2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

Already searched...smoke from turbo hotside...help!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Sep 9, 2006 | 10:10 AM
  #1  
DASUPACAT1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 603
Likes: 0
From: FORT WAYNE
Already searched...smoke from turbo hotside...help?

I already searched this forum and couldn't find answers.
I just finished installing my oil temp sender. I started my car and let it idle to verify the gauge was working. I already had the hood up when I noticed smoke coming from the turbo. I immediately shut the car off. It's coming from the turbo hotside where the bolts are. I let the engine cool off. I grabbed a wrench and to my suprise the bolts were not tight. I was only able to get to two of them. I started the car again and it still smoked not alot, but enough to notice. This is a rebuilt BNR stage 1 with about 10k on it. What should I do? Is my turbo bad already? Car drives great. No smoke out the exhaust.
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2006 | 10:27 AM
  #2  
Aaron Cake's Avatar
Engine, Not Motor
Tenured Member: 20 Years
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 29,798
Likes: 128
From: London, Ontario, Canada
There was just a stopic about this a week ago...

Basically, it will be either internal or external.

External leaks are easy to spot because you will see oil on the outside of the turbo. If it is external then you need to replace either the feed or return gasket.

If it is internal, the turbo is either being fed with too much oil pressure (I think the BNR units have an internal restrictor?) or has a bad seal. You can pull the downpipe off and check for oil or evidence of it to find an internal leak.
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2006 | 10:44 AM
  #3  
DASUPACAT1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 603
Likes: 0
From: FORT WAYNE
I pulled the exhasut the other day and there was no oil in the midpipe. I did see a lil' bit of seepage around the the middle part of the housing where the bolts are. That's why I tried tighted it. Is it hard to replace the return gasket? Where is it? How do I do this?
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2006 | 10:54 AM
  #4  
Aaron Cake's Avatar
Engine, Not Motor
Tenured Member: 20 Years
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 29,798
Likes: 128
From: London, Ontario, Canada
The return gasket is on the bottom of the turbo. See the FSM (FAQ) for info on removal and replacement.
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2006 | 11:12 AM
  #5  
DASUPACAT1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 603
Likes: 0
From: FORT WAYNE
Ok looked. Do I need to take the turno off to do this? How hard would it be?
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2006 | 11:24 AM
  #6  
13bturbofc's Avatar
mmm doritos
Tenured Member: 15 Years
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,107
Likes: 0
From: lancaster PA
to replace the feed line you dont have to remove it but to do the return line you do have to remove it....its pretty easy to take off the biggest pain is taking off the down pipe and draining the radiator...if i were you i would call brian at BNR and ask them about a oil feed line restrictor cause lots of times a rebuilder removes the stock internal restrictor and the turbo gets to much oil pressure wich causes the smokeing...this has been coverd many times here on the forum i dont know how to post a link so ill tell you to search (oil feed line restrictor) good luck
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2006 | 12:06 PM
  #7  
Carzy Driver's Avatar
Law Breaker
Tenured Member: 15 Years
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,333
Likes: 0
From: S.F. Bay Area, California 510
My turbo smoked, visible from the engine bay and the exhaust. the turbine seal was bad, I knew that before I put the turbo back in the car. it was a JDM turbo so that's prolly why it went bad, considering it sat on a self for a large number of years.
Reply
Old Sep 9, 2006 | 12:26 PM
  #8  
DASUPACAT1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 603
Likes: 0
From: FORT WAYNE
Well I used degreaser on the center housing to clean up any visible oil film. Went for a short drive. When I popped the hood. It was still smoking from under the center housing. I believe it to be where the return line is. Correct? The top is oil in, right? Bottom out? When the turbo cools down I will put my fingr under there to see if there is any oil residue/gunk.
I know this is off-topic. My new oil temp. gauge never got past 170 deg. under spirited drive around the neighborhood. Is this good? I thought 180 was normal.
Reply
Old Sep 10, 2006 | 10:31 AM
  #9  
Aaron Cake's Avatar
Engine, Not Motor
Tenured Member: 20 Years
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 29,798
Likes: 128
From: London, Ontario, Canada
Sounds correct. As the manual states, the return line is the thick pipe at the bottom.
Reply
Old Sep 11, 2006 | 03:25 PM
  #10  
DASUPACAT1's Avatar
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 603
Likes: 0
From: FORT WAYNE
Drove my 7even to work today. Popped the hood to check and see if any more smoke from turbo center housing and nothing. Went to get lunch. Checked again...no smoke.
Reply
Old Sep 12, 2006 | 10:08 AM
  #11  
Bryan@BNR's Avatar
"your turbo source"
Tenured Member 10 Years
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 246
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham, AL
Hello all.

Do this before we restrict the oil supply, vent the crank case with constant vacume. How you do this is run the 2 barbs (one, on center iron on the plug side at the top on the firewall side, and the other comes strait out on the oil filler neck) to the turbo inlet duct. If you have to add barb fittings there and run 2 seperate 1/4"-5/16" hoses to both vents. This will give you constant vacume to the crank case and allows the oil to work better throughout the engine and turbocharger.

The restrictor is removed b/c of contamination possiblities after media blasting. Media will stay in cracks and when it gets free it will contaminate the turbo and ruin it totally. That restrictor doesn't effect anything b/c the thrust supply holes are 3 times smaller than the restriction. Really not a point for it.

I put a stage 2 on my car and removed the restrictor. I have an FD oil pressure regulator installed so the OP is higher than normal. It smoked slightly after idling for a while. I did the ventilation job to the TID and problem solved.

Bryan@BNR
205 640 1193
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
FD7KiD
3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002)
15
Feb 26, 2021 10:12 PM
Th0m4s
Build Threads
25
Feb 26, 2019 02:04 AM
C. Ludwig
Single Turbo RX-7's
49
Jan 30, 2019 06:31 AM
ChrisRX8PR
Single Turbo RX-7's
18
Aug 21, 2015 01:56 PM
FD7KiD
Single Turbo RX-7's
1
Aug 17, 2015 11:50 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:58 AM.