A little new to turbo cars.. My turbo has been acting up.

[Lej]

I've got a s14 with a s14 SR and a t28. At low RPMS, like when the turbo begins to pick up speed, but nothing crazy (Like 3k-4.5k).. I hear this noise that I originally thought was a tiny loose hose clamp dangling around a metal pipe when the engine vibrated. Then I realized it happens when the turbo spools, so that leads me to believe it's the bearings/shaft on the turbo out of whack. It's VERY quite and hard to notice unless you're listening for it. Other than that, the turbo sounds fine when it gets up to higher RPMs. But yeah, I want to fix this so I don't throw bits and pieces in my motor.. :hsdance:

Does this seem right? Something that normally happens? I've heard of shaft play and all that, but I figured I'd just ask..

[cbeuglas]

Sounds like turbo bearings are going out replace the turbo.

[S14DB]

Check the shaft play and inspect the turbine and compressor wheels for damage.
Have you checked your exhaust gaskets?
What heat shields do you have installed.

[Lej]

Yeah, I need to just pull it out and look at it. Can you explain why a leaky exhaust gasket would cause this kind of issue? And I do not believe I have any type of heat shield installed besides what came on the stock motor. What do you recommend? Thank you for the help so far!

[S14DB]

To inspect the blades you just need to take off the turbo inlet(2 nuts) and the turbine outlet(o2 housing) and look at them and push of the shaft to look for play. Also, spin the shaft to make sure it spins freely with no rubbing or grinding.

The gasket between the manifold and turbo can blow out or leak. It will make a repetitive noise as the exhaust pressure increases and it leaks out the side.

Make sure all the heat shield bolts are tight and the shields are not rattling.