# EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS



## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

This is everything about ebay turbos i can thing about to tell you.After a year with mine(finally killed it)I consider myself knowledgeable in them.Do this and the turbo will last
*THE THINGS TO DO AND NOT TO DO*
before buying
-Learn about turbos,these things are crazy
-These are cheap,but to a point
-Look at the build of the unit,Dont get sucked into any claims about the turbo the company makes
-Like anything else on ebay check feedback

Parts you need to make the EBayer last
-Oil restrictor(A MUST)
-Turbotimer or *patience*(they need to have cooling time)
*like any other turbo,preventive maintenance is Very important
-A very good exhaust system/downpipe.Not talked about but any bad vibration to the exhaust housing will transfer the to the bearings
-Clean air filter and intake
-Blow off valve or DV(dont buy these from ebay)A working one is very important to the life of this turbo

*Gauges always a godd idea
-oil temp.This will tell you if you overheating the ebayer
-Egt again overheating any turbo shorts life
-water temp,since most vw engine use water cooled oil coolers water temp is just as important

Finally to mine
I purchased a t3/t4 t04e in 57tirm for 220 shipped from crxracing or something last october
I was a turbo noob and did alot of things work.no oil restrictor,a non working bov.Anyways the car did rip i love it.And after 6 months i had righted everything but the turbo timer( i got tired of waiting







)
The turbo finally had its quiet last hurray at fixxfest.Cooked turbine bearings
I have purchased the same turbo and have done everything i list and plan for this one to last until i get the 30psi motor ready
*Budget minded will work,just be smart*

I know of people running these turbos
maxvw
nastyboost
Both dailys with hard miles
Please add your ebay story


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## Weiss (Jun 21, 2004)

Interesting to see people are making these work. Kudos to u! I've heard of people having these crack at te compressor housing to the housing plate.


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## euro4-DoOr (Apr 9, 2004)

*Re: (Weiss)*

http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## gtvento13 (Oct 4, 2007)

nice post


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## ArcticFox (Nov 4, 2005)

*Re: (euro4-DoOr)*

Finally a thread like this needed to be made.


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## TBT-Syncro (Apr 28, 2001)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (Couper1TEP)*

making a generalization about "Ebay turbos" is like making a generalization 'Blue cars'.
some are s hit, some are not. 

now when you compare a $100 blue car, versus a $2000 blue car.
almost all are s hit, though there are rare exceptions.
/thread


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## Anthony1.8 (May 20, 2008)

Just lately a lot of good information on ebay turbos. As a matter of fact, my k03 died and I am on a budget so, I have decided to go with one as well. Thanks for all these helpful hints!


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## haenszel (Mar 14, 2004)

*Re: (Anthony1.8)*

I like how you say get an ebay turbo but not an ebay BOV.....







-- so your BOV costs as much as the turbo.... but which ones more important, really?


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## askibum02 (May 10, 2002)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (TBT-Syncro)*


_Quote, originally posted by *TBT-Syncro* »_making a generalization about "Ebay turbos" is like making a generalization 'Blue cars'.
some are s hit, some are not. 

now when you compare a $100 blue car, versus a $2000 blue car.
almost all are s hit, though there are rare exceptions.
/thread

Kinda goes back to you get what you pay for in most cases.


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## TBT-Syncro (Apr 28, 2001)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (askibum02)*

Its funny how people think that the worst thing that is going to happen is that the turbo dies, when in fact the reality is that when the turbo dies, there is a strong chance of their motor being destroyed by the oil that is pushed in to the cylinders.


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## haenszel (Mar 14, 2004)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (TBT-Syncro)*


_Quote, originally posted by *TBT-Syncro* »_Its funny how people think that the worst thing that is going to happen is that the turbo dies, when in fact the reality is that when the turbo dies, there is a strong chance of their motor being destroyed by the oil that is pushed in to the cylinders.









ORRRRRRRRRRRRRR.......... the flailing chunks of metal......... there's that too.


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## Flavo Cadillac (May 7, 2003)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (Couper1TEP)*

im a turbo newb myself and was wondering why that was the 1st time the engine being killed was mentioned. i had always assumed that if the turbo detonated that the engine would be toast too. not worth the $400 savings to me.


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## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (TBT-Syncro)*

i stated which turbo i have and its the same one several people are running.with out problems
i'm not saying that they are better i'm just making a thread to end all the ebay turbo?what do you guys think of ebay turbo,blah blah blah threads.This is a simple what to do/look for when looking at these
And also would like testmonies of others so we no what to stay away from.
And this turbo i have isnt that bad.A good friend of mine is a certified machinist and when he check everything(gaps,tolerences) they were spot on.
you have to remember that this is 200 dollars not 600.And 200 dollars for a year of turbo fun is worth it for the budget tight

Kentic,garrett,presicion all great brands ,but 200 dollars of that is for the name


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## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (TBT-Syncro)*


_Quote, originally posted by *TBT-Syncro* »_Its funny how people think that the worst thing that is going to happen is that the turbo dies, when in fact the reality is that when the turbo dies, there is a strong chance of their motor being destroyed by the oil that is pushed in to the cylinders.









Mine didnt have a explosive death,hell it did even die,it just started having a hard time boost.Turned out that the bearings where on there way out.Blades never came apart or anything like that
And i havent run a air filter for 6months


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## gtvento13 (Oct 4, 2007)

*Re: (haenszel)*

to this guy^^haenszel i run a stock dv out of a saab 93 that cost me 10$ at the junk yard. functions perfect and sounds EXACTLY like a forge. 
assumptions, assumptions..


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## WindsorJetta8v (Mar 13, 2001)

*Re: (gtvento13)*

I purchased an ebay turbo earlier in the year to replace a blown saab t3, itwas the common t3/t4 50 trim on ebay, bought it installed ran it for 6 days about 430 miles then the hotside bearing cracked and the turbo was toast(I found this out after dis-assembling the turbo) i have oics in the old ebay turbo thread if anyone is interested

i now have a kinetic, has gone 9k zero problems, got it for there waterfest sale price of 449$ usually $595 and its worth every penny and im happy with it!


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## Weiss (Jun 21, 2004)

You guys would not believe the markup on turbos. I wont say who or what kind of numbers, trust me there is almost half on most units. Still after you take away the markup they are still almost twice the cost of an Ebay unit, but at that point now you're paying for quality. The names are expensive though.


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## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

*Re: (Weiss)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Weiss* »_You guys would not believe the markup on turbos. I wont say who or what kind of numbers, trust me there is almost half on most units. Still after you take away the markup they are still almost twice the cost of an Ebay unit, but at that point now you're paying for quality. The names are expensive though. 

Ya that whats i'm saying.This turbo is a good build.Idk about anyother one.But i know that the things i said will make a ebay turbo last longer


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## c25porter (Sep 12, 2006)

I think we are all on a budget, otherwise we would have Ferrari's or at least or best an R8. 
Having said that, this is a good post of what any turbo setup needs, but especially a cheap kit. And honestly we all knew what he meant when he said ebay turbos. it is not so much like saying a blue car it is more like saying a black magic pearl car. There is a chance someone painted a Honda Black Magic Pearl, but chances are it is a VW.


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## boglog42 (Mar 4, 2008)

*Re: (c25porter)*

Mine was fun while it lasted. Decided to try and rebuild mine and have it rebalanced and was ready to reinstall everything, then I pulled the oil pan and realized my engine was ready to die. Ran for about 3000miles.


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## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

*Re: (boglog42)*

well what model was it


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## ArcticFox (Nov 4, 2005)

*Re: (Couper1TEP)*

Check his signature


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## boglog42 (Mar 4, 2008)

*Re: (ArcticFox)*

cxracing, .63ar/.50comp paid ~250 for kit with BOV, oil lines (w/restrictor), some tubing and clamps. The BOV worked ok but took a lot of fine tuning out of the box. It orginally came with two springs and was so tight it wouldn't move at all. When I removed the big spring it got better but was always trying to balance it's ability to open at the proper time and still make a complete seal.


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## 84SciroccoX-FLOW (Dec 3, 2006)

i got my ebay turbo from CXlighting- same company i guess- for about $150 shipped. it is a T04E and i just got it for my 2.0t, so far so good. spools up really nice and im waiting to up the boost!


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## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

*Re: (boglog42)*

damn.thats close to mine except mines a 60 on the comp


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## adaptorman (Dec 12, 2007)

any turbo is ok long as its used correct ,and not thashed /left runing dry etc ,yes theres loads of cheep copys ,ive know lots re useing oringle units and fiting cheep internals etc ,so u really never know what your buying especaily from evil bay....my worst dealing were from xs power horried things ,,,


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## sydneysky84 (Oct 25, 2008)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (Couper1TEP)*

nice thanks


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## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (sydneysky84)*

after my SECOND blown bbm charger at 3000 a pop i decided to buy a cheap ebay turbo
this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...witem=
my theory is when! it blows up anyting that would hurt my motor will get caught in the FMIC so ill try it for a few when i blows up if i have money i may buy something niver but for $150 shipped i can buy alot of them before i can buy another bbm charger http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif


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## killa (Nov 26, 2000)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (TBT-Syncro)*


_Quote, originally posted by *TBT-Syncro* »_making a generalization about "Ebay turbos" is like making a generalization 'Blue cars'.
some are s hit, some are not. 

now when you compare a $100 blue car, versus a $2000 blue car.
almost all are s hit, though there are rare exceptions.
/thread

Some blue cars blow up, some are luck enough not to


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## killa (Nov 26, 2000)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (Busted Fox WaGeN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Busted Fox WaGeN* »_after my SECOND blown bbm charger at 3000 a pop i decided to buy a cheap ebay turbo
this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...witem=
my theory is when! it blows up anyting that would hurt my motor will get caught in the FMIC so ill try it for a few when i blows up if i have money i may buy something niver but for $150 shipped i can buy alot of them before i can buy another bbm charger http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif 

Look at the spcs:
Intel 3" >> Typo, it's Inlet, copied it too quick?
Outlet 2" 
Bearing Wet Floating Bearings 
Oil Inlet 1/8 NPT Oil Inlet >> oil inlet... oil inlet... 
Flange Standard T3/T4 Flange >>>> Flange is a T3, for those who dont know... no such things as a T3/T4 flange as it's not hybrid lol
Swaps 350 WHP >>> Whatever that means...
Working Pressure 5~30 PSI >>> try to run it at high boost
Compressor .50 A/R Compressor 
Turbine .63 A/R Turbine 
Compressor Wheel Exducer: 3"
Inducer: 2" 
Turbine Wheel Exducer: 2.2"
Inducer: 2.58" 
Hot Side 2.5" v-band 
Works for Perfect any 4-6 cylinder. >> might
Mitsubishi Eclipse,Honda Civic,Prelude,Integra,Ford 2.3L Turbo Etc. 
Just funny stuff


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## 84SciroccoX-FLOW (Dec 3, 2006)

u can laugh all u want. i got me a nice 15psi $150 turbo


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## TBT-Syncro (Apr 28, 2001)

*Re: (84SciroccoX-FLOW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *84SciroccoX-FLOW* »_u can laugh all u want. i got me a nice 15psi $150 turbo

maybe you wont get something, but is it really worth the risk?


_Modified by [email protected] at 6:12 AM 10-31-2008_


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## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: (TBT-Syncro)*


_Quote, originally posted by *TBT-Syncro* »_
maybe you wont get something, but is it really worth the risk?

_Modified by [email protected] at 6:12 AM 10-31-2008_

but honestly whats the very worst that can happen??? if the impellers explode and fly through the piping wont the intercooler stop anything that would hurt the motor? and about blowing oil in the cylinders? hows that going to happen? i've seen bearings go bad and thay smoke out the exhaust..


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## TBT-Syncro (Apr 28, 2001)

*Re: (Busted Fox WaGeN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Busted Fox WaGeN* »_
but honestly whats the very worst that can happen??? 

the seals in the turbo have a total failure, which allows the oil in to your cylinders, hydrolocking it, causing catastrophic engine failure.


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## 84SciroccoX-FLOW (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: (TBT-Syncro)*


_Quote, originally posted by *TBT-Syncro* »_
the seals in the turbo have a total failure, which allows the oil in to your cylinders, hydrolocking it, causing catastrophic engine failure.


why are u so against ebay turbos? seriously? ur negative comments are of no use here. most of us here have been using ebay turbos successfully, with no problems at all. 
have u used an ebay turbo?


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## sp_golf (Nov 28, 2007)

*Re: (Busted Fox WaGeN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Busted Fox WaGeN* »_
but honestly whats the very worst that can happen??? if the impellers explode and fly through the piping wont the intercooler stop anything that would hurt the motor? and about blowing oil in the cylinders? hows that going to happen? i've seen bearings go bad and thay smoke out the exhaust..

Your engine could eat little pieces of the metal impeller, which can cause many problems. But in most cases the engine will be ok. The intercooler is not a filter. Debris can still easily flow thru it... infact an entire impeller can flow thru most intercoolers if it goes thru the tubes at the right angle.
I would never buy an eBay turbo, simply because it's not worth the hassle. The chances of these turbos failing within a short period of time are very high, and it has been proven over and over again that for the most part, the're junk, yet people keep buying them hoping theirs will magically be reliable.
I have no problem with these manufacturers and vendors offering cheap turbos, as long as they make them reliable, but as long as people keep buying their junk, they have no reason not to improve their quality.
If you're gonna turbo your car, put up the money to do it properly the first time around.


_Modified by sp_golf at 11:38 AM 10-31-2008_


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## killa (Nov 26, 2000)

*Re: (84SciroccoX-FLOW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *84SciroccoX-FLOW* »_u can laugh all u want. i got me a nice 15psi $150 turbo

Ok, I laugh because i tested 2 when they first hit these shores, one of them bent the shaft as soon as it hit boost for the first time.
Don't bother posting where to buy them because they all come from the same chinese source, they hit me up all the time with their new stuff.


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## TBT-Syncro (Apr 28, 2001)

*Re: (84SciroccoX-FLOW)*


_Quote, originally posted by *84SciroccoX-FLOW* »_
ur negative comments are of no use here. 

lol. did you used to work at EIP or something? how can a thread be meaningful if it doesnt offer the full picture?
lol. i'm so against them because they arent worth the headaches they'll probably bring. I've seen lots of motor failures, and i've seen lots of turbo failures (including cheap knock offs). The average person who is looking to buy an Ebay turbo, is looking in to it because they dont have extra money lying around, this is the person who probably cant afford losing the turbo or their motor.


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## GNIFRUS (Jun 27, 2008)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (Daskoupe)*

before i got my curent set up i considerd the ebay kit as well, the truth is that if you whant a setup that lasts you need to put some $ into int in orrder to save a lot of it in the longrun i got my self a stage 3 kit from kinetich and it has been the best thing a can think of proformence wise a frend of mine got an ebay kit for $1200 and kild the engine in 6 month's and wound up spending $4300 to fix it as stock!!!!! so in my expirince it's more expensive in the long run !!!


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## steve12345 (Jan 8, 2006)

Here's my $.02 fwiw
It's very unlikely that a failed turbo will destroy your engine.
Yes, if the impeller totally blew, some very small bits could pass through the intercooler and make it into the combustion chamber.
Yes, if the turbine totally blew, large chunks could take out the o2 sensor or plug up the cat.
Yes if the compressor oil seal leaks you could fill the intercooler with oil. I doubt that the 4.2 quarts of oil in the pan would flow through the intercooler all at once and hydro lock the engine. Seals usually show some sign of leakage before they totally let loose.
If the turbine oil seal totally let loose, you could lose the o2 sensor and the cat. Usually they leak slowly and you see smoke and know what's up.
Most failures I've read about are seals or bearings. If the bearings sieze, you don't get boost and you can pretty quickly figure out what's up.

It comes down to how much risk you are willing to assume. Is this car your daily driver? Do you have a backup ride? Can you deal with a week or two of down time while you wait for new parts? If so, roll the bones and see what you get.
Here's an analogy:
Do you use Dlink, Linksys, or Netgear network gear? It's cheap Chinese/Taiwanese gear. Yeah, it's crap. Yeah it will eventually fail. Does it have a decent warranty or support infrastructure? No. Do the people who sell it know anything about networks? No. Could you spend a hell of a lot more and buy Cisco gear and get a warranty and support? Yeah.
I'm a network engineer by trade. I use cheap linksys and netgear crap at home. But, you better believe I use Cisco gear at work where money is on the line.
If I were putting a turbo on my only car or racing competitively, I would certainly run a name brand turbo from a knowledgable reseller.
I started out with a genuine Garrett T3 to get my feet wet. I'm more comfortable with turbos now and I am willing to assume the risk of a cheap Chinese knock off. My VW turbo car is not my only car. In fact, it's more of a play toy to learn about turbos and SEM. So, I can live with down time.
It's all about managing risk.
How much risk can you afford to take?


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## sp_golf (Nov 28, 2007)

*Re: (steve12345)*

There is a big difference between a $40 Linksys router that lasts 2-3 years and can't damage any other components, and a turbo that lasts 1-5000miles.


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## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: (sp_golf)*

im going to buy a cheapo ebay turbo if it breaks oh well..... i did it right the first time with a bbm charger http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif and the second time same car after the first blew up another bbm charger http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif 
so twice i have done it right and they have failed so im ready to be let down again







ebay turbo here i come... except this time im out a 150$ turbo not a 3000$ supercharger


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## 84SciroccoX-FLOW (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: (Busted Fox WaGeN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Busted Fox WaGeN* »_im going to buy a cheapo ebay turbo if it breaks oh well..... i did it right the first time with a bbm charger http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif and the second time same car after the first blew up another bbm charger http://****************.com/smile/emthdown.gif 
so twice i have done it right and they have failed so im ready to be let down again







ebay turbo here i come... except this time im out a 150$ turbo not a 3000$ supercharger 

yeah. make sure u get it from the CX____ guy(s) i got mine from ebay user CXLighting, theres more of the same company. all CXRacing. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## steve12345 (Jan 8, 2006)

*Re: (sp_golf)*


_Quote, originally posted by *sp_golf* »_There is a big difference between a $40 Linksys router that lasts 2-3 years and can't damage any other components, and a turbo that lasts 1-5000miles.

Not to turn this into a computer thread, but my last belkin wireless router died a little after a month. When was the last time you installed a security patch for your cable modem router? Do the cheap pieces even have patches available after the first six months to a year? The risks with computers are different than just outright failure.


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## dapucker1 (Sep 13, 2004)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (askibum02)*

it was summed up nicely in the 7th or 8th post...

_Quote, originally posted by *askibum02* »_you get what you pay for

there are some things on ebay that are very affordable and a good deal for its quality. i bought pre-bent 2 1/2" aluminum piping (that was already partially polished) to fab up my ic plumbing for about $100. hands down, an awesome deal. 
it is MY opinion, but some parts can be used that may not need to be ferrari quality (in my case, the ic piping) but there are others that i would never want to skimp on (my turbo- gt35r).


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## wedge (May 24, 2000)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (dapucker1)*

I wouldnt buy a turbo from anything less then an auth dealer for the turbo kit. Its way to much money to mess around your engine with.


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## FastTurbo 2.0 (Mar 24, 2004)

*Re: (84SciroccoX-FLOW)*

























this is a ebay turbo, and atp clone manifold.


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## 8VDualRounds (Mar 8, 2004)

Looks nice^^^

How much power do you think your making?


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## FastTurbo 2.0 (Mar 24, 2004)

*Re: (8VDualRounds)*


_Quote, originally posted by *8VDualRounds* »_Looks nice^^^

How much power do you think your making?

Thanks, it feels like 1 million whp on the butt dyno. But realistic looking around 300whp. 8 psi right now. I have only had it on for a few days, so no chance for a dyno.


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## str8upG (Sep 15, 2008)

which EBAY turbo's are reasonable ??
JDM ??


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## Big_Tom (Aug 19, 2007)

i was thinkin about running A CX Racing 50 trim! they look sweet and it's only 150 bux!


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## FastTurbo 2.0 (Mar 24, 2004)

*Re: (Big_Tom)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Big_Tom* »_i was thinkin about running A CX Racing 50 trim! they look sweet and it's only 150 bux!

That is a CX turbo ar 50, exhaust .63


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## 84SciroccoX-FLOW (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: (FastTurbo 2.0)*


_Quote, originally posted by *FastTurbo 2.0* »_
That is a CX turbo ar 50, exhaust .63

yup that the one im running also http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## 2SLoWGTI (Sep 22, 2003)

*Re: (FastTurbo 2.0)*

I would reconsider using a oil feed that big you should have a -3, -4 max


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## FastTurbo 2.0 (Mar 24, 2004)

*Re: (2SLoWGTI)*

that is a 4an, but thanks anyway


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## nfx (Jul 18, 2004)

*Re: (2SLoWGTI) (FastTurbo 2.0)*

i want to tell a story and i hope you guys critique me.
I didn't go with an ebay turbo my first time around. I picked up a T3 garret unit from an old Saab 9000 in a junkyard for 20 bucks which started this all.
After a few months of research (the internet is your friend) i had the balls to start pulling it apart. To be honest, turbos aren't all that complicated, but precision matters because of how much and how fast they spin during boost.
That being said, I rebuilt my own turbo (spent 140 on a rebuild kit from a reputable company from the interwebs) and followed a few different sources for rebuilding... all said to mark everything taking it apart, as putting it back together in the same orientation would keep it as balanced as possible... but i didn't necessarily do this perfect nor did i have it balanced. a year later, 11k miles, 6psi to 11psi, i've had no issues. and ive had my fun with it.
am i worried about it in the long run? meh. the car is my daily. however, ive had other issues w/ the setup (a year later and im still working out kinks... haha) but it's been very reliable. and i still have NO OIL in any intake tubing post turbo... so id say my rebuild is doing fine job. and im not running a restrictor and i use less than 1/4 qt of oil an oil change.
what does this have to do with ebay turbos? well... if you can buy a junkyard turbo and rebuild it... who the **** would want an ebay turbo? i know it takes the balls to futz with a turbo because everyone sees them as the magical fun fan object that we bolt on to our cars to make it go vroom, but if you consider yourself a car guy (or girl), do your research and dont be afraid to get your hands dirty.
is it risky? hell yeah. my dad has been a mechanic for over 30 years and when i first brought the turbo home he was flipping **** mad. hell once he realized i lowered my car (which took 3 weeks) he threw a fit. but after a years worth of collecting parts, research, running my mouth about how much i knew and ran circles around his head about the subject, he began to trust me. hell he even stood by when i first started it up... he was that interested. and after a few months once i got the money together for the FMIC he even told me i did a damn good job with the setup... and this is a guy who less then 2 years ago told me he'd stop sending my college checks every month if i put the thing on my car.
my point... shut up and do it.,... but do it right the first time... and if you make a mistake... well... its a learning experience... and plus its only money if you blow the motor


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## 16vtblackjetta (Jan 13, 2007)

*Re: (2SLoWGTI) (FastTurbo 2.0)*

Im just gonna throw this out there, I have almost a complete Egay turbo setup on my VRT the turbo is a T04e, egay wastegate,egay exhaust manifold, egay bov, pipes and intercooler. I have been running it from 5 lbs. all the to 20lbs no probelms as of yet i have put more then 3k miles on these parts. I even ran at the local drag strip this past weekend and beat the **** out of everything. Ran 13.500 @ 110mph @ 15lbs. Im not saying my setup wont fail but as of right now i am really impressed with hows its holding together BTW this is my daily driver.


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## steve12345 (Jan 8, 2006)

*Re: (2SLoWGTI) (nfx)*


_Quote, originally posted by *nfx* »_... if you can buy a junkyard turbo and rebuild it... who the **** would want an ebay turbo?
 
I agree, to a point. If I were only looking for a T3 size turbo I would never screw with ebay stuff. You can get Garrett rebuild kits all day long for real T3's. That's why I started out with a real Garrett T3. It wasn't until I wanted higher flow and pressure than a T3 60 trim that I started considering other options. Most people don't realize that a T3 60 trim can do 300 whp with a proper tune and a well optimized engine.
The problem is that there are not many high flow/pressure ratio T3 flanged junk yard turbos and the real ones cost $600+ to buy new. That's where ebay turbos start looking attractive.
Caveat emptor....


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## Junkyard Hero (Jan 18, 2005)

*Re: (2SLoWGTI) (steve12345)*

junkyard turbos work great for lower boost lower power and if you want a small turbo i mean the biggest turbo that i have found on a turbo cause is the turbo mustangs and thunderbirds and thats a t3 .63 hot .60 cold my "starter" turbo is a t3 from a 87 auto Murker XR4Ti its a .48 hot .60 cold i will be more then happy with 250 hp with this turbo but later down the road i want a bigger one and i dont think i am gonna find a GT30r in the JY and if i do by god i am gonna gaurd it with the first lond pointy thing i can find near by some people just want a budget builder car all these honda guys are getting these kits and running them and they seem to last a while ( a friend of mine has had an EBAY kit on his D16 for 3 years) so they have to be doing something right


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## FastTurbo 2.0 (Mar 24, 2004)

*Re: (2SLoWGTI) (Mat_16V)*

400 miles , and counting.... http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## sydneysky84 (Oct 25, 2008)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (Daskoupe)*

nice


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## Nastyboost (Feb 18, 2007)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (sydneysky84)*

Ill chime in since im running one. Ive put about 250 miles on mine with pretty hard driving on interstate and around town locally. Haven't had a single problem. I am running a restrictor and i self turbo time the car for about 5 minutes after highway and about 2 min around town. I took mine apart already and it doesn't show any wear. I haven't run it past 7psi which is factory wastegate. If it ever does blow i will just grab a garrett T3 Super 60 or a Super 82 from some of my local friends. The ebay turbo spools just like some of my old "real" Garret T3/T4s. I guess its all hit or miss with these things. Some have good experience some bad. I got a guy locally that has put 4 yrs of driving on the same CXlighting/CX racing turbo from them and hasn't had a problem and he isn't the most intelligent guy when it comes to maintenance.


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## thetwodubheads (Dec 6, 2004)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (Nastyboost)*

Just want to toss this out there... The guy who re-built my turbo (who has been playing with them since they became somewhat common in the 80's) told me as far as rebuilding goes. Unless there is a chance that the wheels contacted the housings there will be no need to balance it. The turbine and impellers are balanced individually. This means the relation of impeller, to turbine isn't an issue. Since the one I had rebuilt used a non-damaged turbine, and new impeller he did not think balancing was an issue. Although had he said it was necessary I would have paid the extra 80 or so dollars and he could have pocketed it. I think where rebuilding them is tricky is in the measurements. You need to make sure nothing has worn and requires a different sized bearing. The whole reason for being rebuilt is that when I bought it, it had been. But... the shop didn't take into consideration some wear on the thrust bearing. Thus, the new standard sized one had some play where it sat on the backplate. This caused it to literally destroy the mounting ring, thrust bearing, and impeller. So. Just make sure you do it right I guess is what all that was about.


_Modified by thetwodubheads at 8:59 PM 11-16-2008_


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## FastTurbo 2.0 (Mar 24, 2004)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (thetwodubheads)*

650 miles.... running good.


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## 84SciroccoX-FLOW (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (FastTurbo 2.0)*

only prob ive seen so far is that my exh housing is starting to get some surface rust and look ugly, so i took it off and apart and painted it. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif all parts work, and now look great http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

*Re: EBAY turbos-THE THREAD TO END ALL THREADS (84SciroccoX-FLOW)*

mines doing good.8 psi.I want more,but need other things(ie christmas shiz,brakes)


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## 16V4LIFE (Sep 29, 2004)

*Re: (TBT-Syncro)*


_Quote, originally posted by *TBT-Syncro* »_
the seals in the turbo have a total failure, which allows the oil in to your cylinders, hydrolocking it, causing catastrophic engine failure.


I would love to see the scenario that this happens. Do you realize the volume of oil that would have to make it from your small turbo feed line through all of your piping, and the intercooler, all of the way back to your throttle body to make this happen? It just isn't in the cards. While the vehicle was running, you could probably run the oil feed line with the restricter that most of you have (Or should) right into the intake at idle and not create a problem much bigger than a bunch of smoke out the tail pipe. I think these threads are filled with way too many uneducated opinions presented as "Fact"


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## godoveryou (Apr 1, 2007)

*Re: (16V4LIFE)*

Much like OBX dif's, this community seems to have something against non-brand name materials.
I come from the land of Honda's and Domestics. My Hondas used OBX's and many ebay parts. They are widely embraced in those communities. They work well for the most part. Older Ebay Turbo's were known to crack, but I haven't heard of that happening for some time now. I haven't seen an OBX fail either, rebuild or not. I've heard of axles getting stuck, but that's about it. I know mine survived 514HP - 374 ft/lbs and many launches on sticky tires, along with over 30k miles of DD. In my opinion here, the loser isn't the end user. The loser is the brand name companies that have 100% markup ratio's. If they instead had 50% markup ratio's, many more people would buy their product, but why pay double for something that when you can get an acceptable unit for a 1/4 of the price? It becomes a matter of greed and economics more than part longetivity. 
I put over 40,000 miles on one ebay turbo, and 10,000 on another. No oil, no metal shavings, no problems period. Just a smooth spool and 10-24 PSI of fun.


_Modified by godoveryou at 8:58 AM 11-30-2008_


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## godoveryou (Apr 1, 2007)

*Re: (godoveryou)*

One more thing to add:
If you are on a budget and don't want to do the No-Name turbo, and can't afford the "Popular" turbo that everyone insists you need, consider a Mitsubishi TD05. It's a factory OEM item with a very good track record and will produce enough air for most street applications on 4cyl engines. VR6 guys are out on this one.
Very cheap to buy, cheap to rebuild if required.


_Modified by godoveryou at 11:21 AM 11-30-2008_


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## passatG60 (Aug 16, 2001)

*Re: (godoveryou)*

Complete BS. From someone that comes from a turbocharging background for more then 15yrs, there are things in the manufacturing process of certain components of the turbo that would not allow it be sold at these prices. Without these types of components and processes, these turbos are not reliable. Inconel exhaust wheels, inertia welded shafts are what the big names and quality OEM oriented manufacturers employ. This technology is employed by more then your everyday budget teenager looking for power for a buck... They are used on commercial vehicles, airplanes, production vehicles throughout the world. The materials and manufacturing equipment is expensive. The OBX and other budget turbos would not pass inspection to back the names of companies w/ multi million dollar contracts on the line. For every success story, there are a dozen failures. Most wont publicly come out and voice them. On low boost pressures when load isnt all that great on these components, the turbos will survive for a while... I've seen it, swapped out turbos, converted entire builds based on these budget components that have failed time and time again.. Sorry, its the truth, wished it wasnt as some of these deals seem pretty damn good to me too...
If you think there's this tremendous markup on these turbos, well, there has to be. The R&D and manpower to develop this productline is tremendous. For all the ppl thinking that its even a fair comparison, its laughable... If you put an ebay turbo and garrett ball bearing turbo next to each other and took them apart, you start realizing how inferior these no-name turbos are. Kind of like white castles vs. jackson hole burgers... they're both burgers right? Well, thats just my 2cents...


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## godoveryou (Apr 1, 2007)

*Re: (passatG60)*

That's fine. But for $120, it made more than enough LONG LASTING power. Maybe I just got real lucky, twice.
The bottom line = Cost vs. Gain (performance AND longetivity).



_Modified by godoveryou at 3:10 PM 11-30-2008_


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## passatG60 (Aug 16, 2001)

*Re: (godoveryou)*


_Quote, originally posted by *godoveryou* »_That's fine. But for $120, it made more than enough LONG LASTING power. Maybe I just got real lucky, twice.
The bottom line = Cost vs. Gain (performance AND longetivity).
_Modified by godoveryou at 3:10 PM 11-30-2008_

In a world where there is no BW, Garrett, Mitsu turbos and only OBX and ebay, ppl would be bitching about turbocharging as this unreliable form of gaining power. If ppl also think that a blown turbo is a blown turbo, they have taken out engines. Its such a bummer when this happens after a long expensive build... But I guess most ppl arent that stupid..


_Modified by passatG60 at 4:31 PM 11-30-2008_


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## nfx (Jul 18, 2004)

*Re: (passatG60)*

see this is where this argument can really split into two segments. one side you've got people who are tracking their cars, auto-x, etc. while the other is using the car as a fun dd. in my mind, there is a line that separates guys who push their cars to the limit and those who want a more fun and exciting daily driver. my car isn't by any means fast... but its fun. i did a rebuild myself with a garrett oem snail and the only internal engine work ive done is a higher duration cam. this car hasn't seen the track... it may never see it. i dont care how fast the car is in a straight line, i care how fast i can get onto the highway, out a turn, etc. while keeping me on the road more in the garage. but if i wanted this car to be a track monster, throwing down massive amounts of power, then i would of spent massive amounts of cash into a power plant, the components that go into it, and etc.
when it all comes down to it... you should ask yourself what is the point of your build? a fun, dependable ride or a power whore? then go from there.


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## Weiss (Jun 21, 2004)

A knowledgable tidbit for people to crunch on. If the bearings on our namely Ebay turbo (which btw I believe all are journal bearing units, so they are really not bearings, but bushings in which oil films over and the shaft rides on). Anyhow, if those decide to fail you could see shaft lockup, excessive oil pressure buildup pushing past the seals, normally pushes against the exhaust seal as the compressor has a monster thrust bearing in the way.
It's usually unlikely you will ingest oil on the compressor side. There is a thick plate of metal that houses another bearing (usually only encompassing 270* of the shaft). This takes up any axial play (side to side), then there is the seal followed by the compressor housing. 
Now as mentioned earlier, obviously these turbos aren't quality. They are designed to fail. We know this. This is the bottom line, they will. They are a grenade with the pin pulled. You will have a period of usage, but no one knows how long. However, you may be able to purchase 3 or 4 of these before buying a quality turbo and if no long term damage arises from the turbo's failure then you have lost NOTHING! Obviously, "reputable" turbos use inconel wheels (anyone know what that means? Well let's stop throwing around big words, exhaust wheels use inconel metal or Mar-M (that's more pricey and I doubt you'll see that in Ebay turbos). Inconel is mostly a balance of iron, chromium, manganese, and aluminum. Simply put, it holds up to heat). The housings are normally made from ductile cast iron or Ni-Resist, which is an alloy of iron with a high nickel content. 
Even still, as stated earlier it would require a great deal of oil to cause any damage. Did anyone think what too much oil would do inside a cylinder wall? Fouled plugs and a mess to clean out. That's what I would say. Hydrolocking is when water or coolant is ingested in great volumes, pushes through the rings and becomes acidic as it detroys the oil's additives (cleaning agents, rust inhibitors, heat resistants, and most importantly lubricating properties) when mixed with the oil, destroying the rod bearings, main bearings, and crank and rod journals. You're not going to hyrdolock an engine with oil. It's just another oil return line.








With that out of the way, I would use an Ebay turbo just for the experience. I get turbos from Turbonetics at cost, so I would be almost foolish to not buy one, however, I would like the experience. Just make sure you take care of it. After hard runs and high exhaust temperatures, heat through convection (heat transfered from the head, manifold, and downpipe to the turbine and eventually to the CHRA (center housing and rotating assy) and radiation (under hood temps) will cause the CHRA to heat up or take longer to cool off. If it has water lines, use them, let it cool down, take care of your oil (synthetics resist heat a little better than mineral based oils, not required though), an oil cooler is never a bad idea and will add longevity to your turbo and engine. 

_Modified by Weiss at 3:29 PM 12-2-2008_


_Modified by Weiss at 3:34 PM 12-2-2008_


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## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

*Re: (Weiss)*

weiss.The whole last paragraph is what i stated at the begin. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
I never said these turbos where better.would last longer than a garrett or tubronetics.
This thread is simple a way to show anyone who has question about ebay turbos my exprience and that of others,plus what its required to get the most outta one of these.
Thank you to all who have contributed to the thread both pros and con


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## sir8valve (Oct 6, 2004)

*Re: (Daskoupe)*

I've got one! haha. t3/t4 hybrid, spooled full around 3100rpm. Had it on a 2.0 9A 16v on standalone. Put a 3000+ mile a** kicking on it last year. Ran right around 10PSI the whole time. Gave it a 150mile break in, never let it cool down, never let it heat up....why? It was like $150 bucks! I ran an oil restrictor, regular oil, a semi rich tune, and the EGT kept pretty low. I'll be running it again in the spring since shaft play is very minimal which i believe is normal for bushings. I'm not super cheap but damn if i cant go out and buy 7 of these for the price of 1 of the big name ones.


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## FastTurbo 2.0 (Mar 24, 2004)

*Re: (sir8valve)*

I just changed my spark plygs to a colder plug and lovin' it.


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## 84SciroccoX-FLOW (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: (FastTurbo 2.0)*


_Quote, originally posted by *FastTurbo 2.0* »_I just changed my spark plygs to a colder plug and lovin' it.









if your rocking a 2.0 ABA head, get some 1.8t spark plugs. they work great, and their iridiums


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## Nastyboost (Feb 18, 2007)

*Re: (84SciroccoX-FLOW)*

Its now been officially two months on the road daily driving mine with warm up and cool down time observed. I never run any of my cars regardless of their performance nature without at least 5 minutes cold start up time and 3-5 minutes cool down time at idle. I check the shaft play of the turbo regularly and it is the same as the day i bought it. Ive run 7psi through it pretty regularly as i live in FL and people here haven't figured out that the left lane is not the "granny" lane. 200$ for a turbo is cheap by all means. My bov cost more than that, but this turbo is just a trial to see if it will last. If it doesn't then a real Garrett is in the works. As for materials used. I have checked out the castings for the exh. housing. It is cast iron with a high nickel content. I think the areas they slacked on are the design of the wheels, balancing of the internals, and design of the wastegate section of the exh. housing. Other than that i see no problems running one as long as you keep your eye on it. I have personally had turbos that were top dollar fail on me and take a motor out(sucked pieces of the wheel into the chamber and bye bye valves and pistons) namely MHI and a few real Garretts but to each his own. If you mod cheap you will mod twice. Its just a fact a life. 
Its funny too that Weiss you have a turbo caravan. I remember in my home town there was a guy running a t3/t4 on a 2.2 omni glhs motor in an old caravan and that soccer mom mobile would destroy these guys that had so called 11 sec all motor Hondas. That motor reminded me so much about these 8vs we play with. Stupid simple and they love boost.







to all who live by the boost.


_Modified by Nastyboost at 8:21 AM 12-4-2008_


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## FastTurbo 2.0 (Mar 24, 2004)

*Re: (Nastyboost)*

just turned 1100 miles on the turbo, running good.


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## haenszel (Mar 14, 2004)

*Re: (Nastyboost)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Nastyboost* »_I think the areas they slacked on are the design of the wheels, balancing of the internals, and design of the wastegate section of the exh. housing.

lol. The most important parts?


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## jose_vw (Jul 31, 2007)

If you are planing to use a Chinese turbo unscrew the impeler bolt, put 2 drops of Loctite and tight it back. Also, use an oil pressure restrinctor. Take off the compressor housing and look for casting flash residue. This turbo will work fine up to 15psi of boost. Just my 2 cents... 


_Modified by jose_vw at 5:55 PM 12-29-2008_


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## bigger daddy (Sep 8, 2005)

*Re: (jose_vw)*

more input


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## 84SciroccoX-FLOW (Dec 3, 2006)

*Re: (bigger daddy)*

ive been boosting mine at 7psi no prob for say...about 500 miles now http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Eddytt (Nov 23, 2013)

Hello guys, just bought a gt35 journal bearing and i would like to know if should i run a oil restrictor or not?? Saw a lot of opinions the people say JB dont need oil restrictor so i just want to know wich o e and where i can get the right restrictors or adapters to run the oil feed for the turbo???
Cheers


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## jared2010 (Sep 27, 2014)

Eddytt said:


> Hello guys, just bought a gt35 journal bearing and i would like to know if should i run a oil restrictor or not?? Saw a lot of opinions the people say JB dont need oil restrictor so i just want to know wich o e and where i can get the right restrictors or adapters to run the oil feed for the turbo???
> Cheers


My turbo came with .065 oil resrictor on my eBay crap gt35 ran 12lbs took less than 4 months around 5k miles and I was blowing oil really bad . I'm now running an s366 I've learned my lesson, you will to. But eBay should sell the restrictors and the feed line. Do some research that always helps.. 

BTW last post was 6 years ago before you


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