Ok so I have a ls/vtec turbo integra. The car just got fully rebuilt with supertech pistons, eagle rods, arp head studs, s2000 springs and retainers, and oem rebuild. Well I just got my turbo rebuilt but apparently it didn't help too much. The turbo is already smoking after maybe 1000 miles on it. My tuner told that he doubts the turbo will make it through the dyno session, but it did. It ended up putting down 400 at around 12 psi. But as soon as we got it off the dyno and drove it down the street it would not boost past 5 psi. He says the only thing it can be is the turbo because the engine is fresh, all the lines are snug, and everything else is good. My thing is, why would it boost 12 psi on the dyno then only 5 on the street!? If you guys have any feedback please help me out.

 

Either your boost gauge is wrong, or there is a boost leak...your tuner is also saying the turbo might not make it through the dyno session, but "surprisingly" it did. How long do you think it will hold boost after its supposed to not last much longer?

 

This

 

True, so I'm pretty sure he's right saying it is the turbo. I already ordered a new one that will be put on saturday. And the boost gauge is right because he hooked up the laptop and it was also ready 5 psi.

 

For every tuner that says the turbo is "bad" after it went through a dyno session when they didn't take proactive measures to make sure there were no boost leaks or other symptoms, I'd be a millionaire by now.

Turbos after a session like that don't just magically "go bad" unless the conditions have changed to where it was physically altered during take down in which something came loose or wasn't checked. I dealt with that recently, when it turned out that they didn't have the correct wastegate spring...

You have a boost leak..plain and simple. Most tuners should stick to tuning and not turbocharger diagnosis.

 

Well the turbo was bad before the tune. It has been smoking but it just gradually got worse. But it made it through the session and now it just isnt acting right. It makes like a whinning sound and it just isnt loud spooling like it used to be.

 

if its making a high pitched whining sound then the bearings have taken a dump and what you're hearing is one or both of the wheels rubbing the housings