okay - got it off.. such a pita. there is 0 play on the compressor side. i can't even wobble it. how freely is it supposed to rotate?

 

Very freely, you should be able to spin it with just a firm push.

 

it spins freely with just a firm push. i felt all the blades, they feel fine. I'm not sure what else the issue could be... I'm going to cut the cat off today. Maybe its dead and plugged. That would explain why its getting worse. However, I did see exhaust coming out of the pipes...

 

if the bearings are bad, how much play would the thing have? I couldnt push or pull it at all... it just rotated.

the wastegate also moves with a bit of force. no play in that shaft either.

i really rather avoid pulling the turbo if that doesnt seem to be the issue. lol. i plan on taking out my MAP sensor and cleaning that up and possibly checking the sidemount IC to see if its eating oil.

 

anyone?

 

What were your symptoms again?

 

4 weeks ago, the car misfired under heavy boost (i was thinking plugs / coils). Had a CEL
3 weeks ago, the car lost all boost and would misfire on full throttle. Had a CEL
2 weeks ago, the car sat waiting to be fixed, but drove ok (still had ZERO boost). Turbo noise was gone.
1 week ago, the car would not rev beyond 4k rpm and would not really go beyond 20mph, so I now have to work on it in my cold garage. i can hear a grinding / whooshing air sound from un the car coming from somewhere in the section near the Turbo, DP, CAT. Almost sounds like the CAT.

 

If plugs and coil packs are fine then I would suggest you retrace all intercooler piping as well as the intercoolers themselves.
Ive seen my car run with a blown off hose but I had a CEL. Double check the hard crossover pipe for damage.
Basically double check the other basics before tearing the turbo off.