is my turbo working?!

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steve bain

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hi all.

bear with a bit here as the car is new to me so am not sure how they normally behave. It is a 1.8T T-reg A3.

I feel it is not as quick as it should be and can't feel the turbo 'kicking in'. So my question is can you feel the turbo 'kick in' normally or is it a smooth transition. I can't hear a whistle either. Also is there a way I can test it? would a boost gauge how up any problems? I am used to 2 litre cars so am wondering if it just has less torque so doesn't feel as quick. It seems to run fine to me otherwise. it is on a good 144,000 miles! could it be the waste gate is staying open or something. I am getting vag-com delivered. Would this be able to test the turbo? Any pointers would be ace.

also my gearstick is a bit sloppy and twists if that makes sense. Can a bush kit be purchased to sort this or is it something I will hae to live with?

Thanks loads. Sorry if these are silly questions.

Steve
 
hi i have a audi tt 225 and have had a new turbo fitted the reason i had to get it was blue smoke coming out the back i didnt lose power tho i still got the whistle my girlfriends dad took the pipe off the turbo and put his fingers in and the turbines had about one millimeter of play and he said its knackered so you can try that bud davie
 
there is no smoke so i think that it is ok from that point of view, passing oil etc. I will check the blades and play this weekend. make sure it actually spins! anyone know the amount of play it should have? I know they normally have a tiny bit of movement.
 
There should be a minimal ammount if play that is taken up by the oil.

Id thoroughly check for boost leaks, unplug your n75 valve and drive it, see if theres any difference
 
ok, so i disconnected it (not proper plug, but crimp on ones! i hate them!) It may have been quicker disconnected, but i think there was nothing in it really. It is worth mentioning the guy before the previous owner had a fancy waste gate and he took it off to put the plastic one back on. bit of a butchery of pipes around there too. So what should the difference be between plugged in or not? thanks for your help
 
also. how do i go about testing for boost leaks? i have a vague memory of spraying wd40 around the pipes and if the idle changes then there is the leak. is that right? cheers, steve
 
Right so theres dodjy piping around the diverter valve ? Any chance of a pic? A boost leak here would make a pretty big difference to how ur car drives. As for checking for leaks just have the engine running and have a good squeeze all over any boost pipes u see and listen for hissing as you bend/squeeze the pipes.

Did you say you didnt electrically disconnect the n75?
 
Maybe! Very new to this car and engine so prob getting names wrong. Will get pic soon. At work at moment. Thanks. For help
 
My car does this too.......

Same car and engine.

I suspect its N75/wastegate related but cant be sure as its intermittant.
 
mine was quiet and slow before i had a remap etc
Click to expand...

HA HA! does that mean I have no choice but to remap :)
i'll get pics later on as have to go back to work. any advice on how the removal of the N75 should effect the performance?
 
get a vag-com and run some MAF readings and work out ur BHP. or plump a boost gauge and see what PSI ur at and vacuum also.

and yeh u do want a remap ;)
 
I can hear the turbo spooling, but there is only a very slight dump noise but nowhere near as much as normal.

Seems like the turbo is doing its job, but either N75 or wastegate is causing a problem.

Perhaps time for an N75J/H valve.....
 
Stan, check the robber hose that the diverter valve is attatched to, i had the same problem as u, this pipevhad a 2-3" cut in it!
 
hi guys. I finally have some pics. i am not sure what most of this stuff is or what it does though! I will spend some time checking all for condition too. So do i maybe need a new n75 too?

DSCN2413.jpg


DSCN2414.jpg


DSCN2417.jpg


DSCN2416.jpg


DSCN2415.jpg
 
DV is the wrong way around for a start and as its an OEM one it may also be part of the problem and need replacing due to a split diaphragm...

Looks like somebody has been playing about with this a little for whatever reason and put it back to 'std' prior to selling...

I think its time a specialist looked at this mate tbh if you are new to it all... where are you based?

<tuffty/>
 
ah ******! he did say that the guy who owned it before him had a fancy DV and swapped it back to the original on before selling it. thats quite a big mistake! I live near plymouth, anyone good around here. I am a very hand on person and think nothing of stripping down and rebuilding an engine so am keen to learn rather than just pay someone. I just have no experience with this engine. For now i take it turning the DV around would be a good move to start with? thanks for your help. Steve
 
right i have ordered a haynes so i am going to get on this and get my head around how it is and how it should be. I will probably ask a lot of questions along the way so i hope you guys will be nice enough to advise when i get stuck. I think once i have done the basic checks (as in, make sure all pipes are as they should be and valves are the right way around!) i will then have it rolling roaded by a professional. But i don't want to pay someone to fix things i can work out mmyself. I will buy a boost gauge also to check that. thanks, Steve
 
If there was no difference on removing the N75 then your turbo isnt boosting.

It might be a leak, but when my A4 did that the penny valve had fallen off the wastegate arm inside the turbo.

Replace the DV with a 710N from a TT, and see if that helps, just make sure you fit the new one the other way round!
 
Sadly for the time being this has to stay as a budget project as it has quite a list of bits to sort out and i'll end up spending a fortune (plus i need to sell my old car first!). So i think it will have to be the oem one for now if you think the repo is a bad idea. Having said that its not exactly a complex device and i bet the repo is a copy of the forge. I could be the guinee pig to try it? :)
I got my vagcom today and am terrified at the list it is going to throw up!!
 
Sorry for long post!

so i have just done the scan with the VCDS lite and these are the codes which came up. Never seen so many! Obviously hasn&#8217;t been checked for a while. I have cleared the lot and will check again in a few days.
HVAC woudn&#8217;t even work as it said there were too many!

4 Faults Found:
18010 - Power Supply Terminal 30: Voltage too Low
P1602 - 35-10 - - - Intermittent
16500 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
P0116 - 35-10 - Please Register/Activate - Intermittent
00515 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
30-10 - Please Register/Activate - Intermittent
01262 - Solenoid Valve for Boost Pressure Control (N75)
26-10 - Output Open - Intermittent
Readiness: N/A

so as far as i can work out from the google magic
18010 - means at some point the battery has been disconnected. no problem
16500 - coolant temp playing up. I know the thermostat is dead, but if this comes up again it says it may be the sensor.
00515 - something to do with Camshaft Position (Hall) Sensor (G40). not sure what though
01262 - Solenoid Valve for Boost Pressure Control (N75): Output Open
RESULT! I am going to see if it comes up again but I have a good feeling about this. I did disconnect it and drive it though so it may be that! Do you think the N75 may be at fault if the code comes up again?
This is what Ross-tech say.
Possible Symptoms
Reduced Power Output
Boost Pressure too Low
Possible Causes
Wiring from/to Solenoid Valve for Boost Pressure Control (N75) faulty (Open Circuit)
Solenoid Valve for Boost Pressure Control (N75) faulty
Possible Solutions
Check/Replace Solenoid Valve for Boost Pressure Control (N75)



9 Faults Found:
01367 - Central Locking Pump Run Time Exceeded (Likely Leak)
35-00 - -
01371 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
35-00 - Please Register/Activate
01372 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
35-00 - Please Register/Activate
01374 - Alarm triggered by Terminal 15
35-00 - -
01370 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
35-00 - Please Register/Activate
01369 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
35-00 - Please Register/Activate
01368 - Alarm triggered by Luggage Compartment Switch
35-00 - -
00955 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
09-00 - Please Register/Activate
01134 - Shareware Version. To Decode all DTCs
49-00 - Please Register/Activate


interestingly fault 00955 is saying the key fob doesn&#8217;t work. All following codes are the alarm being set off by not turning the alarm off before unlocking with key!! Ha ha!

And one last fault which wouldn&#8217;t clear. Hopefully the plug has come out or something and will be easy to fix. Hopefully the igniter isn&#8217;t knackered!
1 Fault Found:
00589 - Airbag Igniter 1; Passenger Side (N131)
32-00 - Resistance too High

So a lot of faults but hopefully some will clear and not come back.

I swapped round the diverter valve and it I definitely better and I can now hear the turbo, but it might be in my mind! Now though the idle has become erratic fluctuating between 900 and 1100rpm. I read elsewhere that this can be caused by boost leak so the next job is to pressure test for leaks and fit a boost gauge to see what it is up to.
 
Looks like you have your hands full, try and change one thing at a time and recheck the faults, or you wont know what worked, looking at the pics it looks like a meddler has been in playing, so dont rule anything out, i think boost leaks are a good place to start, and can be very hard to spot, a good sign is oily pipes..
 
If i am honest i secretly enjoy a challenge!
like you say, one job at a time, nibble away until they are all gone. I hope most won't come back. This way i get to learn about the car and i know what does and doesn't work. At the moment i know most doesnt! even the reverse lights don't work!

I have read up on making a DIY pressure tester to find the boost leak. makes sense to me and is a good reliable way to do it. Its all good. Some of the vacuum pipes i could pull apart by hand and decided in the dark in the rain was not a good time to start what was most likely a mammoth task! Car before was a 100% perfect mondeo. but it was so ****** boring! :)
 
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