Last night after changing my rear brakes I took the miata out for a spin.
As the turbo started to spool up I noticed what seemed like a slight change in the normal "sucking" sound, but as the boost increased the sound difference became more and more noticeable. Instead of the clean vacuum like sucking sound, it sounded more raspy almost as if there was more turbulence.. The whistling sound became more of a fshhhhhhhhhhhh noise.. I can’t really think of any other way to explain it.
Anyways, on my way to work this morning I noticed yet another change in the sound. one that made me want to cry.. this sound also increases with boost/ turbo RPM. It doesn’t quite sound like metal on metal, but it definitely sounds bad, sometimes it is a constant clicking, or sometimes it will sound like a steady butter knife scraping a piece of glass.

So I called Flyin Miata on my lunch, Bill suggested removing the compressor inlet and checking for shaft play/free spin.

With a noise as bad as this I am assuming the turbo bearings took a large **** on themselves. Am I wrong in thinking this? I can't imagine it being any but the turbo lying on it's death bead.

Could this be related to the previous issue I had with the bad oil feed line?
Which destroyed an engine for those of you who don't know..

If it ends up being the turbo I can't afford to buy a new one, I may find myself selling the parts and going back to NA.
You'd think that after spending $4K on a turbo kit it would be somewhat reliable.

 

Don't panic until you check it out. In my experience often it is not as bad as you think.

 

I agree. Check everything out before you worry too much. Pull off the coupler and have a look. Check for anything that could possibly be hitting/rubbing in the downpipe area. Look around and check everything you have time for. I usually pop the hood and inspect everything once a week, if not more often.

$4K cant guarantee a problem free setup, but I hear what your saying.

Goodluck man! Report back with your find.

Vash-

 

agreed: dont jump to conclusions...
and how can you possibly go back to n/a after feeling boost? thats crazy talk

 

Well normally I wouldn’t assume the worst, and normally things aren't. However, I told myself hundreds of times my motor wasn't blown and it was just something stupid, I was wrong... This seems to be the case since then.
I just drove it home from work keeping it out of boost. When I got close to my street I let it get up to maybe 2 PSI and the sound was what I imagine a cat would sound like if you shoved a large sack of potatoes into its rectal cavity. I am certain it has nothing to do with the downpipe rattling or anything of that sort; the downpipe itself is newer than the turbo kit. FM sent me a new one because the last one was on the verge of splitting in half. (That was another instance of me being optimistic, and it ending in a worse scenario)
Once the car cools down a bit I will go take things apart and make a video to show you guys...

I had to drive around in a 96 altima all winter while my miata sat in the garage...
I felt this was as difficult as childbirth is for women. The thought of going NA makes me cringe, but maybe then I would actually be able to save some money rather than spend all the extra cash keeping the miata happy...

 

My complete shot in the dark would be turbo bearings, or shaft play enough for one of the wheels to touch the wall. Just a guess.

*edit- my friends fp green turbo on his sti made that same sound: kinda like a whistle/whine/scream when it hit full boost..it did that for a couple weeks till the car just stopped making any boost at all. He took it off to find the shaft bent almost half inch, and the compressor wheel completely eating away at the compressor housing. It was a sad day. Sorry, im not trying to be a jerk, but thats what it reminds me of.

 

That's what I'm expecting..
It's like knowing your girlfriend is going to break up with you.
(wow that was gay, sorry)
Once I finish my chili dogs I will investigate

 

There isn't any more shaft play than there usually is... it spins just as freely as ever... the vids are on youtube, here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wVKx06eP4k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4DSbzeD7-4

 

Although it spins freely, have you checked axial and radial play?

 

yes I have...

I think I may have found the problem... hopefully
updates shortly!

 

Bet it's a leak in a coupler.

 

ok here's what the problem was... thank god.
one of the bolts that holds the turbo to the manifold was coming loose... causing insane exhaust leak/scary noises... so much for the ant-vibe washers.
Thanks for the help guys..
someone bitchslap me, for considering getting rid of the turbo

I tried to make a video me playing on some roundabouts but I failed... I will try to get you something to watch so you can make fun of my driving and low IQ

 

 

like these... my favorite one is new so it isnt on google maps yet

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sadd...=UTF8&t=h&z=19

 

Gotcha, we just call those traffic circles out here in Virginia.

 

In utah we have stupid names for everything.

 

Dont feel too bad, I had a blown gasket and I was convinvced for months that my turbo was fucked. I was confused because the turbo felt SOLID, but it sounded like it was eating itself. I did not figure out the problem untill the little hole int the gasket(manifold to turbo) turned into about 1/3 of it blowing out of the side and I could not even reach 4psi.

I had my hood gapped at the time and it gave me a massive headache whenever I drove the car anywhere. I fixed it and the turbo ran as good as the day I put it in (well, more like the first day I worked out the original problems I had with my vta bov)

 

Glad you found out is was an easy fix. I had 2 of my turbo to manifold bolts come loose awhile back, drove me crazy!!