Turbo Failure: Boost Up Instead Of Blowing Up

We think of turbochargers as god-like challengers of physics, capable of miraculously expanding the size on an engine and endowing it with awe-inspiring amounts of power. But as divine and brutish as turbos come off, the truth is a rather precarious wafer-thin layer of oil is all that's keeping a fiercely boosting turbo from going critical mass, sending shrapnel flying and bringing the party to a halt.

The point of contention is the center section; the main shaft and a collection of bearings that keep the wheels purring even at stratospheric 100,000-rpm speeds. Generally turbo-bearing failure can play out in two ways-a quick death by oil starvation or a long, drawn out suffering compliments of an imbalance. Of course, there are more ways a turbo can meet its maker but these are the most prominent.

Oil starvation can be the result of simply burning oil, kinking a turbo oil line, losing oil pressure in some manner, suffering from oil coking or any number of other horror show scenarios. When this happens in a sudden and significant manner the bearing squeals and seizes or the wheel violently slams into the housing, which in many cases can twist the wheel completely off the shaft. Bottom line, it's game over for your turbo.

The end came quickly for these poor turbos. Death by wheel shaft snap and a twin killing featuring death by wheel explosion/housing burst. The culprit is profound neglect as evidenced by the coked oil residue resulting in a single, catastrophic event. Either way something serious has gone down. But it's not always quick. A gradual oil starvation can compromise the turbo's bearing and lead to a wheel imbalance. The wheel assembly can see well over 120,000 rpm, which explains why balance is so critical.