Curious White Smoke..?

[EccentricBro]

inb4 white smoke = coolant retard

about a month ago my s13 hatch w/ redtop started smoking at idle. white smoke. first thought was headgasket, but the smoke smelt like straight up burning oil. after trying to recreate the situation a few times, it seemed to happen most after hitting boost then into idle, so i thought turbo seals were going. bought a rebuild kit and was just about to get time to do it this week but then the head gasket idea popped in my head again.

the car has been sitting for about a month at this point. i've driven it maybe 5 miles on and off just little drives here and there cause i miss it. same shit still happens. i've checked oil each time and i haven't lost a drop. i just checked coolant levels tonight and they were topped off still. now i'm confused and wondering if it's still worth pulling the turbo out at this point.

stock redtop w/ e-fans and big radiator. where should i begin searching to find a definite answer for this? not a master tech so i don't know where to start, but i've got common sense. just lead the way

[fliprayzin240sx]

Turbo, check for shaft play first before you decide to pull it.

[EccentricBro]

Turbo, check for shaft play first before you decide to pull it.

does shaft play necessarily mean blown seal?

[fliprayzin240sx]

Yup, what you're describing is usually associated with a blown turbo.

[EccentricBro]

Yup, what you're describing is usually associated with a blown turbo.

okay that was the original thought, probably just second guessing at this point cause it's been a while. I haven't had to add any oil at all though, the level hasn't moved, isn't that odd?

[EccentricBro]

instead of making another thread i'm just gonna ask here....

i'm thinking of just buying a disco potato instead of going through the trouble of rebuilding the stock t25. currently running stock computer with no piggyback or anything. i bought the car with a NEO in it just not wired, but fuck that. if anything i'm going standalone. don't have the money to drop on a standalone and tune (after buying turbo) at the moment though. if i get the disco potato and just run ~~8lbs it couldn't be that much different right? i know there is more flow even though the PSI is the same, but it should still be driveable right?

i'm not sure what to do, as i don't really want to go through the trouble of rebuilding this if i'm gonna upgrade eventually anyway

[KiLLeR2001]

I'd just rebuild the T25 until you can afford to upgrade everything altogether. That's what I did for the last 5 years, now I'm finally upgrading to a T28, Z32 MAF, 555cc injectors and a tune to match.

[fliprayzin240sx]

No, I wouldnt get into boost whatsoever if you decide to just slap in a disco potato, even at just 8 psi. Car will be running lean and will probably be detonating. Last thing you need is a rod knocking SR after spending $1k for a new turbo.

[EccentricBro]

I'd just rebuild the T25 until you can afford to upgrade everything altogether. That's what I did for the last 5 years, now I'm finally upgrading to a T28, Z32 MAF, 555cc injectors and a tune to match.

yup that's basically what i want to do. guess that's the route i'm gonna go. totally worth waiting.

and flip, yeah thats what i thought, people are just badgering me "BRO JUST GET A NEW TURBO" nooooo you're an idiot -____-

rebuilding an SR already is the last thing i want to do lol

[fliprayzin240sx]

Well you can run it, just dont boost it. Shit, I'd probably disconnect the flapper off the internal wastegate so it wont
build boost.

But if you still want to wait, no real point of buying rebuild kits. Rebuild kits are about $70-80 but you can probably find another T25 for $100-150 if you look hard enough. Then you can probably sell it for as much as you paid for it to get your money back.

[EccentricBro]

well sadly (i guess lol) i've already got a rebuild kit sooo i'm just gonna end up rebuilding it. just a matter of when i decide to man up and take everything apart lol

[EccentricBro]

bumping this thread. SOOOOO.... no turbo shaft play. fins are fine. oil pressure sensor was shot leaking oil onto downpipe, switching that didn't stop smoke. compression 160 across the board. still getting white smoke. still smells like oil.

i'm thinking valve stem seals? which leads me to the question, are the sentra se-r valve stem seals the same as silvia's? if not valve stem seals, what else do you guys think it could be? there's no excess oil in downpipe or hot/cold pipe.

[EccentricBro]

bumpity bump