Ok so i just bought a 1995 eagle talon tsi… and the guy who had it before me didnt have the turbo hooked it up… well when i hooked it all up. it wouldnt run rite with the engine what could be wrong with it…? any answers would be great…
Possibly a seized center bearing.
With the engine off and cold, remove the intake boot. Try to rotate the turbine with a fingertip or the tip of a long screwdriver.
It should spin very easily. If it does not rotate at all (seized) or if it rotates sluggishly (trying to seize) then you need a turbocharger unit and the one you currently have is simply an intake/exhaust restriction.
I’m not sure if these cars are factory turbo charged, but if they are not, then improper installation of the turbo charger system probably screwed it up. Or they didn’t use the correct type(full synthetic) of oil or even the right octane gasoline
so if its seized is that expensive to fix?
Using the wrong octane fuel does not cause damage to a turbo. It causes damage to the engine itself if the engine management cannot handle it.
Hopefully you got the car for a “steal” or free.
A rebuilt turbo with warranty is around $600-$700 and new is $900+. This is part only no labor for install.