turbo failure

Boosted92LX

It's only an inch or two. What's the big deal?
15 Year Member
Dec 19, 2010
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These are some pics for those that have never seen a turbo come apart. Granted, they may not look really dramatic, but would you want to be next to that thing when it let go?

turboexplosion3.webp


turboexplosion4.webp


turboexplosion1.webp


turboexplosion2.webp


Couldn't find pics of damage to the hood if any.
 
Damn you werent running a turbo shaft safety loop? tisk tisk



That is pretty gnarly man! The joys of a DR car. I bet that wheel was at least a 90mm if not bigger...wouldnt want that flying my way...good thing it's facing forward

you guys working in a barn? lol
 
LOL, not my car. Just came across the pics and thought they'd be educational for people who don't uderstand how dangerous equipment can be that rotates 20,000 rpm+.
 
I'm curious to know what lead up to the failure. Was the turbo being pushed to its limit (over speed)? Was there an oiling problem? How old was the turbo? Did they ever inspect the turbo now & then to see if it had excessive play in the shaft or damaged blades? I've never seen damage that extensive before. Its kind of cool to see what can happen. I hope no one was hurt. Kind of makes me think about my setup a little more. Thanks for posting the pics.
 
that car is setup for Drag racing looking at the engine compentets in the picture I can tell you that this guy probably knew exactly what he had going on. this can happen to any turbo, even one a "pro" is using. Thats why you dont mount a turbo in your car. look at that huge turbo housing that came apart that is not 16 gauge sheet metal either
 
that car is setup for Drag racing looking at the engine compentets in the picture I can tell you that this guy probably knew exactly what he had going on. this can happen to any turbo, even one a "pro" is using. Thats why you dont mount a turbo in your car. look at that huge turbo housing that came apart that is not 16 gauge sheet metal either

The odds are much greater of this happening on a race car that is set to kill all the time. Not saying it cant happen on a street car, but id bet money that car was spinning the turbo to its limits. Looks to be a large frame turbo, probably a 106 with a small block.
 
I agree that anything built can also fail. Well maintained or not. With the military equipment & diesel tucks I have worked on, when we service them we check the turbos too. I have found turbines with broke or sometimes a blade missing. We would replace the turbo to prevent a catastrophic failure like that. Like I said, sometimes things just brake & in that case, it would really suck.
 
You cant compare 16 gauge sheetmetal to cast iron, two different tensile strengths, one is more malleable and the other is somewhat brittle, especially with the thermal cycles of a turbo.