rexload

I am considering buying a turbo from CXracing.
I do have a decent amount of experience with FI and I am not affraid to take it apart and rebuild it before it goes on the car. However, I don't have any experience with no-name turbochargers and I am assuming the safe thing to do would be to replace the seals in it.

After doing some research, I am getting the idea that finding the correct rebuild kit for an "ebay" turbo is not easy.

I am asking people who have experience rebuilding ebay turbos... which ones of those turbos are rebuildable and how hard is it to find the correct rebuild kit for them?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

cevax

You can use a Chinese turbo, many people have done it successfully. What you have to keep in mind though is that this turbo is going to be cheap with questionable quality. So in order for it to work properly your setup has to be flawless, you have to double and triple check everything. Especially on your return and oil flow to the turbo, if you look at the recommendations on CX site. It states 7-15 psi of oil pressure is recommended, which is a sad case all on its own. Any brand name turbo can handle way more than that, so you will have to restrict oil flow to the turbo. If it comes with an internal wastegate, check that it actually works first because they generally don't.

As far as a rebuilding them, yes you can but make sure you rebuild it with a named kit, if you buy an ebay rebuild kit you will still have a Ching Chong special.

Like many people have said, it will be a hit or miss, I have one and I didn't get 500 feet of it.

cruizinmax

iTrader: (2)

They can be rebuilt. Make sure and have them balance the turbo when rebuilding it and it should last a while.

rexload

Yea, I understand these turbos need to be taken apart and inspected carefully before they even go on a car. I am planning on using an oil restrictor and I am definitely planning on using my Tial external WG.
I also definitely want to rebuild it with a brand name kit (if it is possible)..
I did some research and most people say that a brand name rebuild kit (for example Garrett) will not work with "ebay" turbos. That is basically my question... Does anybody know for sure that a brand name rebuild kit will work with an "ebay" turbo... and if yes, then which ones are compatible?

k_civic

Garret rebuilt kit dont fit?

rexload

That's what I'm trying to find out before I buy a chinese turbo.

LS AzZkIkr

Godspeed is a good brand turbo as well as Master Power and they are really affordable. I have had an Ebay T70 for over a year now

and it is fine. More people here locally have had great success with no name turbo's. It's all in the oil lines and getting them right. You

might as well try to find a used made in the USA turbo if you haven't already purchased a made in China turbo.

rexload

I thought Godspeed sold the same no-name turbochargers and just jacked up the price?

rexload

It's funny reading all the threads online that talk about no-name turbos (not just on Honda-Tech)

Every single thread I read about them is basically everyone sayind to the OP that a China turbo is going to blow up as soon as you start the engine. Then there is always that one person who says that they ran a China turbo for a long time making good power and never having any problems. Then everybody starts to flame that one guy and calls BS.

It makes me want to just get a China turbo and find out for myself.

jyacoba2009

i know this guy used his ***** turbo on his 300whp sohc build and it held up longer than what its worth

iirc, you can use a kit from g pop shop and rebuild the chank snails

rexload

I'm just curious if you actually rebuilt a china turbo with a g-pop kit and if it they are quality rebuild kits?

jyacoba2009

once u get a chunk turbo, find a GOOD rebuild kit and the turbo will actually be reliable, but in the end run it should only be used to get your car running while you save up for a real turbo which shouldn't be hard. since your rebuilt turbo costs about $400 while new ones are $500-$600

k_civic

Im using a .50/.63 57 trim ebay turbo at 400hp and I haven't had any problem yet. A few friends used a garret rebuilt kit in that turbo and fit very well. They replace ebay turbo internals and use garrets internals for better performance. Isn't it suppose to be the same s...? I have a turbo godspeed too but I dont know if it is better quality than ebay turbos.

bigalex827

yeah, a guy i know has had a cx racing kit on his single cam that has 267,000 miles and its been turboed for 2 years now, still no shaft play, and he beats on his car every single time he cranks it up

cevax

If the turbo is installed properly it will work. The key is proper oil pressure, I have a cx turbo I couldn't use it because no matter how small the restrictor oil pressure was to high. Inside it looks like any other turbo, properly machined, etc. Just made with subpar materials compared to a named turbo. To give cxracing credit though, it says right on their site the recommended oil pressure, there is no reason why it wouldn't work if their recommendations are followed.

LS AzZkIkr

From the godspeed turbo's I have seen compared to other ebay units they seem to be better. The housings on the godspeed were actually comparable to a garret IMO. I would save up longer and get a used but good condition precision if I had to do it all over again.

rexload

Update:

Shortly after posting this thread in September of 2010, I ended up purchasing a no-name turbocharger from an unknown seller on eBay for $170 shipped.

I installed the said turbocharger on my mostly stock GSR back in October 2010. Prior to installation I disassembled the turbo and, based on my little bit of experience rebuilding turbos, I have determined that the no-name turbo did not need any modifications and that it came balanced judging by some removed metal on one side of the turbine nut.

After daily driving the car for 8 months, I disassembled the turbocharger again for inspection. I did a basic check for leaks, excessive wear, and excessive shaft play. Once again, I have determined that a rebuild was not necessary.

Currently, I still have the said no-name turbo on the car. I put ~ 7,500 miles on the car since the turbo install, which isn't much but I do hit my rev limiter almost every time I drive. I am planning on disassembling it again after this winter and possibly rebuild it and try to turn the boost up past 11lbs.

m3tech95

Good stuff..... post pics of the teardown so we all can see what you mean by "Rebuild not necessary" as you said you are inexperienced in rebuilding turbochargers... it will make for less of an argument later on..I like the idea of using something not as costly as another product but with turbos i guess its all in your application. I personally wouldnt, nor would I ever recommend putting an ebay turbo on a car seeing 700+whp...im actually wanting to see someone say they did that with a china snail and it lasted.

SiRCiviC94

does anyone have pics of what their restrictor looks like? I am running an ebay turbo I havent built boost on it yet just about an hour of break in. the hole is pretty small already I dont know what a restrictor looks like or where to get one.

BigMike0147

I'm using a function7 oil restrictor that's .060" big. Google that or oil restrictor and you should find something. It's a TINY hole though so don't be alarmed.

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

Well, that's just it. What many are doing from my experience are incorrectly correlating the use of these "e-bay" turbos at low thrust loads and lower miles with those that are NOT using the typical "e-bay" companies like Garrett/Precision/Turbonetics, etc, and believe that they are a direct correlation.

At least rexload is admitting that he is NOT using high thrust loads or a lot of use (and abuse) of this turbo in comparison to the other companies and therefore, is not a fair test. There are many many people that state that because it didn't "blow up right away" its a great buy, and that all the misconceptions are wrong... But by the time they take the plunge and put the turbo through its paces, either the car itself is no longer used (sold, stolen, driven off a cliff, whatever the case may be) or the turbo finally died because they attempted to abuse the turbo with high thrust loads and boost pressures, and the "e-bay" turbo's colors are then truly shown.

They then attempt to make the argument that the cause of the destruction could have happened with any turbo, so there's no reason to invest in the quality stuff, because it will "just blow up later". which isn't necessarily the case. Improper installation, lack of lubrication, or some other issue creates symptoms that yes, all turbos eventually may share, but show its ugly head more quickly in the cheaper version than the genuine article.

What many don't take into account is that there's more to a turbocharger than just internal oil sealing rings and "balancing"... (And for the record, ALL turbos regardless of make come "balanced" in a standard form, or it would never be able to rotate at even 50,000rpms -equivalent to engine idle speeds or low engine load).

They don't look at the construction of the materials used in the internal cartridge itself or the turbine or compressor housings, which not only are used to provide pressurization and exhaust energy but to retain the wheels and their parts in case it explodes.. That way these housings can retain the damage and keep it from entering into the engine in some way. Its that kind of "worst case scenario" quality control that makes the known companies shine over the e-bay copies. But the average cheap person building a car doesn't take that into account, and they should.. especially if the car is used for a daily purpose or is the only mode of transportation said cheapo uses to go to and from work everyday.

You're right, the "e-bay" companies have improved some areas of their copied design, even to a point of decent operation, which is why the community as a whole still supports it; simple economics; if a cheaper substitute can be found for an original product, the consumer is willing to take the chance to use it... even if they know the possibility of failure just skyrocketed.

Its when you attempt to substitute the internal parts with genuine parts of the company that the turbo copied is when a problem occurs in the long run. Many of the parts physically fit during the "rebuild" process. but they don't fit well enough to a point where it can be trusted with high thrust loads and boost pressures.

I've performed a few rebuilds using the genuine parts in the e-bay copies, and the results were bad because of the fact that materials alone were of different quality grades, which lead to differing heat expansion rates, and soon after, failure.. All because the e-bay company never expected the cheap person to use parts of a different grade. So now I have 3 of them sitting as doorstops in my lab.

This was more a rant than a true explanation, so please forgive the Soap Box standing. So sorry for the book.

rich7777

Mac, when you talk about thrust load failure are you relating to thrust bearing failing directly (or more or less all internal components) ? if so what makes these thrust bearing fail so easy ? Can't they promote a decent oil film inbetween the thrust bearing and collar when the turbo is put under load ?

rexload

Thank you Shodan for such detailed information.



This is just a beater car.... not really looking on running more than 270ish hp in a FWD Honda driving it in the snow. But I'll definitely post pics during the next teardown.

TheShodan

iTrader: (14)

I'm specifically looking at the thrust bearing in relation to the collar.. (easy to have oil contamination score the surfaces, unsecure fitment into the actual cartridge itself.) They can promote decent oil lubrication, but not when the thrust loads get HIGH, like in the 20-30psi range.