Took my w124 for a test drive...
 

After replacing the turbo with a used one, and doing the GSXR actuator change out, I took her for a 10 mile run on the highway.

Car ran great, drove well, but one issue...big time mosquito fogging. White smoke in big clouds the whole time.

Smoke smelled like diesel and engine oil. Got home and noticed the rear bumper and trunk lid has engine oil spray on it.

The turbo I installed had no perceivable play, and it still does not. However, I am thinking it needs new seals.

What is the ideas you guys have?

on OM602 sometimes the oil from the front oil passage (pressurized) makes it's way to the #1 cylinder because of a leaking head gasket. Especially when hot and under pressure.

There are other possibilities as well but that's just one of them

Time for another turbo.

Any smoke with the old turbo? If there wasn't any then it is probably the new turbo is leaking/burning engine oil.

Hmmm...there is no oil and water mixing, and I do have an injector nailing. Hope it is not a head gasket. Original owner passed away two years ago, and the car sat. He also used non diesel oil in it, but had it changed every 3k miles, but the soot still grinded the turbo bearings.

Can the head gasket leak enough oil to have unburned oil make a puddle or oil at the tail pipe? I have read that bad turbo seals can.

Thanks!

The car was missing its turbo when I bought it. The old one was not rebuildable. The casing got chewed up, according to the PO's son.

or engine oil entering the combustion chamber and pre-igniting.

but yes it could be a turbo or pcv problem.

diagnosing it will not be easy.

to check for head gasket: #1 cylinder at tdc on compression stroke, remove the oil filter, put air into cylinder and then watch/listen

to check for turbo: look for play and if you have a spare put it on and see what happens. Maybe someone on here has a better idea on how to test it.

My experience is if the car smokes like crazy then it is likely the turbo. If water leaks into engine then the expansion tank will have milk shake like liquid.

You don't need oil and water mixing to have a bad head gasket, on OM602 that oil channel is very close to the #1 cylinder

There is no oil and water mixing. The oil cap does not bounce like a tea kettle lid. And it runs like a scalded dog. I was really surprised with the pep it has.

Turbo spins easily by hand, with no perceivable forward/backward or lateral play. I will pull the turbo and see where oil wetness is coming from. Dry exhaust manifold and wet exhaust pipe points to turbo seals, IIRC.

I would think with that much smoke "mosquito fogging" there would be a noticeably wet turbo output side also. Looks like soon you will be pretty good at R+Ring that model turbo.;)

What about the transmission modulator leaking? Sucks trans fluid into the intake. Check the vac line for fluid

Vacuum lines are clear and dry.

Are you 100 percent the smoke is coming out the tailpipe?

Yes. In fact, when I nailed it, smoke bomb effect. Also, after parking, a puddle of oil was noted about 10 min after engine shut off. Tail pipe very wet with oil, and black oil spots on the rear bumper and trunk lid.

can you post up the part number and where you sourced the actuator?

Sounds like the turbo. The test for the oil passage I believe is to remove the injector. Number one cylinder will usually spit oil out cranking. Especially with this much leakage.

About the only way to have oil dripping out of the tailpipe is to have the turbo completely roached. That much oil passing through the engine would hydrolock it.

Additionally, if the turbo is THAT wasted, it needs to be sent off for a rebuild. The wear to the sealing surfaces in the cartridge will be severe enough that a standard rebuild kit isn't going to cut it. You may also have excessive scoring to the shaft. You'll be time and money ahead to ship the cartridge off for rebuild.

I got my bet on it’s a broken pvc breather hose. If oil was passing through the turbo the blades would be covered in it. Intake or exhaust side. Since they’re clean it’s gotta be coming out in another location

I replaced the PVC. The hack mechanic that the PO used, took some 3/8 fuel line to "connect the broken pieces together." there is a little oil in the intake side, but not as much as my w123 had.

Do seals on a turbo affect shaft play? again, there is no perceivable lateral or foward backward play, and it spins easily by hand.

I'm not sure if you are able determine if oil is being consumed but one thought - A large load of oil from the first turbo failure still in the exhaust?

If one does a general internet search regarding cleaning the exhaust after a turbo failure there are all sorts of stories out there.

My SDL only had moderately leaking turbo seals. After a reseal it took a bit time and some really hard highway driving for the nasty oily smell and moderate smoke to be reduced.

It is quite possible. I was thinking that myself. I wonder if there is a way to flush the exhaust system...

Hey Ralphie! Do you know how much I do NOT miss these types of things??!!:cool:

Yes, I do!!! But I still like them!!!

Yes, I do!!! But I still like them!!!

As I mentioned before, I run a "gyturbo" unit from ebay, works good.
Shaft play is not caused by seals, but by worn bearings or worn shaft

Forget resealing the turbo yourself - been there, done that, this will not work without rebalancing it at high speed - consulted a few experts about it. I knew better than them, went ahead and of course following Kent's instructions to the word resulted in a nice angle grinder sound. Maybe it was too worn out :confused: I don't know, easier, cheaper to just buy a new cartridge.

Lots of oil from exhaust seems like the oil feed line to turbo is dripping hard into exhaust...? Has your oil level dropped?
I had two broken PCV valves and they resulted in a oil shower in the engine bay, not the exhaust :(

Well, the oil level has not dropped. I will drive it again this weekend to test it. Maybe go 20 miles this time.

How does the cartridge dis assemble? I guess it is not neutrally balanced. Are the seals behind the impellers? Angle grinding sound is not good!

I took the car on a 20 mile run today. Still some oil spatter on the trunk lid and bumper. No billowing smoke this time, and oil level did not drop on the dipstick.

Another 25 mile run. Smoke at 80mph, but not at 70, that I could see in the mirrors.

Injector 2 is also nailing. Nails when warmed, not at imitial start up.

Bought on ebay. Part 480009-6. Had to straighten the actuator rod.