Question on turbo wear

[R Weinberger]

I have an '87 740 Turbo with 170K miles . It runs fine with good power. I am noticing some small oil leaks from the front of the turbo. I have never rebuilt a turbocharger, but I read the piece on the Net describing the process. Doesn't seem too crazy. My question is , what wears on the turbo? Bearings , seals, the impeller itself? If you just put bearings and seals, will it have less power than the complete kit? Thanks for your help, Richard .

 

[James Sweet]

I have an '87 740 Turbo with 170K miles . It runs fine with good power. I am noticing some small oil leaks from the front of the turbo. I have never rebuilt a turbocharger, but I read the piece on the Net describing the process. Doesn't seem too crazy. My question is , what wears on the turbo? Bearings , seals, the impeller itself? If you just put bearings and seals, will it have less power than the complete kit? Thanks for your help, Richard .

Bearings and seals to start with, if ignored the turbines and housing can wear too.

 

[electricsheep]

I purchased a Cartridge kit that included the bearings and the impeller. Cheaper than a rebuilt and it has been working fine for 90,000 miles so far.
Chris V

 

[JW]

How much work is it to replace the bearings and impeller and how much was the cartridge kit?

Thanks.

 

[electricsheep]

It was not too bad. Removing the whole exhaust was worse because of 3 studs that broke. Unfortunately I can not remember where I bought the cartridge but do remember it was online. I had thought it was through IPD but did not find it when I just checked. I could have missed it though. It was significantly less than the cost of replacing the whole unit and while I have heard of people who were unhappy with the result I have no complaints.
Chris V

 

[Mike F]

I have an '87 740 Turbo with 170K miles . It runs fine with good power. I am noticing some small oil leaks from the front of the turbo. I have never rebuilt a turbocharger, but I read the piece on the Net describing the process. Doesn't seem too crazy. My question is , what wears on the turbo? Bearings , seals, the impeller itself? If you just put bearings and seals, will it have less power than the complete kit? Thanks for your help, Richard .

A little oil seepage from the turbo, while not ideal, is fairly normal. Especially if it's not enough to drip, (or only drip slowly), and the turbo is otherwise working fine, monitor the leak and save your bucks. Often minor leaks on the intake side can be "fixed" by changing the rubber hoses which tend to allow the oil to seep through as they age.