Turbo Repairs Services

Turbo Charger Repair and Rebuilding

Many people rather than incur the high cost of purchasing a new turbo charger for their engine, are opting to repair or rebuild their current turbocharger.

Preventing common turbocharger problems:

Turbochargers are designed to last as long as the engine itself and they don't require any special maintenance other than a few periodic checks.

To ensure that your turbocharger's life span has its maximum potential, you'll want to:

• Maintain proper oil levels due to the tremendous heat created
• Maintain a current oil filter
• Maintain correct and optimal oil pressure for your engine
• Maintain air filters and system maintenance
• Use an aftermarket turbo timer for modified turbocharger systems

Reasons why you might be currently having turbocharger trouble:

• Objects like dirt, small stones or other items got into the turbine or compressor. Many times intake part will get sucked into the inlet.
• The motor oil is very dirty or low. Turbo's need plenty of fresh oil after being turned off so it will not coke the oil.
• The oil pressure is too low or the oil filtration system is inadequate.
• The exhaust gas temperatures from the ignition/injection system are too high. You burn the oil up.
• Other mechanical issues, breakage of parts or a manufacturers defect.

There comes a time in the life of any turbocharger when it no longer performs like it once did. The puzzle, of course, is figuring out when it's the turbo truly failing and when it's something else in the engine.

A turbo's primary purpose is to boost horsepower, so when an otherwise healthy engine suddenly becomes weak, it often (but not always) means turbocharger troubles. Some of the symptoms that may indicate a failing turbo includes a loss of horsepower, failure to build boost pressure, turbo noise, increased oil consumption and oil fouled spark plugs, or excessive exhaust smoking on diesel engines.

The place to start in diagnosing a weak turbo is to observe the vacuum/boost gauge. If it doesn't show normal boost pressure at full throttle, typically 9 to 14PSI for most factory turbo systems, better get the tool out. Be forewarned, however, that excessive back pressure, often due to a clogged catalytic converter, can also keep the turbocharger from building its normal boost levels.

Make sure the transmission is in neutral or park and the emergency brake is on, then rev the engine up several times by snapping the throttle wide open. Your gauge should read a change from vacuum to boost as rpm's increase. OEM boost settings normally range from as little as 9 lbs to as much as 14 lbs, so compare your readings to whatever specifications matched your engine when it was new.

If the turbo fails to create any boost pressure, or the boost level is more than a couple of pounds below what it should normally be, take note the vacuum reading at idle. A late model engine with no vacuum leaks or exhaust restrictions should flow about 16 to 22 inches of vacuum at idle. A lower vacuum reading means you either have excessive back pressure in the exhaust system, an air leak somewhere in the intake system below the throttle, check the turbo charger hoses for leaks or loose connections, or its a vacuum leak in one of the many hoses or accessories that tap off the intake manifold.