Mondeo: 1996 Diesel. Turbo playing up.

Does it have a Mass Air Flow Meter - MAF.

This can cause symptoms as if the turbo is not working as the ecu doesn't know how much air is being sucked into the engine.

Graham

Did you get a reply anywhere as I`ve got a similar problem with mine and don`t know how to test the turbo without replacing it.

Only response so far was Grahams. I've not responed to that one yet, no offense, as I have been very busy with work. I know very little about the engine and without the time to look under the bonnet I am a bit stuck.

The turbo has been OK the last couple of days although seems a bit slow kicking in in the first minute or so. I don't mean I've been thrashing it when cold but the turbo usually slightly boosts as I come out of the estate as I drop into third, and it's not been there at first.

So, still looking for any advice so I can have a look Sunday AM.

Robert

Its been many years since I worked on one but I'm pretty certain the Mk1 Mondeo Turbo and Injection systems are completely mechanical rather than electrically operated or "switched".

I wonder if you've got a sticking waste-gate (i.e the waste-gate is sticking open). Quite easy to reach at the rear of the engine and test to see if you can move it manually without any difficulty or "sticking".

Regards, Steve

Should you be able to move the wastegate actuating rod easily? I tried on my diesel Rover but it was very hard to move (felt like a very strong spring rather than being stuck though).

Darren

There is a small pipe leading from the compressor output of the turbo to the injection pump. The boost pressure in this pipe mechanically alters the fuelling on the pump. Check to make sure it isn't split or loose at either end or blocked by sludge, etc. otherwise you'll get boost pressure but no extra fuel to make use of it. As you've already noted, the air hoses between the compressor output and inlet manifold need to be tightly fastened and without holes or splits - the same goes for the intercooler.

I'm not sure how complex the Mondeo TD engine of that era is - I had a 1995 Escort TDi and that was almost totally mechanical. According to the Haynes wiring diagram the Mondeo does have a control unit and various sensors including temperature and air-flow, though these only seem to control the cold starting valves on the pump and the EGR system - there's no mention of any signals to or from the turbo or other parts of the pump. I certainly don't think there is *any* electronic control of the turbo on your engine so that should simplify things!

You can run the engine with the hose between the intercooler and inlet manifold disconnected; with the engine idling you'll not feel much but as soon as you rev it to about 2000rpm you should feel a good strong draught out of the intercooler (like a hair-dryer without the heat) and you'll probably hear the high-pitched whistle of the turbo. If you don't get the whistle then it could be that the turbo isn't spinning (or at least not fast enough) - an oil flush and change may help but otherwise it could be expensive - however this is unlikely and as suggested by another poster, you should check the turbo wastegate first.

I have the Haynes manual for the Ford 1.6/1.8 diesel (inc. turbo) engines up to 1996. If it's any use I could scan a few pages and email to you.

Darren

Thanks for all of that, all of you.

I did a basic service today just as a standard update since I've been a bit lax on servicing this last year. I flushed the oil and replaced it with a cheap grade 15-40 (extra 1 week flush). Replaced the oil and air filters and checked the other fluids while there, slightly topping up the brake fluid. All appears to be OK on a test run (100 miles) while working today. The oil was a little low but still above the minimum before the change. I wonder if the lower oil level would cause the turbo issue?

Thanks for the suggestions; checking all the extra little hoses and pipes. I'm certainly not a mechanic but once I know what to look for I can usually get on fine so all the pointers are handy. Next weekend I will dump that cheap oil and put in a decent grade, hopefully clearing all sort of guff with it.

Only thing to note, which explains the low oil, is that I appear to be leaking a bit around the rocker cover area to the rear of the engine. This is probably going to be ignore for the moment as it is very slight.

I'll report back any findings next weekend if there's anything interesting to note, hopefully I will have found my Haynes Diesel manual in the shed by them.

The car's done 106,600 miles now and I would like it to go a fair bit more, at least another year. Not really in the position to replace it right now. It's still pulling in the best part of 500+ miles to the tank on decent trips so economy is good. Never had any emmision problems or funny smoke, long may that last!

Rv!