Blown turbo on Civic touring

[skullan]

I am so glad it was something simple...but doesn't this bother anyone in a brand new car ? What if you were on a road trip not close to anything ? I have never owned a turbo and is this an annoyance or an issue ?

If it's a one off, it doesn't bother me (as long as warranty covers it), if it is statistically significant, I would want to see how Honda handled it.
This could be recall territory depending on the # of occurrences.

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[NorthernEX-T]

I am so glad it was something simple...but doesn't this bother anyone in a brand new car ? What if you were on a road trip not close to anything ? I have never owned a turbo and is this an annoyance or an issue ?

I hear you, and ya it worries me a bit. But I refuse to keep a "spare" clamp with me at all times. Not my problem. This may be an arising issue, especially once time goes by the clamps will get weaker from road salt, temperature changes all the time, and the constant pressure changes the clamp will see. So time will tell I guess. Glad mine got a light coating of Krown (rust proofing) the day I drove it off the lot which should help keep it strong. But who knows!

 

[NorthernEX-T]

If it's a one off, it doesn't bother me (as long as warranty covers it), if it is statistically significant, I would want to see how Honda handled it.
This could be recall territory depending on the # of occurrences.

Ya especially if they have to start warranting turbos for the clueless people who keep over boosting until she smokes up

 

[mrmcwake]

Ya especially if they have to start warranting turbos for the clueless people who keep over boosting until she smokes up

I thought it was a strange thing to happen, but I assume it's a one off, luck of the draw type thing and the clamp just had a weak point.

Just as an update, the car had been running as awesome as ever since the fix. Took it to La Push, and up Huricane Ridge and I certainly wasn't easy on it.

I know a lot of people have been doing some pretty hard pulls on 0-60 tests with this thing so still surprising it popped off passing a truck. It was a short passing lane so I had it nearly floored, but still shouldn't happen.

Just glad the turbo didn't over spool since I was giving it a lot of gas at the time.

Once I heard the pop, I knew something was wrong and took it super easy. Could tell as soon as the turbo started to engage and heard the squeal and backed off immediately. The guys at Wilder Honda checked everything out and all was totally fine. So really, this is still probably a +1 for Honda that some idiot who opens the hood of a car and says "yep, that's an engine" can blow a hose clamp on his turbo and not destroy his car all at the same time.

Very thankful for the advice from this forum, and dealing with Honda roadside was awesome. Will let you know next week how the coverage goes, but based on @skullan 's comment, should be no problem at all.

 

[Kasai808]

I have owned seven different turbo cars, with five of them moderate to heavily modified, and have had only one coupler pop off. I always use T clamp types on all couplers or connections, but have left them stock on both my Civic and Q3. For one to pop off from the factory on normal boost, it was either loose to begin with, was over torqued causing the "teeth" to loose connection with the "grooves", a bad worm clamp, or there was some oily residue on either the inside of the coupler, or on the outside of the pipe itself causing it to slip off easier.

 

[Design]

So, let's go over this. The intake tube popped off. So, the car doesn't see boost, so it keeps the wastegate completely closed. The turbo will route all exhaust gas through the turbine, instead of out the wastegate, therefore, it will infinitly keep accumulating speed until the amount of oil is insufficient to lubricate the turbo, the journal bearing makes contact with the shaft, instantly wasting the bearing. This causes the shaft to seize, or break, thus causing the 200,000RPM+ shafts to make contact with the housing, instantly wasting the turbo.

Modern cars - especially DI - avoid this by going into limp mode whenever unmetered air is introduced.

Basically it's Honda's way of acknowledging that not all mechanics are qualified to reassemble an intake.

 

[pwschuh]

Out on a road trip with my new Civic. On the highway I went to pass another vehicle. I guess I gave it too much gas.

Just to clarify, and so that no one gets the wrong impression, it is not possible to give your car "too much gas." Doesn't matter which model you have, turbo or no turbo. These cars were designed to allow you to go full-throttle on every acceleration event if you want to (and can afford the gas). This was a component failure, pure and simple.

So, let's go over this. The intake tube popped off. So, the car doesn't see boost, so it keeps the wastegate completely closed. The turbo will route all exhaust gas through the turbine, instead of out the wastegate, therefore, it will infinitly keep accumulating speed until the amount of oil is insufficient to lubricate the turbo, the journal bearing makes contact with the shaft, instantly wasting the bearing. This causes the shaft to seize, or break, thus causing the 200,000RPM+ shafts to make contact with the housing, instantly wasting the turbo.

This can't happen, for several reasons. First, when a modern turbo motor pops an intake tube anywhere before the throttle-body, the engine is never going to run hard enough to generate enough exhaust volume to cause the turbo to over spool. It will, as he described, be stumbling all over itself trying to figure out what happened. Second, the turbo oiling system is designed to handle any speed to which the turbo can spool. Turbos cannot spool to "infinite" speed. This scenario would not overcoming the oiling system.

 

[DX2000]

So is this a common problem that should be worried about?

 

[Balto]

Just to clarify, and so that no one gets the wrong impression, it is not possible to give your car "too much gas." Doesn't matter which model you have, turbo or no turbo. These cars were designed to allow you to go full-throttle on every acceleration event if you want to (and can afford the gas). This was a component failure, pure and simple.





This can't happen, for several reasons. First, when a modern turbo motor pops an intake tube anywhere before the throttle-body, the engine is never going to run hard enough to generate enough exhaust volume to cause the turbo to over spool. It will, as he described, be stumbling all over itself trying to figure out what happened. Second, the turbo oiling system is designed to handle any speed to which the turbo can spool. Turbos cannot spool to "infinite" speed. This scenario would not overcoming the oiling system.

Sure, whatever you say. Not going to argue with someone on the Internet .

 

[thepixelsedge]

Well I'm back from my US road trip and thankfully I didn't come across any problems at all. Car ran perfectly the whole way.

 

[NorthernEX-T]

Of course it did! :-D @thepixelsedge

 

[mst3k0]

So, just curious. Does this fitting pop loose a lot? If it's just a once in a while condition then I guess not to worry but, if it's a recall situation it makes me wonder if I should have mine looked at before it occurs. Thoughts?

 

[skullan]

They look like your standard variety hose clamp. You can make a visual inspection to see if there may be the beginning of a crack, but unless there is visible damage they will likely either tell you there is nothing and send you home, your replace them with the 1.99, charge you $60 and send you.

 

[NorthernEX-T]

They look like your standard variety hose clamp. You can make a visual inspection to see if there may be the beginning of a crack, but unless there is visible damage they will likely either tell you there is nothing and send you home, your replace them with the 1.99, charge you $60 and send you.

I agree to visually inspect if your concerned, but they won't charge you if it cracks and goes to shit, this is a warranty item. Would be free.

 

[skullan]

To clarify, I meant if they weren't cracked and it was pushed to replace the clamp.

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