i drive a 97 prelude with built h22a, turbo... im running a precision sc34 t3/t4 turbo and the other night i boosted from about 60 to 130 a bit harder than i was supposed to. after i let off the gas the car started smoking incredibly bad.... when i got home and popped the hood, i could see that i split the downpipe at the weld so it was smoking out the front of the car and the back.... WELL i took it to the mechanic so he could take a look at it cuz this is my first turbo car... he didnt take the turbo off or anything but he said it looked like i messed up the seals inside of the turbo.. the engine works perfectly fine... runs like normal.. the turbo does still boost... im not sure if its supposed to if the seals have gone bad or what but he said that since the seals were gone that the turbo would be forcing lots of smoke into the engine... at any rate... i was wondering just because im a little reluctant to spend that much on a turbo, could it possibly be the wastegate that is broken??? as i said before im not too familiar with turbos and wastegates and whatnot... i had been having a little trouble with boosting full throttle so i was thinking the wastegate might be stuck open or something.... for the full job the mechanic quoted me around 2 grand and i just cant do that cuz my turbo is top mounted and i can see every bolt that has to come out... probably 2 hours and i can have that sucker out TOPS... so paying that much for overpriced turbo is out of the question... ANYWAY if anyone has any input on whats up with my car, any assistance would be GREATLY appreciated... thanks

 

i had a turbo talon that blew one of the turbo seals and it was like a smoke screen behind me...it was so bad i had to pull over and get it towed home

 

if its the turbo seals you should be able to see oil coming out around the turbo inlet. is your waste gate recirculated back into the exhaust, if not you'll be able to tell if its stuck open, it will be very loud.

how is the motor built?

and what color smoke was it?

 

the smoke is mostly black with a tad bit of white in it.... you can see the trail of smoke for a LONG time!!! i did a little research and im starting to not think its the wastegate at all, i looked up broken seals on turbos and im seeing pictures of peoples cars with clouds of smoke coming out... The waste gate is recirculated into the exhaust and where the downpipe split you can see wet oil around the edges

As for how is the engine built, heres a parts list:
Engine
Darton 89mm M.I.D. Sleeved Block
Darton Lightened (9.3lbs taken off) and Balanced Crankshaft
JE 89mm (overbore) 10:1 Pistons (Jet-Hott Coated)
Eagle ESP H-beam Rods
Crower Stage II Turbo Cams
Crower Valvesprings w/ Ti Retainers
Cometic .043" Thick Head Gasket
ARP Head Studs
Fidanza Lightweight Flywheel
ACT XTSS Clutch (Extreme Pressure Plate w/ Street Disc)
Urthane Motor Mount Inserts
MSD 6A w/ Blaster SS Coil
Greddy Cat-Back

Turbo
Revhard Turbo Kit
Precision SC34 Turbo
Turbosmart Wastegate
Vortech Blowoff Valve
TurboXS Boost Controller
Revhard FMIC and Piping

Electronics
Chipped OBDI P72 ECU
Uberdata w/ Boost and USB datalogger
PLX M300 Wideband O2 Sensor
GM 3 Bar MAP Sensor
HKS Turbo Timer
RC 750cc Injectors

 

well like i said check for oil in the turbo inlet and while your at it wiggle the turbo shaft and check for play while wiggling it you should also be able to rotate it if you cannot rotate it while forcing it to the side with slight pressure then your seals are most likly gone.
how many miles are on the turbo?