Recently we were sent a turbocharger.
The operators had reported a knocking noise, and they wanted us to have a look.
As it turned out, the turbo had recently been overhauled by another company, and after the overhaul, it had only run for 20 hours before this knocking noise was heard.
The video above shows a quick snapshot of what we found.
As you’ll see, a large number of the components have been discoloured and damaged due to excessive heat in this short amount of time.
The question is, why?
On first inspection, everything looks above board, with genuine parts being fitted and the turbo assembled correctly.
And as it turns out, the cause of the heat wasn’t anything to do with the turbo overhaul, but instead the installation.
After further investigation it transpired that the one-way valve for the oil supply was installed the wrong way, limiting oil to the turbo.
The result?
A turbo so badly damaged (it wasn’t possible just to change the core) that it needed to be replaced at a cost close to £35,000!!
