Turbo problems

**jonbav** · 26th March 2011, 01:51

Hi evry1 just joined this web forum and need some advice. I have a Vectra C 2.2 DTI Elegance 53 plate. Today when i tried to drive up a short steep road by using plenty of gas i lost power and there was a puff of smoke which i thought was normal for a diesel and now a horrible noise at mid to high revs is coming from engine , i think it is something to do with the turbo , am hoping it is just a hose but noise seems metallic which worries me that the turbo has had it, have had a problem with car going into limp mode when in 5th and putting foot down when maybe i should have changed down but it did re-set tiself after switching ignition off and back on again. No smoke is coming from exhaust while the car idles or i rev the engine after this noise happened. Hope someone out there can help Cheers jonbav

**neill** · 26th March 2011, 03:39

Originally Posted by jonbav

Hi evry1 just joined this web forum and need some advice. I have a Vectra C 2.2 DTI Elegance 53 plate. Today when i tried to drive up a short steep road by using plenty of gas i lost power and there was a puff of smoke which i thought was normal for a diesel and now a horrible noise at mid to high revs is coming from engine , i think it is something to do with the turbo , am hoping it is just a hose but noise seems metallic which worries me that the turbo has had it, have had a problem with car going into limp mode when in 5th and putting foot down when maybe i should have changed down but it did re-set tiself after switching ignition off and back on again. No smoke is coming from exhaust while the car idles or i rev the engine after this noise happened. Hope someone out there can help Cheers jonbav

Any eml lights on the dash?

One thing to check is the fuel leak of pipes havn't blown off, and also check for leaks around in inlet manifold, as I had what I call a diesel knock which is a metallic sound and found the cause to be a combination if the leak off pipes and a split gasket on the inlet, ciuld also be a knackered injector. Have you got opcom? hope this helps.

**peadar** · 26th March 2011, 08:30

Originally Posted by neill

Any eml lights on the dash?

One thing to check is the fuel leak of pipes havn't blown off, and also check for leaks around in inlet manifold, as I had what I call a diesel knock which is a metallic sound and found the cause to be a combination if the leak off pipes and a split gasket on the inlet, ciuld also be a knackered injector. Have you got opcom? hope this helps.

mine sounds like the tappets are ratteling is this the same sound you had neill what do i look for if the gasket is blown

**neill** · 26th March 2011, 14:10

Originally Posted by peadar

mine sounds like the tappets are ratteling is this the same sound you had neill what do i look for if the gasket is blown

where the inlet manifold is try and look for any signs of leakeage around the inlet manifold where it mates with the block/head.

It sounded like somebody was tapping really fast inside the engine with a hammer. Best thing to do is get somebody with opcom to run a few tests. Where you from?

**jonbav** · 27th March 2011, 10:12

Thanks for the reply neill taking it to a very reliable mechanic who said that he changes very few turbos on vectra c's :-) and spoke to somebody else and they said not to drive as it sounds like the bearings in the turbo have gone and if they get out and into the engine could be more costly :-( will post back when mechanic has had a look . with regard to hoses etc i dont really want to take things apart (covers and heat shields etc.)and what hoses i can easily check all seem to be ok regards jon

**jonbav** · 27th March 2011, 10:14

Forgot to say no emg lights on dash :-)

**Innes** · 27th March 2011, 11:00

With regars to Limp-Home Mode:

I've had the limp-home mode in 5th gear at low-revs before. I had an error code relating to a vacuum solenoid error which I replaced. I also upgraded the vacuum hoses as they had small cracks in them. You can replace them for £6 off ebay for 3 meters of 2mm silicone pipes.

Thread about vacuum pipe replacement here

I would also check how freely the turbo actuator rod is moving. Mine was a bit stiff so I squirted it with a load of WD40 and pumped it a bit as if this gets stiff it may put you in LHM in 5th gear at low-revs.

Turbo actuator rod pictured below below:

With regards to power loss and puff of smoke:
you may either have a split in the inter cooler hose or one has popped off. This is supposed to put the car into LHM but it doesnt always. This happend to me and the car judder and belched black smoke for a mile before LHM kicked in and then it stopped smoking. I didnt notice any metallic noises when this happend but its a definatly worth checking these hoses first. It tends to be the two top hoses that fail. One on the left and one on the right. Squeeze the hoses to look for hairline cracks and make sure they are still securly connected.

Picture below shows where everything is.

I really hope its not your turbo. I recently thought my turbo was screwed as I found a fair amount of oil in my inter cooler pipe but it turns out I had over filled the engine with oil. A brand new turbo from Vauxhall was around £295 or a second hand one of ebay from £120-185. Would go for a new one though.

**Whisky** · 27th March 2011, 11:07

Last time I had a problem like this, I eventually found it was the Timing Pulley, which had subsequently chewed its way through the housing causing my Timing Belt to snap and promptly screwing my engine right up!!

That was an MG ZS 2.5 V6 though............

**jonbav** · 27th March 2011, 11:51

Thanks innes very help-full reply, i've checked oil level and it is overfilled, its so hard to judge how much to put in i remember it was halfway up the gauge limit and i put half a litre in and is showing about 30mm above the limit :-( . i wll try the wd 40 on the actuator and have a good look at the hoses . As the oil is high does this mean the turbo will need replacing or by draining some off and cleaning or replacing hoses will sort out the problem.Hope it is the latter :-) thanks again mate

**Innes** · 27th March 2011, 19:26

I guess it depends on how long it's been over filled. The engine can be damaged by over-filling. I guess drain out the amount you don't need, check your hoses/pipes as above and cross your fingers. Hopefully the excess oil hasn't ruined the seal on the turbo. I was lucky and it's all running fine now.

Just take your time checking the hoses especially the vacuum pipes and the rubber connectors as a pin ***** can cause LHM. Mine was rubbing on the engine cover and had sawn a chunk out of it!

Clean your boost sensor as well (pictured in my 1st response) in case it got coated in oil from the excess oil. Use carb cleaner and a toothbrush (or similar). The sensor bit in the sensor housing is yellow so stop scrubbing it when you see yellow. Also be gentle with it.

I'm not promising this will fix the problem. It's more about eliminating possible causes.