95ONE

Don't get impatient and take the car out for a "quick spin" without the filter on it. ...... It's a no brainer, but I thought no big deal for a trip around the parking lot. I had just welded up a new piece of intercooler piping for nitrous. I wanted to check boost and possible boost leaks.

I was of course wrong to think it was just a short trip. Turbo is mangled. Motor seems just fine. Intercooler stopped most any chunks. Slight medal powder in the intake. Doing a leakdown tonight (Again)

Time for a GT3076R/.63..... in a couple of months that is. I think I'll take a pic and make it my new avatar as a constant reminder to myself.

Kool

What got into the turbo.

TRWright

Crazy. My friend with a 600hp integra has been running with nothing in front of the turbo for a few years now. . .

95ONE

The turbo had about 1000 miles on it. Good oil pressure

Yep. I did it for a while on other cars. Always knowing the chance..
I'm sure a small rock from the parking lot. I didnt find one, but I did dump a lot of shrapnel (Spelling?) out of the intercooler. It could have bounced out of there.

Tons of old customers ran this way or with a small metal screen (Better than nothin) I'd say only about 10% came back with devoured turbos. But it was certainly not un-common.

hosrom_951

Where i live, i cannot have the engine even idle without the filter on..........you can imagine how a pure Arabian desert environment is like..........

MichelleJD

Ouch! It hurts to even THINK like that

LFA951

How about some pics!!!??

reno808

who cares about your airfilter. what about your lungs??

Darwantae951

I can't say for Dubai, but in some places in Iraq the sand is as fine as baby powder and gets into EVERYthing!

-Darwin

95ONE

I will post the carnage up tonight when I turn that picture into my avatar.

hosrom_951

Sand is not the real concern, we have small pebbles on the road, which at high speed (speed limit is 140kpr/80mph) they get thrown with good force. My windshield has small chips all over it (not deep, you cannot catch a finger nail with it) but you get the idea.


My lungs are already screwed from tobacco...............


Oman would be the tough one, red sand like sugar.................

95ONE

Whatever it was.. Here's what it did to the turbo.

dime1622

holy....

Red1

Yeah, that's an oh-**** pic.

Daaaammmmmnnnnn

lejams

Brutal - Thats' quite a bit of material that was removed! You may want to take a look at the cylinder walls with a boroscope or remove the head and look. I would not trust a leak-down or compression test alone. You may catch some damage early before it get worse, but hope you are lucky.