Turbos smoking, but no 30FF... Mechanic Sabotaged?

Skorri · 03-26-2018, 08:59 PM

So I took my car in to do some upgrades, and at this point my car had 130k miles and I owned it for 15k miles... My mods were
VRSF DP
BM Intakes
MHD Tune Stage 2+ with e30 mix
VRSF 5 inch Intercooler
The entire time that I've owned the car, it had a bad front main seal, so I would have to add a quart about every other week or so, but the turbos PEAKED at 19ish psi and showed ZERO smoke. ZERO.
The car id say was around 430wheel which is impressive for its mileage and stock turbos. Reason I say 430 wheel is because I beat a stock cts v coupe off a 60 roll and a 2018 mustang off a 40 (street tire held up) so I had to have been somewhere between 420 and 440
I took my car in for an entire front suspension refresh and to fix the front seal once and for all. I got the car back, car went into limp mod, smoked like if there was a fog machine in my exhaust... I thought it was a minor issue at first until I noticed it pulled significantly slower. I did an oil change, and if anything it made things worse because my oil temps would skyrocket off 1 pull (07 model so no oil cooler). whereas before my oil temps would barely pass 210. so It didn't occur to me at first, but I just assumed that since the engine regained oil pressure with the front seal fixed, the oil just travelled to the next point of resistance which was the turbos. end of story. there are other details with the actual mechanic that made me think of something fishy, but I didn't wanna think it. 1 thing I noticed with every blown turbo, is that they all have the 30FF code, I read all my codes and never got it. ever. does this mean anything? Right now the engine is even knocking for some unknown reason, could be lifter tick or rod bearings, im no expert so I can't diagnose myself.

feuer · 03-26-2018, 10:26 PM

What do you think the mechanic did?

Skorri · 03-31-2018, 09:51 PM

probably unplugged a oil feed line or something... something that'll make the car smoke as though the turbos were out.

Silent9n54 · 03-31-2018, 10:02 PM

first ever code i had on my 335i was the 30ff code and it definitely had nothing to do with the turbos... diverter valves were leaking

Ballistic · 04-01-2018, 03:11 AM

So if i understand correctly; You consciously run your engine and turbo's on the ragged edge while the engine is already showing signs of high wear (leaking seal). Yet you blame your mechanic, who did a non-turbo related fix, for the things that are breaking?

You are insane.

Emilime75 · 04-01-2018, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skorri

probably unplugged a oil feed line or something... something that'll make the car smoke as though the turbos were out.

Huh?

Jklad · 04-01-2018, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skorri

probably unplugged a oil feed line or something... something that'll make the car smoke as though the turbos were out.

Sooo..did you get underneath it to check?

GMWNashville · 04-03-2018, 10:38 AM

So...you had an oil leak issue forever...and run your car hard. You fix said issue and continue to run said car hard...card starts smoking and you still run your car hard...and your mechanic supposedly did what?

Skorri · 04-06-2018, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ballistic

So if i understand correctly; You consciously run your engine and turbo's on the ragged edge while the engine is already showing signs of high wear (leaking seal). Yet you blame your mechanic, who did a non-turbo related fix, for the things that are breaking?

You are insane.

okay so I wasn't very clear on how the front main seal was leaking. so about a month or 2 after I bought the car, the serpentine belt snapped, causing it to be clogged around the crank and into the seal, when a mechanic fixed it, they said they didn't have the particular tool to remove the seal, so they simply took out all the rubber around it and put glue and hoped for the best. I didn't know this until a few weeks after. when I realized this, it was winter time, and the oil didn't really leak so much because I constantly washed the bottom (I removed the water splash). at this point the car was ran hard and I wanted upgrades/maintenance so I took it in for a front suspension refresh and the front seal to this new mechanic, and when I got it back the turbos were COMPLETELY gone. Youre right its a non turbo issue, so how is it that the turbos just randomly gave out after I got it back? Its confusing to me because those turbos showed literally 0 sign of coming to an end. No wastegate rattle, no smoke, no 30ff, and hit target boost every time.

bradsm87 · 04-06-2018, 08:21 PM

Turbo seals and 30FF are two completely different things. A turbo can be pumping oil straight out into the turbine housing and still make boost target perfectly.

What did you expect running 19psi with 130k mile stock turbos?

musa · 04-07-2018, 01:04 PM

This is another instance for my motivation to DIY. I never trust pro mechanics; most are unscrupulous from my experience. If you stumble upon a trustworthy one, stick with that person but still be wary ... he might be planning for a vacation as you take your car in

...

.

03-26-2018, 08:59 PM	#1
Skorri Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: Stockest 335i ever Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Dallas, TX iTrader: (0)	Turbos smoking, but no 30FF... Mechanic Sabotaged? So I took my car in to do some upgrades, and at this point my car had 130k miles and I owned it for 15k miles... My mods were VRSF DP BM Intakes MHD Tune Stage 2+ with e30 mix VRSF 5 inch Intercooler The entire time that I've owned the car, it had a bad front main seal, so I would have to add a quart about every other week or so, but the turbos PEAKED at 19ish psi and showed ZERO smoke. ZERO. The car id say was around 430wheel which is impressive for its mileage and stock turbos. Reason I say 430 wheel is because I beat a stock cts v coupe off a 60 roll and a 2018 mustang off a 40 (street tire held up) so I had to have been somewhere between 420 and 440 I took my car in for an entire front suspension refresh and to fix the front seal once and for all. I got the car back, car went into limp mod, smoked like if there was a fog machine in my exhaust... I thought it was a minor issue at first until I noticed it pulled significantly slower. I did an oil change, and if anything it made things worse because my oil temps would skyrocket off 1 pull (07 model so no oil cooler). whereas before my oil temps would barely pass 210. so It didn't occur to me at first, but I just assumed that since the engine regained oil pressure with the front seal fixed, the oil just travelled to the next point of resistance which was the turbos. end of story. there are other details with the actual mechanic that made me think of something fishy, but I didn't wanna think it. 1 thing I noticed with every blown turbo, is that they all have the 30FF code, I read all my codes and never got it. ever. does this mean anything? Right now the engine is even knocking for some unknown reason, could be lifter tick or rod bearings, im no expert so I can't diagnose myself.
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03-26-2018, 10:26 PM	#2
feuer Major General 4277 Rep 9,209 Posts Drives: wife crazy! Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Chicago, IL iTrader: (5)	What do you think the mechanic did?
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03-31-2018, 09:51 PM	#3
Skorri Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: Stockest 335i ever Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Dallas, TX iTrader: (0)	probably unplugged a oil feed line or something... something that'll make the car smoke as though the turbos were out.
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03-31-2018, 10:02 PM	#4
Silent9n54 Captain 574 Rep 940 Posts Drives: 2007 E92 335i Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Vancouver, Canada iTrader: (0)	first ever code i had on my 335i was the 30ff code and it definitely had nothing to do with the turbos... diverter valves were leaking
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04-01-2018, 03:11 AM	#5
Ballistic Banned 127 Rep 123 Posts Drives: 335i E91 Join Date: May 2017 Location: NL iTrader: (0)	So if i understand correctly; You consciously run your engine and turbo's on the ragged edge while the engine is already showing signs of high wear (leaking seal). Yet you blame your mechanic, who did a non-turbo related fix, for the things that are breaking? You are insane. Last edited by Ballistic; 04-01-2018 at 03:43 AM..
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04-03-2018, 10:38 AM	#8
GMWNashville Colonel 172 Rep 2,373 Posts Drives: 19 G05, 16 F80, 10 E70x5D Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Nashville, TN iTrader: (2)	So...you had an oil leak issue forever...and run your car hard. You fix said issue and continue to run said car hard...card starts smoking and you still run your car hard...and your mechanic supposedly did what?
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04-06-2018, 08:21 PM	#10
bradsm87 Lieutenant Colonel 596 Rep 1,693 Posts Drives: F25 LCI xDrive30d Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Australia iTrader: (0)	Turbo seals and 30FF are two completely different things. A turbo can be pumping oil straight out into the turbine housing and still make boost target perfectly. What did you expect running 19psi with 130k mile stock turbos?
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04-07-2018, 01:04 PM	#11
musa Captain 423 Rep 901 Posts Drives: F86, E92, E53, E39. Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Bellevue, WA iTrader: (0)	This is another instance for my motivation to DIY. I never trust pro mechanics; most are unscrupulous from my experience. If you stumble upon a trustworthy one, stick with that person but still be wary ... he might be planning for a vacation as you take your car in ... .
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