8th Generation Honda Civic Forum - View Single Post - Return Of The Taiwan GT turbos (background)

TaiwanGT · 06-20-2007, 02:40 AM

ZAGE turbos had the following manufacturing flaws:

Compressor Wheels:
Problem:Bad Balancing

Batches: ALL EVOIII GT turbos before Sept. 2005
All subaru turbos*

Symptom: Wheel partially explodes during operation

Result: Catastrophic Turbo Failure (total failure)

Cause: Balance procedure for smaller
compressor wheels followed on larger wheels

Remedy: Re Balance Wheels using correct procedure

*see ethics

Thrust Bearings

Problem: Bad Materials

Batches: ALL

Symptom: Premature thrust Bearing wear

Cause: Company that copied bearing was not the
Same company that designed bearing*

Remedy: Use Mitsubishi thrust bearings in all ZAGE units

instead of "knock off" bearings

Bearing Housings
Problem: No oil hole drilled in center bearing housing

Batches: Limited

Symptom: Turbo Failure

Cause: Unknown

Remedy: Drill oil holes in bearing housing

Journal Bearings: Problem: None Reported

Turbine Wheel: Problem: None reported

all parts in the ZAGE units are bad replicas of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries parts made in China and Taiwan. The biggest problem is that ZAGE did not do the origional R and D on the turbos, they just copied the origional turbos. They don't really know why a certain material was used for what, they just reverse engineer someone else's product. Sometimes they get it wrong, like with the bearings.

06-20-2007, 02:40 AM	#13 (permalink)
TaiwanGT Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 29	manufacturing flaws ZAGE turbos had the following manufacturing flaws: Compressor Wheels: Problem:Bad Balancing Batches: ALL EVOIII GT turbos before Sept. 2005 All subaru turbos* Symptom: Wheel partially explodes during operation Result: Catastrophic Turbo Failure (total failure) Cause: Balance procedure for smaller compressor wheels followed on larger wheels Remedy: Re Balance Wheels using correct procedure see ethics Thrust Bearings Problem: Bad Materials Batches: ALL Symptom: Premature thrust Bearing wear Cause: Company that copied bearing was not the Same company that designed bearing Remedy: Use Mitsubishi thrust bearings in all ZAGE units instead of "knock off" bearings Bearing Housings Problem: No oil hole drilled in center bearing housing Batches: Limited Symptom: Turbo Failure Cause: Unknown Remedy: Drill oil holes in bearing housing Journal Bearings: Problem: None Reported Turbine Wheel: Problem: None reported all parts in the ZAGE units are bad replicas of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries parts made in China and Taiwan. The biggest problem is that ZAGE did not do the origional R and D on the turbos, they just copied the origional turbos. They don't really know why a certain material was used for what, they just reverse engineer someone else's product. Sometimes they get it wrong, like with the bearings. Last edited by TaiwanGT; 06-21-2007 at 12:22 AM.