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Just wanted to give you guys a heads up if you are looking to modify your turbo setup.
About a year into owning a refurbished S42 Turbo from JMTC the turbo is already fatiguing. I currently have a Stage 3 RPM tuned R55 that should be making around 22 PSI in 4th gear and it is now only making 18 psi. No boost leak detected and the diverter valve is good as well as no codes.
While the turbo is a great turbo and gave plenty of power initially JMTC has definitely cut costs to make an affordable turbo. Some of the few things I noticed
- Exhaust housing is cast steel vs. Inconel (Stock JCW Turbo)
- Rust has already taken over the exhaust side of the housing due to being steel and un-coated.
- Cold side inlet was welded on instead of being properly cast into the housing. (JMTC cut the existing inlet off and welded on a larger one to the housing)
- Fasteners have completely rusted due to constant heat cycles and the elements
- Wastegate arm fatigue due to heat cycles making it unable to reach peak boost and loose more boost over time
I understand some people may want a cheaper option like myself at the time, but in the end up paying nearly double the parts and the labor (if you cannot do it yourself).
For about 500 dollars more I could have saved myself a lot of headache and more years of run time.
Ya I had the 46mm version on my car and had nothing but issues with it. The compressor and turbine wheels aren't sized correctly and would only make 19.5psi with the wastegate at stock length. Even when I tightened the gate up it only made the turbo spool quicker and didn't increase boost. When I switched tuners he had to request 1.6 bar just to get it to hold till redline and the duty cycle on the gate was maxed out. Before all of that I had boost fluctuation issues and it ended up being the turbine housing that came with the turbo. Swapped it out for the stock OEM turbine housing with over 70,000 miles on it and it fixed the issue. Then when I pulled the turbo off to replace it, I decided to take off the compressor housing on the jmtc turbo and down below in the pictures is what I found. The turbine wheel is the stock size, which is 45mm x 40mm. Also has shaft play, pulling and pushing and also side to side. Only put around 12,000 miles on the turbo. For those looking at getting one these china chargers I would look else where.
Ya I had the 46mm version on my car and had nothing but issues with it. The compressor and turbine wheels aren't sized correctly and would only make 19.5psi with the wastegate at stock length. Even when I tightened the gate up it only made the turbo spool quicker and didn't increase boost. When I switched tuners he had to request 1.6 bar just to get it to hold till redline and the duty cycle on the gate was maxed out. Before all of that I had boost fluctuation issues and it ended up being the turbine housing that came with the turbo. Swapped it out for the stock OEM turbine housing with over 70,000 miles on it and it fixed the issue. Then when I pulled the turbo off to replace it, I decided to take off the compressor housing on the jmtc turbo and down below in the pictures is what I found. The turbine wheel is the stock size, which is 45mm x 40mm. Also has shaft play, pulling and pushing and also side to side. Only put around 12,000 miles on the turbo. For those looking at getting one these china chargers I would look else where.
SLTurbo says it all. Just a cheap Chinese turbo. I'm in the process of replacing my 43mm turbo and I'm sure the internals look like this. When I get all of this sorted, I'm going to take it apart and post some photos. This thread should be pinned to the top.
I've not bought anything from JMTC, and I've heard too many stories on all their products to go down their rabbit hole. The ONLY item I would consider from them would be the ICI pipe, because they are the only company offering one. However, I am not convinced it provides much benefit over the OEM pipe to justify.
Also want to note if you take a magnet to the turbine housing on a oem borg warner turbo it won't stick since it's made out of inconel. While the china chargers are made from steel or chinesium which is megntic. Here's a video someone made about a jmtc turbo.
Ok, so what’s the way to go for replacing the turbo? Just buy new borg? Or has anyone had any luck sending out to places like G-Pop Shop?
A couple of people have the airworks turbo from BW and have had good things to say about it. You can try a gpop shop. I know turbopartsCanada makes some really nice ones for the VAG scene. Maybe see if they can do one?
A couple of people have the airworks turbo from BW and have had good things to say about it. You can try a gpop shop. I know turbopartsCanada makes some really nice ones for the VAG scene. Maybe see if they can do one?
Thanks for the tips. Turbo Parts Canada does OEM rebuilds and carries nothing for mini’s. I talked to another Toronto company that does OEM warranty work for BW. I can get a new or rebuilt JCW for a decent price and it’s less than an hour away. No shipping or CAD to USD conversions. ECS sells a FrankenTurbo hybrid 43mm… anyone try one of those?
Hello everyone! I was looking for some testimonials about the JMTC, because I'm using one in my car and I had a problem that is not common in a turbine at this high price. I have an S42 (k04) in my Peugeot RCZ (~320Bhp) and my turbine with ~1.6bar had clearance in the rotor shaft and that damaged it. Two other friends had a problem with JMTC, but in Brazil we do not have direct assistance from the manufacturer. Result: we had to look for a solution that was within our reach, and in stores across the country. We found that the JMTC turbines that are shipped here use Audi core (k04). Thay use in USA also this rotor from Audi?
Sorry for my poor English. Thank you so much!
Sorry, I can’t help with your issue. JMTC uses cheap components, and poor manufacturing techniques in the build of their turbos.
Also, I love the looks of the RCZ. I wish we could get them in the USA!
Last edited by 2017All4; Aug 25, 2022 at 01:03 PM.
Reason: Deleted photo per car owner's request
Hello everyone! I was looking for some testimonials about the JMTC, because I'm using one in my car and I had a problem that is not common in a turbine at this high price. I have an S42 (k04) in my Peugeot RCZ (~320Bhp) and my turbine with ~1.6bar had clearance in the rotor shaft and that damaged it. Two other friends had a problem with JMTC, but in Brazil we do not have direct assistance from the manufacturer. Result: we had to look for a solution that was within our reach, and in stores across the country. We found that the JMTC turbines that are shipped here use Audi core (k04). Thay use in USA also this rotor from Audi?
Sorry for my poor English. Thank you so much!
They use a core from SLTurbo which is a company in china who mass produces them. They also use a stock turbine wheel 45x40.5 with a 46x62 compressor wheel. I had the gate at 95% duty and it would only make 19psi.
Last edited by 2017All4; Aug 25, 2022 at 01:07 PM.
