Looking to buy! I've got trust issues buying turbochargers from eBay.
What do you guys think? Real or Fake?
click

150% fake. The id on compressor cover and the wastegate arm are dead giveaways.

My theory (untested but well researched) is that if fed from the head, these turbo fail rather quick. If fed from OFH then the life seems to be better. They use a different thrust washer that demands higher oil volume.

Honestly its a gamble. If it does fail, there is no rebuild kit as these also use a bigger turbine shaft and different style bearings. Once it fails it's a paper weight.

Guess I'll stay away from eBay then.
You'll be seeing me on the WTB section

How about this one?
click

It's clearly a fake just by looking at it, and seller doesn't even try to hide it:
"This is a BRAND NEW Premium Quality high performance aftermarket TD05H BIG 16G, EVO III turbocharger."

If it's less than 750.00 you can pretty much guarantee it to be a fake. They are getting increasingly harder to find which the prices of them new reflects. You will be better of finding a low mileage used unit or freshly rebuilt turbo using OEM parts.

Quote:

It's clearly a fake just by looking at it, and seller doesn't even try to hide it:
"This is a BRAND NEW Premium Quality high performance aftermarket TD05H BIG 16G, EVO III turbocharger."



Yeah I saw that, just thought I'd ask anyway. Really eager to upgrade the turbo ya know. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Go cheap and you'll spend double the money in the end.

Also upgrading the turbo is worthless if you don't have supporting mods and maintenance done.

Those fake "evo3 turbos" aren't worth the metal they are made of. We also had one lying around for a while so after comparing some of those fake turbos with MHI ones I decided to try this one on my FWD Galant, checking the compressor wheel and shaft play regularly.
After only ~5000km the axial bearing was completely gone, the shaft had ~5mm axial play. radial play was >1mm from the beginning - which was way more than any new or "used / in good condition" MHI.
I was still running in my engine at that time - so this turbo wasn't beaten very hard. Push one of those as hard as an MHI 16g and you can most likely pick up your engine internals from behind the car...


Simple rule of thumb: if the price is below ~700$ it's most likely fake.

Other indicators:
- MHI _never_ put "evo3" onto the compressor housing and never polished it. Always look for the original casting marks and engraved numbers on the compressor housing! This is the no 1 indicator for fake or real MHI turbos.
- The wastegate flappers are mustly made of a bent piece of round steel, so they tend to relax back to a lower angle when heated and the flapper doesn't fully cover the bypass hole any more. The flapper sometimes gets burned away on the edge and often gets stuck open due to being pushed against the housing when actuated.
- MHI _never_ever_ used adjustable wastegate actuators, so any "MHI turbo" with one is most likely fake
- The color of the center and exhaust side is different (dark-greyish vs brown) and cast quality of the fake turbos is mostly quite bad. Often the oil passages on the center section are half blocked and lots of blowholes are visible even on crucial parts like the wastagate passage. Even old MHI turbos from back in the late 80s/early 90s had a remarkably good cast quality with a qute smooth outer surface. Since a few years MHI also produces turbos for aftermarket sale which are of slightly lesser quality than those produced for and sold by MMC (but still _much_ better than cheap fake turbos...). Only guarantee for "best" quality would be a turbo in original MMC packacke with part number on it. (good luck - evo3 16g is out of stock in japan since ~3-4 years, so only the re-produced MHIs are still available...)
- MHI compressor wheels have much thinner yet stronger fins. fake ones are made of cheaper alloy which often start to flow at rpm/temperatures within normal working range. The distorted wheel starts scraping at the compressor housing until it finally dies (mostly losing one or more fins). The one I tested also had slight flowmarks - dark-greyish lines, especially on the backside and slightly reminding of annual rings on trees.

$700? I remember before the tsunami they were $500. You buy cheap you buy twice.

Quote:
Go cheap and you'll spend double the money in the end.

Also upgrading the turbo is worthless if you don't have supporting mods and maintenance done.



Yes I am aware. Maintenance first. Supporting mods is a given. Hence the name SUPPORTING MODS. Just searching around where I can find the right turbocharger. Thanks.

I wouldn't be afraid of a cared for use 16g. Real MHI's are brutes and live forever if cared for.

Quoting G:
$700? I remember before the tsunami they were $500. You buy cheap you buy twice.

(this)

For what it's worth, I run my S16G (used) hard. I run 28lbs boost from spool til 5500rpm then it settles to 22psi til redline. It pulls hard. Still no shaft play.

^How much horsepower are you making on your S16G?

Quote:
Poster: r4pt0x
Subject: Re: Evo 3 16g turbo from eBay.

Those fake "evo3 turbos" aren't worth the metal they are made of. We also had one lying around for a while so after comparing some of those fake turbos with MHI ones I decided to try this one on my FWD Galant, checking the compressor wheel and shaft play regularly.
After only ~5000km the axial bearing was completely gone, the shaft had ~5mm axial play. radial play was >1mm from the beginning - which was way more than any new or "used / in good condition" MHI.
I was still running in my engine at that time - so this turbo wasn't beaten very hard. Push one of those as hard as an MHI 16g and you can most likely pick up your engine internals from behind the car...


Simple rule of thumb: if the price is below ~700$ it's most likely fake.

Other indicators:
- MHI _never_ put "evo3" onto the compressor housing and never polished it. Always look for the original casting marks and engraved numbers on the compressor housing! This is the no 1 indicator for fake or real MHI turbos.
- The wastegate flappers are mustly made of a bent piece of round steel, so they tend to relax back to a lower angle when heated and the flapper doesn't fully cover the bypass hole any more. The flapper sometimes gets burned away on the edge and often gets stuck open due to being pushed against the housing when actuated.
- MHI _never_ever_ used adjustable wastegate actuators, so any "MHI turbo" with one is most likely fake
- The color of the center and exhaust side is different (dark-greyish vs brown) and cast quality of the fake turbos is mostly quite bad. Often the oil passages on the center section are half blocked and lots of blowholes are visible even on crucial parts like the wastagate passage. Even old MHI turbos from back in the late 80s/early 90s had a remarkably good cast quality with a qute smooth outer surface. Since a few years MHI also produces turbos for aftermarket sale which are of slightly lesser quality than those produced for and sold by MMC (but still _much_ better than cheap fake turbos...). Only guarantee for "best" quality would be a turbo in original MMC packacke with part number on it. (good luck - evo3 16g is out of stock in japan since ~3-4 years, so only the re-produced MHIs are still available...)
- MHI compressor wheels have much thinner yet stronger fins. fake ones are made of cheaper alloy which often start to flow at rpm/temperatures within normal working range. The distorted wheel starts scraping at the compressor housing until it finally dies (mostly losing one or more fins). The one I tested also had slight flowmarks - dark-greyish lines, especially on the backside and slightly reminding of annual rings on trees.



Thank you sir. Appreciate the info given.