So I am having my mechanic friend of mine go for a ride and listen for the howling noise I had (turns out to be not a big deal) but he says that he can hear that the turbo sounds a "little off" like it is tired or something, not quite as smooth as it should be. When I drive by walls and get the reverbs, it sounds like there is a bird chirping outside. How can I tell if it is going?

If it is tired, (or even if not)than I am looking to upgrade. What would be the best way to go about it? Different housing, rebuild kit, whole new turbo? Also, where is the best place to get parts and how much should I expect to spend? Thanks

Eric

 

A sign of the trubo going bad is the shaft freeplay. To test this you need to take off the intake tube (air filter tube) and grabe the shaft of the turbo it should have no in and out play and should have minimal side to side and should not be able to touch the housing. the noise you are hearing may be the blades rubbing on the housing and it should be obvious when inspecting with the intake off. Hope that helps

 

Pull the intake tube from the turbo, so you can see the impeller blade. Gently push from side to side on the blades' retaining nut...the impeller should NOT be able to touch the compressor housing. If it does, the turbo needs a rebuild. A certain amount of side-to-side play is acceptable, though I don't have the exact specs. Also, pull in and out on the retaining nut. There should be no in and out play whatsoever. If there is, again, it's time for a rebuild. These old H1c's are pretty tough. I'm pushing 412,000 on my center section and while it's getting tired, it still puts up with repeated 40+psi thrashings daily. If your turbo is in good shape, the HTT compressor upgrades are a good value

 

Push, pull on the shaft with truck OFF.

 

No one specified "with engine NOT running" haha

edit, nevermind you did while I wasn't looking

 

I would like to chime in on this please. I have been dealing with power loss and overheating. I have at least one small leak on intercooler. Anyway I checked the in/out play on turbo wheel shaft. It goes in and out about a 1/4". Could this play much of a role in power loss/overheating also. Thanks

 

i know this is off a little but driving by walls and hearing and hearing a "bird chirping" sound could be front wheel bearings. at least that's what is going on with my 92 2wd, goes away if i tap the brakes.

 

Not to get this off topic but I didn't think a wheel bearing would stop making a noise by taping the brakes, sounds more like a brake problem to me

 

My H1C has no perceptable end play or side play. If you have 1/4 inch end play, stop driving the truck and get it checked.

 

If you've got THAT much end play then you're way past a rebuild. It's time for a new turbo and probably some serious engine work as well. You've shaved off a good bit of your compressor blades and sucked them into the engine.

There should be less than .005 inches of end play and about .012" of side play. The bearings are floating bronze bearings with lots of oil flow for cooling. I don't see how you could have 1/4" of end play unless the nut fell off the shaft.

Anyway, get it checked by an expert.

Edwin

 

I will try to measure precisely today. I sure hope I do not have to get major engine work. I have not ran it since I noticed this. I am planning on ordering pdr HX35 turbo. I sure hope your wrong about major engine damage. The last time I drove it ran fine as long as not loaded on grade.