MoarBoost Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) Hi all, Long time lurker, haven't had much reason to post except for now. First off the bat, thanks to everybody whose contributed so much to content to help me understand what the h-e-double-hockey-stick started happening with my sweet baby RBP LGT. Just a quick taste, this is a symptom of what happened: http://i.imgur.com/ullI6y5.jpg If you're interested, read on. If you want to see a VF40 teardown, read on. If you want to hear about my stupidity, read on. So a little story... I was driving from Charlotte, NC back home to Asheville, NC. about 100 miles, and about 2/3 through, I have to make a big elevation climb to get up into the mountains of WNC. At the beginning of the trip though, I got a CEL. I had my bluetooth OBDII transmitter plugged in, but for some reason, my phone wouldn't connect and I couldn't pull the code. About 2 months ago, I replaced the rear wheel bearings in the LGT, which had been making a real racket. At the beginning of the trip, I thought I heard what sounded like the front wheel bearings starting to get bad. I got halfway to Asheville to fill up for gas, but had a funny feeling, about what was happening, so I popped the hood and checked the oil. Sh!t. Oil was way low, hardly showing up on the dipstick (more about the oil later) so I bought a quart and poured it in and off I went. 15 minutes later, I heard a strange noise coming from behind my dash. What sounded like a vacuum canister rapidly losing vacuum..vhoop! vhoop! I quickly realized this sound came only after I took my foot off the gas pedal. "sh!t i'm losing boost. That's the wastegate actuator." Just a couple minutes later, and I realized that when I put my foot down, I had no boost. I still had to get up the big hill. I was weighing my options and decided to drive it home. In hindsight, I should've had AAA and I should've just stopped and gotten it towed... I limped it back as best I could, going slow. Very slow.I thought a 2.5i legacy was slow, but there really is nothing slower than a newly rebranded naturally aspirated 2.5 LGT. I got to a stoplight, started from a stop and heard a terrible sound. Truly, like nuts and bolts in a tin can. I thought "God, that sounds like a loose turbine wheel in the turbine housing." (serious foresight here) Got to the next stoplight and started off even slower. Fewer nuts and bolts in the tin can, but they're still there. Got to my destination, shut off the car. Important observations: I never noticed any smoke out the back while limping it home, however after I parked it for a day I started it back up for a hot second and created a most heinous cloud of blue smoke, not to mention that terrible sound. This is where the story starts. http://i.imgur.com/0nkMNB4.jpg Edited August 11, 2017 by MoarBoost stupid photobucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 8, 2017 Author Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) http://i.imgur.com/cbdstc9.jpg Start disassembling. I didn't quite know what I was doing, so I just started taking things off. I never had much reason to work on the LGT because it's always been so reliable and perfect. This is the first smudge, I guess. Obviously, if the turbo blows, which is what i suspected, my first concern is if I have parts of the compressor wheel going through the intake system. My second concern is getting metal shavings in the oil. I can easily inspect for comp wheel bits, but I'll have to drain and send off a sample of my oil for inspection later on. First off, TMIC off and inspect for loose aluminum bits. outlet seems clear of bits. http://i.imgur.com/PIZ19Kx.jpg inlet seems clear of bits. that's good. (sh!t photo, but I could see) http://i.imgur.com/LWOkdDW.jpg shot down the compressor outlet. Nothing blatantly obvious, but then again, any loose bits will fall to the bottom of the volute. There is quite a bit of oil on the flange though... curious. http://i.imgur.com/kL2qKUc.jpg A shot of the VF40 in its home with the heatshield: http://i.imgur.com/tKgf5AT.jpg and without the heatshield: http://i.imgur.com/hya0WX9.jpg I thought I had to take off the intake manifold to get to the turbo, but it turns out, you don't need to. I still took off all those bolts. This is me trying to stay organized. http://i.imgur.com/7LTjMbo.jpg Took off the hose pipe from the TMIC to the throttle body and found a weird pool of sludgy milkshake in there: http://i.imgur.com/m47GZsq.jpg poured it out to get a better look: http://i.imgur.com/LVZuzY0.jpg this had me freaking out a little bit. "sh!t do I have a bunch of coolant in my oil?!" I drained the oil, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was all completely black. No milkshake, no globules of water, just black. As stated before, I'll send off a sample of that to blackstone to be analyzed. I finally figured out that all I needed to do was remove the downpipe and I could get to the turbo. I removed the downpipe carefully, brought it over to a scrap of paper and shook out whatever got caught by the catalyst: http://i.imgur.com/qEu5zdj.jpg Those metal shards sure do look like turbine wheel bits. More to come later. Edited August 11, 2017 by MoarBoost stupid photobucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc6 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 OMG this brings back memories. Vhoop sound, metallic popcorn popping sound and me still driving it. You at least got a tow I limped it back home 20 miles to go grab a rental. Real question is what did the oil in the pan look like? 2005 Satin White Pearl Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Unlimited 5EAT (Project Car) 2019 Agate Black Ford Explorer XLT 4WD (DD) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 8, 2017 Author Share Posted August 8, 2017 Ha! I actually didn't get a tow. I should've, but I didn't. I limped it up 30 miles up a mountain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cseagle08 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 I know i'm interrupting mid story, but did you ever find out what code it lit up before the turbo peaced out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 8, 2017 Author Share Posted August 8, 2017 By all means interrupt! The ending of the story hasn't been written yet I haven't disconnected the battery yet so the code should still be saved. I'm going to still try to pull it. I'll post it when I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkinslow Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 Sub'd for crying, cussing, and hopefully a happy ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 8, 2017 Author Share Posted August 8, 2017 I'll be posting the full turbo tear-down soon, but probably not tonight since I'll be driving down to GA to pick up a lightly used VF52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdmayne Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 I love how you East coasters just hop about states like its no big deal. It amazes me how much closer everything seems to be over there. Hoping you get by with a new turbo and not YNANSB John Hancock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanyb505 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 Sucks man. I'm sure you'll be able to tackle a lot of the work yourself. I'm only about an hour and a half away so let me know if you need a hand for anything! I love how you East coasters just hop about states like its no big deal. It amazes me how much closer everything seems to be over there. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 8, 2017 Author Share Posted August 8, 2017 Yeah, this east coast living is new to me. Been here almost 4 years, but I grew up in Minnesota and Iowa. I gotta say, the driving up here in the mountains of WNC is SOOOOO much better than the boring state-long straights that criss cross the midwest. Winter driving is a little less exciting though. Back where I grew up, it would've taken no less than two hours to cross the state border in any direction, now I can hit three states in that time! Thanks for the offer, seanyb505. I will no doubt be seeking out a lot of advice here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 8, 2017 Author Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) here's another random turbo teardown teaser: http://i.imgur.com/yWuLcvI.jpg Edited August 11, 2017 by MoarBoost stupid photobucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated Too sigmafour Posted August 9, 2017 I Donated Too Share Posted August 9, 2017 screw photobucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc6 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 screw photobucket Like all the pics worked when I replied. I guess it's only a matter of time when all mine are gone when my "Paid Account" goes obsolete. 2005 Satin White Pearl Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Unlimited 5EAT (Project Car) 2019 Agate Black Ford Explorer XLT 4WD (DD) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 10, 2017 Author Share Posted August 10, 2017 Yeah sorry guys, I'll get the images fixed. BTW, bought a used VF52. Picked it up, looks pristine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkinslow Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 So I guess at this point you are trying to salvage the motor? What did the oil look like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 11, 2017 Author Share Posted August 11, 2017 (edited) Lets see if google photos is a good for image hosting... New turbo: http://i.imgur.com/cS29lPQ.jpg i'm surprised. The turbo looks nearly brand new. Or maybe anything would next to that mangled turbine wheel. http://i.imgur.com/Ba5Rlnj.jpg Oil seems good. No milkshake. Just black. I took a sample and am sending it off to Blackstone Labs. http://i.imgur.com/M9p7DJI.jpg Edited August 11, 2017 by MoarBoost fixed images. I've been out of the game for too long! also: f*ck photobucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 (edited) Nope, looks like the permissions on those images is not public. You can see them, but we can't. Yea! Working now. Edited August 11, 2017 by Infosecdad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesA Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 Pictures aren't working for me, either, I see something that looks like a "No Entry" sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkinslow Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 I see pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 11, 2017 Author Share Posted August 11, 2017 http://i.imgur.com/KGWCOlN.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1-3-2-4 Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 OMG this brings back memories. Vhoop sound, metallic popcorn popping sound and me still driving it. You at least got a tow I limped it back home 20 miles to go grab a rental. Real question is what did the oil in the pan look like? Ahh that Vhoop sound.. I was trying to describe that sound when it happened to me.. it sounded almost like a sound that would be in a cartoon... in my case I was over 50 miles from home.. round trip you are talking like 100 miles I did with no boost.. 2nd turbo died until 300 miles and when I pulled the banjo filter behind the head (I forgot that one) I was unable to see much of any light behind the filter. But that sound... you 100% wont forget it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 11, 2017 Author Share Posted August 11, 2017 (edited) Glad to hear I'm not the only one and thanks a lot for the words of wisdom/experience. So what else do I need to do to fix this issue before I just replace the turbo? Do I need to detach the uppipe and shake it out? Do I need to remove oil filters in the oil lines on the turbo and motor side? What else should I do to ensure a safe and healthy motor (assuming the oil filter caught all of the particles)? This is my plan at the moment: 1) get Blackstone Labs to tell me that my motor isn't ready to spin a bearing 1.5) oil system flush 2) replace turbo with VF52 3) install wideband o2 sensor into stock downpipe 4) install boost gauge 5) replace intake manifold, turbo gaskets with stock replacements 6) if necessary for a safe, reliable fix, have tuned 7) if budget allows, upgrade fuel pump/injectors, intercooler Edited August 11, 2017 by MoarBoost added 1.5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkinslow Posted August 11, 2017 Share Posted August 11, 2017 Oil system flush should be high up on your list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoarBoost Posted August 11, 2017 Author Share Posted August 11, 2017 edited above post. thanks for the input. Never flushed the oil system before, I'll have to figure out how to do that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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