[Speed3] New turbo or new car?

[Shortlad]

Hi everyone,

I have a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3, just passed 180k miles(Somehow I got to 180k with the stock turbo). My turbo is consuming oil and I'm trying to decide if it's worth replacing or getting a new car. I love the car and don't really like many other cars in my price range. But I don't want to keep sinking money into the car, so my main question is, what other kind of things are know to happen to the speed3s at higher mileage. This is my daily/only car and during the summer I drive 300+ miles in a week(mostly highway). So I need something fairly reliable.

I got a quote of $2,300 to replace it. They included $200 in the quote for the 02 sensor since it often gets damaged when removed so maybe only $2,100. I like to do things myself, but don't have time to do the turbo myself right now. I'm planning on replacing it with the a stock turbo because I don't want to tune/upgrade required parts.

I got the car at 80k and am running mostly stock. I have a CorkSport short ram intake, short shiftier, Bilstein HD shocks/struts(stock springs) and everything else is stock.

So far I have done the shifter pivot shaft seal, the oil filter housing seal, timing chain, VVT actuator/solenoid, A/C compressor, and both 02 sensor's.

What kind of problems am I likely to face if I decide to replace the turbo and keep driving it? I have heard the EGR tends to get clogged up, but if that happens, I can manage cleaning that myself. I replaced the shocks/struts with Bilstein HD's and kept the stock springs(I was told that was stupid) about 80k miles ago and my suspension has been a little rough and started squeaking recently, but nothing too crazy. I forget it's a hard suspension till I drive someone else's car haha.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Fstrnyou]

First, read your Welcome PM.

Second, you have a lot of reading to do. I didn't see any questions in that post that couldn't be answered with an easy search.

[MSMS3]

Originally Posted by Shortlad Hi everyone, I have a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3, just passed 180k miles(Somehow I got to 180k with the stock turbo). My turbo is consuming oil and I'm trying to decide if it's worth replacing or getting a new car. I love the car and don't really like many other cars in my price range. But I don't want to keep sinking money into the car, so my main question is, what other kind of things are know to happen to the speed3s at higher mileage. This is my daily/only car and during the summer I drive 300+ miles in a week(mostly highway). So I need something fairly reliable. I got a quote of $2,300 to replace it. They included $200 in the quote for the 02 sensor since it often gets damaged when removed so maybe only $2,100. I like to do things myself, but don't have time to do the turbo myself right now. I'm planning on replacing it with the a stock turbo because I don't want to tune/upgrade required parts. I got the car at 80k and am running mostly stock. I have a CorkSport short ram intake, short shiftier, Bilstein HD shocks/struts(stock springs) and everything else is stock. So far I have done the shifter pivot shaft seal, the oil filter housing seal, timing chain, VVT actuator/solenoid, A/C compressor, and both 02 sensor's. What kind of problems am I likely to face if I decide to replace the turbo and keep driving it? I have heard the EGR tends to get clogged up, but if that happens, I can manage cleaning that myself. I replaced the shocks/struts with Bilstein HD's and kept the stock springs(I was told that was stupid) about 80k miles ago and my suspension has been a little rough and started squeaking recently, but nothing too crazy. I forget it's a hard suspension till I drive someone else's car haha. Thanks in advance for any advice!

You have lots of reading to do here.

I'll address a couple misconceptions:

1. Regarding the Bilsteins: look at my sig below . I installed B6 Bilsteins (HD) on stock springs. That is the correct length. B8s are for lowered springs. They are a little shorter, but they work with either stock springs or lowering kits. The B6s or B8s, either one, work great wit stock springs. I sold the car at about 140,000 miles to another board member in January after having bought it new in '08 and driving it daily for over 10 years.

Those struts and shocks transformed the car in a very positive way. Yes, they are firm. They are supposed to be. I had over 100,000 miles on them and they were still working great. If your suspension is squeaking, it's probably the suspension bushings or sway bar bushings, not the shocks or struts.

When you replaced the front struts, did you install new strut bearings and top hats? If not, that was where you made the mistake. They may be worn out. But, they don't squeak, they make groaning and clicking sounds if worn badly.

2. Regarding the k04 turbo: First make sure it is the turbo. Is it smoking? Have you checked your engine static compression and done a leak down test? It may or may not be the turbo. But, if it is the turbo, a new one will eventually start smoking again, because of the screwed up OEM crank case ventilation system we have that forces too much pressure through the turbo center housing seals.

The solution, if you plan to keep the car and really need a turbo is to get a BNR Stage 1 turbo. This is a drop-in, true plug and play replacement for the stock K04. In fact, it is a K04 externally, but is modified internally to use Garrett GT28 guts. The GT28 has much larger and more robust seals and journals. Flow is identical to the K04, so it runs just like a K04 on stock ECU with no tuning required.

[shawnmos]

If no other issues I would just replace the turbo. Just sunk $1200 on mine to replace the VVT. I'm sure my turbo is next to go but it's still working for now so I'm just going to keep driving it.

[RazerX]

new turbo! I also had problems with turbocharger, and I was thinking about the best thing to do in this situation.I tried to read more and find a better solution. I was convinced that buying a new turbo is much better and safer

[MSMS3]

Originally Posted by RazerX new turbo! I also had problems with turbocharger, and I was thinking about the best thing to do in this situation.I tried to read more and find a better solution. I was convinced that buying a new turbo is much better and safer

If you are going with a new K04, it will still have the seal failure “smoking turbo” tendency. Consider the BNR S1 instead. It uses the K04 shell, fittings and manifold pattern, so it is a direct plug-and-play. If flows the same as the K04, so no special tune is needed. But internally it uses the more stout Garret GT28 shaft, seals and other parts that eliminate the smoking turbo woes that plague the K04 when used with our PCV system.

[JamesColeman]

I would just replace the turbo. If you plan to use your vehicle for heavy-duty towing, you are better off with a larger V6 or V8 engine. A turbocharged engine is more suitable for quick bursts of power when passing or accelerating. Towing a heavy trailer, especially when driving on a long uphill road puts a lot of strain on a smaller turbo engine. hero splendor ismart