Are the VF40 fins on my wife's LGT toasted?
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:44 am
Hey, folks!
So today while we were on the highway, my wife's 2005 LGT threw a CEL and the turbo started making a "wizzing" sound. I immediately got out of boost, and limped it home, despite knowing this is not a good idea.
The scanner showed P0011 and P0021 codes - which are often related, despite the wording of the code itself, to the VF40 being starved of oil due to a banjo bolt with a clogged filter inside of it. And we all know this isn't good.
So first I dropped the downpipe to look for chunks of metal. I found absolutely nothing in the mouth of the downpipe. Then I checked for shaft play on the exhaust side of the turbo, and it felt like *not a normal amount* both in the axial and radial directions. I put some upward pressure on it while trying to spin it, but it didn't feel as though there was any rubbing between the fins and the housing. So I took pictures.
Here's what I found (I'm showing the full size images for detail):
https://i.imgur.com/reRBqAy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gBpvzDt.jpg
My question is... do you guys see any real issue here? Could the whizzing sound have been from the turbo being starved, but not enough to have caused noticeable damage?
I haven't taken a look at the intake side yet, but after separating the TMIC from the compressor outlet, I didn't see any chunks stuck to the walls of the housing.
If you guys see any issues with the fins or the amount of radial play from the second picture, let me know. Would you recommend rebuilding the VF40 myself? Or just purchasing a refurb/reman VF40 to replace it?
Thanks,
Matthew
So today while we were on the highway, my wife's 2005 LGT threw a CEL and the turbo started making a "wizzing" sound. I immediately got out of boost, and limped it home, despite knowing this is not a good idea.
The scanner showed P0011 and P0021 codes - which are often related, despite the wording of the code itself, to the VF40 being starved of oil due to a banjo bolt with a clogged filter inside of it. And we all know this isn't good.
So first I dropped the downpipe to look for chunks of metal. I found absolutely nothing in the mouth of the downpipe. Then I checked for shaft play on the exhaust side of the turbo, and it felt like *not a normal amount* both in the axial and radial directions. I put some upward pressure on it while trying to spin it, but it didn't feel as though there was any rubbing between the fins and the housing. So I took pictures.
Here's what I found (I'm showing the full size images for detail):
https://i.imgur.com/reRBqAy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gBpvzDt.jpg
My question is... do you guys see any real issue here? Could the whizzing sound have been from the turbo being starved, but not enough to have caused noticeable damage?
I haven't taken a look at the intake side yet, but after separating the TMIC from the compressor outlet, I didn't see any chunks stuck to the walls of the housing.
If you guys see any issues with the fins or the amount of radial play from the second picture, let me know. Would you recommend rebuilding the VF40 myself? Or just purchasing a refurb/reman VF40 to replace it?
Thanks,
Matthew