mattyp

I bought a used nissan 300zx turbo (t25/28). It is a little dirty and needs some tlc. The turbine is a little rough. It's not grinding but feels a little stiff. What should I use to clean the turbo and lube the internals.

chris_v2

use KY to lube up the internal bearings

MPR

Some turbos will feel stiff when you spin them with your fingers when cold. Once the oil temp heats up when the engine is running and the oil starts to flow better the turbo will spin more freely. So the turbo you have may still be in ok condition.

I suggest changing the oil if you haven't already done so.

How many km's on the car?

mattyp

The turbo is going into my 1991 Civic hb. The turbo was probably 6-8 years old when I bought it. There is probably about 100k on the turbo, but i'm really not to sure. What should I use to clean the turbo? I was thinking brake clean or carb cleaner.

MPR

lol, sorry I miss-read your post. I thought you meant you have a 300zx turbo (meaning the whole car).

Ok. Don't take the turbo apart unless you know what your doing. You can damage the seals easily. You can take the compressor housing off without any trouble though. Brake cleans and carb cleaner works well. I'd also try to pour some atf into the bearing housing and spin it by hand, that should free up the shaft a bit. But again, a turbo shaft that spins a little stiff without any oil in it is not uncommon. The bearings rely on oil presence and oil pressure to float on a thin cushion of oil (except ball bearing turbos). That is why some shaft play is normal and if the turbo has been sitting a while, it can seem stiff to spin by hand. Also don't spin it too much by hand with no oil inside.

mattyp

thanks for the help.