotel w/o boosting...car seems to have been running fine...no more smoke.

since i lived 7 hours away, i didnt bother trying to drive it back,...so i got it u-hauled back to NJ...thanks to a friend of mine...

we get to uhaul in my town, drop of the trailer...then i drive home (10 minutes away) and OMG,,,a shitload of smoke..

now im thinking...is it really the turbo that is bad? or maybe the SS turbo oil lines were put in wrong? maybe something in my motor is going wrong.

what do you guys think. i thank you in advance for all your help

[stp9154]

Check the oil stick (motor.) See what level it is at. My friend's car had this problem with tons of white smoke. It turned out that somehow the gas got mixed way too much inside of the engine. His oil stick showed like triple the "max" line. If this was really your problem, let me know. i'll ask my friend how he fixed his problem. Good luck.

[four]

Check the oil stick (motor.) See what level it is at. My friend's car had this problem with tons of white smoke. It turned out that somehow the gas got mixed way too much inside of the engine. His oil stick showed like triple the "max" line. If this was really your problem, let me know. i'll ask my friend how he fixed his problem. Good luck.
my oil levels on the dipstick were perfect...ask him anyway what he did

[four]

BUMP bump BUMP

[siLLyg00se]

could be oil getting in the intake manifold

[PSI240SX]

sounds like bad turbo to me. Especially if it is indeed a "new" turbo. As in, you just put it on recently and your car didnt smoke before on the stock T28.

[four]

no, i had a t25 before. that t25 was close to being blown. SO i bought a used turbo on ebay. that was the one that gave me problems. however, i was worried that maybe it could be something else. i am now in the process of just getting a brand new t28

[TurboB15sentra]

Did you take off and clean your oil feed line when you put the new turbo on? There's a tiny hole in the banjo fitting.. it acts as an oil restrictor so the turbo doesn't get too much oil. However, it can become partially clogged, and burn up a turbo quickly. Sounds like you are getting oil that's leaking past the oil seal ring on the intake AND exhaust side. The exhaust side leak is why you car is smoking.

[four]

Did you take off and clean your oil feed line when you put the new turbo on? There's a tiny hole in the banjo fitting.. it acts as an oil restrictor so the turbo doesn't get too much oil. However, it can become partially clogged, and burn up a turbo quickly. Sounds like you are getting oil that's leaking past the oil seal ring on the intake AND exhaust side. The exhaust side leak is why you car is smoking.


well, the lines used were brand new. they were the SS braided ones off phase2.

i dont see how it could've got clogged if it was brand new

[TurboB15sentra]

Ok, you have aftermarket lines.. Do you have a restrictor in the feed line? There needs to be a 50-60 thousanths inch restrictor in the feed line... otherwise, the turbo will see too much oil pressure, and can blow oil past the seals.. causing it to smoke. The factory line has this restrictor built into the banjo-bolt fitting... This could be your problem..
Travis

[stp9154]

How white is the smoke? Does it have a blue tone in it? If it has some, then that'd be b/c of too much gas. The injectors are feeding too much gas that causes the smoke. If this was the case, you should see some oil stain on the intake mani. Another case would be a worn out engine, bottom end parts. The smoke would be so white in this case. You can try to pull your oil stick and leave the car at idle. Then see if there is any smoke coming out of the hole. Check this and check the tone of that white smoke. However, since you have started having this problem when you installed this "new" T25, the problem could simply be this turbo.

[four]

yea, i really think and hope its the turbo and nothing else on the motor....the thing is, i dont want to buy a new one, replace it, and still get the same problem.

[four]

okay UPDATE:

I checked the dipstick...oil levels are perfect, except it does look a little dirty..considering i changed the oil only 2 weeks ago...

i checked the coolant resevoir as well as under tha radiator cap, no oil in there...

i check the hotpipe, no more oil...(at least not as much as before)

After 2 minutes of idle, the smoke problems come back.

i also forgot to mention that my A/F gauge reads lean when it is idleing.

[Steeles]

Ok, you have aftermarket lines.. Do you have a restrictor in the feed line? There needs to be a 50-60 thousanths inch restrictor in the feed line... otherwise, the turbo will see too much oil pressure, and can blow oil past the seals.. causing it to smoke. The factory line has this restrictor built into the banjo-bolt fitting... This could be your problem..
Travis

the taka motorsports lines have the restrictors. I had to mail mine back and he rebuilt it because the original one he sent me didnt have a big enough restricter

[four]

okay, so should i make my restrictors biggeR.?

[jtt220]

I experienced the same problem. I blew out both the intake and exhaust seals on my t25. What was your boost level and is the t28 a ball bearing centered turbo?

[four]

yes, the t28 is ball bearing...also, my boost was stock @ 7 psi

[four]

update2:

i checked the compression

1 - 151
2 - 152
3 - 151
4 - 151

nearly perfect right?

well anyway...now that thers a good chance that its NOT the headgasket. what else should i check?

the guy that did my swap said im probably running very very rich...also, the smoke doesnt really smell sweet, but rather smells like fuel....what do you guys think i should do next? i would really hate to buy a new turbo, and it ends up not being the problem.

[four]

also,. forgot to mention...i reved the engine to boost...BOV went off, and WOW..smoke smoke smoke. ...

im really thinking its the turbo...

[TurboB15sentra]

okay, so should i make my restrictors biggeR.?
Sounds like he means that the restrictor didn't have a small enough hole in it. This is usually the problem.. Some turbo's are most sensative than others to this problem.. But you only need like 3-5psi of oil pressure in the turbo for it to function properly. At WOT and cold start's, the oil pressure is sometimes 80-100psi! If you can go to Autozone, and pick up a cheapy oil pressure guage.. and T it in.. I'll bet you that you will see probably 40-50psi going into the turbo even after the restrictor.
Travis

[jupiterl]

I have the same problem, white smoke only when I am idling. Once I touch the gas paddle a bit, the smoke will go away then when it comes back to normal idling rpm (800 ~ 900), the white smoke comes again. Somebody told me that because I put a breather on the valve cover connection where it supposed to route back into the intake pipe before the turbo.

I still don't have time to fix that problem yet but does anyone know what is exactly wrong with that situation ?

[four]

well mine smokes continuously, not just at idle..it actually gets worse when i get on the gas

[Mr. Spool]

I have a kat and Mine smokes blue on start up and there is a liitle bit of smoke that escapes from the where the down pipe meets the turbo. How do you tell if you have a bad turbo.

[TheSnail]

White smoke = blown head gasket,
Blue smoke = burning oil

Blown turbo is the least of your concerns, Your shit's fucked up.
hhh,,hhheeee,,,,,,,,hhheedd, yeah baby, hheeaadd GAASS (Want it in the ass?) Head gasket!, there I said it. Keep driving your car, then tell me when your oil turns into chockolate milk.

[Mr. Spool]

do a leak down test, and is your car over heating at all. If this has been happening for a while you should have oil in your radiator and water in you oil. if it was a blown head gasket.

[four]

well i pulled my turbo out yesterday,...saw there was oil on the MAFS rubber pipe...i guess thats really the turbo then..it wasnt just a little bit of oil eather..it was a very nice amount.

im replaceing the turbo tonight..hopefully thats what the problem was..like i said..i have no symptoms of a blown headgasket

oil is normal
no oil in coolant
no milkshake oil in dipstick
compression is near perfect
no overheating

[Siizzzoooo]

just for future reference, how hard is it to change the headgasket on the SR?

if it really is rough, what would one expect to pay to have it replaced?

[four]

update

replaced turbo witha brand new s15 gt28.

still massive smoke...i let it run for a while, and it calmed down.

then i drive it again..still massive smoke..

when i pulled out the old turbo..it lookd blown..oil was in the inlet pipe (mafs to turbo) as well as the outlet pipe, and also my greddy 02 extention pipe isnt even stainless steel anymore, rather more bronzish because of all the oil that was there...

what else is left/

[four]

update (the next morning)

i start the car up, no smoke..drive around the block..no smoke..reach a red light...a bit more smoke..by the time i get home, its back to normal.

so i figured the engine was hot, so i ran a hot compression test.

readings were a bit different this time around:

150
151
151
151

still pretty good..so then i notice my coolant overflow tank is pretty much EMPTY

i fill it up with coolant...then i open radiator cap..holy shit,..it looked like nothing was in there...so i fill that up..

start car up...no smoke..period...drive around town...so far nothing...so i see a long strip, so i pretty much got on the throttle...smoke sort of came back, but not as much...then i get home..let it idle for a minute, then smoke again..

checked coolant levels...over flow tank was beyond max, but the radiator wasnt toped off anymore...so i figured id leave that alone for a while...

so i check oil..now my oil levels are low...i put oil..but i didnt have enough to make it to the proper level..i have to wait for my brother to get home so he can give me a ride to pepboys to get oil.

*i did not see any coolant in my oil, nor did i see oil in my coolant (in my radiator nor my overflow tank)

HOWEVER
I'm not sure if it just somehow got in there..or if its something bad...I found a peice of rubber in my radiator..very small peice...the size of half a small rubber band. The peice i found in my radiator is black, and rubbery...looks more like sealant of some sort...i was thinking (and hoping) that it is nothing major...

after i get oil..ill see where my car gets from there, and update anyone who's interested.

thanks in advance for everyones help

[nismo2491]

maybe a radiator cap is causing your radiator issue. also sounds like it might not be bled properly. old trick is to take an old cap. take the lower rubber seal off (the smaller of the 2 seals not the one all the way down n the cap. now top off radiator and reservoir and put the modified cap on. this will not let you build pressure but will let the system bleed and not suck in air. now drive for 10 minutes. come back, switch caps, and it should be bled perfect.
KEvin

[four]

okay i filed up the oil, and i drove it...for about 20 mintes, under normal driving..it was running fine..

no smoke or anything

then i got to the freeway, I got on the throttle, boosted at 7 psi...and it started to smoke again. i check the radiator, and it seems like it was smoking...

also, the valve cover feels hotter than usual. i opened the oil cap on the valve cover, and it wasnt smoking crazy or anything..just the radiaotor.

coolant and oil is @ proper level.

car was not overheating (according to the temp gauge)

the smoke wasnt as bad as before..but it still smokes..

[four]

welp, i started the car up again this morning..and i feel as if im back to where i started...tons of white smoke spewing out... :cry:

there was also some white residue on my exhaust tip. looks like dried up coolant or something

so i ordered a new Head gasket..i hope thats what it really is, cuz i spent too much damn money on this thing :cry:

[four]

oh yea, i checked my plugs too...when i did my second compression test...the actual tips of the plugs are clean..but the bottom part of the threads are dirty..

[four]

bump one last time i guess :(

[Dori King]

I still think that it's your turbo...did you properly lubricate the oil inlet on the turbo before installing or starting up the car?If you didn't do that then the seals on the turbo and bearings may have been damaged due to oil starvation on the inital startup.

[Gladman]

Headgasket Headgasket Headgasket.

I had an H22 do this to me. The headgasket went and it poured oil and coolant into the cylinders... we literally had oil pouring down the header into the exhaust. Sounds head gasket related to me.

It might only leak when you hit boost, who knows. Boost = higher rpm = higher oil pressure.

[four]

I still think that it's your turbo...did you properly lubricate the oil inlet on the turbo before installing or starting up the car?If you didn't do that then the seals on the turbo and bearings may have been damaged due to oil starvation on the inital startup.
i installed the brand new turbo...it cant be the turbo anymore..i didnt lubricate the oil inlet on the turbo because the line itself had some oil on it.

the turbo is brand new. it cant be the turbo again.

[Dori King]

Well just a suggestion...I had the same problem I put a brand new T28 on and it was smoking a little the in about a week it was smoking like a mother. I thought it couldn't have been my turbo but I changed it again anyways and the problem went away...just my .02

[four]

what do u mean changed it again? changed it with another brand new turbO?

[four]

okay it looks like it was my oil return line where the problem was. i looked under my car today, and it was bent. i bought a new oil return hose/kit from ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2474684289&category=6755&sspagename=WDVW

hopefully that will stop my smoking probelms and save me so much more money

[g2ic02]

damn i have a similar problem....i burn a bit of oil, every once in a while my coolant will drop... No oil in my coolant, or coolant in my oil. It only smokes at idle when it is warm though. My t25 did this for a while...so i replaced it with a t28(problem stopped for a couple of months) then it came back just recently.

[97SilviaRB]

this thread is like over a year old...why bring it back?