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Steve, Dave and anyone else running a stock single stage turbo - you might want to pay attention....
This morning I managed to break Rusty's turbo. I had been cruising at 11,000 ft with MAP 38, rpm 5100 and 175 kts TAS (about 155 IAS) for almost 2 hours when rpm suddenly dropped to 2500. A 1/4 turn of the mixture toward rich brought it up to 3500. Fuel pressure was 40psi, but I turned on the other pump anyway. Coolant temp dropped from 185 to 150 and EGT dropped from 1400 to 1000. Oil pressure was constant at 90PSI.
I was 38 miles from home over a desolate little strip by Lake Okeechobee. I figured I could glide to either field from halfway, so I headed home. The engine ran consistently at reduced power. I maintained 11,000 to the halfway point, then began a gradual decent to arrive over the field at 6000. Once assured of the field I tried killing alternate sets of coils - both gave a decrease in rpm - and alternate sets of injectors - both killed the engine, (or reduced rpm enough that I didn't want to know).
One [more] high & fast precautionary landing later and the plane was back in the hangar. I'd thought the new Radio Shack resistors on my secondary injectors might have given out, but no. A quick look up the exhaust pipe told the story. The compressor wheel is sitting at an odd angle blocking the outlet, just like last time. Apparently I was trailing a vortex of black smoke as I descended into the pattern. This probably helped keep the spam cans and whirly birds at bay while I took the active. :)
One failure might be a bad turbo. A second one is enough to prove to me that the stock turbo just can't handle the punishment of continual boost. (just like Ed said it wouldn't :)
I thought you guys running or planning to run the same turbo might like to hear the story as soon as possible.
Regards,
John (boost for all you're worth) Slade
Now where's the phone number of that Ozzie guy????