Quick intro and turbo advice..

Hi and welcome!

You will get mixed advice on the turbo noise of that engine. Some people will be along to tell you its done for and must be replaced before it dies. Some will be along to tell you that theirs made that noise for years and thousands of miles without issue.

All I can offer is I believe the turbo to be noisier than most other similar cars. I personally wouldn't worry until the noise changes or gets progressively louder.

The 140bhp TDI engine from 2004 (BKD engine code), is known for having turbo failure. Google BKD Turbo problem and you'll see what I mean.

However, you could google "Ford TDCI turbo problem" or "Vauxhall CDTI turbo problem" and also get an awful lot of results.

Don't let it put you off the car, just keep your eye (and ear) on the turbo and also the oil level (when the turbo seal is on its way out it leaks oil into the exhaust). If the car ever goes into "limp mode" (reduced power and almost no acceleration), which is gone once you have stopped the engine and started it again, then get it looked at, as that's when you will most likely have a fault. You should be able to do 1500rpm to 4500rpm runs in all gears without it dropping into limp mode (maybe not 5th and 6th as that would put you at licence losing speed).

The main cause of turbo failure on these is due to the variable vanes getting stuck because of carbon build up. When the vanes are stuck the car struggles to control the boost and runs on full boost for too long, hence "overboost" which causes limp mode. The worst thing you can do is baby it and drive too gently, because in that situation the turbo never uses its entire range, and gets full of carbon.

My advice is drive the car, service it on time, and most of all enjoy it!

scottyfocus said:

So if i decide to get it mapped, will i see any gains in MPG? Will it be worth the money? I'm not after an increase in performance.

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If you were to get a remap and drive it exactly as you do now then yes, you will most likely see an increase in MPG because you can get up through the gears quicker. For example 30mph before remap might be most economical in 3rd so the engine is doing about 1800rpm and not labouring. After a remap 4th may be suitable at 1400rpm and still not be labouring and also using less fuel.

The main thing is what kind of miles do you do? If it's mostly motorway at 70 with cruise on then there is little point in a remap because 70mph @ 1900/2000rpm uses pretty much the same amount of fuel regardless of what map it's running.

Doing that sort of driving then the gains from a remap would be minimal. Don't forget that after the remap with the extra performance available the temptation is there to put your foot down more often, or be lazy and change gear less often than is ideal so MPG will suffer.

55-60mpg on the computer is good going, if it is purely for economy reasons I wouldn't bother with a remap.

Provided the FSH is frequent oil and oil filter changes then you should be absolutely fine. Do you know if it's on variable or fixed servicing? Ideally you want it on fixed interval servicing, which will mean a service every 9300 miles. It sounds a lot but it works out at service 1 is oil and oil filter and service 2 is oil, oil filter, air filter, pollen filter, fuel filter, check coolant and brake fluid. So you end up alternating service 1 then 2 then 1 then 2 etc. That is how mine is, which means it gets oil + filter twice a year and the rest once a year.

Turbo replacement costs vary from place to place and whether or not it has actually failed or is about to. If it has failed properly and dumped oil into the intake system then the intercooler and associated pipework along with EGR system and inlet manifold need to come off and be cleaned, and maybe even the catalytic converter could do with cleaning or replacing, in which case at a garage you are in for a £1000 job (all in with new turbo).
The other end of the scale is replacing it before it fails, which I have done on my drive with a recon turbo for a mate and cost him about £350 all in. All this involves is removing turbo and associated oil pipe and replacing them with new or recon parts.

Hope this is of some help and not too much info to take in!

scottyfocus said:

I'm doing about 500 miles a week, 300-350 of which are on the motorway. And the computer reads anything between 55-60 mpg. So by the sounds of it i won't see much benefit of a remap?

I bought the car because it has a FSH and has had the belts done, with the idea being it wont need anything spending on it. I reckon i could give it a full detail and even make a profit on it the bodywork is that good.

TBH, if i decide to keep it (which is looking likely) then i wouldn't mind replacing the turbo, as long as it isn't stupid money to do so. Any idea how much that would cost?

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an OE turbo would cost around £400 plus labour (based on my mate having it changed on his 56 plate 2.0tdi) but i must stress as stated above baby-ing it and driving like a nanny won't help the carbon build up.

have you thought about dpf (if it has one) and egr delete? that will help minmise carbon buildup i think

scottyfocus said:

Thanks everyone you have been a massive help and put my mind at rest! Worst case scenario seems to be i replace it before it goes with a recon unit at my mates garage nice and cheap!

So ill just keep my eye on the oil and ears on the whine!

I really like the car so don't want to sell it.

Thanks again, Matt.

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Anytime mate, that's what the forum is here for!

Last thing to mention on the turbo is if you do replace it with a recon one, don't just buy any old one off ebay. Some of them may be nothing more than an old turbo cleaned on the outside. Try and get one from a reputable turbo place, I can't remember the exact names but Midlands Turbos and Turbotechnics are two company names that spring to mind with a good reputation.

My last car was a focus st also. Miss the power so much but enjoying the mpg from my A3 hope the turbo is doing alright

Im always looking for the next ST! it certainly is an addiction! i think once i get myself a job closer to home where i don't do 160 miles to get to work and back then i will get another