well, after much waiting and waiting and waiting my turbo from ED finally made it's way into my hot little hands. not wasting anytime i got the old one off and the new one in. i primed it with oil before hooking up the feed line and then fired it up and let it sit at idle for a minute or so. while doing so, i thought i would peek at the turbine wheel and i noticed it would start and stop at random times while the truck remained at idle speed. i'm no expert, but i can't see this as being normal for a new turbo. once i shut the truck off, i spun it with my fingers and noticed it catching sometimes and then it would spin free, and then catch again. i would think that maybe the bearings are shot/scorched, but i would say no because i spent about 10-15 mins priming the thing prior to firing it up.

what do you guys think? did i get a bad one, or is this normal upon initial startup after installing a new turbo?

i have not driven it for test drive as i am not sure what is going on. i simply backed out of the garage and parked it on the street where it sits.

any and all help would be great. BTW - i have an email into chris at ED as well.

 

Phone ED
that's not normal. is there any blockages in your oil lines

 

Just my humble opinion, based on a LOT of experience. Turbo wheels, left to their own devices, generally do not stop spinning while exhaust is flowing.

The exception to the rule, is a VGT on the cummins ISX engine, where the reluctor ring on the exhaust side develops cracks, and occasionally hangs the turbine up.

Being that you do not have one of those particular gems, I would definitely contact ED, and see what they have to say. Sounds like this one has a problem of some sort.

 

not what i wanted to hear, but it's what i expected nonetheless . . .

i have an email waiting for chris. i will call in the morning.

i don't have any blockages as far as i can tell, i will try loosening the inlet on top of the turbo while truck is running to see if it starts to spill oil, but will have to wait until tomorrow.

this is turning into the summer from hell for my truck!

 

please keep us updated i have an ED that will be in my hands tomorrow....

Thanks,

 

Pull it and put it on the bench. See where it binds on the exhaust or compressor side. Either way, not good. Sorry J..

 

chris got back to me via email:

"Jason

Sounds like you did everything correctly. We use a very heavy assembly lube when we build them to protect the bearings. Without engine oil pressure the shaft can make contact with the bearings. With the air filter removed I want you to spin the nut carefully without trying to "push" the shaft one way or another. As long as the charger is not making any contact you're good. There is a tight piston ring /pocket set up for the oil control on the turbine side which has to seat in. They are tight when new but seat in with a couple miles on them. Start the truck. Give it a few minutes of idle time to warm up then drive it. We don't ship them out making contact so it should spin without any noise."

i'll give it another shot in a couple hours today, kinda tied up fpr now.

 

Well thats positive news.. Mine has lots of axial slop (not radial) and doesn't make contact with the housings. Been driving it for 100,000 km..

 

Better get those studs in.

 

haha no kidding! i think the turbo is wastegated at 40psi right now, plus i am keeping my TST at '0' for now. just gonna go and do the things chris suggested as we speak. i'll keep everyone posted.

 

Did you loosen any of the housings to clock it? If they aren't fully tightened, the CHRA will sag and cause binding. Tighten up the housings, the alignment is corrected and no more binding.

 

yes, i had to clock the inlet housing only. i made sure it was darn tight before putting it on the truck, but i will recheck all the bolts clamping it down . . .

 

Check the turbine housing bolts for good luck.

 

well after checking it again and talking to chris everything seems fine.

chris said nothing i said totally surprised him. the reason i heard the faint rubbing/contact sound when spinning it is because there is no oil PSI holding the shaft dead straight (it wanders very slightly without oil PSI). there are a couple of reasons for turbine stopping/starting while it was idling: thick assembly lube, cold oil, and piston ring(?) not properly seated yet.

i was talking with him after i took the intake tube off and he walked me thru some very simple directions while playing/spinning the turbine. i then started it up and let it idle for about 1 min and all seemed well, as the wheel never stopped spinning. shut it down, and it spun down gradually unlike yesterday when it stopped quickly. i then took it for a test drive to seat the piston ring and holy smokes does this thing pull! takes a lot to get it going with my fuel, but once it lights it never stops pulling until i let out!

well everything seems fine, i guess i just got a little worried too quickly. now can't wait to stud the head and get he injectors in to really have some fun!

 

Jason, the turbo should spin for five to ten seconds after you shut off the truck. If it stops when the truck is idling the turbo sounds pretty tight. Is the rubbing sound coming from the compressor or turbine? You could take off the compressor housing and see if the turbo spins easier. If the turbo is tight, and new, to me its not good enough. Maybe the shaft to tight to bushing clearance. That new turbo should spin and spin easy. If it was a ball bearing turbo you should see spinning for 30-60 seconds, on a new turbo. If its tight, send it back and get your money back.