1.4l turbo questions

[FesterJester]

I have had my 2014 Sonic LT 1.4l Turbo for little over 2 years now.
I really like it. Currently all stock with a few miles short of 83k miles.
At my oil change today, the mechanic pointed out I have a couple small oil leaks.
One appears to be coming from the turbo.
The shop does not work on turbos, so I will need to go elsewhere to get more diagnosis.

On the drive home, it dawned on me.
The turbo uses oil from the engine system.
Is it possible the feed or return oil line(s) have cracked or lost a seal?
Can this be checked without tearing a bunch of parts off the motor?

If it's not the oil lines, I am assuming a turbo replacement is in order.
Suggestions on a tight budget, quality turbo?
Rock Auto has
Cardone 2N115 $493
Rotomaster A1140104N $536
Pure Energy T2023N (no water or oil tubes) $538

I have read that Cardone is a rebranded Rotomaster in many cases.
Also, Rotomaster is supposed to be a quality brand.
I am open to other brands and sales locations, but hoping not to need to spend $1000+ on replacing a turbo right now.

Thanks
FJ

 

[efultz]

One note on the turbo - because you are over 80k miles it is no longer under warranty. To replace my dealer quoted $2k which I have not, yet, done.

 

[efultz]

Also, even though the turbo is no longer functioning the car does have less power and lower fuel mileage but is very much useable.

 

[ScarabEpic22]

BNR sells the factory turbos for $650: Factory OEM Turbocharger for GM 1.4T LUV/LUJ

I would not recommend continuing to drive with a non-functional turbo, it's only going to cause issues later on and potentially be more expensive to fix.

 

[FesterJester]

One note on the turbo - because you are over 80k miles it is no longer under warranty. To replace my dealer quoted $2k which I have not, yet, done.

Oh, I know it's not under warranty anymore. :sadbanana:
I have not gotten an official repair quote yet.
The mechanic I spoke with estimated it would cost about $1200, but his shop will not work on it.

BNR sells the factory turbos for $650: Factory OEM Turbocharger for GM 1.4T LUV/LUJ

I would not recommend continuing to drive with a non-functional turbo, it's only going to cause issues later on and potentially be more expensive to fix.

I never said the turbo was non-functional.
The turbo appears to be functioning normal.
Sounds fine as far as I can hear and feel.
No limp mode codes or check engine lights.

 

[Maddmatts]

Another source of oil leaks in the area is the Oil/Coolant heat exchanger mounted below the exhaust manifold.

 

[FesterJester]

Got an appointment in about a week to look into some of these options.
I will keep everyone posted as to what is found.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

 

[FesterJester]

Car went in for service yesterday and I figured I would post the findings.

Shop found one of the turbo oil lines to be failing.
Appeared to be slightly loose from the engine block and worn out.
New $53 oil line and appears to be no oil leak (yet).


Glad it's not a $1k+ turbo replacement and that it was caught before full failure.

 

[JJP]

...nice on the inexpensive fix, how's it holding up a couple weeks later?

 

[FesterJester]

Realized I never did a follow up on this repair.

The new line is still in place and from what I can see, no oil leaks from it to date.

 

[shorebreeze]

Fester, which oil line did they replace -- the little metal one that loops underneath the exhaust manifold and heat shield at the front of the engine? If so, did you get a look at the original part to see whether it had a single gasket or a pair of them on the unbolted end of the line? This part originally had a single gasket and it was redesigned around 2014 with a pair--much more dependable.

 

[FesterJester]

Fester, which oil line did they replace -- the little metal one that loops underneath the exhaust manifold and heat shield at the front of the engine? If so, did you get a look at the original part to see whether it had a single gasket or a pair of them on the unbolted end of the line? This part originally had a single gasket and it was redesigned around 2014 with a pair--much more dependable.

Yes, it was a metal one.
It had only 1 gasket and the new one has 2 gaskets.
The old line did show some signs of being miss-shaped slightly on the engine end.
Machanic and I think it was from vibrations and repetitive heating/cooling.