I have a 1993 Link Belt LS2700C2 excavator that seems low on engine power. Starting to wonder if the turbo is out of it as I found some oil in the air cleaner housing. However, the engine hasn't used any oil to speak of. I didn't know for sure the symptoms of a bad turbo on this particular machine?
The correct procedure is to plumb a gauge between the turbo & the intake manifold & put it under a load & take a reading at full throttle, under full load.. The "field test" is to remove the boots, intake and exhaust & grab the nuts on the wheels & TRY TO move them up & down & side to side.. & feel the slop.. The tighter the better.. There really isn't a spec for the movement.. but it gives u an idea of the wear in the bearings.. Good luck..
I can only add if it binds when you move the shaft it is time to condemn the units Kind regards Uffex
hahaha.. I cant believe I forgot the most basic test.. Spin the wheel & if it binds its toast.. Oil in the boots is a pretty good sign that it needs a rebuild.. but it still could be "good".. Just an FWI>> the oil in the boots is usually from the piston ring carboned up from HOT SHUT DOWNS.. U should let it low idle atleast 3 minutes for the turbo to wind down & cool off.. before shutting the engine down.
That works "IF" you know what the boost pressure should be and "IF" the fuel system and associated components are also working as they should. Also might help to check for exhaust back pressure and intake restriction.
Turbo boost is generally somewhere between twenty and thirty inches of water which is between ten and fifteen PSI unless the engine is something exotic. I usually only check to see that the turbo spins freely and has made no marks on the housing and turbine wheel. Most of the time, bad turbo chargers reveal themselves in grand fashion. Lots of oil in the intake manifold and plenty of fine metal threads and chunks. It is usually better to check fuel supply before hunting and fishing for expensive repair bills.
Wot he said ........ ˄˄˄˄˄˄ Why start by over-thinking it when you really need to be doing the basics like inspecting/changing fuel filters, and draining water from the fuel/water separator and/or the fuel tank first. As you never mentioned having done any of the foregoing in your OP the assumption is that you haven't done any of them. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.