quango2k

hi all,

i've lost all boost..was working fine but now I get nothing.

no smoke from the exhaust, no noises from the turbo, no oil smoking from the oil filler when up to temp...

Im lost

serega

One of your intercooler pipes probably came off

quango2k

checked them all, everything seems fine.

took the intercooler off, everything connected, cant see any splits anywhere.

serega

Well then, to eliminate the worst case scenario - can you take the turbo intake pipe off and try to spin the turbine wheel ? If you get no boost at all that's not very good news, even if your actuator arm was stuck and wastegate was stuck open you'd still get at least a little boost.

quango2k

i will remove it all and check.

im a newbie to turbo cars so dont really know what im looking for half the time, im mechanically minded (engineer) so im ok stripping things off.

PS:the wastegate is in the closed position and doesnt move at all when revved. the solenoid is clicking though.

serega

Yeah it shouldn't move when revved, it only opens when there is pressure.

Just take the pipe off turbo intake port and try to spin the turbine wheel, it should spin freely. If it spins freely then turbo is not your problem, although if not the turbo then the only other reason for absolutely no boost at all would be the intercooler piping which you checked already..

But anyway, if your turbine wheel spins freely, try to slightly move it radially and axially, there should be a little play in the shaft, but not excessive (this wont be related to your problem. but you might as well check that).

quango2k

any guides for removing the intake pipe? its a pain in the **** to get to! there is a power steering metal pipe blocking the 6mm allen key bolt holding the thing on....

day 2 of subaru ownership and I hate them already..gonna get this working and get rid and back to BMW for me lol

quango2k

will i be able to open the wastegate by hand? as I cannot move it at all

serega

Pretty sure you will need to take the top mount intercooler off to get proper access to the turbo. Plenty of guides on how to take the intercooler off on a subaru.

It's not nice when things keep breaking, turbo subaru and second hand do not go well together, especially with bargains bought off random people.

serega

What exactly are you trying to move that is not moving ?

I will guess that you are trying to move the actuator arm ? It will move, but you will most likely require pliers to do it as they are pretty tight.

It should work something like this

quango2k

yup..and this was a 'bargain' off a random person..

PS: i have taken the intercooler off this morning to check the pipes etc and they were all ok. is this the easiest way to get to the inlet pipe? seems a right pain in the arrrssse!

serega

Well, the easiest way to do something like this is to take it to a subaru specialist garage.

And just to clarify, you want access to turbo inlet, not the turbo inlet pipe.


If you are adamant on saving money, then take the intercooler off and go from there.

quango2k

update:

so today I took off the inlet pipe and the turbine wouldn't budge!! so i dropped the downpipe ready to pull the turbo off and send it off for repair.. but from the exhaust outlet the turbine was spinning freely! so I checked the intake side and yes..spinning freely!...weird..

so, i gave it a good clean and inspected the exhaust outlet with a mirror and some bright lights, nothing to be seen, no grime, dust, bits...nothing..and zero play in the shaft so the turbo appears to be in perfect working order.

I've pulled all the pipes off the boost control and gave them a good clean out and also the solenoid, its clicking and working as it should. then pulled the MAF out and cleaned it with MAF cleaner..

so I put it all back together.....and STILL no boost! i need a gallon of fuel to set this sodding car on fire.

any more ideas? if the cat has gone and blown its guts into the down pipe would that cause no boost?

also, when i start the car everything is fine and idles perfectly...then as it gets warmer it starts trying to stall itself but doesn't manage to.

im completely lost..help

serega

Why didnt the turbine wheel spin on the first try ?

As i said, there is no other explanation for 0 boost.
If you had at least 0.1 bar of boost then it's possible that the wastegate could be stuck completely open, but i suppose you already checked that.

Not really sure what else to tell you, as there is nothing else.

The way it works is - Engine feeds the exhaust gasses to turbo's exhaust wheel, turbine spins and turbine wheel sucks air through the intake tract and pushes it inside the engine.
Depending on the pressure in the system, the actuator arms moves and o closes or opens the wastegate which lets exhaust gasses come out without spinning the wheel fully. But even with a fully open wastegate, you will still see at least a little boost.

So to have 0 boost, you either have to completely disconnect exhaust manifold or up-pipe from turbo so it doesn't spin up, or have no connection between turbine's cold side and engine intake manifold, so the air from turbo is not getting to the engine, or have a turbo unit that is completely stuck and wont spin up.

Reduced boost can come from all of the above (but when these problems are not as severe as i described) AND from malfunctioning wastegate actuator or boost controller. There is nothing else that i can think of, that can have any effect on boost.

If you can't find the solution to the problem yourself, i suggest you take it to a proper garage.

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

Has the c clip fallen off the actuator arm.
if this happens you will get no boost

quango2k

i think im going to put it in a garage but struggling to find one in Portsmouth. Don't want to be driving it really.

I checked the waste gate which moves freely and removed the actuator and the spring seems fine, rebuilt it and put the circlip back in. I think I will pull the downpipe again and check the cat to see if its guts are blown..didn't even think to check it when I had it off and didnt see anything coming out.

think I need to do a pressure test too incase there are any leaks...although I cant hear/see any.

quango2k

nope, its there and working as it should.

quango2k

thats what is worrying me :S it wouldnt budge at all..but as soon as I tried from the exhaust side it was completely loose..it didnt need forcing at all.

serega

Well, there is your answer mate. Your turbo unit is screwed.

serega

It's not the end of the world, rebuilds are pretty cheap these days, you can get a proper rebuild kit off ebay and it'll last you some time, it wont be brand new, but it'll be a cheap solution for a few thousand miles.

You can also get a brand new CHRA for TD04's for reasonable money and end up with a new turbo and you can replace it yourself, so no need to pay anyone for a rebuild.

Be happy that it didn't snap any of the blades off, that can have very nasty and expensive consequences.

quango2k

you think? as soon as I touched the shaft from the exhaust side it moves fine, and same at the intake side..its smooth and with no play at all and no damage to the fins. no smoke and no noise from it too. about half a teaspoon of oil in the intercooler intake side (which i hear is normal)

quango2k

ps the turbo is a Garret MD321H..

tubbytommy

iTrader: (20)

Its on a common shaft if you couldnt move it from one side somethings failed.

serega

Sorry to hear that, it was a good turbo..and, it's ball-bearing, which means you wont be able to rebuild it. Not sure if CHRA's are widely available for it either.

quango2k

i dont think it has failed though.. its moving perfectly fine now from both sides with no wobble at all.

serega

Well, best thing to do in this situation is to take the turbo out and pass it on to a turbo specialist and explain the situation to them.

A fully working turbo unit is not supposed to have it's wheel stuck so that you cant spin it, under ANY circumstances.

Do not drive the car without testing the turbo, as it could lead to a more serious problem.

quango2k

i'll rip it out tomorrow. thinking of just canning the car already.

anyone want a cheap 05 STI with 59k on it lol..

quango2k

updates:

so, i pulled the turbo out (snapped a bolt on the manifold underneath....bugger!)

anyway, turbo is out and when I went to move the turbine again, this time it moved but made a little 'ting' noise like there was something metallic inside. ive shaken it up and down and cannot find anything..

I checked in the downpipe and found this...(not the SD adapter before you say it lol)



so i looked around on the floor then found this..



which to me looks like some bits of a Lambda sensor :S

so i checked the lambda from the left side of the exhaust (facing the car) and all was OK..lambda intact.

I'm assuming i should have one on the other manifold? cos all I have is this bolt...

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5334/9...c3fc1370_b.jpg


also, here is a clip of the turbo..when i flip the turbo over and listen close you will hear the 'ting' noise once...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DGse...ature=youtu.be

quango2k

Well, i have my final diagnosis...turbo is toast! Exhaust turbine is shattered internally and lots of chunks of vanes missing, compressor side is ok.

new turbo core and rebuild...680£££!!

well, the lambda sensor is intact..does anyone know of any other sensors or anything else those bits of metal could be? I need to drop the entire manifold to look for more bits before the turbo goes back on

JensonsScooby

680 seems expensive for a recon.
Have you shopped about?