i just got my replacement turbo back from precision, they replaced the entire thing. i was slowly spinning the turbine by hand to make sure everything looked good, and it seemed stiffer/less willing to rotate than i had remembered. almost makes a slight contact noise, which has me a little worried. is it bad to do this, should I pour a litle oil into the CHRA? i'll be leaving it alone for now lol

 

may be dry and seals need to break in...

 

yeah, I think i might just be being a moron, obviously this thing is designed to have a CHRA full of oil, and here i am spinning it with no lubrication. i can be a dunce sometimes, i'll admit that.

 

I poured oil into mine before installing.

 

lol i doubt your gona be able to spin it fast enough to cause any significant wear, but if you want it to spin smoothly, i would at least put oil in it.

 

I've always wondered myself. Such a big deal is made about priming the turbo with oil by cranking the motor, but then everyone spins the shaft by hand as soon as they open the box. Lol. Seems the couple gentle exhaust pulses before the turbo gets fresh oil is much less dramatic then finger spinning the shaft.

As far as it being "sticky" after the fresh rebuild. I wouldn't worry about it. EVERY turbo I have received either new or rebuilt has been a little "sticky." I think they put some sort of assembly lube in the CHRA. It loosens right up as soon as it gets some motor oil run through it.

 

yeah, me too.
but by the time i get the other end connected, put al other stuff on, and start the car - i'm pretty sure it had drained out.
so i disconnected the distributor and cranked the motor a bit (like doing a compression test) to prime the oil feed.
my tiny turbo spins pretty fast at idle, so i'm glad i did.