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So that's where the boost went...

On Saturday evening, the 900's boost went on holiday. The ghost got a bit louder, and the boost gauge only just went above atmospheric pressure.

Quick look on Sunday in the rain showed that the boost pipework was all firmly in place, nothing obvious, and the various vac hoses seemed not to be open to the atmosphere, so I dropped by the workshop this morning, thinking it was probably the wastegate actuator had fallen off - when we had a little fiddle with the base boost a few months back, we'd ended up using any handy bit of wire as a split-pin. On the way in this morning, the boost needle just about gets up to atmospheric pressure, no higher. (12 o'c on mine - the same position it sits with the engine off)

Nope, that seems to be attached. So I took the boost plumbing off for a look-see.

Ummm, I don't like that very much. The rubber section on the boost pipe going into the intercooler seems to be full of shiny metal gravel. There's a few little bits in the rubber section going to the throttle body, too.

I've done maybe 20 miles since losing boost. I've pulled a couple of plugs, and they're looking fine.

This is the rubber section connecting the metal boost tube to the intercooler's inlet.

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This is what I think this is, isn't it?

The impeller's died? The blades are ally, aren't they? If so, there's a very strong chance that they won't do any damage to the valves/pistons/ bores, right? It's very fine gravel, and minimal in the pipe after the intercooler, so I'm guessing that the intercooler's acted as a filter and caught the worst of it.

I'm hazarding a guess that I'm looking at getting hold of an intercooler, too - it's going to be damn near impossible to get it clean internally, right? I've got access to a solvent parts washer.

Oh - and I _may_ know the cause... When I was changing the front engine mount a couple of weekends ago, I dropped a small steel washer from the bolts holding the APC valve to the slam panel. Like a fool, I'd not immediately shoved paper towel down the turbo's outlet pipe. I _thought_ the washer'd ended up on the undertray - there was certainly one on there, and nothing appeared (either visibly or with a magnet-onna-stick) to be in the turbo, which I promptly blocked up - but...? I've done maybe

500 miles since then, though.
Reply to
Adrian
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That appears to be bits of broken turbo. I've seen similar on my friends' 5 GTTurbo years ago.

His ran ok with a new turbo, until it caught fire anyway - not related to the turbo..

Time for a bit of modding and a front mounted IC from a Volvo 740 or something? ;-) somehow I don't see that as your thing though..

in case it helps in future, I always use one of those latex gloves stretched over turbo inlets, they seem to do the job nicely and securely.

Mike P

Reply to
Mike P

Would appear that the compressor wheel has grenaded or come off!

Anyhow the turbo is now fooked, and the intercooler too.

Replace the i/c (you'll never clean it properly) and flush out all the hoses post turbo in the parts washer. With luck the engine will be fine.

Obviously a fresh turbo too!

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

Which I suppose leaves the who's cheap for turbos nowadays, I don't get factory priced Garrets anymore so the quoted prices rather make me wince.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

"Tim.." gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

It would. I've not taken the air-filter-to-turbo pipe off yet, and I can't see the wheel from the outlet pipe, but circumstantial evidence is strong.

Yep, I'd come to that conclusion about the i/c - they're not in short supply, as most people want to put front-mounts on. I'd rather not bother

- it's quick enough as it is, and I don't need to hassle the insurance considering it's a daily driver.

The plugs look OK - I'm working on the theory that they'd bite the dust at least as quickly as anything else in there...

Fresher, at any rate...

I've got a lead on a couple of good turbos, it's just down to how quickly I can get my paws on one.

It wouldn't be quite so bad if it wasn't for the damn thing being the only working/legal car I've got at the mo!

Reply to
Adrian

I've picked up turbochargers for 900 T16s off ebay for £75 or so and they've been fine. I'd go for that option, and if Adrian really wants to he could get a rebuild kit for his replacement unit for about £45 (or could when I did one 5 or so years ago) and it's not hard to do.

Mike P

Reply to
Mike P

"Mike P" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

La la la la...

Good thinking. But it wouldn't have helped, since I'd completely forgotten about bunging it at all...

Reply to
Adrian

"Mike P" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Hmmm. I can see this one being rebuilt and stuck on the shelf, I think.

It's a Mitsu TD04, rather than a Garrett. I could just swap a Garrett straight on, but the Mitsu starts to blow earlier - which I quite like - at the expense of a bit of top-end - which I probably wouldn't use anyway.

Reply to
Adrian

The impeller has cut shavings off the alloy comp housing. Impeller blades will have had a haircut. If it's got that much play chances are the turbine is scrap too. I've even heard of the turbine going down the dump pipe.

There's a 9-3 in Albert Looms in Derby. Turbo was on it last Thurs when I robbed it of the FMIC. No guarantee it didn't go on Sat/Sun or condition.

Reply to
Peter Hill

Always a good excuse for a hybrid though.

Reply to
Elder

Elder gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Will you all please stop tempting me? Thank you. Anyway, I'm collecting a good used replacement tomorrow morning.

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Reply to
Adrian

That seems to have one or two washer shaped bits missing. Hi hope that is the old one.

Reply to
Elder

Elder gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Even better, I've just bought an intercooler from the bay of fleas for... four quid.

Reply to
Adrian

For that price you can't be bother to clean the old one.You might sell it for scrap metal and even gain a quid! :-)

Tom De Moor

Reply to
Tom De Moor

They only list a 9-5 on there site and on 1.8t vag stuff unfortunately. (You didn't spot any did you I don't always trust the website).

Reply to
Depresion

I thought it was 9-3 but it may have been a 9-5, it was first petrol turbo I've seen in there with the FMIC still attached. bumper, bonnet and lights had gone. The site is often out of date as they move so many cars. It never seems to list ALL the cars that are there, like there seem to 2x as many on the ground as on the web site. If the car is taken in by staff not up on the intenet it may just never get put on the site. I did find all the Nissan's I went looking for on list.

Sorry wasn't looking for any vag stuff.

Reply to
Peter Hill

"Mike P" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

You're not wrong.

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Reply to
Adrian

Eeeuw.

You're congratulating yourself on exchanging crap French build quality for legendary Swedish reliability, I take it?

Reply to
Ian Dalziel

Ian Dalziel gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Paging Tim Kemp...

Anyway, that turbo's "legendary Japanese reliability" - it's a Mitsu TE05.

Reply to
Adrian

Well either the bearings are non existant or I was wrong and that's FOD (foreign object damage). If you strip the IC that washer you lost will turn up, either in the IC end tank or the hose between turbo and IC. F'in expensive lost washer.

Reply to
Peter Hill

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