head noise and bad turbo

[nick88]

Okay this is a bit long but...I bought this built SR and it had a small noise, I thought maybe it was the lifters, no big deal. Well it got a lot louder when I got it home. I was planning on bleeding the lifter or replacing the rockers if they were worn out (the car has 272 cams) or if they had been laid on their sides during the build. Thought worse case scenario I'd go with smaller cams and new rockers.

Then I started hearing noise from the turbo so I tried to boost it a little and it was making 1psi. So I checked it out and there is so much play that the wheel hits the housing, so now my turbo is shot (it's a garrett BB too ).
So I thought there must be an issue causing both of these, which throws out the idea of the lifters/rockers.
So then I thought maybe it was an oil delivery problem.

But I pulled the feed line off and plenty of oil was coming out. However, when I pulled the return line off and not a single drop of oil came out.

Also I look off the oil cap and looked in and I could see oil getting in there while it was running. So oil's making it to the head, but not enough I guess?

I just need some advice on things to check/do, this is my only car and I need to drive it!

[Hoffman5982]

When I recently pulled my turbo there was no oil dripping out of the oil return line, but then again I didn't pay a lot of attention while I was pulling it off. Sorry I can't really help

[Lobo240sx]

Looks like it may just be a bad turbo. When the wheel hits the walls inside the turbo you get that annoying "imitation" cam/rocker rattling sound. This happened when my T28 took a dump on me. Sounds like it is coming from the head because you are listening for unusual engine knock/noise, but in reality it isn't. Time for top mount baby!!

[nick88]

No they're definitely two separate noises. The head noise came first, and then the turbo.

[Lobo240sx]

You said it was built... Something could have gotten clogged in the oil galleries or it got nicked while machining. Oil pump could be going. What was your oil pressure doing during all of this? High? Really Low? Does it look like the oil is streaming on the cam when you open the oil cap or is it just dripping??

[nick88]

I don't have an oil pressure gauge to know officially, but when I look at the cams, it was coming out, more than a drip, but probably not as much as it should. Sorry that's kind of a useless answer lol.

But I took the turbo off and the feed line was clogged. I blew through it till it came out but I couldn't tell what it was, it was so small and there was thick black oil every where so it was impossible to see what it was.

So whatever clogged that line is probably clogging the oil galleries

[OutToWinPAHC]

Id replace the oil pump and get a gauge on the feed. As for the turbo, send it out for rebuild.

[nick88]

replacing the oil pump looks like a lot of work...
I'm trying to get a gauge on there.
And the turbo is ball bearing so you can't simply rebuild it. So $1300 turbo wasted.

[Lobo240sx]

Yes, unfortunately you are gonna have to pull the engine to "properly" put the new one in. Baffle plate will be in the way if you try to keep the engine in the car. You will save A LOT of time that way. Trust me been working on SR's for a long time as other people on this board have too.

At this point you are going to have to pull the head off and see what is going on. Take the cam squirters off and try blowing air through them too. Do the same with the rocker pivots. If any of that is clogged you are going to have to soak it.