Diagnosis

It is highly recommended to consult your mechanic whenever trying to diagnose whether a turbocharger reconditioning, rebuild or replacement is required. Note, that there are often underlying causes of the part’s failure which should be eliminated prior to installing a new part/recon turbo.

There are several symptoms to watch out for:

  • oil:
    • leaks,
    • high consumption,
  • exhaust smoke:
    • black,
    • blue,
  • boost:
    • too high,
    • too low/insufficient,
  • noises.

Potential causes of these symptoms include dirty oil, clogged air filter, problems with oil pressure, physical damage to the turbocharger (housing, bearing), defective seals, sludge in the housing and more.

If any (or all) symptoms are observed it is important to immediately consult a professional. Only after a complete diagnosis, can the cause of failure be identified properly – and repaired. Trying to inspect the part by yourself or driving with failing part might cause irreversible damage to it.