Do I have a turbo problem?

[Mrcloc]

(E90 320d auto)

I was driving around the other day and heard something I wasn't sure was normal. I suspect the turbo doesn't have long to go and I'm running out of motorplan in 3000km.

The sound - when driving normally, everything sounds fine. The turbo spools nicely. But if I spool the turbo at low revs and suddenly let go of the accelerator, I hear the familiar ssssss as it spools, then a whoooooo as the revs drop. Is this normal?

Some extra info - I took the car to BMW recently because the fuel consumption has dropped by 1-1.5 l/100km in normal town driving. They said the engine is perfect and diagnostics reported no issues.

I would certainly appreciate any comments and advice.

 

[S1NGH 001]

The whoooooo sound is definitely something to check out :fencelook:

 

[racing snake]

yeah it could possibly be the turbo.

if it does fail outside m/plan give me a shout and ill sort it out for a very good price.:thumbs:

i have done a few and havent had any negative reports.

 

[Spy007]

Jip. Turbo going.

 

[Mrcloc]

racing snake - thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully I get it done on MP.

Once a turbo starts to fail, how long does it take? I know it varies greatly, but surely there's a mean time by which it fails once it starts going?

 

[Kyle]

Don't wait for it to fail, have it diagnosed, and if it is showing signs, replace it ASAP.

 

[Mrcloc]

Don't wait for it to fail, have it diagnosed, and if it is showing signs, replace it ASAP.

Most definitely. I'm going to phone BMW now. I'm just wondering because I may not get a slot soon enough. Also, if they tell me it's fine, then it must fail before MP is up. I'm not keen on spending my money I've been saving for a new lens on a new turbo.

 

[akash]

Book the car in as soon as possible. Dont wait, ask for the soonest possible date. They usually have bookingsavailable within three days if not quicker.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

agree, have it done now,

 

[Mrcloc]

Hi,

So I showed the sound to a BMW foreman, and they replaced the turbo. But the sound is still there. I'm pretty sure it's not normal. This is exactly what it sounds like (at 41s):
[video=youtube]

Could it be a cracked exhaust?

 

[Rommies]

sounds like the dv?

 

[Mrcloc]

sounds like the dv?

I thought it could be, but the DV would get rid of clean air, and the sound sounds like it comes from the exhaust side. And there isn't much lag and the car pulls perfectly. The fuel consumption seems a little high though.

 

[Mrcloc]

The car went to Menlyn Auto a few weeks ago and they came to the conclusion that the turbo must be replaced. I took the car in on a Thursday, so I kept it over the weekend and took it back on the Monday. By the Tuesday the turbo was in. Supposedly. I noticed the same noise as if nothing had changed. So the car was booked in last Wednesday. They stripped the car to try find out what's going on. On Friday afternoon I phoned the service consultant to find out what was going on. He said they're going to replace the turbo. Again! I asked why as they replaced it a few weeks ago and he told me the one they put in was faulty. Now they're keeping the car until Friday! We'll see if the noise is gone, but I'm pretty sure they never replaced the turbo in the first place (and the invoice was for R15 000). Be careful if you take your car there.

 

[Mrcloc]

So they replaced the turbo and some oil lines and water lines. Sound is better, but not gone. They tested it next to another identical 320d and the sound now is exactly right.

2 things - a turbo that is faulty from the day you put it in sounds very dodgy. I don't believe they replaced it in the first place. Second, the new new turbo was charged for in full, not replaced by warranty on the old new one.

The car will be out of MP by the end of the week. I've done an EGR bypass. And that's a bit of a success story! When I start up in the morning, I'm no longer choked by the car's fumes and the car seems to be running much better in the 1500 - 2500 rpm range. Much better!

 

[UpNcOmiNg!]

Trials and tribulations of stealerships.

Lets hope all is now 100% bud.

 

[netercol]

sounds like the dv?

I thought it could be, but the DV would get rid of clean air, and the sound sounds like it comes from the exhaust side. And there isn't much lag and the car pulls perfectly. The fuel consumption seems a little high though.

diesels dont have a dv, nor do they have a wastegate.. (at least the modern bmw diesels dont have a wastegate)

The car will be out of MP by the end of the week. I've done an EGR bypass. And that's a bit of a success story! When I start up in the morning, I'm no longer choked by the car's fumes and the car seems to be running much better in the 1500 - 2500 rpm range. Much better!

deja vu.. might have been a faulty egr valve causing your noise..

 

[Mrcloc]

The car will be out of MP by the end of the week. I've done an EGR bypass. And that's a bit of a success story! When I start up in the morning, I'm no longer choked by the car's fumes and the car seems to be running much better in the 1500 - 2500 rpm range. Much better!

deja vu.. might have been a faulty egr valve causing your noise..

Interesting. When I disabled the EGR it occurred to me that it might have been that causing the noise. I haven't tested it yet, but I will tomorrow (wife's got the car today). The EGR bypass was a quick 5 minutes, but I still want to inspect the EGR valve and intake.

No wastegate or DV would explain the noise probably.

UpNcOmiNg, I hope so. But the car is great! Everything is as it should be - no power loss and no increase in fuel use at all. There's just one or two terrible rattles I need to take care of (rear view mirror and dash trim or radio).

 

[netercol]

The car will be out of MP by the end of the week. I've done an EGR bypass. And that's a bit of a success story! When I start up in the morning, I'm no longer choked by the car's fumes and the car seems to be running much better in the 1500 - 2500 rpm range. Much better!

deja vu.. might have been a faulty egr valve causing your noise..

Interesting. When I disabled the EGR it occurred to me that it might have been that causing the noise. I haven't tested it yet, but I will tomorrow (wife's got the car today). The EGR bypass was a quick 5 minutes, but I still want to inspect the EGR valve and intake.

No wastegate or DV would explain the noise probably.

UpNcOmiNg, I hope so. But the car is great! Everything is as it should be - no power loss and no increase in fuel use at all. There's just one or two terrible rattles I need to take care of (rear view mirror and dash trim or radio).

hehe sorry, guess i should have explained a bit more in detail.. the deja vu is because i once had a massive argument on this forum with persons that shall remain unnamed, regarding weather or not diesels have a dv, because they could clearly hear it..

anyways, the point being, it MIGHT be that the mysterious noise you hear is a leaking egt valve, especialy since you say the smoke has cleared up since your bypassing it..

remember that the exhaust gas pressure pushing against that valve goes quite high, i have seen as high as 60psi on my exhaust pressure guage fitted to my car!

 

[Mrcloc]

hehe sorry, guess i should have explained a bit more in detail.. the deja vu is because i once had a massive argument on this forum with persons that shall remain unnamed, regarding weather or not diesels have a dv, because they could clearly hear it..

anyways, the point being, it MIGHT be that the mysterious noise you hear is a leaking egt valve, especialy since you say the smoke has cleared up since your bypassing it..

remember that the exhaust gas pressure pushing against that valve goes quite high, i have seen as high as 60psi on my exhaust pressure guage fitted to my car!

Yes, I agree that it could be the EGR valve, that's why I want to check it. It just makes sense that if there is no DV or wastegate, then that would explain the noise. (I can't hear any DV or wastegate sound, only the sound I was hearing, which is one of my motivating reasons to get the sound checked out).

Interestingly, however, the service guy at Menlyn told me that sometimes the blowoff valve actuator sometimes doesn't operate correctly. Isn't the DV the same thing as a BV? In that case, the service guy is talking rubbish because there is no such actuator?

 

[Mrcloc]

As far as I have tested, the noise is now gone. So it was the egr valve! I think I'll let the dealership know.