turbo oil seals
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi

Have been running turbo in a mini now for quite a while. Recently I have been noticing oil in the pipes for the dump valve. This pipe comes out of the inlet manifold so my question is how does oil get into the inlet manifold. It must be coming through the turbo, right?

Thanks

Colas

how much oil is there?

Team Racing

Hi
Enough to make it look like there is oil in there and blue smoke everywhere when its warm. No oil on spark plugs and everything runs fine. But there shouldnt be oil in there?????

Colas

Check to see if any of your breather system connects into your air inlet pipes. This is quite common practice as it would allow oil to be burnt off, it would also show up on the bores of the pipes.

Mind you if your getting smoke when its warmed up it could indicate you have an actual oil leak somewhere like the turbo oil seals.

this make me think of a burned turbo...., you should rebuild your turbo with a rebuild kit, it will stop the oil to leak in the turbo wheels hsg. you can also try to reduce the oil pressure at your turbo inlet, as turbos don't like high oil pressures, they just need flow (good oil), 4 psi's are ok. this will help to keep the oil inside the oil passages and stop splashing in the comp turb wheels side.
fab

How do I reduce the oil pressure at the turbo. Is there some sore or reducer and if so where do i get one?

Colas

Hi Fab, you mean 4 bar not 4 psi, right?
Harry

Bimmer Twinky headed and turboed A-Series:
http://www.minifreunde.at/harry/projects.htm

Ok. I took off the plenum chamber to make it run with out turbo and this has stopped the clouds of smoke coming from the tail pipe. It's got to be the turbo. Does anyone know of any workshop manuals that show how to strip and rebuild a turbo? And will a rebuild kit for any T3 be Ok?

Thanks

Colas

not , Harry, 2.5 bar are only needed to well lubrificate the turbo bearings , but they need a constant highflow ( good quality oil pump and very high quality oil , I'm using motorbike 15w50 racing oil)
about the turbo it's easy to rebuild (the t3 is also easier than the T2 as it doesn't have this ZZZRRRCCC clips but use bolts, I'll post a topic in the how to section this saturday.
about the rebuild kit itself answer on your other post.
cheers

fab

sorry harry have answered too fast, evidently 4 psi's are a lot insuffisant,
2.5 bar at hot engine idling is ok as oil pressure will increase in the revs, this make the oil pressure rapidly othercome the max 65 psi's limit proof pressure of the turbo seals, so if your engine oil pressure constantly show a very high pressure check your oil pressure at the turbo line, if it is more than 4 bars and induce a smoking turbo then make a derivation in the turbo oil line pipe and the T piece allowing the oil to go back in the sump, then restrict his bore unteal you have a min of 2.5 bar and max 4/4.5 bars at the turbo