About a week and a half ago my 9 turbo started making a tin can rattling sound... Pulled the intake and saw small but obvious signs of wheel to housing contact. The shaft play seemed a little worse than last time but it didn't seem very slopy to me and I could spin the turbo wheel freely by hand. I couldn't duplicate the contact that the housing showed.
I bought a used 9 turbo on here... 450 bucks. Buyer advertiesed minimal shaft play... he said 19k on turbo. It has as much or more shaft play than my old turbo, but no signs of contact or damage. So Im assuming its still good, and I guess Im just paranoid. Its my wifes DD so I have to put the new one in. Tonight when I pulled the old one out I was comparing it to the new one. I took my air compressor and "sprayed" air down both turbos. My old turbo spins more freely than my new one!
Im a newbie with turbos so I figured I would ask some educated opinions. Should I be worried about my new used turbo?
I couldn't install it tonight because the studs are stuck in the hot side to manifold housing... don't have gas for my torches. Couldn't get them out.

EDIT: just reread the FS post. He said "No shaft Play." hmmm. Bull

Advice?

 

Pour oil into the new 9 turbo oil feed port spin it a little then some more oil through it. Then check the shaft play.

 

It spins much more freely now after the oil but the shaft play didn't change much. Might be a little better.

 

Send one of your turbos into Forced Performance for a rebuild(seals and bearings).

BTW, are you checking for axial, in and out play, or up and down play? They all have slight up and down end play, but axial play should be very minimal.