checking out a used turbo

how would you go about checking out a used turbo to see if it is any good? i cant afford getting a new turbo at this time but i want to get a used turbo from a salvage yard or where ever? probably off a gsx

dont..its as easy as that....you take so many chances with a used turbo is retarted.. even if its in optimal shape when you see it or even buy it, that doesnt mean that is has been taken care of and a few thousand miles later you could have all kinds of probloms such as alot of play in the shaft or even blowing oil all over the place...its just not a good idea, if your gonna do it do it right and buy a brand new turbo..if your budget is really that tight then just save up a bit more and buy a rebuilt turbo !! anything else is just to risky and " stupid " in my opinion..If you want to check out rebuilt ones just do an internet search there alot of companies that sell rebuilt turbos for dealerships and etc. but please dont buy a used one from a salvage yard !!!

buy a new turbo. you can buy a cheap one now, and then upgrade later if you are on a budget. when i was searchin through ebay yesterday, i saw some turbo that were around 1500 bucks, and were easily upgradable to a stage 3.

im not sure about what they got going on, but a flyer just got passed by my desk and there is a place in el segundo CA, called " the parts dept " and they get us dealerships hard to find rebuilt items and so forth..including rebuilt turbochargers so if you knew what model you were tryin to score a turbo from you should call them up and see what they got going on.. i know they ship nationwide # is 800-454-2280 ?? just a random idea

Check the turbo for side-to-side shaft play, make sure the wheels spin freely, check for oil inside the housings and on the wheels, and make sure there is no wheel to housing contact. If the turbo is on a car, have the person start up the car and make sure it doesn't use any oil.

1500 bucks for any kind of a small T3/T4 turbo or even a T-series turbo is a RIP OFF. You can buy a brand new PT88 from PTE dealers for 1400 bucks, so unless you want some brand new ball bearing unit (which are overrated IMO, and very costly to rebuild) you can pick something up brand new for 700 bucks. Besides, if you can find a used turbo for 50 bucks that does need a rebuild, a shop is only going to charge you a few hundred if you can't do it on your own.

This has been extremely helpful thanks!!! i will save and buy a new or rebuilt turbo. i cant wait to turbo my LS does anyone have a dyno after they have turbo their LS i would like to get an idea of how much HP i will get at the wheels? THANK YOU AGAIN you guys have saved me money and time

I've bought used turbos without any problems, but some would call me lucky. Obvious things to look for: cracks and shaft play, and of course, make sure it spins. From that point on it's a gamble. However, there are rebuild kits out there for the handy, and you can rebuild one easily in an afternoon. I run a used one from a Saab 900 (Garrett t3) on a d15 (don't laugh guys, it's cheap fun on my winter junker!) without a rebuild, but I have rebuilt a KKK (with factory parts from KKK) for use on a Civic, but not mine. The t3 cost me $115 and the KKK totals less than $300 after rebuilding. That's a good deal for rebuilt. If you don't want to take chances or monkey around, follow the popular advice--buy a rebuilt one now and do it right the first time, but I'm pretty thrifty.

the ammount of power your gonna make is gonna depends on which turbo you go with. diff boost levels are gonna present diff. power gains. since I assume you are gonna be putting this turbo on a a stock internal LS, i would run her about 8psi and i dont see "with a good tune" you should expect 205 to 220hp depending. You can def. pull on relatively stock gsr's and si's all around town