AET Blogs

Wastegate Actuator damage Faulty or damaged actuators are the cause of many of the turbo problems we see at AET, but they can be easy to overlook. The wastegate actuator acts as a pressure relief valve, which ultimately controls the boost output of a turbocharger. It works by holding the wastegate shut until the required…

Compressor wheel damage – Overspeeding In these images, you can see that the back of the compressor wheel has become rippled and pitted, which are early signs of damage caused by overspeeding. Overspeeding damage like this occurs when a vehicle’s engine causes the turbo to spin faster than it is designed to. This excessive speed…

Compressor wheel damage – serious overspeeding Here’s a more serious example of overspeeding damage - in this image, the compressor wheel has actually exploded into pieces due to extreme overspeeding! Damage like this can be caused when a turbo spins so fast that it starts to bend the turbine shaft at the thrust shoulder. In…

Turbine Shaft & Wheel – Broken Turbine Wheel Base This image shows a damaged turbine wheel base – look closely and you can see that the base has several sections cut out of it, which have been chipped off. Damage like this is caused by excessive thrust bearing wear, which has caused the turbine wheel…

Bearing Housing – corrosion damage Here you can see an example of bearing housing corrosion . Corrosion damage like this results in a loss of seal between the bearing housing and turbine housing, and can cause a series of knock on effects, including damage to the bearings, turbine, compressor wheel, and housing. This kind of…

Turbine Shaft & Wheel – Corroded Piston Ring Seal Area In this image, you can see some moderate corrosion to the piston ring seal area of the turbine shaft – the surface of the metal has become worn, pitted and roughened. A corroded piston ring can lead to major faults in your turbo and is…

Bearing Housing – Carbonised Oil Blockage in the Galleries In this example, we'll discuss how the bearing housing galleries can become completely blocked and choked up with carbonised oil (oil blockage). Whilst build up of oil in the bearing housing like this has a number of causes, the most common are a lack of regular…

Turbine Shaft & Wheel – Worn Piston Ring Seal Groove This example shows a worn piston ring seal groove – in the image, you can see that the outer edge of the piston ring seal groove is sloping outwards, when it should be straight. This is fairly common, and has a number of causes. Sometimes,…

Turbine Shaft & Wheel - Engine Failure This image shows a turbine shaft and wheel with fairly serious impact damage as a result of engine failure. If you look at the wheel itself, you can see that the blades are uneven and chipped, and that the surface of the wheel has become severely pitted. In…

Turbine Shaft & Wheel - Severe Oil Contamination In this example, you can see a turbine shaft and wheel that’s been damaged due to severe oil contamination – notice the built up oil coating both the wheel and the shaft, and the damaged blades on the wheel. On the shaft itself, you can also see…

We had the great pleasure to provide David Rowe from EPS Race to the clouds with an aftermarket Precision Turbo for his stunning Audi Quattro. David has often worked towards improving the vehicle for his active involvement in Pikes Peak International Hill Climb over in the US! The build took a lot of hard work…

Stevies Mitsubishi has always been a favourite of us here at AET and we’ve happily looked after his turbo through the years making sure the quality is always top notch for when he takes it to the SSL.