2.2d Turbo - The Saga Continues

[Jerry Brett]

So I posted earlier about needing to replace the turbo actuator.  The garage I'm using insisted that a remanufactured one would be too troublesome and unreliable in their experience.  So I dug a bit deeper to pay for a new pattern part.  Guess what?  The first actuator they fitted was faulty.  I was deprived of my car for a couple of weeks because the supplier insisted on testing the part before sending a new one.  Then the new one was fitted and Hey Presto, car was jumping into limp mode within hours of getting it home.  Back to the garage and they ran some more tests.  Apparently the turbo spins like a dream so back went the second actuator.  Took car back for 3rd installation and it failed while the garage had it.  By now I was due to head to Devon on holiday so I left the Jag with the garage and we did some creative packing to get the family luggage into the wife's Civic.  Rang the garage from Devon and they now say that the turbo must be faulty as the parts supplier says there is nothing wrong with the actuator.  However, they don't know what is wrong with the turbo.  I feel somewhat trapped as I can't walk away from an incomplete job.  The problem has now dragged on for months.  After doing some online trawling I have found a company called London Turbos who do an exchange unit for £252 inc VAT.  Does anyone have any experience of this company?  The website looks very professional but that isn't necessarily a guide to quality.   Although my problems have been exacerbated by a garage with poor communication skills I have to say this is the most troublesome car I have ever owned.  I have seen references to the Jaguar grin.  In my case it's become a manic fixed one. 

[richdraper]

Evening Jerry,

1 faulty turbo is bad luck, 2 faulty turbos is a million to one (maybe why the supplier wont honour the 2nd return). imho 

I'm making a couple of assumptions here, because i dont own a diesel Jag, but i do have a diesel on the drive. In my experience a vast majority of Car & Van turbo control systems are managed with a vacuum system, some are electric (BMW) some are compressed air (generally heavy commercial/PSV).

Have your garage ran full test of the vacuum system? would expect to see around 800-1000mbar of vacuum (600-750 mm/Hg) at engine idle from the pump and throughout the 'feed side' of the components (brake booster, EGR & boost control solenoid).

My initial thought is first and foremost the vacuum pipes feeding the various components, if theyre split/mislocated/in the wrong position on your control valves you loose vacuum/vacuum control.

Secondly i'd suspect the boost control solenoid (i know Alfa/Fiat 1.9JTDm and Vauxhalls/Saab 1.9 CDTI, all the same engine by the way, all had issues with boost control solenoids) this is the bit that actually controls actuation of the turbo. ive had them piped up wrong and had full boost until a certain rev range then the ECU would cut fuel and go into limp home mode. engine off and on again and it would boost again until a given set of circumstances, in my case full boost pulls over 5 seconds in gears higher than 3rd (i dont think 1st & 2nd were tall enough to allow full boost for long enough to trigger the fuel cut)

Third id be testing the MAP Sensor (should read between 900-1100mbar, engine not running, upto about 2600-3000mbar on full boost).

last thing i would suspect is turbo itself. its not unheard of but quite rare to have one go down.

 

Lets try and get a Jag Grin on yer face

[Jerry Brett]

Thanks Rich

 I passed your advice on to the garage, no idea whether they'll do anything with it. Sounds like they have decided to send the turbo off for testing but the guy on the phone isn't the guy doing the work so was his usual vague self.  They're not my regular garage, I got lumbered with them because they are the only transmission specialist in the area and the fault originally showed as a gearbox issue.  I will post an update when I find out what's going on.  Cheers.

[Jerry Brett]

On 8/7/2018 at 3:25 PM, Jerry Brett said:

Thanks Rich

 I passed your advice on to the garage, no idea whether they'll do anything with it. Sounds like they have decided to send the turbo off for testing but the guy on the phone isn't the guy doing the work so was his usual vague self.  They're not my regular garage, I got lumbered with them because they are the only transmission specialist in the area and the fault originally showed as a gearbox issue.  I will post an update when I find out what's going on.  Cheers.

So here is my update. First the garage told me that they had sent the turbo for testing. When I progress chased the following week they told me that London Turbos had not received it!  The garage told me that they would check with Royal Mail. After further chasing they told me it was collected by DPD. Another phone call elicited the news that it had been found and re-sent. Then I actually got a phone call from their mechanic who told me it was all a big misunderstanding and he had the turbo all along!  Apparently he had been doing some research and traced the problem to the variable vane mechanism which was coked up. This was causing the actuator to burn out (this sounds like the problem described on the Pistonheads website).  He had cleaned out all the crud and the car was running fine.  I now have the car back and it does seem much better. More powerful and (so far) no limp mode.  But why the !Removed! and bull story about the courier?  I will never know and I will not be using Suffolk Transmissions again.  They repeatedly failed to return my calls, told me inconsistent stories and turned a problem into a lengthy catalogue of disaster.  Oh well. You live and learn.

 

 

 

 

[Jerry Brett]

And it went into limp mode a week later!!

To be fair it did it after heavy braking and so far it hasn't done it again since.

I wait with bated breath....