OK, here's the setup, I'm only gonna include pertinent parts:
B18A
built bottom end
Revhard manifold
originally a t3/t4 Turbonetics .60 trim
3" from the DP back
Haltech 6EK
720 cc injectors
JG throttle body

on Wednesday I replaced the leaking T3/T4 with another Turbonetics T3, with the intention to have the hybrid rebuilt and put back in to service. The compressor housing on the hybrid had a funny bend welded onto the bottom of it to meet the intercooler pipe, so I used it on the T3, just for the time being. That left me with about a 1/4 inch gap between the impeller and the compressor housing, that was not the issue though. Even witht hat big-*** gap it still makes 12 lbs, and thats plenty untill I get the T3/T4 back.

When I warmed my car up in the morning before, it would run kinda rich, but that was the tune, because it was made for daily driving. After putting on the new T3, however, when it sits idling for more than 2 minutes or so, it begins to smoke terribly from the tailpipe. At first I thought it might be because I'm still running on the original tune for the T3/T4, and now it's the little T3 trying to move enough air to cover all the fuel the injectors are throwing,but....I check my oil this evening, and I've ran through 1 quart of Amzoil 10-30 in 2 days...

I thought it might be valve stem seals, but my Honda buddies say thats probably not the case. The smoke clears up after you drive it for about 30 seconds, and then it runs like a ******* madman! Pull like crazy, no smoke, nothing, but if you have to stop at a light for a minute or so, it will begin to smoke again. It does seem to run richer by the A/F gauge with the T3 than with the T3/t4, so maybe that has something to do with it. I'm at wits ******* end here, and I have a new T3/t4 coming early next week, so I'm gonna put the new snail on first, and if it doesn't clear up, then I'm gonna look towards the valve stem seals. It never smoked a bit until we put the T3 on it, so maybe, somehow, thats causing it.

The funny thing is, the harder I drive it, the better it runs, and doesn't smoke at all, but when I don't boost it, or just putt around town, it will smoke a minor little bit. When I stop for a second though, it's like I'm fogging for mosquitos.

Cliffs: Car smokes, unless I run it wicked hard after installing new, smaller turbo, and running on same fuel map, as large turbo...TIA fellas...

 

Since the only thing you've changed is the turbocharger, my guess is that the problem lies with the turbocharger. Did you feed oil to the turbocharger before the initial start? Perhaps the turbo seals are toast and you're burning oil in the turbocharger.

 

yeah, we ran quite a bit of oil through it before initial start up, but only by pouring in the inlet, and letting it drain through. Does it have to be pressurized off the block to make a difference?

 

check the oil return line if it backs up just a little it will smoke specially at idle

 

ok man, I'll give that a shot tomorrow....do you use a gasket on it, or silicone? We put mine on with silicone, and it seemed to fill up the drain hole a little bit...

 

i use silicon

 

Priming the turbo is a waste of time... It happens about 1/8th of a second after you turn the key, and it doesn't spin at any significant speed until your not driving. You didn't happen to say if the turbo you were using was new? It's probably just the turbo seals. I don't know why you used the housing from the t4. That's a bad idea, if I read correctly. Having such a large housing to wheel clearing will kill the efficiency of the turbo, and possibly heat the **** out of the charge. You'd make more power with the right housing (again, if i'm reading this right).
Surprising though how well the car runs with a t3 when compared to a t3/t4 eh? Faster spool too, or no? If I were you, I'd bump up the boost a little more on that t3 and see how you like it; but I guess that has nothing to do with your question. I'll bet the new turbo will fix your smoking problem. Lastly... MAKE SURE your return isn't kinked. That's how mine acted too when I kinked the return. Double check.

Good luck.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Johnyquest &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Surprising though how well the car runs with a t3 when compared to a t3/t4 eh? Faster spool too, or no? If I were you, I'd bump up the boost a little more on that t3 and see how you like it; but I guess that has nothing to do with your question. I'll bet the new turbo will fix your smoking problem. Lastly... MAKE SURE your return isn't kinked. That's how mine acted too when I kinked the return. Double check.

Good luck.</TD></TR></TABLE>

T3s they don't suck as much as you think

 

yeah, it does seem to spool a lot earlier like around 2500, and then it quits pulling around 6 grand...the hybrid came on about 4K, but pulled to infinity...I'm using the T4 housing because it contains a needed elbow on the bottom to reach my intercooler piping. What really surprised me was how well it spooled and made 12 lbs easy with that 1/4 inch gap between the impeller and the housing. I'm gonna look at the return line tomorrow, it may be coked up with silicon, but it's an Earls -10 line, so I kinda doubt its kinked I'm still going t3/t4, but you're right, the little t3 is no joke....anybody wanna buy it?

 

The only problem with the t3 falling off up top that your experiencing is a DIRECT result of the use of the incorrect housing. Put the t3 housing on and it will you will be very surprised.

Good luck.

 

thanks for the help, over the last few months I've determined that you indeed do need to be a rocket scientist to drive a boosted car. (Or at least know a collective of folks like you guys)

 

well, I'd just like to say that the drain line had a little kink in it, so I turned it about an 1/8th inch, and my smoke problem went away....thanks! and to think, I was ready to put valve stem seals in it...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mildly interesting &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well, I'd just like to say that the drain line had a little kink in it, so I turned it about an 1/8th inch, and my smoke problem went away....thanks! and to think, I was ready to put valve stem seals in it... </TD></TR></TABLE>

TOLD YA SO! LOL. It's always the return. Those ******* barely ever go bad. Glad to hear you got it sorted out. Switch the housing back to the t3 housing and drive around for a while. Fab up the bend you need with somthing else besides the t4 housing!

Good luck!