Some turbo advice please.

Princey · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:33

Ok it's been confirmed that the oil seals on my Turbo are pretty much shagged. The car is of course out of the main dealer warranty but I still have a 3 year warranty with the tuners which cover parts effected buy the state of tune. I emailed them today to see what there stance was and they said they doubt they would cover it as its wear and tear and the fact it made it to 40,000 miles is good going. This seems premature to me.

stulid · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:36

get a T4 hybrid fitted, with ceramic core.

Princey · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:36

I can get a brand new turbo and manifold for £475 in a worst case scenario, how much should I expect for fitting?

Phate · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:37

I thought that'd cost you a lot more for the turbo dude!

No chance of you getting your hands dirty and doing it yourself?

Princey · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:38

Ha I struggled to change my own oil the other day, so changing a turbo is a no no.

stulid · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:40

take about 3-4hrs at a garage, so will cost silly money at their hourly rates, you sure you can't do it yourself?

Princey · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:42

Pretty sure yes, maybe with the right tools I could give it a shot.... Do they come preset?

Joshy · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:49

Just out of interest - Did you allow the car to idle for a few minutes after a spirited drive let the Turbo to cool down?

40K does seem very premature!

Princey · 11 Jul 2010 at 21:52

Yes always. Well I guess their argument is that its the seals that have gone and this is wear and tear. It's not like the actual turbo has failed mechanically.

mjt · 11 Jul 2010 at 22:49

Could you not flog it to somebody who hasn't got a clue, or is it too late?

Princey · 12 Jul 2010 at 10:04

I've been quoted £1000 for a brand new fitted turbo and manifold and Vauxhall.

MOOGLEYS · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:09

The turbo on the VXR is not hard to change even with little knowledge you could do it in a day and save yourself a fortune. There are quite a few guides online that take you through a step by step.

How bad is it smoking ? My 300bhp astra turbo used to smoke a bit when pushed even with a brand new turbo. Does it smoke at idle..?

Scania · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:12

40k seems very low for a turbo, I got considerably more from an oil cooled Escort RST that was known for premature turbo failure.

I'm guessing yours is water cooled and, logically, less prone to failure?

Princey · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:15

MOOGLEYS said:
The turbo on the VXR is not hard to change even with little knowledge you could do it in a day and save yourself a fortune. There are quite a few guides online that take you through a step by step.

How bad is it smoking ? My 300bhp astra turbo used to smoke a bit when pushed even with a brand new turbo. Does it smoke at idle..?

It doesn't smoke at idle or when pushed, its only once its been sat running for a few minutes and then you blip the trottle, you'll get a puff of blue smoke out.

MikeHiow · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:21

You should be able to manage this yourself, its fiddly at worse, but seeing as the Turbo is integrated into the manifold then its just a case of unbolt and replace pretty much.

I'd have thought the actuator would come ready to go (if it comes with one), but you can use your old one for reference. Having the boost controlled by the ECU, the actuator doesn't need to be perfect.

Princey · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:22

Does the entre front end need to come off?

MikeHiow · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:25

I've no idea with the Astra, as I don't recall how much space is available - I'm pretty sure I could have managed it in my Corsa though.

Your best bet is to ask on VXRO.

Prophet · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:26

Princey said:
Does the entre front end need to come off?

No. It's very similar to the C20LET I used to own. I could change the turbo on that in a couple of hours with a tea break and I'm no mechanic.

Should be much easier on a newish car. Most of the bolts had rusted on mine.

Princey · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:28

I shall have a gander when it stops raining.

MOOGLEYS · 12 Jul 2010 at 12:30

Princey said:
It doesn't smoke at idle or when pushed, its only once its been sat running for a few minutes and then you blip the trottle, you'll get a puff of blue smoke out.

If it gooes away i wouldnt worry about it tbh.. If its not smoking when idling then its not that bad. Mine did pretty much the same with a new turbo.

Which oil are you using and what rating.. ?

You dont need to remove the front end, having the car up on a decent set of stands is all that is needed. Drain the oil and water and its just a case of unbolt and remove, swap a couple of pipes on the turbo and re-fit.. Its actually very easy to do. You will need the fitting kit which comes with the gaskets..

Where are you buying the turbo from Autovaux ?