Is my turbo shot?

I have a 110 fitted with a 300tdi (disco lump). A few months ago I started getting what sounds like a boost leak. This has got progressively worse and now sounds like a tornado at full boost. I replaced all intercooler piping, no change, fitted a new intercooler, still no change, and just recently fitted a new intake manifold gasket, and still no change. I inspected the inlet manifold whilst it was off and couldn't see any splits. I also very briefly ran it with the intake hosing off to eliminate any splits in the intake/snorkel, again it was still making the noise.

The turbo itself does have a little play, but not a massive amount. The impeller doesn't spin that freely though, it stops almost straight away when I give a spin with my fingers. Also, the edges of some of the impeller blades are slightly 'feathered' and rough, like something small may have struck them at some point. It's hardly anything though. (Note, they were already like that before I ran it with no intake).

It's still making very good boost (peaking at 16-18psi) and performance seems unaffected.

My next step is to buy a reconditioned turbo core, but is there anything else glaringly obvious I may have missed?

Manifold to turbo gasket, cant really think of anything else, you have done it all!
Viscous fan locked solid?

lynall said:

Manifold to turbo gasket, cant really think of anything else, you have done it all!
Viscous fan locked solid?

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There is no manifold to turbo gasket, the exhaust manifold is part of the turbo exhaust housing. I don't have a viscous fan.

It really has got me puzzled :/

I will rephrase that, is there a slip/piston ring joint in the 300 manifold is that blowing?
Any egr stuff still fitted?

lynall said:

I will rephrase that, is there a slip/piston ring joint in the 300 manifold is that blowing?
Any egr stuff still fitted?

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EGR is blanked, I don't think it's blowing from the blanking plate but it's something I can check. Only other places for potential leaks I can think of on the exhaust side are the head to manifold gasket (already replaced), 'bull horn' joints which I haven't really looked at yet, or turbo to downpipe joint, which I assume is what you are referring to above? Must admit I haven't checked that, it certainly seems boost related rather than RPM though, which makes me believe it's on the cold side rather than exhaust related.

I'll certainly give those a check over though.

check your air filter housing as well, did you use the disco one?

DreXeL said:

EGR is blanked, I don't think it's blowing from the blanking plate but it's something I can check. Only other places for potential leaks I can think of on the exhaust side are the head to manifold gasket (already replaced), 'bull horn' joints which I haven't really looked at yet, or turbo to downpipe joint, which I assume is what you are referring to above? Must admit I haven't checked that, it certainly seems boost related rather than RPM though, which makes me believe it's on the cold side rather than exhaust related.

I'll certainly give those a check over though.

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There should be a turbo manifold to exhaust manifold gasket sounds like its blowing

I have a similar problem with my 200 defender ( factory) sounds like an aeroplane when at high revs but does seem to be down on power, wastegate is always shut( temp welded)

yellow90 said:

I have a similar problem with my 200 defender ( factory) sounds like an aeroplane when at high revs but does seem to be down on power, wastegate is always shut( temp welded)

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you welded the wastegate and drive at high revs? why on earth would you do that? enjoy fixing engines? :lol:

trax said:

check your air filter housing as well, did you use the disco one?

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I eliminated anything on the intake side when I briefly ran it with the intake hose completely disconnected, thus bypassing the fiter all together. Still made the noise.

Mine does similar on 200tdi, performance unaffected and sick of chasing it now so i left it until something breaks then I can fix it, been a year now and still the same

DreXeL said:

I eliminated anything on the intake side when I briefly ran it with the intake hose completely disconnected, thus bypassing the fiter all together. Still made the noise.

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what happens if you run with the hose disconnected that goes to the intercooler? (apart from kicking unburnt fuel out the back)

also, if you are handy, get some plumbing end caps that fit into the hoses. glue a tyre valve on one of the caps and you now have a pressure tester.

fit the caps on the hoses just before the intake and one just after the turbo and use a car pump with a gauge... take it to what the turbo maxs at (1.2 bar) and leave it. if it starts dropping pressure, then you have a leak.. go find.

or you can buy pressure testers already made up if you want

If you look at the manifold you have the turbo section then two end pieces for cylinders 1 and 4 these slip into the turbo bit of the manifold, these are the joints I was referring to.
Are the steel intercooler pipes okay?

lynall said:

If you look at the manifold you have the turbo section then two end pieces for cylinders 1 and 4 these slip into the turbo bit of the manifold, these are the joints I was referring to.
Are the steel intercooler pipes okay?

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All the intercooler pipes are new.

I'll check all the exhaust joints.

Any evidence of leaks on the turbo alloy housing itself?

lynall said:

Any evidence of leaks on the turbo alloy housing itself?

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None that are obvious without removing it.

So my boy was in the back and said 'Dad, that noise sounds really loud back here!'.

Turns out I had been barking up wrong tree the whole time:



Ooops......

haha

What and you never heard it fall off and rattle down the road?

lynall said:

What and you never heard it fall off and rattle down the road?

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No