Blown Turbo - Probably

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BigJock2005

Active Member
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308
Location
Bucks
So day one of properly driving my "new" 110 TD5 around (2006 with 160K on it) and I think I have a blown turbo.
During the test drive I noticed a pretty loud turbo whine at certain throttle and load positions - it screamed on acceleration up to a certain point then went quiet, also went quiet if I took my foot off, so I thought either the turbo's on its way out or maybe even there's just a split pipe or something.
Today the whining stopped and I noticed a pretty severe power loss. A bit of blue smoke but not much. I wasn't far from home so I nursed her back gently.
In the engine bay I can see oil around the hose into the bottom of the turbo from the intercooler, which says to me (combined with above) that it's probably fubar.
I had checked out the price of turbos when finalising the price, so I'm not too worried. I think I got a really good price, and the body and chassis are in great condition, so I'm happy to spend four figures on the power train if I have to.
My questions are:
1. It's obviously not safe or good to drive any distance like this, is it?
2. Is it possible that everything is just gunked up and needs cleaned and the turbo's okay?
I'm minded just to replace the turbo with a recon unit and clean up everything else because that's not a massive job - but I wonder if I should wait and just get everything else checked out by the pro too.
Jock
 
By the way... a pic of the hose from the intercooler. Not sure if that oil amount is excessive or not, but I would guess there should be none.
And just to add... I just went out to move her onto the drive, that smoke that I said was "not much" is now a full on plume of white/blue... would have provided cover for a whole division on D-Day.
 

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JimS said:
Always worries me about the old 'diesel runaway' scenario when the turbo oil starts getting blown into the combustion chambers :eek:
Quite rare but....;)
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Oh yeah... I've watched a couple of YT videos on that and it was one of the tests during my engineering training about 30 years ago. The team leader put a ping-pong bat over the turbo intake, which he thought would stop it. But it sucked the rubber off the bat, ate it and then failed. So it worked indirectly but we were the last students to get to play with that turbo...!
Just wondering what the next most sensible steps are. Should I just go straight to changing the turbo, or do a bit of remedial first?
 
BigJock2005 said:
Oh yeah... I've watched a couple of YT videos on that and it was one of the tests during my engineering training about 30 years ago. The team leader put a ping-pong bat over the turbo intake, which he thought would stop it. But it sucked the rubber off the bat, ate it and then failed. So it worked indirectly but we were the last students to get to play with that turbo...!
Just wondering what the next most sensible steps are. Should I just go straight to changing the turbo, or do a bit of remedial first?
Click to expand...
carry a CO2 extinguisher, to blast into the inlet, if necessary.
 
BigJock2005 said:
Oh yeah... I've watched a couple of YT videos on that and it was one of the tests during my engineering training about 30 years ago. The team leader put a ping-pong bat over the turbo intake, which he thought would stop it. But it sucked the rubber off the bat, ate it and then failed. So it worked indirectly but we were the last students to get to play with that turbo...!
Just wondering what the next most sensible steps are. Should I just go straight to changing the turbo, or do a bit of remedial first?
Click to expand...

I would probably just get a £200 recon turbo and whack it on, job done and relax....
 
That's the kind of soft warming words I need to hear... should I do the waste gate too? It moves, but it's stiff as hell.
 
You need to take the pipe off, looking at some oil marks on the outside doesn't say what the inside is like. All turbos will pass a little oil so the intercooler / pipeworks will have some in them but shouldn't be pooling.
 
I'll get the pipes off tomorrow for a good look and get all the bolts soaked with gas as the turbo will likely be coming out and the biggest issue is always the bloody bolts!
 
Take it the pipe's not cracked? My pipe blew in the past. No smoke, no power, loud turbo reeling noise, easy, cheap fix. Phew!!
 
I think this is probably a really stupid question, but.... when I remove the rubber hose on the intake, if the turbo is good I should be able to easily turn the rotor with my fingers, no?
It's jammed hard, and there's fresh oil lying around the inlet aperture, so I take that as meaning knackered?
 
If the rotor is jammed its knackered, dont run it or drive it until you have replaced the turbo as it will end badly!
Wastgeate seizure is quite common on td5 engines.
 
Yeah, fortunately it blew just outside the house, so I've only limped back up the drive. Recon unit ordered along with a new silicone hose set and waste gate, so that'll be going in on Monday!
Will send some pics but the vanes look knackered as well, and there's oil all over the shop.
 
BigJock2005 said:
Yeah, fortunately it blew just outside the house, so I've only limped back up the drive. Recon unit ordered along with a new silicone hose set and waste gate, so that'll be going in on Monday!
Will send some pics but the vanes look knackered as well, and there's oil all over the shop.
Click to expand...
Have a good look at the turbo impeller to see if there are any bits missing, if there is then it may be worth pulling the intercooler and pipework to try and find them so they don't get ingested. May be worth cleaning it anyway if you have a lot of oil build up.
 
Std practice on the trucks to remove and clean the intercooler out when a turbo has failed.
Cheats way is to drill a small hols at the lowest point and allow the oil to drain, then silicone and a small self tapper.
Either eway take the cooler out for a clean because once the new trubo starts to boost any oil will end up straight in the cylinders.
 
lynall said:
Cheats way is to drill a small hols at the lowest point and allow the oil to drain, then silicone and a small self tapper.
Click to expand...

Are you suggesting to drill the inter-cooler, is that genuine method people use? That to me sounds like a good way to write off the inter-cooler and need a replacement?
When I have cleaned them out I have always rinsed them through a couple of times with petrol. Thins/disolves the oil and readily evaporates off afterwards.
 
Yeah, I think I will give the intercooler a good check and clean. Workshop manual says you have to remove the radiator, which means draining the coolant... oh well, may as well replace that. In fact, why don't I replace the intercooler while I'm there? I mean at 160K miles I should be changing pretty much everything I service! Will go and see if there's an upgrade that doesn't break the bank.
P.S. Bollocks to that, at £450+ I'll just wait until I decide to get a remap and have a recommended upgrade fitted then.
 
dag019 said:
Are you suggesting to drill the inter-cooler, is that genuine method people use? That to me sounds like a good way to write off the inter-cooler and need a replacement?
When I have cleaned them out I have always rinsed them through a couple of times with petrol. Thins/disolves the oil and readily evaporates off afterwards.
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Not suggesting , its whet we used to do on the trucks years ago, obviously drill the alloy bit and not the plastic section.
Same when the exhaust filled up with engine oil from a blown turbo, drill a small hole and do the turbo repair, then take it out for a run in the dark to burn off the carp, would get shot nowadays!
 
BigJock2005 said:
Yeah, I think I will give the intercooler a good check and clean. Workshop manual says you have to remove the radiator, which means draining the coolant... oh well, may as well replace that. In fact, why don't I replace the intercooler while I'm there? I mean at 160K miles I should be changing pretty much everything I service! Will go and see if there's an upgrade that doesn't break the bank.
P.S. Bollocks to that, at £450+ I'll just wait until I decide to get a remap and have a recommended upgrade fitted then.
Click to expand...


I had a chipped and boosted td5 with the std intercooler and one day bought one of the big intercoolers.
To say it was a dissapointment is an understatement!
The car went just the same, I even measured the charge air temps before and after the intercooler (70 degc rings a bell) and they were no different to to the std cooler, plus I actually had the viscous fan cut in after a hard run up a long hill, the same hill I had driven up for years at the same speed day in and day out without the viscous fan cutting in, which suggested to me the larger cooler severely restricted the air flow throught the cooling package.
 
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