Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) How long can my turbo last?

[Soot4Life]

My 99' has an HX-35 12cm2 turbo. I followed the manual by using a gauge to measure radial bearing clearance. The turbo is in spec. , but just barely..... noticeable play when moving the impeller up and down. How long can this turbo hold up as a daily driver. What symptoms will show (i. e. noisy bearings, oil leak, etc. ) when it is near the end of it's service life? Will a well worn turbo hold down boost? I've checked for leaks and cannot get over 17 lbs. of boost when hauling 7000lbs. of horses @ WOT up a 6% grade.

Thanks in advance!

Bill

 

[Blkdawdg]

I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that it's okay for the blades to move up and down just not back and forth.

 

[fj40charles]

Hi Bill,



It is okay for the shaft to have some up and down play. There should not be any front/back movement though. Have you checked the boots for possible boost leaks?



I would think a HX35 turbo should last more than 100K if taken care of.



Charles

 

[juicedcummins]

17 psi is right on the mark for a ¨stock 99

 

[HVAC]

Radial Play

You may develop a feel for how much radial play is too much. I had a shop look at one of my turbos and tell me it was OK to run. To me the radial play was more then I felt comfortable with. The next race we had both wheels hitting the housings. Not good! The night was cut short as a result.

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

my hx 35 has some very abusive mileage on it. It is at 150k and the last 50k or so has been with the wastegate set to about 42 lbs of boost. Way outside of its efficiency range. And I bark it daily. I love having a turbocharged engine. Im just not patient enough to be nice to the turbo. Most of its life I didnt cool it properly. I feel lucky to even have a turbo left but its out the door asap.

 

[Soot4Life]

OK........I'll let it go for now

Thanks for the replys. $$$ are always a problem so I'll keep the old turbo for now and take REAL good care of it!