[Aramis]

Before i start, here are some specs of the car
306D3 engine (170kw/228hp)
3” downpipe
2.5” straight pipe
Remapped to roughly 210kw/280hp 600nm

Had the turbo replaced a year ago and it blew after the first 5 months, had it repaired and it blew again in 10 months. Every time i have checked, there is some oil in the intercooler. Now i was told that running a downpipe and straight pipe requires also a hybrid turbo. How much truth is in there? I would hate to drop 1k on a hybrid, just for it to blow in 6 months time

[krashDH]

Originally Posted by Aramis

Before i start, here are some specs of the car
306D3 engine (170kw/228hp)
3” downpipe
2.5” straight pipe
Remapped to roughly 210kw/280hp 600nm

Had the turbo replaced a year ago and it blew after the first 5 months, had it repaired and it blew again in 10 months. Every time i have checked, there is some oil in the intercooler. Now i was told that running a downpipe and straight pipe requires also a hybrid turbo. How much truth is in there? I would hate to drop 1k on a hybrid, just for it to blow in 6 months time

Your downpipe is not causing turbo failures. You didn't mention what "kind" of turbos were replaced. Cheap chinese? Non OEM? Oil in the intercooler isn't uncommon, but it should be very very little. If there's a significant amount your turbo seals are leaking. So it's either cheap parts, or your system is way over pressurized causing seal failure. Probably going to need to know more detailed info.

[Aramis]

Originally Posted by krashDH

Your downpipe is not causing turbo failures. You didn't mention what "kind" of turbos were replaced. Cheap chinese? Non OEM? Oil in the intercooler isn't uncommon, but it should be very very little. If there's a significant amount your turbo seals are leaking. So it's either cheap parts, or your system is way over pressurized causing seal failure. Probably going to need to know more detailed info.

The turbo itself was a reman turbo from a local shop who rebuilds them, originally why the turbo was replaced was because the blades were worn and the actuator was pretty much melted from being the hot environment (no doubt it was the original one from factory). I’m going to get the engine compression tested in the coming days to see how healthy the engine itself is. Would i be okay to get a second hand oem turbo instead of a reman or an upgraded hybrid? Would a half assed egr/dpf delete cause excessive pressure in any way? I take it that once a turbo gets rebuilt it can’t handle as much as an oem in decent condition?

[krashDH]

Originally Posted by Aramis

The turbo itself was a reman turbo from a local shop who rebuilds them, originally why the turbo was replaced was because the blades were worn and the actuator was pretty much melted from being the hot environment (no doubt it was the original one from factory). I’m going to get the engine compression tested in the coming days to see how healthy the engine itself is. Would i be okay to get a second hand oem turbo instead of a reman or an upgraded hybrid? Would a half assed egr/dpf delete cause excessive pressure in any way? I take it that once a turbo gets rebuilt it can’t handle as much as an oem in decent condition?

There are places that can rebuild turbos just fine, but there's even more that can't. I think it comes down to crap parts, again. The cartridges are usually replaced and if they're not quality they are going to give you issues. It's rare that the housing will ever go bad and cause these issues, so it's the aftermarket cartridges are used.

If you're not confident installing cartridges I'd be very picky about the place that I would let do any turbo work on. It would have to be very reputable and I'd likely bring them a turbo. That being said I'd do more research and see what kind of options people have gone with for internals on these components.

[Aramis]

Originally Posted by krashDH

There are places that can rebuild turbos just fine, but there's even more that can't. I think it comes down to crap parts, again. The cartridges are usually replaced and if they're not quality they are going to give you issues. It's rare that the housing will ever go bad and cause these issues, so it's the aftermarket cartridges are used.

If you're not confident installing cartridges I'd be very picky about the place that I would let do any turbo work on. It would have to be very reputable and I'd likely bring them a turbo. That being said I'd do more research and see what kind of options people have gone with for internals on these components.

I’ll probably go for a second hand oem for now, probably will pair it with a catch can and see how it will work then. Have to see what the compression test says. It did puff quite a bit of smoke from the oil filler cap when i checked it last

[lnxguy]

That's steam coming out of the oil cap, not oil. Also, don't remove the cap when the engine is running this is a useless test.

And oil in the intact track is completely normal, this is how to CCV system works.

If you've had two failures I'd chaulk it up to those rebuilt turbos being garbage.

[Aramis]

Originally Posted by lnxguy

That's steam coming out of the oil cap, not oil. Also, don't remove the cap when the engine is running this is a useless test.

And oil in the intact track is completely normal, this is how to CCV system works.

If you've had two failures I'd chaulk it up to those rebuilt turbos being garbage.

I removed the cap and compared it to a E70 35D with a freshly rebuilt N57. The N57 had almost nothing puffing out. I do think it is not anything catastrophic but wouldn’t hurt to check compression while the car is already at the shop.

[krashDH]

Originally Posted by Aramis

I removed the cap and compared it to a E70 35D with a freshly rebuilt N57. The N57 had almost nothing puffing out. I do think it is not anything catastrophic but wouldn’t hurt to check compression while the car is already at the shop.

Yeah it's called the blowby test by flipping the cap and watching it, common in the truck diesel world. It's not a detailed test by any means, just gives you a visual of the severity of backpressure getting past the rings. If it blows off you're basically in for a rebuild. If it just rattles around you're likely in better shape. But it's not definitive by any means, just can indicate a potential issue.

[lnxguy]

Originally Posted by Aramis

I removed the cap and compared it to a E70 35D with a freshly rebuilt N57. The N57 had almost nothing puffing out. I do think it is not anything catastrophic but wouldn’t hurt to check compression while the car is already at the shop.

It is normal, it also depends if the engine is hot or cold. This test is completely useless. It's the same as guys opening up the oil cap and hearing the injectors firing off and thinking they've got bad rod bearings..

These engines are NOTHING like a big boy diesels you'd find in a truck.

[Aramis]

Originally Posted by lnxguy

It is normal, it also depends if the engine is hot or cold. This test is completely useless. It's the same as guys opening up the oil cap and hearing the injectors firing off and thinking they've got bad rod bearings..

These engines are NOTHING like a big boy diesels you'd find in a truck.

I would disagree, it gives you a rough estimate wheter or not the engine is healthy. Yes having said that you can’t say for sure. But saying it is useless is a strech imho

[Aramis]

After 2 long weeks i have managed to get the turbo replaced, there pressure coming all the way up to the manifold, but the main issue is still present. Car runs fine, apart from the loud exhaust note and little to no power. I was thinking of something vaccum related or the cranckshaft pulley. Since there is quite a bit of oil on the undertray. And it did seem to have a faint squaling noise in the front of the engine. There is no more blue smoke but instead some black smoke when revving to about 1400. Any input on this?

[lnxguy]

Boost leak.

[Aramis]

Originally Posted by lnxguy

Boost leak.

As i stated, the turbo is boosting fine, no leaks detected all the way to the manifold. Its almost like it has bad timing or the ecu is getting false readings somewhere. The MAP sensor is also less than a year old

[MidWillamette335d]

Download the BimmerTool app, it's free last I checked. Scan for codes and run some logs (actual/expected). You'll need the appropriate cable