Banks sidewinder turbo rebuild

I think my early banks sidewinder turbo is in need of some attention as it is leaking oil and it appears to be coming from where the compressor housing attaches to the center section. I thought the drain tube was the source so I tightened the bolts and cleaned the area very well but a few days later I checked and the seam between the center section and the compressor housing was wet with oil on the bottom side again. Is rebuilding it something that a local reputable rebuilder can do or is it another thing that is banks only. These turbos look pretty simple I was even wondering if I could find a kit and rebuild it myself, i have not ever rebuilt one but it couldn't be any more complicated than an automatic transmission and I have rebuilt a small handful of those. I don't really want to ship it off somewhere to be rebuilt because I can't have the truck down and disassembled that long.

@SuperDave Russ @typ4 would probably be the best guy to contact

You can get rebuild kits for turbos and do it yourself. I don't know where to look, but there has been people do this in the past.

The area you describe that is leaking sounds like its leaking blowby oil from the cdr out that area. I would pull the compressor housing I'm not sure if the housing is sealed to the cartridge with a oring or what maybe put a very small amount of rtv on the mating surface. Or its possible your compressor side seal is leaking on the turbo and its in need of immediate rebuild before your engine runs away. I would not recommend rebuilding the turbo your self as they spin as fast as 100,000rpm and everything needs to be perfect. Russ at Russrepair.com @typ4 can rebuild and even mod your turbo all done the right way.

For some of the banks turbos, it's my understanding that they are not rebuildable. I think the one that's not is a Mitsubishi turbo. Russ is the guy around here to go to for rebuild services if you decide to farm it out. If you want to take it on and it's a rebuildable unit, check with G-Pop Shop or Turbo Labs of America or Turbo Kits com. I got my rebuild kit from G-pop shop and they were very helpful and I was pleased with the quality of parts they offered. In my gallery I posted some pictures of the rebuild I did on my ATS one, it my have some generic helpful information if you decide to do it.

https://russrepair.com/banks-sidewinder-rebuild-and-upgrade/

I know you said you don't have time to send it out, but here's Russ' page.

I have heard a couple stories about home rebuilds blowing apart. If you decide to try it yourself just take your time and be careful! Triple check torque specs!

I'm starting to think that isaac ristow is correct that the oil coming from the cdr allowing oil into the compressor housing and the seal between the compressor housing and center section is leaking a bit. When I had the big honking filter housing/ turbo inlet off while changing some bad glow plugs I did notice that there was not hardly any oil inside the intake or turbo so I doubt the shaft seal is leaking. I think I have a seal and gasket kit I bought just for the drain tube gasket that probably has the compressor housing o ring in it if I can find the dumb thing. Probably ought to try that first. I also need the 90° boot from the filter housing to the turbo inlet if anyone knows where (other than banks directly) I can get one new or used mines in pretty rough shape.


What I honestly would like to do if I could find a kit reasonable is put an 093 ats turbo on this truck and put the sidewinder on my 6.9 powered 88 bronco... The biggest reason for this is the sidewinder pipes are meant for a c6 and I have an e4od I swapped in a few years back so the up pipe and downpipe that are meant for the c6 are crammed in there with that e4od. The bronco on the other hand is and always will be a c6 so the sidewinder to me would be a better fit for the bronco. If anyone runs across a reasonable priced 093 setup let me know, I'm keeping an eye on marketplace, eBay and craigslist but I could miss something. I found a complete running driving '94 model f350 with an 093 for 2 grand but every single truck I have ever bought for parts I wound up either fixing and driving or fixing and selling so that's not the greatest ide

Banks wont rebuild, I have units that I can do on an exchange program so you dont have down time.