Hi all, I have an Octavia 1.9 Tdi and the turbo seals have failed (oil discharging from exhaust). Does anyone have experience of replacing the seals or is a new/recon turbo a better option? My pet mechanic (i.e. my other half) is up for most tasks!

If a recon is the best route, does anyone have any recommendations for a supplier?

Thanks in advance!

It will be the pressurised oil bearing that has failed (the rotor floats on a thin film of oil) so a recon will be the route to take. It should be relatively easy to find one as many of the recon ones were removed with the sticky vane problem and only needed a good clean. Someone on here may have one to sell.

It's very rarely the turbos fault, so I'd try and look into why you're getting oil leakage at the turbine end.

Most common cause is excessive crankcase pressure caused by a blocked engine breather. Then you have the blocked oil drain pipe from the turbo, causing pressure build up in the bearing housing. That's normally due to poor oil condition, or a damaged pipe.

The oil seals on the shaft are piston ring type seals, which rely on a pressure differential and good design to keep the oil in.

The seal rings will only really get damaged when the rotor goes out of balance, and when that happens it's only a matter of time before the turbo goes bang! And that normally happens as a result of FOD (foreign object damage) to the impellor (normally a lump of plastic from the intake system). Or from carbon deposits on the shaft and bearings due to hot shutdowns, which will damage the bearings and allow the seal rings to wear, due to excessive play or imbalance.

Just a heads up, as you don’t want to replace it twice!

I’d go down the service-exchange route, and swap your duff one for a proper re-manufactured unit (with a warranty).

Here are a couple of suppliers I can think of:

BTN Turbo

SCM