So the other day I went to start my car to warm it up and brush the snow off the windows and there was a "POP" and then a white smoke started billowing out the exhaust. So I am pulling all the aftermarket parts off to put it back to stock so I can take it into the dealership and hope for warranty, I pull the intake and UICP off to find oil everywhere in the compressor side of the turbo but no shaft play (so I think, ok maybe still a blown turbo seal). Than I get to my SSP oil catch can and everywhere around it is greasy as hell! It was like I didn't even have the top filter on and oil was spraying everywhere. So I go to drain it only to find no oil, just brown liquid (pictured below) which could only be coolant but my coolant level isn't low at all and I drained a bit over 1L of this crap.

So in summary:
- Have catch can but still have loads of oil pooling in compressor side of turbo
- LOTS of coolant in catch can
- Lots of white smoke billowing from exhaust just when sitting running on my driveway.
- Drove fine with no sign of anything the night/days before

Questions:
- I am 99.99% certain the turbo is blown even though there is no shaft play?
- Could the head gasket be blown as well?


Modifications
- ATP Turbo Inlet/Outlet
- Password JDM Intake
- UICP
- AGP Intercooler
- Test Pipe
- Perrin Cat-Back exhaust
- 3-Port Boost Solenoid
- Jon/BakaUnchi tune (in person/dyno)

The car in question:
- 2008 MR with 90,000km (56,000miles)
- Never tracked (we don't even have a track here)
- Never any really issues until this
- Driven hard sometimes, but never ***** to the wall all the time.









I know it is hard to see, but the coolant is right up to the top


No milky crap under oil cap


Oil exactly where it was on the dipstick 4,000km ago (2,500miles)

 

Coolant level isn't low? As measured by what? The expansion tank? That won't do it, open up the radiator and see if you are full. I'm not sure why coolant would be getting into your catch can unless it is from a head gasket, but I'm no authority. If it's coolant than I suspect your head gasket as the only viable way to accumulate that much fluid and the white smoke.

 

I'm assuming that it was cold since there is snow.. Just making sure, it wasn't just the usual grey/white smoke that EVERY car makes when it is warming up when its cold? Prolly a stupid question I know..

That is a lot of coolant. I agree with the OP though.. You have to take off the radiator cap and check to see if the coolant level is down. Not just the overflow tank.. As you know, if coolant is where oil is supposed to be, it could be a head gasket problem as well.. How does the underside of the cap look? What about the underside of the oil cap?

Hopefully it is just a blown seal and the smoke was a combination of some oil getting in there mixed with the car warming up.. But that doesn't explain the coolant..

 

I suspect what you're calling coolant in the catch-can could possible be condensation mixed with oil mist/sludge. Catch-cans rarely collect pure oil.

Catch-cans are something to be used very carefully; install or set them up wrong and they'll actually do more harm than good as they can cause excessive crankcase pressure.

Is the smoke pure white and sweet smelling or is it a light blueish color?

 

Coolant measured by the relief cap just under the UICP (I have attached a picture below). I was also looking at the fluid a bit more today and it does not seem to be coolant as it is not slippery at all, it feels more like just water mixed with a bit of oil residue.


I just mentioned to Johnr352 that it actually doesn't feel like coolant at all and just straight water. How does this much condensation build up this fast in the catch can? I have the SSP one that replaces your crush beam support and it just has the 2 lines coming from it. One that goes to the front left side of the valve cover and the other that goes to the back right side. So there isn't really anything you could mess up with installing it unless there are baffles in the tank and I have the lines mixed up. I did notice that the stock line coming from the front left of the Valve cover has some sort of check valve in it where as SSP's does not.

I still think the turbo is pooched as there shouldn't be any oil in it even if the catch can is installed wrong, there is no reticulating of any blow by into the intake so the only other way for oil to get into the Compressor side would be a blown seal.

I know it is hard to see, but the coolant is right up to the top


No milky crap under oil cap


Oil exactly where it was on the dipstick 4,000km ago (2,500miles)

 

Ok, good, or at least sort of, as he head gasket seems ok. So, what does the car do now? Does it start and idle? Does vacuum look ok? It seems nuts that you have accumulated so much fluid, when was the last time it was emptied? The car should run ok, out of boost, even if the turbo seal is gone. Let' try to narrow it down.

 

I am just trying to track down the stock rubber couplings to put my stock Intercooler back on (lost them somewhere) and than I will let you know. It still idled fine and drove fine though when I was pulling it into the garage to start tearing it apart, just Lots of smoke.

 

Do an oil analysis too by BlackStone. let's see what will gonna be there......more fuel,water,coolant?

 

From my phone here...but does the catch-can have no vacuum source attached to it, or at least a vent? If not, my comment of the cans causing more problems than they solve stands. Ideally, you want two vacuum sources, one for idle/cruise and one for boost conditions (just like stock).

*edit*
Ok, just searched for pics of it and I see it at least has a vent...definitely not ideal though. My guess is you have excessive crankcase pressure and its forcing its way out elsewhere. Return to stock ventilation setup and see if that helps any.

Any signs of oil residue in your IC piping or FMIC?

 

Can you explain that "POP" more?

 

Lots of oil in my Intercooler, UICP and Compressor even though the catch can should have stopped this as there is, or shouldn't be, a way for the oil to get here unless the turbo seal is gone.

 

It wasn't loud, it was like a small backfire

 

Hollywood on the other site (think he is on here too) says it could be a cracked/chipped piston :-(


Quote:
Originally Posted by hollywood_X
You have a cracked piston or a chunk is missing out of it, just pull your plugs and look.

 

What's your oil consumption look like?

 

It's never gone through any oil. Even on my 10,000km road trip it never used any