my problems began about a month ago(so i am now officially losing my mind!) with a heavy engine oil leak coming from the left side of my engine. i had it to dodge-no luck. so, i took it to cummins and they did a manometer test and they said my turbo seals are blown and the seals are letting boost pressure force into the oil return line and eventually come outta my road draft(causing me to lose 6 quarts onto the driveway,bottom and back of my truck every 300 miles-a real mess!).because cummins wanted $ 820. for a "recon" unit, i opted to get an hx35w from piers for like $650. when my new turbo arrived, i found a loose compressor wheel nut(i tightened it per holsets instructions). bolted it on and noticed an immediate improvement. absolutely no more oil being blown out ( i could actually see the paint on my tailgate!) , higher boost than what i was achieving(34-35 psi-compared to 30-32psi), and alot less black smoke. well, i called piers just to let them know what i had to take care of-in case there was something else i needed to do and they informed me that i would have to send it back immediately cause they could not warranty a unit that i "tinkered" with. when i put on the one they sent me to replace it with, my lower boost numbers came back and im starting to blow oil out again(fresh spots on drive, bottom of truck and tailgate!). should i assume that this unit has a problem also-just in another way(i.e. leaking seals instead of a loose nut) or, should i assume that cummins was wrong? cummins did unhook the turbo to isolate it when they first got a high pressure reading from the manometer test. any help will be greatly appreciated-im losing my frickin mind!! i did "break-in" both turbos for 50 miles like piers said to do with no more than 1/2 throttle, i took my time with both installs to make sure it was right, and i drove with the first unit on for more miles than i have driven with the current one.

 

I would think that the next step is to call Piers and see what they say. Sounds like the seals are leaking again just like the first one. I would also mention to them about the boost numbers being lower too. Let us know what they say.
Tom

 

i sure will let everyone know the outcome. i'm just trying to figure out what the heck is going on- has anyone else had to have multiple units send to them before they got a good one? i just am not looking forward to have to take off the 3rd unit in a month (although i am getting pretty good at it ) geez, they havent even issued a call tag to pick up the first bad one! im gonna get them confused if this keeps up! well, i guess that at least i can box them up together! but, just the same im starting to get peesed off!

 

If you have a good amount of blowby along with the oil loss, check the vacuum pump. The seal can go so that it blows into the crankcase and creates the blowby and oil leakage. That from Cummins service. They loaned me a blockoff plate to check it.

 

Check your crankcase breather hose. If it is crimped or stopped up, it will generate too much pressure in the oil return on the turbo, and since it is pumped in, it has to go somewhere, so it is forced through the seals into the intake and everywhere else.

Chris

 

Most turbo failures {oil leaking in exhaust or inlet side} is due to a blocked oil return.Some are due to overspeed of the turbo.

 

well, which one is the crankcase breather? is that the large "road draft tube" on the drivers side? when cummins did the blowby/manometer test, first they checked it with all systems hooked up and running normally. when they got a high pressure reading, they unhooked the turbo and found no more high pressure-they told me that this clearly indicates the turbo- is that right? ? the also ran the dye in the oil which shows all oil leaks( engine and entire bottom side of the truck was freshly pressure washed to get all old oil off first) and found that the only other oil leak was my timing cover inner seal-but it is not leaking enough to worry about- just a couple of drops an hour. if the vacuum pump is leaking, would it be an internal or external leak? how do i check it? and i am not sure about turbo over-speed but piers did mention to me that if iam under 36 psi, the turbo isnt overspeeding. to check for a blocked turbo return line- do i simply take off the entire return line and blow through it with pressure? also, i do have a small amount of fresh oil in the vicinity of the vac pump area- but i cannot tell if the cooling fan is just sucking it from a dripping road draft.

 

to update all who have been reading up on this epic saga, ive talked to my turbo supplier(pdr) and they are going to send me a third turbo- no hassles involved( geez, i wish they would pickup the first two ). it was explained to me that the "normal guy" that builds their turbos was off and some one else(who obviously shouldnt quit his day job ) was filling- in and thats why i recieved two bad units. they are checking this one thoroughly before it leaves and its probably in the airplane right now. if this doesnt fix it- look for it in the classifieds!

 

Well Frank, I don't believe that you will be placing any classified adds. When I have called there they really treated me good. I don't think thety would give you any other story than the truth. I fully expect the next one to do exactly what you expect.
Tom

 

thank you for the encouraging words. so far, they have been helping me as you would expect with this situation. i just installed the 3rd one last night - still have to commute with it to see what shes gonna do. 3rd times a charm- right?

 

Certainly hope so, doing my engine the third time next week....