Here is my set up... Ls vtec built bottom end b18b1 obd2 gsr stock head... Custom forward facing turbo mani.
Holset wh1c turbo basically got a brand new center section in it 100 miles on it tops.
-3 an feed line no restrictor and -10 drain above the oil level in the pan( top of the oil pan). The drain goes down at a angle so it does drain.
Got the car tuned all went well.377whp @12psi. Maybe have 25-30 miles on the build.
Went out the other day and drove around a bit. Did a couple pulls and I seen some smoke.
When I stopped I looked and saw that the center section of the turbo was leaking some oil and that I have side to side play . More than normal.
Now here is my question...
Why did the turbo fail?
Could it be crank case pressure that's not letting the oil drain?
To much oil pressure for the turbo? Oil pressure is at 75-80 on start up. Not sure when in boost.
Just trying to figure out what is causing this problem so when I rebuild the turbo it will not happen again. Thanks in advance for any input.

 

Well if there really is a failure then the maybe something was amiss with the rebuild, or the parts used were bogus and failed.
Maybe the play is normal and the oil is just backing up.
The drain flange you are using may be creating a restriction/deflection.

 

It was not rebuilt... It was a brand new center section from I believe Gillette turbo...

 

i run an hx35 with the same size feed and return and no restrictor and i have no problems with smoking

 

What is your maximum oil pressure?

It's very unlikely that Gillette had a new center section. The wh1c hasn't been in production for quite some time so it's very unlikely there was a new old stock CHRA laying around. It's likely that it's a rebuilt CHRA and just looks new, either that or it's not a genuine Holset CHRA.

The design of Holsets results in no signs that the turbo is damaged/failing until after it's already broken.

Do you know for sure the turbo was getting oil? For a Holset to die that fast means your feedline could be clogged, or blowby/crankcase pressure is so high that it isn't letting oil exit the CHRA properly or at all.

 

I'm pretty sure it is getting oil... I would believe that if it was not getting oil it would not have lasted this long. I wanna say that there is to much crank case pressure... I'm surprised that I have not found a post that has had this problem... Would venting my valve cover help? And would it help enough? What are some other problems that it could be...?

 

I've seen people run Holsets bone dry for up to a minute with no damage. Holsets were designed to have a 500,000 mile service life on diesel trucks that see high boost pressures and prolonged run times... As such the bearing system is very very beefy, it puts your typical Garrett journal bearing system to shame.

The turbos are very robust and it's fairly hard to kill one. So either the turbo had an issue from the day it wad assembled (out of balance causing seal and bearing wear/failure, improper assembly, improper clearances, clogged/blocked oil passage inside the CHRA) or you have an oil supply issue.

The problem with the overkill bearing system is an average Holset won't give you a single sign that it's about to fail until it actually fails. The aftermath can range from damaged seals all the way to breaking the turbine shaft or having the blades on the wheels separate from the hub.

 

I totally agree with you... Well hopefully it's not that bad and it can be rebuilt. Thanks for you knowledge/input...

 

How bad is the shaft play? Do the wheels touch the housings?
Is there only oil leaking from the turbine side?

There might not be any other option but to tear down the CHRA and find what failed and why.

 

There is a good bit of side to side play I bet it did touch...

 

When I was driving down the road I saw smoke... Do it maybe be coming out of the down pipe also... Gonna tear into it tonight...