Should I buy this eBay turbo cartridge?

shuswap

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Location
British Columbia
TDI
05 Golf TDI BEW auto
Tic toc... goes the time bomb.
......just kidding!
Keep us posted I'll need one at some point and hate to spend the extra moola if it isn't necessary.
 

50harleyrider

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 16, 2007
Location
charleston,wv
TDI
2005 B5.5 TDI/geared BSM, BV43A turbo,stage 2 TDTUNING. 2005 5sp manual passat tdi stage 2 tdtuning,BSM delete. 2015 Passat TDI 6sp manual.
G-pop sells a rebuild kit for the VNT 15. I have no idea where it is made. They can tell you that.

Even with a brand new "Made anywhere besides China" kit, you are talking about a device that turns more than 150,000 RPMs..... some say up to 200,000 RPMs. So, keeping the Turbine and Impeller "relationship" perfect (as in precise marking), is the big challenge. If they are not put back exactly as they were, the unit will be out of balance! Everything else inside the VNT 15 is quite simple!

I've stripped them to the bottom, cleaned and re-assembled! No complaints yet! Emphasis is on "yet.":D Talking just a clean-up, not a rebuild!
Read my thread on Gpop. Don't go there. They only do a static balance which is a bit less than 100,000 RPM. Get a turbo from Frans or buy a new (non-Chinese) one. The only exception to the Non-Chinese rule is a Holset. Holset has set up a factory over there and they are on top of the QA. Unfortunately our little TDI engines don't work with Holsets.
 
Last edited:

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Please allow me to make it abundantly clear, no where in this Thread did I suggest to have a VNT Turbo rebuilt by G-pop. I only stated they have Rebuild Kits for the VNT 15.

I can name a bad experience my brother had with a TDI Guru on the list. I know the entire details, from beginning to end. They admitted, after the fact, that the car was pushed thru the auction where they bought it....... then, patched it up and offered for sale. 11k miles later, a lifter disintegrated. The TB stayed in time, thus, upon inspection, there were other lifters with spider web cracks, obvious bent valves, etc.

My brother ate the cost of the aftermath. Although he is a member here, he did not trash them nor have I.
 

turbovan+tdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Location
Abbotsford, BC.
TDI
2003 TDI 2.0L ALH, auto, silver wagon, lowered, Colt stage 2 cam, ported head,205 injectors, 1756 turbo, Malone 2.0, 3" exhaust, 18" BBS RC GLI rims. 2004 blue GSW TDI, 5 speed, lowered, GLI BBS wheels painted black, Malone stage 2, Aerotur
I had a Rotomaster turbo on my recently bought ALH wagon, was replaced by the PO, its the whole meal deal. From day one, never seem to boost correctly, never really dug into it until the other day. Number one was no whistle at idle with the 3" exhaust? Off idle, the boost surged. So WTH, dug into it, the actuator was binding and the vanes weren't hitting the stop? With no exhaust, the turbo sounded ill, hard to explain the noise but my friend even said it sounded weird. Started up my black one, stock Garrett, with no exhaust and a totally different sound.
Having the turbo on the bench, I couldn't find anything wrong with the actuator or vanes? Ended up putting that can on a good used Garrett and now, it whistles at idle, the vanes hit the stop, and it sounds normal with no exhaust and no more off idle surging.
Very strange indeed, :confused:
 

BluFalcon

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Location
Kansas
TDI
13 Passat TDI
PREACH BROTHER! :D

OK, here's where people who have never overhauled a turbo should just remain silent. It ain't rocket science. And beware of vendors.

You wanna worry about something, worry about the big fat snap ring that will give you grief. Get a *GOOD* and *BIG* bent nose snap ring pliers. And be VERY very gentle inserting the cartridge. Installing the snap ring on the compressor is where you will ding a wheel. Busting loose the exhaust housing can too though.

If a wheel isn't balanced that is bad, but balance will not be effected by an overhaul any more than by reassembly by a builder. You still have to put it in after a combined balance. ;) Other than that, it's some piston ring looking seals and a couple brass bushings. I think you'd be hard pressed to find *any* wheel manufacturer that doesn't balance, or a cassette that has unbalanced wheels. :p
I worked in a turbo shop for a little over three years doing rebuilds, repairs, modifications to used turbochargers and assembly of new units as well.

A turbo isn't that complicated, but it is a precision device that is subject to very precise tolerances and machine work. I've seen many turbos eat themselves through either improper assembly, neglect and outright abuse.

Most of the Chinese turbo components and assemblies are very hit and miss. Improper machining, incorrect parts used in the assembly, poor balancing and most importantly lack of cleanliness during the assembly. Take your chances with this stuff, you usually get what you pay for.

As far as balancing of turbocharger components and assemblies, here's a post I wrote for the Galant VR-4 board awhile back detailing the different types of balancing used and how they accomplish it. Hope this helps clear up some myths.

Component Balancing - The compressor wheel, and turbine wheels can be balanced individually, before being installed in either a rotating assembly, or into a complete cartridge for for a cartridge balance. Just balancing the individual components and slapping them into a cartridge or onto a turbine wheel, is NOT a good idea. The components need to be assembled and balanced dynamically as either a rotating assembly, or in a assembled cartridge.

Rotating Assembly - Generally consists of a assembled Turbine Wheel/Shaft, along with a Compressor Wheel, Locknut, Thrust Collar and Thrust Sleeve.

After the parts are stacked on the Turbine Wheel, the Locknut is torqued down to factory spec, and alignment marks are scribed on the nose of the Compressor Wheel, the Turbine Wheel/Shaft and the Locknut. This is to ensure that after the assembly is balanced and taken back apart for installation into the bearing housing, that all three of these components remain in "phase" with each other when reassembled.

The assembly is placed in a specialized balance machine, and additional material is removed from the bottom of the Compressor Wheel and Turbine Wheel with a hand or bench grinder, until the assembly is balanced to spec.

Once balanced, the components are disassembled, cleaned, and installed into a assembled bearing housing to form a cartridge, or CHRA. This is how most shops used to do things, before cartridge balancers were made available.


Cartridge Balance - The balanced Compressor and Turbine Wheel are installed into a assembled Bearing Housing, and the entire CHRA is placed into the balance machine.

A small belt, or a directed air jet spins the Turbine Wheel on the CHRA and material is removed from the Locknut, Compressor Wheel Nose (in some extreme cases) and from the small "nut" on the back of the Turbine Wheel. This is the most accurate, and cost effective way to balance a CHRA, as all the components are spinning dynamically, and are riding on the actual bearings in the Bearing Housing.

Most of the larger rebuild shops use this method, because it's quick, and most importantly, accurate and allows your turbocharger to enjoy a nice healthy, life.

When it's spinning as fast as some people push their turbos. the smallest imbalance or error made while assembling the turbo can dramatically shorten its operational life.

Assuming you don't cock it up by running it out of oil, dropping pressure while operating or letting bits of your engine contaminate the oil supply.
 

Jesus Is Lord

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2014
Location
Hersey, MI
TDI
2005 Passat TDI Wagon 144,000 2003 Eurovan VR6 2007 Touareg V10 TDI 158,000
I did put a Rotomaster CHRA in our 2000 Jetta about 6 months ago. So far it works great, we have put about 20,000 miles on it (about half of that towing). No more oil in the intercooler like the CHRA it replaced.

I am just posting my experience. I don't know if there is enough evidence yet to say they are always good, but so far it works good.
 
Top