TD04 options/reliability

[xsnapshot]

So i have 100,000 miles on the stock turbo, and im pushing this poor little guy to the max right now. Ive come to a bit of a dilemma:

Do i just run this until it blows, and just keep buying the 100$ low mileage TD04's that pop up on the forums for sale (not actually knowing what condition they are in)

or

Send mine off to blouch to be rebuilt with better thrust bearings/seals/etc and be perfectly balanced?

The disposable turbo route worries me as I don't know how the previous owner used it. IE type of oil/oil change frequency/boosting hard. I think a rebuild is in the area of 300$, and i was looking at a compressor upgrade to the 19T, but i'm not comfortable with that much power on the stock engine.(think maxing out a small 16G on race fuel type power) I know i would push it to the limit if i had it, and at 100,000 miles I'm not sure i want to chance it.

[phatmike0704]

well the the td04 is made by mitsu so its a real good one. i just pulled mine out this week wit 60kmiles. always boosted high and the turbo had absolutely no shaft play. my guy has 200k miles on his 04 wrx wagon, turbo still no problems. id say keep it till it blows but it could damage somethin else. as for the 19t upgrage, my opinion isnt worht it. grab the small 16g. bigger everything

[c2bcoolwrx]

You could also consider a used VF39, but it is still a used turbo and not rebuildable.

I think a small 16G would be nice (or up to a EV03 16G) with a good tune and you should be fine. It is all in the quality of the tune.

I would just do a compression/leak down test b4 any tuning/upgrades and make sure everything is good.

[xsnapshot]

No....guys the point isnt to make more power. I'm comfortable at the power level i'm at. Plus I don't want a bigger hotside, because i want really fast spool up and plenty of low end grunt.

I know the TD04 is reliable, but at 20-21 psi it will only last so long.

Its looking like the disposable turbo route might be the best option for me. I guess rebuilds are closer to 400$.

[Donkey]

I have rebuilt several turbos.The kits run about $100 and some come with the upgraded thrust bearing/plate.
These guys sell rebuild kits:

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Instructions on how to do it:
Stage Infinity Mitsubishi TD04-13T Turbo Rebuild

I too was looking at the TD04 upgrade by Blouch. Seems really solid and will produce some more power for sure, but for the price you could pick up a lightly used VF39. Many people stay away from them because of the wastegate cracks they're famous for. My friend has a VF39 on his WRX and it probably has a wastegate crack too, but it still gets him 290whp

VF43 is an option. So is the VF48 I've heard.

Or if you're mechanically inclined, do what Donkey said and rebuild it yourself.

Whatever you do, if you're already going to be tearing out the turbo and putting a new one in, I would seriously suggest having Grimmspeed get a hold of it and do a little PnP and thermal coating

GrimmSpeed

Even if you go stock TD04, that PnP and coating will help a little with spool and keep underhood temps down.


Also, make sure you get new gaskets for the up-pipe and downpipe!

[EJ257]

Originally Posted by Wrinklechops

I too was looking at the TD04 upgrade by Blouch. Seems really solid and will produce some more power for sure, but for the price you could pick up a lightly used VF39. Many people stay away from them because of the wastegate cracks they're famous for. My friend has a VF39 on his WRX and it probably has a wastegate crack too, but it still gets him 290whp

In 99% of the cases, the crack does nothing.

Originally Posted by Wrinklechops

Whatever you do, if you're already going to be tearing out the turbo and putting a new one in, I would seriously suggest having Grimmspeed get a hold of it and do a little PnP and thermal coating

GrimmSpeed

Even if you go stock TD04, that PnP and coating will help a little with spool and keep underhood temps down.

Don't bother with the ceramic coating option. Yes, it looks pretty, but a turbo blanket is not only cheaper, it's more effective.

I classify turbo blanket with wrapping the FMIC return pipe - it may not look the prettiest, but it has function to it.

Originally Posted by EJ257

In 99% of the cases, the crack does nothing.



Don't bother with the ceramic coating option. Yes, it looks pretty, but a turbo blanket is not only cheaper, it's more effective.

I classify turbo blanket with wrapping the FMIC return pipe - it may not look the prettiest, but it has function to it.

Agreed. But at the very least it's got to help longevity protection from corrosion and rust, eh?

[SD_GR]

The first thing I would do is nothing.

If that isn't appealing to you the second thing I would do is shop around for a replacement before I needed it, have it rebuilt but nothing fancy, and shelve it. Then go back to doing nothing.

Go for the cheapest, least painful option. The car is not getting newer and the less time and money you spend on it, the more time and money you'll have to spend on everything else in life. Keep it on the road in one piece absolutely as long as possible but don't start thinking "mod this, mod that" IMO.

Originally Posted by SD_GR

The first thing I would do is nothing.

If that isn't appealing to you the second thing I would do is shop around for a replacement before I needed it, have it rebuilt but nothing fancy, and shelve it. Then go back to doing nothing.

Go for the cheapest, least painful option. The car is not getting newer and the less time and money you spend on it, the more time and money you'll have to spend on everything else in life. Keep it on the road in one piece absolutely as long as possible but don't start thinking "mod this, mod that" IMO.

But SD, come on this forum is basically entirely people who mod their cars. People who like to do minor things to enhance their daily drive, or people who do full blown all out tuning on their car. I know you are the voice of reason but if everyone listened to the "do nothing" advice, it would be an awfully boring discussion

[SD_GR]

Originally Posted by Wrinklechops

But SD, come on this forum is basically entirely people who mod their cars...

... plus me...

I know you are the voice of reason but if everyone listened to the "do nothing" advice, it would be an awfully boring discussion

Ha! You're right, I admit it! Sure, I know, I understand what you're saying... and there are a number of other options I could have recommended but they cost more, take more time, and are more of a pain. Plus, there's plenty to do even with my "nothing" route (Donkey's order-the-parts, bench-strip-it-yourself route, for example, is cheap and almost fully DIY so the OP could buy a second turbo, follow Donkey's advice, and then drop to my standard nothing-stance).

I've come to realise I'm also a bit of a minority in another behaviour: I tend to keep my cars until the doors fall off. My goal is to keep each of them running indefinitly plus one day. Most members sell their cars and most, from what I've seen, keep them around 5 years or so max unless it's not a road car daily driver. Keeping an aging car going takes a lot of nothing on a routine basis (replace this, fix that, do nothing, repeat).

To each their own... but in general you're right.

Originally Posted by SD_GR

... plus me...



Ha! You're right, I admit it! Sure, I know, I understand what you're saying... and there are a number of other options I could have recommended but they cost more, take more time, and are more of a pain. Plus, there's plenty to do even with my "nothing" route (Donkey's order-the-parts, bench-strip-it-yourself route, for example, is cheap and almost fully DIY so the OP could buy a second turbo, follow Donkey's advice, and then drop to my standard nothing-stance).

I've come to realise I'm also a bit of a minority in another behaviour: I tend to keep my cars until the doors fall off. My goal is to keep each of them running indefinitly plus one day. Most members sell their cars and most, from what I've seen, keep them around 5 years or so max unless it's not a road car daily driver. Keeping an aging car going takes a lot of nothing on a routine basis (replace this, fix that, do nothing, repeat).

To each their own... but in general you're right.

I agree. I'm currently on a love/hate kick with my car. I'd love to keep it, but I'm getting awfully sick of throwing money at routine fixes. Now I know, that is part of having a car. I don't care if it's German, Japanese, or American - they all break! I would like to keep my car though, but I fear one day it will break beyond repair.... that is to say, it will break and I will no warranty this time. Heck, I'm on my 3rd engine, 2nd turbo, 2nd clutch and flywheel, and soon to be my 2nd axle and other various components of the CV joint/axle area...

[Sinister]

Since the OP is happy with the current power output, I would agree with Dan (spiros / SD_GR)

[xsnapshot]

Currently getting quotes on rebuilds. Not sure if i should go with the heavy duty thrust bearing or not. Im not tracking the car, or even driving WOT for extended periods of time. Rebuilding it myself sounds good cost wise, but I'd feel much more comfortable letting the pros rebuild it and getting a warranty with it. A 1 year warranty sounds pretty good.

Also in communication with gpopshop regarding a compressor upgrade to the 19T. It will take a lot of self control, but it sure would be nice to know im not pushing the limits of my turbo. I'd like to pump out a few more ponies in the top end. I wouldn't mind giving a little up down low. Really not looking for too much of a power increase here, just lower charge temps temps and less stress on parts.

Tonight I hit 21psi @ 3700 RPM in 2nd with a barometric pressure of 13.9 psi, 79 degrees ambient, around 75% humidity and at an altitude of 1350ft. With stock lock up in my TC happening around 3100-3200 RPM that's pretty good.

I'd like to be able to make that same power off of much less pressure to be honest. That's why i'm looking into the 19T. Plus in the top end I'd still taper it to probably around 16psi. Factoring in an educated guess for VE that's in the 73% efficiency range, where 14.5 psi on the 13T at redline is around the 60% range.

[Sinister]

have you thought about vf39?