I am hearing a whining noise coming from my engine/or turbo for about the first 3 minutes I drive my car. Then it's gone. I brought it to a mechanic for a different issue and he notified me that my turbo was blown. But, if my turbo was blown wouldn't I have little or less power to my car? Because I don't have any issues with power which makes me question it actually being blown. My car has also gone through way to many quarts of oil than the normal car should which apparently is a sign of a blown turbo. But like I said this low pitched whining noise is only heard the first 3 minutes I drive my car. Does anyone have absolutely any suggestions on what this could be?!

 

The turbo is lubricated & cooled with engine oil, if the seals are worn out, then that can be the cause of your oil consumption. This may be what your mechanic means by "being blown".

 

Would this mean I need to replace my turbo? Or just the seals?

 

Turbo would get replaced as a complete unit. "blown" is too vague of a term and not really used that often. Failed, is the better choice. Turbo can fail a couple of different ways and the seals that grim mentioned is probably the way yours failed. The whining noise may be coming from the bearings in the turbo and diminish as the turbo heats up. The seals are then collateral damage. Mazda did extend the warranty of the turbo and depending on your model year and mileage, you may qualify. Check with your local dealer.