Replacement turbo for vf38 04 GT-B

[cyaevo]

Hey guys,

standard problem, turbo has starved itself of oil. What I want to know is will any other turbo bolt up to it as the only VF38 I can find it $1400+ GST.

Thanks in advance.

[Heylin]

What was your mesh filter in the banjo bolt like ? blocked ? what was the service history of the car ?

Helpful info for others with VF38.

Im picking with a non VF38 youre still going to be in for an ECU reflash, thats $800-900 right there on top of the turbo price.

Then if you need different oil and water lines, flanges etc.

Mabey the $1400 isnt so bad ?

Have you looked for rebuild kits ? or called Chris at Alltech ?

[ADIKT]

Sounds like that $1400 one is brand new item. Just post up a wanted thread bro. Im sure someone will have something lyeing around...

and as for what heylin said about a re-flash, depends what other unit you use. alot of the VF range are very similar in size. So it shouldnt be too hard to find a replacement.

[funkytown]

note a vf36/37 from an sti can bolt up, but you need the up/down pipes to go with it, and a reflash.

a vf38 will be rare as to find second hand imo.

and you're turbo didnt starve 'itself'. the oil feed or motor has caused the oil starvation, just saying.

[cyaevo]

Thanks for the replys guys. I'll find out a bot the bolt for you. $1400 was for a second hand unit from sub spares in Hamilton ( notoriously expensive )

Thanks ADIKIT i'll do that but I was curious cause like you said, a lot of the VF range are pretty comparable in size and just wondering if any thing else is a straight bolt up?

[pl0x]

shouldn't need a re-flash if your just swapping in another factory turbo. even if it is slightly bigger.

just find another subaru twin scroll turbo...

[funkytown]

as they are twinscroll uppipe only the vf36/37 works, or the twinscroll td04l but thats a backwards step.

the 36/37 like i've already said needs the matching up/down pipe to go with it.

 pl0x said:

shouldn't need a re-flash if your just swapping in another factory turbo. even if it is slightly bigger.

just find another subaru twin scroll turbo...

wrong.. you need more than JUST the turbo.

[Pappu1]

for 1400 just get something aftermarket

run low boost till u can reflash for more phowerrr ;D

seriously tho thats mighty expensive for a stock 2nd hand unit

[ADIKT]

IIRC wasnt vorigan talking about how shit these vf38s are? and how they are prone to failing?

[Guest]

 vorigan']

[quote name='funkytown said:

what stock turbo does your car have out of interest.?

/quote]

Single VF38 - twinscroll, titanium job, as far as I know, fitted to all 2003-2005 GT Spec B.

Spools fast and gets all its peak torque at 2500 rpm, I was impressed by stock power and torque alone even after coming from a 205 rwkw MR2.

not a good turbo for reliability sake

Cars got 63,000 kms, provided I can get to 100,000 when we plan to sell it then all good, im pretty good with changin oil regularly and also use PROMA MBL8 friction modifier.

Perhaps the issue is these cars dont have turbo timers ? I always thought the VF38 was a high tech peice of kit for a factory turbo.

trust me the turbos crap i have a ton of them here that arnt worth the scrap value, high tech you mean when the wheels fall off common fault

[pl0x]

 funkytown']

as they are twinscroll uppipe only the vf36/37 works, or the twinscroll td04l but thats a backwards step.

the 36/37 like i've already said needs the matching up/down pipe to go with it.

[quote name='pl0x said:

shouldn't need a re-flash if your just swapping in another factory turbo. even if it is slightly bigger.

just find b]another subaru twin scroll turbo[/b]...

wrong.. you need more than JUST the turbo.

huh?, so the legacys have different but still twin scroll up/downpipes?

[funkytown]

jamie who used to be on CS and is here in wellington did it to his legacy., that is from vf38 -> vf36/37 and had to use the matched uppipe as it didnt line up properly on his legacy. come to think of it i think he had to use the full headers and uppipe.

Ask San on here - he did it for him

[gotasuby]

Yea headers are different to

[funkytown]

yer thought so Jase.

i havent looked at the BP header / uppipe design but it seems retarded to make it different than the impreza twinscroll set up to me.!

[mondo]

They want $1400 because a new unit from subaru is $2800 (last time I checked).I would get a price on a repair

[gotasuby]

 funkytown said:

yer thought so Jase.

i havent looked at the BP header / uppipe design but it seems retarded to make it different than the impreza twinscroll set up to me.!

Legacy is 38mm pipe. Sti is 42ish. Also legacy uses standard exhaust head flange while sti uses an offset bolt one. For the manifold to uppipe flange.

[ADIKT]

 mondo said:

They want $1400 because a new unit from subaru is $2800 (last time I checked).I would get a price on a repair

I would be contacting a turbo specialist to see what your options would be.

maybe a hybrid vf? using the twin scroll exhaust housing from the blown vf38 and using the core of another vf series turbo?

[vorigan]

NO IM NOT PUSHING FOR WORK

Ive loss count of how many vf38 Ive repaired and re cored using another vf and no other twin scroll bolts up the flange is different from a vf36 etc so it the vf38 or change everything, so far this week Ive repaired 3 of them and 3 more to go the tdo4 version is a good unit with most parts changeable not sure what my customers on sell them for when im done but 1300 for used one sounds about right and sub have dropped there price they use to be over 4k.

The car stock is around 120kw wheel after a reflash with my upgrade around 180kw.

Vf38 was doomed from day one due to lack of oil supply which also effects the cams and use's a divide thrust inside that also lacks sufficient oil supply and add to that a titanium turbine wheel that never worked well from first time designers used them late model evos suffer the same issues thus when they ran production race series they were permitted to use standard steel shaft cores from previous year evos.

i was asked a couple years ago by sub Aussie to change 500 vf38 to upgraded cores but they decided not to which is really funny as they said " the turbos arnt cheap" i laughed and had to remind them who supplied them hahah

[gazzy2000]

 Heylin said:

What was your mesh filter in the banjo bolt like ? blocked ? what was the service history of the car ?

Helpful info for others with VF38.

+ 1, more info as to the cause??

[clintondane]

So do all BP/BL Legacies have vf38's ?

[gazzy2000]

 vorigan said:

NO IM NOT PUSHING FOR WORK

Ive loss count of how many vf38 Ive repaired and re cored using another vf and no other twin scroll bolts up the flange is different from a vf36 etc so it the vf38 or change everything, so far this week Ive repaired 3 of them and 3 more to go the tdo4 version is a good unit with most parts changeable not sure what my customers on sell them for when im done but 1300 for used one sounds about right and sub have dropped there price they use to be over 4k.

The car stock is around 120kw wheel after a reflash with my upgrade around 180kw.

Vf38 was doomed from day one due to lack of oil supply which also effects the cams and use's a divide thrust inside that also lacks sufficient oil supply and add to that a titanium turbine wheel that never worked well from first time designers used them late model evos suffer the same issues thus when they ran production race series they were permitted to use standard steel shaft cores from previous year evos.

i was asked a couple years ago by sub Aussie to change 500 vf38 to upgraded cores but they decided not to which is really funny as they said " the turbos arnt cheap" i laughed and had to remind them who supplied them hahah

so is there anything we can do pro-actively to our BPs to prevent this happening? i.e. remove a gause in the oil feed etc

[vorigan]

removing the filter is a good start

[gazzy2000]

 vorigan said:

removing the filter is a good start

great... where is it?? more details... "how to" instructions would be most helpful thanks

edit: is it in the oil feed banjo bolt like earlier single turbo WRX's etc?

[Guest]

this?

http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic,1345.0.html

[gazzy2000]

 evowrx said:

this?

http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic,1345.0.html

yea i know about this thread thanks.. it makes no mention of JDM spec BP leggys

Just want to know if its the same.... may as well have a look myself