Alex22
Veteran Member
TLDR: new top end and turbo cartridge, smokes a LOT still. Ideas?
My 2014's replacement TDI has become a long term project and now a PITA.
I bought a '06 with a bad cam, everything else seemed fine and it came with a stack of dealership service records from the original owner.
Full top end rebuild:
New guides, all exhaust valves, all guides, reground intake valves, valve job, a few minutes of porting to clean up the short turn radius on the exhaust, Frank06 cam, bearings and black lifters, 2.5" downpipe, EGR delete.
After reassembly I fired it up and broke in the cam I drove it up and down the driveway a few times since it wasn't registered. Everything seemed fine. Came back in a few weeks to finish putting the front end back together and clean it up a bit and it started smoking (blue smoke) pretty heavily. Thought it may have just been burning some crud out from sitting or assembly but it kept on huffing smoke. I disconnected the downpipe and saw the hot side wheel was soaked in oil with a small puddle still in there. Consensus among a few friends who deal with turbos and turbodiesels regularly said it was likely the hot side oil seal.
Replacement turbo cartridge from xsboostturbochargers came in (british manufacturer that I cannot recall the name of at the moment.) All looked good so I swapped the parts over and reinstalled the turbo. The intake and exhaust ports on the cylinder head looked nice and clean when I got back there with an inspection mirror.
Brought it back out of the garage today with a bit of smoke which I figured was just the oil that had made it into the exhaust system burning off. Turns out I was wrong and it belched out about the same amount of smoke for the next 15 miles or so until I could swap it out for my current DD.
Lower itercooler hose was nice and clean, just a hint of oil if you wipe a paper towel in there.
Only check engine was for the EGR.
Power and boost felt good while driving it
What else do you think could have gone wrong or broken on me during this rebuild?
My 2014's replacement TDI has become a long term project and now a PITA.
I bought a '06 with a bad cam, everything else seemed fine and it came with a stack of dealership service records from the original owner.
Full top end rebuild:
New guides, all exhaust valves, all guides, reground intake valves, valve job, a few minutes of porting to clean up the short turn radius on the exhaust, Frank06 cam, bearings and black lifters, 2.5" downpipe, EGR delete.
After reassembly I fired it up and broke in the cam I drove it up and down the driveway a few times since it wasn't registered. Everything seemed fine. Came back in a few weeks to finish putting the front end back together and clean it up a bit and it started smoking (blue smoke) pretty heavily. Thought it may have just been burning some crud out from sitting or assembly but it kept on huffing smoke. I disconnected the downpipe and saw the hot side wheel was soaked in oil with a small puddle still in there. Consensus among a few friends who deal with turbos and turbodiesels regularly said it was likely the hot side oil seal.
Replacement turbo cartridge from xsboostturbochargers came in (british manufacturer that I cannot recall the name of at the moment.) All looked good so I swapped the parts over and reinstalled the turbo. The intake and exhaust ports on the cylinder head looked nice and clean when I got back there with an inspection mirror.
Brought it back out of the garage today with a bit of smoke which I figured was just the oil that had made it into the exhaust system burning off. Turns out I was wrong and it belched out about the same amount of smoke for the next 15 miles or so until I could swap it out for my current DD.
Lower itercooler hose was nice and clean, just a hint of oil if you wipe a paper towel in there.
Only check engine was for the EGR.
Power and boost felt good while driving it
What else do you think could have gone wrong or broken on me during this rebuild?