Turbo propeller cracked - Replacement options?

[BXMMMMMW]

So I decided to replace my air shocks and when I reconnected the battery, I blew the footwell module. So I take her to the dealer to replace under the warranty and they tell me that I have an upper oil pan gasket leak and they'll replace it for $2800. I say thank you for the footwell module and get a second opinion from my indie. Indie says that the oil is coming from up top at a connection that splits off and feeds the turbos. Oh, and the left turbo propeller is cracked and leaking coolant. Basically, it's just waiting to grenade and send shrapnel into the engine.

Two things. First, has anyone seen cracks in the turbo propeller (yes, I saw it with my own eyes) and secondly, is there a better turbo option out there if I do decide to have the repair done?

As my 13yo son said, "That escalated quickly."

[ncbimma]

Pure turbos + tune.

[m5james]

Pure turbos are stupidly expensive, especially if you're trying to keep this a simple daily driver. There are used turbos all over eBay, just make sure you're looking at S63 turbos and NOT S63TU since they have different header to turbo flanges.

[Ryan5034]

I agree with m5james- turbos are all over ebay. You'll need a new turbo oil return cover, and the oil drain lines. Replace all other coolant lines and little rubber hoses. I would get 2 new(er) turbos so you can avoid replacing the other when the wastegate arm bushing fails.

[BXMMMMMW]

Thanks for the suggestion! I wondered about doing them both at the same time...

[BXMMMMMW]

Looks like new Garrett turbos are $1000/ea. With new oil return and coolant lines it looks like the whole job could be done for about $2500. Reading through the instructions on NewTIS it doesn't appear to be an incredibly complicated process. How would you rate this job in terms of complexity?

[TwinSnailz]

There’s nothing hard about it. Its just you have to remove tons of stuff which makes it intimidating. Everything is from up top so no creeping under the car.
The hardest part for me is removing the 2 hex bolt for the downpipe that’s in the back of the motor. Im 6’ and i have to sit over the engine bay to reach it. Once you reach the turbo and its time to yank it out, your back will give out.

[Ryan5034]

Yea it's not too hard. Getting the band clamps on / off from the turbo to the exhaust manifold is probably the hardest for me.

Be aware the gaskets between the exhaust and turbo will smoke a bit if you replace them.

[pdX5M]

Originally Posted by Ryan5034

Yea it's not too hard. Getting the band clamps on / off from the turbo to the exhaust manifold is probably the hardest for me.

Be aware the gaskets between the exhaust and turbo will smoke a bit if you replace them.

I agree that those v-band clamps from turbo to downpipe are a pain in the ass. Sort of wonder if we can upgrade the stock ones - which are sort of shoddy quality in my opinion - to something more substantial.

Also another tip is to make sure you use a pick and dig out the old graphite gaskets from the grooves that they compress into. I didn't realize this the first time and had to double back on some work since it didn't look like there was a gasket there when in fact there was but it was just compressed.

[0-60Motorsports]

I think Turbolabs do a rebuild service for our turbos's. All above suggestions are good too.

[BXMMMMMW]

I did see that Garrett sells the turbo internals for around $350-400 if I just wanted to rebuild the current ones. That's certainly an interesting option. I do have a few questions about the process and I know some of these are really dumb, but I have to ask...

Do I need to drop the exhaust as NewTIS suggests or is there enough flexibility in the downpipes to move out of the way?

Do I need to drain the cooling system first?

How the hell do the hose clamps come off the cooling lines and are they reusable?!?

How do the CCV lines disconnect? I've seen where some guys have replaced the CCV lines with silicone and hose clamps. My CCV lines were all recently replaced by BMW. Should I worry about this?

[laselvasurf]

Originally Posted by 0-60Motorsports

I think Turbolabs do a rebuild service for our turbos's. All above suggestions are good too.

Yes. Turbo Lab rebuilt both my S63TU turbos for $685. Neither had failed, I just had the engine out for a rebuild with nearly 100K, so I did as a preventative measure. They did a great job, the turbos looked new when I got them back and they've worked well for the past 2K miles since the rebuild was completed.

[Ryan5034]

You don't have to drop the exhaust. I took so heavy duty zip ties and forced them to pull up on the down pipe from the bracket the connects the cross braces on the firewall.

I wouldn't bother it'll drain itself

The turbo cooling line clamps (the little ones I assume) are one use only. I would strongly consider buying all new lines so yours won't leak. Also you will need to replace (likely) the crossover cooling hose underneath the turbos. It's a small hose with a plastic T in it. It will be broken now or will break when you touch it. Get the BMW brand the Rein brand will break again after a year. (Bummer). Now is also the time to replace the turbo oil cover it will be leaking oil if it's never been changed. BMW part $75 or so.

If your CCV lines are intact I would not replace them. They are easy enough to get to later. There is a round ring you can squeeze to pull them apart. The other end you have to work carefully with a flat blade screw driver.

Note you will need E-torx, regular torx and hex head sockets to get all this done.

[BXMMMMMW]

Originally Posted by Ryan5034

You don't have to drop the exhaust. I took so heavy duty zip ties and forced them to pull up on the down pipe from the bracket the connects the cross braces on the firewall.

I wouldn't bother it'll drain itself

The turbo cooling line clamps (the little ones I assume) are one use only. I would strongly consider buying all new lines so yours won't leak. Also you will need to replace (likely) the crossover cooling hose underneath the turbos. It's a small hose with a plastic T in it. It will be broken now or will break when you touch it. Get the BMW brand the Rein brand will break again after a year. (Bummer). Now is also the time to replace the turbo oil cover it will be leaking oil if it's never been changed. BMW part $75 or so.

If your CCV lines are intact I would not replace them. They are easy enough to get to later. There is a round ring you can squeeze to pull them apart. The other end you have to work carefully with a flat blade screw driver.

Note you will need E-torx, regular torx and hex head sockets to get all this done.

AWESOME! Thank you! I intend to pull together a list of all of the parts I'll need soon and I've been in contact with Turbo Labs about rebuilding/upgrading. I'm not sure I NEED 800 HP, but I love the option.


My turbo oil cover is leaking. The dealer claimed it was my upper oil pan gasket and wanted $3100 to replace.

They did replace my CCV lines and BMWNA covered the labor as I argued why is the crossover covered under the service bulletin, but not the down pipes to the intake?

I'm also thinking this is the time to add an oil catch can setup. I'll be running through the threads looking at ideas.

[BXMMMMMW]

Has anyone upgraded to the larger 50mm x 65mm compressor wheels through Turbo Labs? I imagine a tune is required to get the maximum benefit of the larger compressor wheel, but what is the impact if you don't do a tune? Does the larger wheel spool slower?