Is my turbo toast?

Just recently my turbo has been acting funny. Ever since my brother went to the grocery store with it . When I have it at WOT the stock sensor is only reading 1/2 boost at 4500 rpm, not to mention it is making a new sound, that sounds like a hissing crossed with that awful high pitched grinding noise you get when your brake pads are giving you that "CHANGE ME!!!" warning. What the hell could this be. I know that it isn't the normal sound of the wooshing whistling of air coming in, this is much more obnoxious and it sounds almost as if something is in the turbo itself and is creating some sort of bottleneck resulting in high pitched noise due to less room to travel through. Can ANYONE please help me trouble shoot this. I am sad I think he might have fried it. Would him flooring it before it warmed up fully do that because heaven only knows what the hell he did without me being in the car with him. Alright guys anyway thanks a lot! Any help will be great!

--Fritz

 

Vacuum leak or blown gasket?

 

Could be a boost leak, they make some crazy noises. Or the shaft play is rubbing, remove the inlet duct and check the shaft play.

 

If it's an almost metal on metal screeching noise (think "**** it's too late, the metal on my pads are eating my rotor) sound, then it'd could be that the bearings are worn to the point where the wheels are contacting the housings. Pull off the TID and check end play (side/side, and in/out) and see if the wheel is touching the inlet on the compressor housing or if you can see evidence of metal on metal wear (which their shouldn't be AT ALL).

But turbos do make a horrid screeching noise when they go bad.

 

My boost leaks sounded more like a F'd vacuum cleaner (more air noise than anything).