Jetta Turbo whine

[Johnpot]

My mechanic tells me oil is getting in the turbo to the engine, burning oil, and I need a new turbo for $1800 parts and labor. Can the turbo be disengaged and the car driven safely untill I can get $1800

[denisond3]

I dont think there is anyway to disengage the turbo rotor. If you were able to jam something into the blades on the inlet (intake) side to stop the rotor from spinning, it would likely still leak as much oil as before. The car would still run though, you would just have less horsepower. If you search on ebay you might find a used turbo assembly, or get one from a junkyard. Of course there is always the chance it would be in the same condition as the one in your car. You can buy a lot of oil for what it would take to fix the thing.
You dont say how many miles are on the engine. If the turbo seals are worn out, is the engine in good shape, or would a general rebuild be needed?
I wouldnt advise finding a non-tubo intake setup and exhaust manifold, and converting the car to normal-induction. There are too many things on and in the motor that are designed for the turbocharging, including pistons with a much lower compression ratio. You would get feeble gas mileage & have less power than a normally aspirated jetta.

As for the comment of 'severence'; I have two 1990 Jettas, both of which were made in Mexico for the U.S. market. They are non-turbo. Jettas were also made in the United States and Canada for the U.S. market. Im not sure if any of the ones for the U.S. market were made in Germany. If you look on the i.d. label on the door frame, I think it will tell you where it was made, along with the year & month.

[veedubmechanic]

you cant "dis engage" the turbo like on the diesel models by taking it off. You can buy a turbo rebuild kit and have it rebuilt usually for about 500.00 or buy a new turbo on ebay for 300-800. The labor for it should not be more than 5hrs max. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Parts...1%7C240%3A1318