YAY!! I have to drive my car to florida, then back to MD in a week!

Knowing this, my car decided to start spitting out massive plumes of white smoke under boost. Just noticed it today. :(

Question is, assuming my compression is still OK (it was 3 weeks ago), how can I check if the turbo is burning coolant? If it is the turbo, if its $345 from FP.net to rebuild it plus add. parts, and only $640 for a new 16g, is it worth rebuilding? Is a rebuilt turbo as good as a new one?

I'm kinda bummed--If it IS the turbo it lasted me about 9 months @18psi daily. Should I be looking into different turbos?

does anyone know anything about this turbo? Would it be an upgrade or downgrade from the evo16g...

I'm seriously considering this as a low-cost alternative to a new 16g or an upgrade to a rebuilt 16g...

http://linux.forcedperformance.net/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=FP&Product_Code=NTDSM18G5HwoTH&Category_Code=DSM-Turbo

I would guess that when you're boosting it is exploiting a small crack or weak spot in your head gasket so that when it has pressure it causes a leak but when you're not boosting it's fine. If it was in your turbo it would blow white smoke all the time.

I'm guessing though.

Originally posted by a_miller_76
I would guess that when you're boosting it is exploiting a small crack or weak spot in your head gasket so that when it has pressure it causes a leak but when you're not boosting it's fine. If it was in your turbo it would blow white smoke all the time. I'm guessing though.

thanks! i'll take that over no response at all. I wonder if I should just replace the HG?

well compression is 170 across the board, so no problems there.


If the turbo siezes up while i'm on my way back to MD, can I still drive the car there if I stay out of "boost" levels?

Originally posted by Vandy420a
well compression is 170 across the board, so no problems there. If the turbo siezes up while i'm on my way back to MD, can I still drive the car there if I stay out of "boost" levels?

doubt it will seize but I'd go easy on it. If anything, you'll end up with some serious shaft play...

Ive heard conflicting storys about the 18g. what Ive heard is the 18g with the TD_05 compressor housing isnt very efficent. The 18g with the TD-06 compressor housing is an upgrade to the 16g. I couldnt find any compressor maps for it in the quick search I did so I cant tell you anymore than that.

If that 16g takes a crap on ya Ill take it off your hands if you want to sell it.

Well, if your compression is fine and you only experience the white smoke under boost, it could very well be unburnt fuel. Now, before everyone starts yelling that fuel is black smoke, take this into account. Partially burnt fuel is black, completely unburnt fuel comes out as white smoke. Like a diesel starting up in 15 degree weather, they pour out white smoke. Unburnt fuel. I was experiencing the white smoke effect when I had a hole in my FPR diaphragm and the intake was sucking fuel directly through the boost/vacuum line down into the runner.

Originally posted by SaberKhan
Well, if your compression is fine and you only experience the white smoke under boost, it could very well be unburnt fuel. Now, before everyone starts yelling that fuel is black smoke, take this into account. Partially burnt fuel is black, completely unburnt fuel comes out as white smoke. Like a diesel starting up in 15 degree weather, they pour out white smoke. Unburnt fuel. I was experiencing the white smoke effect when I had a hole in my FPR diaphragm and the intake was sucking fuel directly through the boost/vacuum line down into the runner.

Now that is really really curious...

I'm gonna check for shaft play tomorrow and if its good, i'm gonna go tune some more. I see a mix of black and white smoke coming out, so it very well could be unburnt fuel. Thing that's really funny is, I never saw this problem until I leaned it WAAY out (see post above). The plugs have a hard white coating on them, which is an indication of lean (am I wrong?), yet all my tuning points to rich. total weirdness, time to replace the plugs and try again :shrug

Edit: on a side note i'm tuning in 3rd and my EGT's are fine

Ok so turbo *looks* ok, except there's a little bit of oil pooled at the bottom of the compressor side and a little that worked its way out of the rubber intake hose.

A little side to side shaft play, but absolutely zero front to back. I'm stumped! :shrug

I'm gonna go with the unburnt fuel theory for now I guess--I needed one anyway so I went ahead and ordered an aeromotive AFPR from slowboyracing, but its being shipped to MD so I won't know until I get there...

When are you back in MD. We should have a local get together now that the weather is getting nice again..

Originally posted by HybriDSM
When are you back in MD. We should have a local get together now that the weather is getting nice again..

done and done...esp. since I'll have nothing to do but work out and buy uniforms until late june...

That way, I have no excuse not to be there

"The plugs have a hard white coating on them, which is an indication of lean (am I wrong?), yet all my tuning points to rich. total weirdness, time to replace the plugs and try again :shrug Edit: on a side note i'm tuning in 3rd and my EGT's are fine"

Lean shows up as just white plugs, not a hard white coating. What you're speaking of is unburnt fuel coating the plug. This stuff will also coat your turbine blades, downpipe and exhaust valves in the head. When I pulled my head my exhaust valves looked like they had white barnacles growing on them, hard, white clumps of unburned fuel. It starts out as a white hard powerdery looking substance, but as time goes by it turns into a nice coating, then starts to clump up. Pull your downpipe and see if you see any coming out of the turbo or collecting on the DP.