Turbo Suggestions

[norris_309]

For quite a while now I've been getting intermittent Limp mode, normally when taking it to higher revs and up hill.
I've had a look at the actuator in the past & that has been pretty stiff to move so am assuming it's the usual sticky vanes, I've tried the turbo cleaner fuel additive that actually appeared to help but it could have been more to do with the high revs i gave it during that time? who knows.

Is a replacement the best bet? Just trying to gauge costs for this, so need to find out what turbo it is to see what sort of price they are & also cost of getting it replaced.
It's getting on a bit now and on 182k miles (which I've mentioned several times on this forum lol), so don't want to go spending out too much on it.. but saying that, i don't drive it many miles so reluctant to spend out on a new car either..
Have any of you used anywhere to get your turbo refurbished? or bought refurbished and have any recommendations?
I also have a bit of oil leaking out of the egr joint too, i have read this is 'normal' but the majority of the time I've owned the car I've never had any oil leaking from there so maybe it's just the seal? or is it recommended to change this when doing the turbo for any reason?

Love the car but got to weigh up what's best to do, i drove it today down the motorway for work & it behaved so it can be 'ok'
So any advice welcome.. or tell me I'm being stupid & to let it go lol..
Is it going to be one of those things where you spend a few quid to keep it going only to then get some other issues.
But if i can swap the turbo at a sensible cost then it may be worth it for the time being?

 

[Stonedofmoo]

Turbos do wear out, but they're so cheap these days it's not really a consideration. Look on eBay or eurocarparts

If the vanes are sticky you can try the infamous Mr muscle oven cleaner trick

 

[norris_309]

yeah i've read about the oven cleaner... might be worth a try i guess.
I'll see what the access is like on my car to remove whatever is needed to do that.
never actually thought to look on eurocarparts lol!.. i'll have a gander, cheers

 

[Stonedofmoo]

It's **** easy on the A4 as the engine is mounted longitudinal, you can see everything you need to access no trouble at all. Actually that's one of the great things about the PD engines, they're so simple in design that the engine bays are easy to work on.

 

[Stonedofmoo]

While I think about it, also worth checking and replacing any worn vacuum lines, leaking lines will prevent the actuator from working correctly.

 

[norris_309]

Just took my lad out to some shops a short run down the motorway, car was running ok. On the way back i went to overtake a car, typically just as i was by the side of the car limp mode kicked in!.. so i couldn't overtake then lol.. had to give in & slowly creep back behind the car i was overtaking.

Once off the motorway i pulled in, turned car off & on & then turbo was back.. as the car was up to temp i then give it a bit of boot and for the first time ever, i had limp mode accompanied with the EML. Never had the EML light on ever in the 8 years or so that i've owned the car.

Again, pulled over turned it off & back on, but the EML light was on then.. so limped home, tail between my legs with my lad telling me i need to "just sell it" lol
When home i plugged in the code reader -
P155700 Charge Press. ctrl Control limit exceeded
I take it that is code p1557 and is the sticking vanes overboost error?
I've had limp mode quite a few times over the years

Some threads i've read mention boost pipe leaks, could a leaking egr valve cause this? as i do have oil leaking from the egr joint which has been present for a year or 2 now (but never used to be)
Although the actuator did seem a bit stiff when i've managed to try moving it with my hands in the past (but then i'm not sure how easy it should move?) i might give the car a wash tomorrow to cheer it up & see how stiff that actuator arm is now.

 

[norris_309]

Anyone every tried a shifty ebay turbo? one of those 'too good to be true' things?
They have ones shipped from uk for £159
Don't think i'd risk it unless anyone has any good experiences of them?
Also, found a company called precision turbos, they sell refurbished ones on ebay for £230.. might be a go-er?

 

[Mick3]

May sound daft, but have you tried a boost leak detector? It just reminded me of my brother's A3 he had issues with limp mode when traveling above 60-70ish and it just turned out to be a boost leak.
You can pick one up of eBay pretty cheaply

 

[Stonedofmoo]

I can almost guarantee its the turbo veins, they all do it in the end. Can of Mr Muscle will make it better for a while, but a new turbo is the fix.

I wouldn't worry to much about who supplies the turbo, they're all recon units at this stage, just make sure you have a proper warranty, particularly on eBay listings.

 

[norris_309]

Any ideas on labour time a garage would charge for? I'm going to enquire about the cost of getting it replaced (labour only) before deciding what to do, just nice to have an idea on the number of hours to get an idea on what the quote is like.

I've been living with the occasional limp mode, I don't use the car that much really.. but still need something to get me around at times. I'm almost through the bottle of turbo cleaner now, and it has been ok for the past week or so, then Saturday just casually driving it decided to cut out.. damn!

Having never changed a turbo, it looks like I might be able to remove & replace it... but I must admit I'm slightly nervous of giving it a go lol.. all the talk of priming it before starting etc.. and replacing the oil feed pipe? is that necessary.

A few replacements I've seen come with some metal gaskets & a syringe, seems like you syringe an (unknown?) amount of oil into the turbo by hand before starting? some videos say to crank the engine a few times before starting it? how do I manage that, the car starts straight away (which is nice lol)