Nasty noise from turbo

[cocadave]

hi peeps, for around 6 months or so ive been getting a very nasty squealing noise coming from the turbo just as its coming on full boost, initially it started doing it every now and again but over the last month or so it is almost constant whenever you floor it,

I can only describe the noise as dragging your finger nails down a black board and also the power dissappears instantly.

any advice is appreciated

Thanks

 

[cocadave]

what a tool

sorry guys forgot to mention its a pd 150 with a stage 1 remap and turbo back decat.

 

[darkhorse]

I had a similar noise on my ibiza cupra tdi. There's a test you can do with vagcom to exercise the turbo vanes. Once the engine was warm, it didn't do it. I sprayed WD40 on the turbo actuator & lever mechanism and it hasn't done it again since.

Is the noise constant or is it happening when you are on/off the throttle?

 

[MJ]

I had a similar noise on my ibiza cupra tdi. There's a test you can do with vagcom to exercise the turbo vanes. Once the engine was warm, it didn't do it. I sprayed WD40 on the turbo actuator & lever mechanism and it hasn't done it again since.

Is the noise constant or is it happening when you are on/off the throttle?

would'nt make a difference realisticly because you are not freeing off the bit that gets chocked up, its the internals of the vnt turbo.

 

[darkhorse]

would'nt make a difference realisticly because you are not freeing off the bit that gets chocked up, its the internals of the vnt turbo.

It made a difference for me and 18 months later I've not had any other problems. I was expecting to need the turbo refurbing and tried this on the off chance and it worked, saving a couple of hundred quid

 

[cocadave]

I had a similar noise on my ibiza cupra tdi. There's a test you can do with vagcom to exercise the turbo vanes. Once the engine was warm, it didn't do it. I sprayed WD40 on the turbo actuator & lever mechanism and it hasn't done it again since.

Is the noise constant or is it happening when you are on/off the throttle?

it happens when its just coming on boost, its ok if you accelerate normally but if you plant your foot 7 out of 10 times it will screech, personally i think its the propellers (or whatever they are called) scraping on the inside of the turbo.
dont suppose it will hurt to try a bit of the old wd40 before i start ripping the turbo appart?

 

[darkhorse]

Mine would only do it when cold coming on & off boost, it didn't go into limp mode either. If it's a short screech (about 0.5s) then I'd say it's sticking turbo vanes. If it's more prolonged I'd get it looked at quickly as it sounds like the turbo is dying.

If you have vag-com, to check the vanes start your engine and go into Engine 01 then basic settings 04 and enter number "011", click on "GO".

The revs should rise to about 1400rpm and either "ON or "OFF" will be displayed in position 2, swapping every 15 seconds, (glow plug light will be flashing and you'll get a beeping whilst it does it) you should be able to see the actuator lever moving from under the car. If it isn't moving, try tapping with a screwdriver & spraying WD40 but only when the engine is COLD. If the noise is only happening when alternating between ON & OFF, I'd say turbo vanes sticking. Just leave the test running for 20 minutes to try and free them up.

I have vag-com if you don't have it and are stuck

 

[cocadave]

darkhorse, thanks for the offer as i dont have vagcom or know anybody who has it either, had a little eye opener this morning, basically i floored it in 3rd gear and as more often than not i heard the squeal and the power dissappeared only this time it sounded a little different, it sounded like the squeak you get from letting a balloon down slowly if you know what i mean, which points me in the direction of a boost leak?

also now that i come to think about it there is another noise which sometimes depending on which gear you are in sort of sounds like a series of whoosh sounds.

i think it may be worth while checking all the ic pipes because i know one of mine has cracked and is currently tie wrapped together at the joint, the original clip is still holding it but i was advised as a precaution to tie wrap it.

 

[darkhorse]

Ah right, best to check the pipework first before you start messing with the turbo. A scan would shed more light on things, even if it's a generic scanner.
I've had two pipes go on me in the last 6 months. The bayonet type clip design is pretty poor and they tend to shear off over time. The other pipe (turbo outlet) had been rubbing against another hose and had worn through. It was only spotted when I had the engine dog bone mount changed.

I'm currently looking at modifying some triclover type clamps to address the poor clip design but allowing to keep the original pipework.

 

[MJ]

It made a difference for me and 18 months later I've not had any other problems. I was expecting to need the turbo refurbing and tried this on the off chance and it worked, saving a couple of hundred quid

If this solved your problems then the vanes were not the fault.

 

[cocadave]

good news

had a look the other day and found that the ic pipe from the turbo isn't flush into the conector, quite alot of play, had a bit of a fiddle and think ive found a short term fix for the time being, at least i won't have to shell out for a new turbo anytime soon

thanks for the advice anyway

 

[uzi_cupra]

good news

had a look the other day and found that the ic pipe from the turbo isn't flush into the conector, quite alot of play, had a bit of a fiddle and think ive found a short term fix for the time being, at least i won't have to shell out for a new turbo anytime soon

thanks for the advice anyway

so has the noise completely gone now?? i have the same problem but i know it is a pipe as i need to replace a pipe which has a tiny bit of play in it and leaks...

 

[cocadave]

yeh i havn't heard the noise in about a week now where as it had started doing it all the time, looks like a nice excuse to get some colored silicone hoses