Here's my issue. I had a serious oil leak this weekend, due to a poorly installed oil filter (I'd rather not get into that). I noticed it immediately and parked my car in a pep boys parking lot until they opened to get a new filter more oil etc.. My issue now is my Turbo does not spool up period. And I don't know what to do, what to look for. Also is driving the car in this state going to ruin it further?? Please help!!
Maybe a 1/4 mile if that. I was still leaking a good bit of oil when I got to pep boys so I don't think I was out of oil on the 1/4 stretch.
Is there any way I can inspect to see if this is the case? If this is the case does this mean I need a new turbo or have this one fixed? Can I still drive my car safely with my turbo in this state? Many thanks in advance!
No I only have the first gen AP. I do have a boost gauge though. From what I can recall the gauge does not break 0 bars (I think thats the unit it measures in). It starts of in the negative at the 6 o'clock position and only makes it to 0 which is at the 9 o'clock position.
if you were starved of more than a qt of oil for any period of time i think the turbo wouldn't be the only thing you'd need to think about replacing....
Nope the actual motor sounds fine, its actually quieter as I do not hear the turbo spool/bov like I used to. I smelled where you pour oil into and did not notice any kind of burnt odor, not sure if this helps diagnose engine starvation or not...
If you are building no pressure sounds like the wastegate isn't attached to the arm and is in free play and not staying shut. You should be getting wastegate pressure at a minimum.
Did you drain the oil that was in there? Any metal? However that has NOTHING to do with boost though.
I did not, I did remove and install a new filter. When I removed the filter and inspected the oil I did not see any metal. If you think its worth it I can drain the oil and inspect it as well.
Yes check that pic above. If you had to fill up the car with more than 1 qt of oil, I'd be very concerned about those bearings.........DUMP the current oil and inspect it ASAP. I would not drive it a bit.
I don't want to get ahead of myself, but assuming the turbo is hosed... what type of turbo does the 03 WRX come equipped with? Do you know of any good salvage yards around here? A good friend of mine refereed me to a site www.car-part.com and it looks like they have decent prices, but I wanted to compare those prices with that of a new one to see if it would be worth the money for a new one, or an upgrade. Unfortunately the car part site does not list the type/model number of the stock turbo. Thanks again,
Theres no need for him to get ahead of himself. If he F'd the bearings he'll know soon but I wouldnt suggest tearing the motor apart because MAYBE he ran it too low for too long. Get the the turbo and see if everything is fine. Take it easy for 500 to 1k miles and see if you hear any new noises from the engine, if not then im sure your fine.
I thought he said earlier in his post's that he was going to drain and inspect, anyway no big deal. He more than likely just F'd an aging turbo.
First and foremost Thanks for everyone's replies. I drained the oil and there is no sign of metal!! or any debris for that matter. I've taken it to a local shop to take out the turbo and inspect it. If the turbo needs to be replaced what is a decent replacement/upgrade that won't cost a fortune, and will allow me to keep my stock internals?
if you are staying with stock injectors no upgrade. Got STi pink injectors or stock 06/07 WRX injectors then go VF39/VF43. If you upgrade injectors you need to upgrade fuel pump. So for cost stock = cheapest. Upgrade to VF series a bit of $$$ ($~300 for injectors, ~$100 for fuel pump, ~$300-400 for good turbo, then tuning and engine management).
If you are thinking about turbo upgrade, you will also need to think about tuning, injectors, fuel pump. I see you have a Cobb AP. I think they have an off the shelf map for a VF-39 I think. That is an option. As far as sourcing a turbo stock or otherwise. Search the forums here, NASIOC, craigslist, or junkyards. A TD-04 should not be too pricey (less than $200 and maybe less than $100). Also I think there was difference in the actuator arm in the later TD04's and you may need to reuse your old one. Maybe someone will chime in on that.
Oh, how I wish I had extra money laying around . If I were to buy a used turbo, what are things I should be looking at to ensure it is still in good running condition?
How difficult, if I were to swap with same model turbo, is it to swap the turbo myself? What all is involved, and what are the nuances I should beware of?
Turbo is easy peasy. Take off TMIC, downpipe and bam a few hoses and bolts it's out. I've done the job in 1 - 2 hours taking my time. All the hard stuff is done since you've already took the stock downpipe off.
Just wanted to post an update, and thank everyone for their help. I've successfully swapped out the turbo and changed the oil one more time just to be sure, and the car seems to be back to normal with boost!! Thanks everyone!!