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Whistling Turbo


trainspotter

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I would suggest that its a hose. Turbo's don't go very often. You haven't said what model but if it is a 300Tdi with an EGR, the likely hose is the bent one into the inlet manifold as it gets the acidic, hot smoke through the EGR. Other hoses do go but it has to be one between turbo and engine for the turbo to spin more as it is seeing less resistance. :huh:

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All Tdi turbos whistle when working hard, some people will say they don't but I think it is down to people's hearing, I have never heard a turbo that doesn't but I have very good high frequency hearing.

But if there has been a sudden and noticeable change then yes you probably do have a problem.

I would check for:

- split/detached hoses (air escaping, though usually more of a hiss than a whistle if it happens)

- blocked air filter

- split or otherwise leaking intercooler, whistle will be air escaping

- delaminated turbo hose (usually the little 90 deg one that comes out of the turbo heading towards the intercooler, looks OK from the outside but a layer peels off the inside and blocks the airflow, you will have to take it off for a look but only 2 jubilee clips to remove)

- damage to the impeller vanes (take the inlet/outlet hoses off and get a mirror and a torch and see if there is any obvious damage to the vanes) I once saw a 300Tdi turbo that had sucked something through the impeller, a lump was missing out of every leading edge on the impeller, worked fine but sounded "just a bit noisy" about 10 x the usual whistle!)

I've never actually blown up a turbo nor do I know anybody that has, so I'm not sure what they sound like when they are knackered but it might be a sign of impending failure. More likely to be one of the above causes though IMHO.

The other thing that makes them whistle is if you wind the fuelling right up, that brings the noise (and power) up a bit :D

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the exhuast impeller on mine became damaged due to oil feed problems for the front impeller and it caught the side of the casing and damaged two vanes before seizing into position.

i took it all apart, freed it up then put it back together and it whistled like a good one, went well though!!! think i shortend the wastgate actuator too much on the rebuild.

i did this out of interest really as i had a replacement on order. but as SCL stated it could be damaged blades as on mine, if mine had seixed and blades had been damaged but still ran, and whislted more, i would have run it as is until failure.

i changed mine as on taking it apart and putting back together to unseize it its obviously not balanced!!!! which would lead to furthuer failure! the worst prob being the impeller destroying its self and fragments getting sucked into the engine.

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I am now on my third 90deg hose. The present one is a Bearmach part, half the price of the LR one and twice as thick, and so far it has lasted twice as long :)

I was talking with a friend who owns 2 x 300tdi's (90 and Disco) and we noted that all the turbo 'failures' on 300tdi's seem to happen to un-mechanical types. We reckon that often the hose splits or delaminates and the garages change the turbo (and the hose). Simple, easy job and they make money out of it. They can then sell the old turbo and make more.

Maybe I'm just cynical, though I don't trust garage mechanics much.

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