I pulled the charge pipe from the IC and it pours out oil.

Oil pooling at the intake side of the turbo.

Cruising, the car doesn't smoke. But just recently and somewhat intermittently at WOT, the car smokes like an F-18 during fleet week.

...getting a sinking feeling...

 

 

Looks like there is a blown seal, is that a BB turbo or journal bearing turbo?

 

Possible blown seals. Is there any shaft play? Is that a BB turbo? How many miles?

You can probably get it rebuilt, but figure out first why it failed. It sounds like either too high of pressure into the oil inlet or a poor drain system. Do you have a tube from the valve cover to the intake?

EDIT: Oh I should of looked at your mod list ha!

 

Ok before we jump to conclusions:
1. how is your crankcase breather hooked up, just a tube hooked up to just before the intake?
2. Are you using the stock PCV (little black check valve going between valve cover and Intake manifold)

If the PCV is failing and letting boost get into the valve cover, then it could cause excessive oil to be pushed out the breather tube and thus into the mouth of the turbo.

 

Oil pouring out of IC. Maybe 6-8oz.total.

 

The motor has maybe 3k mi. on it, and the turbo probably has 2500.
Very little play at turbine shaft. Feels normal.
Like an idiot I was using the stock PVC valve. When it started smoking I went to an open breather.
The crankcase vent near the oil filler dumps into the intake pipe just after the filter.

This is what my setup looks like:

 

Run both breathers to a catch can with a breather on the catch can. It's either oil from the crankcase, which is bad, or oil from the turbo, which is also bad.

Is your oil return kinked?

 

On my Greddy setup with the 6ft oil return line I had this happen. Over time the line moved a bit making a flat spot and sure enough it started letting oil back up and into my IC pipes.

You probably have the return line to the pan, so chances are its not the return line then. I'd go with the turbo seals.

Vash-

 

I'd be more inclined to say your rings aren't up to snuff and you have blow-by.

That means I'm saying it's not your turbo's "seals."




OFF TOPIC: On your reroute, the hose that goes over your valve cover, is it higher than the filler cap on the radiator???

 

I don't even want to think of that. The rings that came with the Wisecos only have 3000 miles on them. I'm still using 30wND dino oil to break them in!

Yup. Its the heater return and it's teed into the main return after the Tstat. There's enough flow to get rid of any air that wants to be trapped. Zero heat issues even with the stock radiator.

I'm going to try this. The amount of oil in the intake before the turbo makes me think the breather is the problem.

...fingers crossed...

Here's my catch can -- at least until I find something better to use.

 

That catch can will work perfectly.... I've run a few like that

 

Do you have a restrictor in the oil feed? I know some of the newer Garret GT series turbos have them built into the oil inlet, but on others you need to run something to reduce the oil pressure going into the turbo. (This is common knowledge to some but not all, not trying to insult your intelligence).

 

that's a brand new 2860rs...

 

Do you have oil coming out the turbine side? If not I'd say the oil is either getting sucked through the compressor from air inlet obstruction. Clogged air filter, something in a pipe, etc. The other option is that it's coming out the valve cover.

Typically, if it's a drain problem or and over-pressure problem, it'll be coming out both sides of the turbo. But you know, you see it all around here.

 

Im going to guess high oil pressure to the turbo. Like Boileralum said, if there isnt a restrictor in the line, or one built in, your probably just blowing oil past the seals. Sure you have no smoke?

 

If you fill that can, you have blowby from the motor. My 155k mile motor soaks the area around the filler cap with oil. If I didn't have a breather straight on the cover, my pipes would probably be SOAKED.

323GTX PCV + filter on the valve cover + blind stupid luck = my pipes are 100% dry all the time.

 

I hope his 3k mile engine doesnt have that kind of issue. Makes me worry about my first start up next weekend.

 

If it were doing so and that much oil would be going into the intake pipes then that much would be coming out of the exhaust side as well, and he isnt smoking.

Im beginning to think its the pcv valve, now that you say you were using the stock one.

 

A pressurized fluid will follow the path of least restriction, so if the front seal was a tad weaker and the oil went through there first, possibly further damaging the seal, then al the oil is going to try to go through that spot before trying to push past the rear seal that is holding.

Not saying it is the oil pressure for sure, but I have seen it happen on other cars running BB turbos. The PCV valve does sound like a good candidate as well. Either way, I hope it isn't a blown turbo, but rather something easily and cheaply fixed.