320d E90 turbo seal?

[petermoffat]

My 320d started smoking this morning as I pulled out of the driveway. Smells like oil, and is belching quite a bit. Drove about a km to a workshop..

Power feels fine, as do gear changes on the auto box. No funny noises. Is it a turbo seal? Has the turbo gone? Is it a good thing it didn't do it with a bang?

Mileage is 165k km.

 

[P1000]

Firstly, stop driving it. Diesel runaway can occur and destroy the engine completely, if the oil is feeding into the intake. It is most likely the turbo. Make sure you get a complete NEW turbo from Engineparts, they are the importers and will have the best price. Don't take a change with a rebuild.

Yes, it is very good that it did not go with a bang.

Good luck. Make sure you get a good mech to do the work, with a warranty.

 

[petermoffat]

I drove it about 1km to a workshop up the road. Very wary of runaway!

I've spoken to the mech now, and it could be a few things, either seals have worn on their own, or crank breather filter is clogged or damaged, causing a build up in pressure leading to seal failure.

Either way, I suspect a new turbo is in order.

 

[P1000]

The chances of it being the breather is relatively low, assuming your car has the updated vortex type. It should also be easy to test, but involves starting the car, which is not advisable. Anyway, you should change the breather in any event just to be safe, along with all the turbo pipes if you replace the turbo. You should also check the breather piping and make sure it is clear of obstructions.

 

[netercol]

Mileage is 165k km

agreed, 90% probable turbo seals

 

[petermoffat]

Crank breather element is completely clogged. Replacing that now.

Had a look at the impeller on the intake side, and no damage or pitting visible. How much play should there be in the shaft? Mech says there will be a small amount as the bearings need to allow for oil to create a film. Is this correct? If I grip the shaft there is a very small amount of movement from side to side, I would guess less than half a mm?

 

[netercol]

Crank breather element is completely clogged. Replacing that now.

Had a look at the impeller on the intake side, and no damage or pitting visible. How much play should there be in the shaft? Mech says there will be a small amount as the bearings need to allow for oil to create a film. Is this correct? If I grip the shaft there is a very small amount of movement from side to side, I would guess less than half a mm?

lol, very interesting.. the turbo should have a small amount of play on the shaft, judging by your description, sounds about right for the k's on the turbo.

 

[P1000]

Crank breather element is completely clogged. Replacing that now.

Had a look at the impeller on the intake side, and no damage or pitting visible. How much play should there be in the shaft? Mech says there will be a small amount as the bearings need to allow for oil to create a film. Is this correct? If I grip the shaft there is a very small amount of movement from side to side, I would guess less than half a mm?

That is not a good gauge for seal status, you would need to disassemble to determine their condition. If you replace the breather and the smoke is gone, you are good to go.

 

[petermoffat]

That's the plan now, theres obviously some oil in the exhaust and cat that needs to burn off, but I'll take a drive this evening to pmb and hopefully burn enough to see if there's a difference tomorrow morning.

I won't lie, I'm hella nervous about it though..

 

[petermoffat]

Just an update..

I lost a bit of faith in the car, and was not happy to keep it to see if the turbo was going to pop.

I convinced myself that it had started using oil as well, though, I drove another 5000km before trading it, and in that time I put half a pint in and it may have overfilled..

Anyway, I traded it for an '08 Mini Cooper S at the end of Febimp:

Absolutely loving this car!