Quick update on the IS20 hybrid from GPOP:
We have finished the inspection and I thought that I would give you a quick overview of it. The good news is that everything checks out 100% within specs, all clearances, tolerances, etc... No excessive wear, no signs of any wheel contact, everything still meets or exceeds the OE specifications. We also checked all of the gasket surfaces and seals for any potential leaks (exhaust or air) and did not find anything. We see no reason for the "flute" type noise. Before we clean everything and reassemble it, did you have any other observations from removing the turbo that you would like for us to check while we are at this point? Let us know and we will go from there. Thank you!
So - this is good and bad.
I'll start with the bad:
No idea where the noise was coming from. Loose gasket, inlet, idk. I wish they had found something obviously wrong with it, like scoring on the bearings or the infamous 'signs of oil starvation', but alas, the thing is still rock solid. Bastard.
The good:
I ran what I would consider the pants off of this turbo, and there is no shaft play, no wheel contact, and my favorite - no excessive wear. Considering the boost I threw at this thing while stress testing, I'm pretty surprised to hear this.
No need to wonder what went wrong anymore. I know some of the N54 turbos whine like this also and run fine for years. Call it 'character'.
I won't be reinstalling this, though a fellow forum-member will. The IS38 has been doing just fine for me, and I've come to appreciate the extended powerband
