Blown Turbo? Blown seals? Sad owner.

B

bspeed3

Member
Contributor
:
2007 Mazdaspeed3
So, while driving the speed3 to go skiing this weekend, I suddenly noticed a high pitched whining or vibrating. It was windy, and I was going around seventy, so for the first 10-15 seconds I thought it might have been the windshield wipers vibrating fast in the wind. I looked back, noticed a lot of smoke, and noticed the car was missing power.

Pulled over, had it towed. The smoke was extremely thick and white, I'll have to get some pictures posted. I assume the turbo is blown, and so does the shop that I towed it to. I know other people have had smoking turbo problems. Is that the same as myblown turbo? Has anyone reading this had this problem? They quoted me 2500 to fix it, but have said:

1. They aren't yet 100% sure that is the problem, and

2. They can't guarantee yet that there isn't some turbo bits in the engine.

Its an 07 with 91k miles. Any advice on how I should proceed?
 
Last edited:
Most people with the smoking turbo say the car otherwise drives/operates normally. The smoke being a result of oil leaking past the seals. Another point is that those cars smoked mostly at idle and are less obvious when cruising. Your car sounds like a foreign object entered the engine. They wont know till they break it down. Sorry to hear this.
 
Last edited:
White smoke not likely blown turbo or its seals. Smoke would probably be black.

Blue smoke is oil, like piston rings, blow by, etc,

White smoke is typically water getting into cylinder. Cracked cylinder head, not enough antifreeze leading to crack of head or block from freezing conditions. Or maybe any other source of water or coolant getting sucked into intake from your filter or any other point, such as throttle body or intake manifold.
 
MSMS3 said:
White smoke not likely blown turbo or its seals. Smoke would probably be black.

Blue smoke is oil, like piston rings, blow by, etc,

White smoke is typically water getting into cylinder. Cracked cylinder head, not enough antifreeze leading to crack of head or block from freezing conditions. Or maybe any other source of water or coolant getting sucked into intake from your filter or any other point, such as throttle body or intake manifold.
Click to expand...

Wanna bet?
 
bspeed3 said:
So, while driving the speed3 to go skiing this weekend, I suddenly noticed a high pitched whining or vibrating. It was windy, and I was going around seventy, so for the first 10-15 seconds I thought it might have been the windshield wipers vibrating fast in the wind. I looked back, noticed a lot of smoke, and noticed the car was missing power.

Pulled over, had it towed. The smoke was extremely thick and white, I'll have to get some pictures posted. I assume the turbo is blown, and so does the shop that I towed it to. I know other people have had smoking turbo problems. Is that the same as myblown turbo? Has anyone reading this had this problem? They quoted me 2500 to fix it, but have said:

1. They aren't yet 100% sure that is the problem, and

2. They can't guarantee yet that there isn't some turbo bits in the engine.

Its an 07 with 91k miles. Any advice on how I should proceed?
Click to expand...

I had this issue. Nothing should really end up in your engine hopefully your filter was doing its job. You must change your oil and filter now tho,also check you intercooler for oil. $2500 sound waaay too much UNLESS that includes the turbo, is it a "tuner shop" or a "regular" mechanic shop?
 
Car Totalled?!

I just talked to Mazda. They said its got a blown turbo, it also pulled the following compression numbers. I don't know what normal fare is for a MS3 but: 190, 170, 140, 200 Psi. Cylinder 3 seems low. They said repeatedly it wasn't holding pressure as well, which leads them to believe the car has more serious issues. They also said the exhaust is filled with oil. In their opinion it wasn't worth fixing because:


1. Turbo alone is 2500 (Mazda)
2. Engine seems to have other issues
3. Exhaust is filled with oil (I could even see oil accumulating at the tip), its probably destroyed all the sensors

I'm thinking about parting the car out. Anyone have thoughts on how I should proceed?? It's a 2007 speed3 with 91k miles.
 
bspeed3 said:
I just talked to Mazda. They said its got a blown turbo, it also pulled the following compression numbers. I don't know what normal fare is for a MS3 but: 190, 170, 140, 200 Psi. Cylinder 3 seems low. They said repeatedly it wasn't holding pressure as well, which leads them to believe the car has more serious issues. They also said the exhaust is filled with oil. In their opinion it wasn't worth fixing because:


1. Turbo alone is 2500 (Mazda)
2. Engine seems to have other issues
3. Exhaust is filled with oil (I could even see oil accumulating at the tip), its probably destroyed all the sensors

I'm thinking about parting the car out. Anyone have thoughts on how I should proceed?? It's a 2007 speed3 with 91k miles.
Click to expand...

The first rule of the dealership is DON"T go to the stealership......I'm positive you can get a brand spanking new turbo for $900 -$1200, a used with low mileage for even less....labor will depend on what shop you take it to,I'm NO pro but I'm sure you can get a rebuild ( with stock parts) for the price they're asking for the turbo alone
 
Well what about the unstable compression numbers?

I'm definitely going to buy a second car now, just something to get me to work and back consistently. Looking to spend 10-15k for something lightly used, so if anyone wants to throw me suggestions in the mean time, let me know.

So I'm in no rush, but I'd like to know what you guys think about what I know so far about the speed3 issues so far:

I'm thinking so far I have at least two, possibly 3 issues:

1. Turbo
2. Headgasket issues (Maybe, could cause uneven compression)
3. Possible exhaust issues (sensors, etc)

How would you all approach the issues with compression now? Also, am I just going to have this problem again if I replace the K04 turbo?
 
My .02:

1) have a tuner shop fix the headgasket/valves.

2) BNR Supercars sells a Stage 1 turbo that is rebuilt much better than the K04. $900.

http://bnrsupercars.com/

Just curious what type of oil you use?
 
Hey man, look for a reputable shop in your area and ask them what would it cost to get a rebuild on your bottom end,just labor,it's easy to drop in on the shop that's doing your work so you can the the progress,you source your parts it cheaper that way...don't be surprised if u might need something as simple as pistons rings or maybe there was carbon build up on your rings....point is it may not be as bad as you think, but the dealer will make it seem like its rocket science
 
Great this has all been very helpful advice. I'm hoping its something relatively simple, as you said piston rings or carbon build-up. It would be phenomenal if I could have this car up and running again. I'll keep everyone posted once I get the car back from Mazda and begin to dig a little deeper into some of these problems.

5port I use full synthetic mobile 1, less than every 5k, I'd say probably every 4k.
 
Yeah when it went it made a sudden sort of buzzing/vibrating sound. It was fast like a dentists drill, but didn't shake the car, and wasn't really deep or loud. For a second I thought a plastic panel was flapping real fast in the wind, or the windshield wipers were flashing or something.

I just bought a Miata though... so thats nice!
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Smoke from CX-5 exhaust
Replies
6
Views
3K
Conrad 16.5
Conrad 16.5
GTXT23
    • Like
Turbo "Truths / Myths" dispelled
Replies
15
Views
2K
Odrapnew
O
A
CX-5 Engine Cover Turbo Badges
Replies
10
Views
807
chickdr
C

Latest posts

Back