I think my turbo may be failing...

Past couple weeks I've had the terrible feeling my turbo is failing.

It is making a new noise at certain RPMs which is not turbo spool, sounds more like a metalic whine, kind of like a dentists drill. Also on start up there is a bit of white smoke which I didnt have before.

Also when doing 50 - 60 if I feather the throttle to a certain RPM I can hear more of a horrible crunchy sound coming from what seems like the turbo.

~30mph its far less noticable.

Worst case I assume is a runaway engine.

Secondly a remanufactured turbo would be best due to being almost half the price, though who to trust? Anyone help me out here?

Found a one on ebay below the £300 mark which seem cheap, but too cheap?

LANDROVER DEFENDER DISCOVERY Td5 GT2052 TURBOCHARGER Prt No 452239 | eBay

If it's by a turbocharger specialist advertising on ebay I'd think it would be ok, but would be worth asking about the terms and conditions of the 12 month warranty though

True.

Can I remove the turbo to have a look and replace without doing any damage or causing further issues?

Oh no! You've had quite a few issues lately haven't you? Squeaky handbrakes and the like. Take the inlet pope off and try it with your fingers to see if there's any roughness in the bearing. Run the engine for a moment or two to see if it's spinning freely under load. Get someone to rev it while you listen etc.

I had a noise which I thought was the turbo but turned out to be the centrifugal oil filter nearby. It disappeared next time I serviced it. So it's worth a bit of careful listening under the bonnet.

Slightly yes... Handbreak turned out to be full of muck and stones combined with a ruined UJ on the rear prop!

Oil leak on the TX box - lost 1.5L in 18 months...

Now this lol, all in a days work ay!

Ill have a look tonight possibly tomorrow, out of interest how squishy should the turbo pipes be?

drop off your fan belt and check all the pulley bearingsl

It dont cost owt and worth a half hour of your time

So more to check!

- Tubo
- Centrifugal Oil Filter
- Pulley Bearings

Cheers Guys

So pulled the inlet off and the blades look top notch, only miniscule play side to side. No debris present

Oil filter had no play but ive not changed it. No debris present.

Clearly a case of turbo anxiety. Worth checking the belt tensions and any idler/alternator bearing/water pump bearing/steering pump bearing/aircon compressor bearing (delete as appropriate) and cambelt tensioner. In fact, anything which goes round under the bonnet.

My mate said that too....

Ill check them all, half if it is paranoia im sure.

bankz5152 said:

My mate said that too....

Ill check them all, half if it is paranoia im sure.

Click to expand...

Nice one i could do with more mates

Yes, there's usually a little bit of play in the turbo rotor with the engine at rest because they're supposed to "float" on a film of oil when the oil pressure builds up. If you spin it with your fingers does it feel fairly smooth? If so, it's probably best to just put it back together and consider this to be part of the rich symphony of funny noises Land Rovers make to disturb us.

Exactly that. Very smooth, ever so slight resistance but hardly anything.

I do love them, crazy ass cars! I have changed all the oils aswell which i though may have been the noise. About 600ml of oil came out of the TX box 2L went back in!

I generally reckon that if it's a serious problem the noise will get worse until you can actually tell what it is, and detect some other symptoms. Until then it's just part of the Land Rover Moonlight Sonata in D minor.

Thats an excellent way to put it!

Does this noise start around 2000rpm and is your engine modified?

If so it could be that your exhaust manifold has warpped and the noise is exhaust gas leaking, mine is doing this just now and I have a second manifold in the machine shop getting skimmed which I intend to swap over soon.

It's just a thought but it does sound the same.

Hmmm no idea no rev counter.

Egr blank, straight through/decat but thats it. Didnt notixe any soot around the engine so i cant imagine its that

Have a look at a company called reco turbo
they refurbished mY 200TDI £275 that includes collection and delivery
and thats all in
turn around was 3 days fantastic service

Ooo ill keep them in mind. Im out having a boost around (pardon the pun) see if its gone...

Went on a long drive today with a couple mates. Turns out not the turbo but the gearbox!