Turbo

Nenad22

New member
Joined
Sep 18, 2017
Location
Vancouver
TDI
2006 Jetta
My Jetta is making a lot of noise ( to me sounds like a bit of a rattle ) Mostly at a stoplight or idling .I took it to the mechanic to get a timing chain done ( thought that might be the problem ) I didn't do it at the 144k and it has 194 now , with no issues at all except one blown rad hose this summer in the hot weather . He found metal shavings in the turbo . And said we may have a more serious problem so he didn't oil flush and change the oil and told me to bring it back in a couple thousand kilometres and let me know whether the noise was greater less or the same he was hoping for it to be the same . Are the shavings in the turbo normal?
If anybody can help I'd appreciate it thanks
 

thorp

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Location
CA
TDI
2005 Golf TDI, 2010 Jetta TDI
It is surprising that the mechanic recommended that you continue to drive it. Sounds like you need a new turbocharger. The shavings are not normal and likely indicate the turbo will soon fail. As you stated, it's time for a new timing belt kit also.
 

thorp

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Location
CA
TDI
2005 Golf TDI, 2010 Jetta TDI
Most likely the shavings would be coming from the turbo itself, indicating that the turbo is in the beginning stages of failure.

I wish others had also chimed in regarding your question. I responded based on what recently happened to my car - turbo failure and when I removed it I found shavings (also a snapped shaft) with some shavings going up into the intercooler.
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
The shavings will come from the impeller and the compressor housing having a too-intimate relationship. They are made so that the impeller and the housing there are a very close but non-contact fit. This helps keep the air moving in the intended direction. If the impeller wobbles from bad bearings, broken shaft, unbalanced condition, foreign object damage (aka FOD), then there will be shavings, they will probably be aluminum, you would see scrape marks on the housing and the impeller blade sides, and there will be aluminum shavings and chips from there to the intake. Those shavings won't do anyone any good.

So when you replace the turbocharger with a new/quality rebuilt unit then make sure you clean all the intake plumbing as well. Your engine will thank you for that.

Cheers,

PH
 

\/\/0J0

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Location
Knoxville, TN
TDI
Sadly, none anymore
In addition to a new timing belt, you also should find a new mechanic. Not too many places that metal in your turbo could be coming from besides the turbo itself. It's fairly easy to determine if the turbo is on its way out... Axial shaft play, excessive radial shaft play to the point that the compressor wheel fins rub on the compressor housing, howling during operation, etc. You should NOT continue driving it to see if the noise changes. This could result in catastrophic turbo failure. The best case in that scenario is all your engine oil dumps out your tailpipe, you see the cloud behind you, giving you a warning to get it pulled over and stopped before running the engine dry. Worst case is that your engine ingests it's own oil causing a runaway and/or hydrolock resulting in major engine work($$$$).
There is a list of trusted tdi mechanics/gurus, by location, I this site. I recommend using to find someone that can take care of this issue for you before it becomes a problem.

Sent from my mobile look-at device
 

Nenad22

New member
Joined
Sep 18, 2017
Location
Vancouver
TDI
2006 Jetta
Thanks guys for the replies. I will start with a new mechanic ( probably the dealership)
Save my money and start fixing
hopefully be able to post the results in the coming weeks
 
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