Turbo Whistle

[csmccoll68]

hi guys

my 140 tdi sport has developed what can only be descibed as a new noise on acceleration there is a whistle from the turbo , never noticed it before ? cause for concern or just normal

[ravanoli]

Mine is the same it's going in for a service on monday,they will also change the seals on the turbo.
I will let you no if this solves the problem

[martin1810]

It will be an air leak. Usually from one of the joints, sometimes from a split pipe. If it's a small leak it doesn't matter but if it gets bad enough to effect pressure the ecu will flag a code and drop you into limp mode..

[dieseljames]

You can hear the turbo anyway - could it be that you have just never noticed it before?

[tobetrue123]

Hello All,

Car - 55plate 1.9TDI SE

I have the same issue....noticed a whistling noise this morning when in lower gears.
Took it to my local garage who have advised (by hearing the noise) that the turbo is leaking and cannot be booked in with them for at least a week as this is a whole day job due to where the part is located (Is this true??).
They said it should be ok to drive the car in the meantime providing I don't push it hard and by not putting pressure on it??? Also the car may lose power over time due to the leak....
I'm driving the car over 300 miles (Mostly Motorway) a week so not sure to take the risk but then again I'm guessing it shouldn't matter too much as the revs would be low at 70mph??

I'll keep you posted when it's fixed to let you know what got changed and also the main question....the cost!!!

[martin1810]

If the leak was bad the ecu would cut the turbo and drop you into limp mode. Driving it won't hurt the car, just don't go mad. The garage will have to find the leak and replace the connector or pipe BUT they should also test to see why you have a leak. Is the turbo pressure too high.

[daveyboy467]

surely if it was bad enough to hear (a leak that is) there would be significant power loss, mpg lower, and more black sut out of exhaust? plz correct me if i'm wrong.

[martin1810]

How hard do you need to blow to make a whistle work.

[daveyboy467]

How hard do you need to blow to make a whistle work.

good point!

[tobetrue123]

Hi All,
My car is now fixed, the issue was the gasket which was replaced (the below pic is the closest resemblance to one I could find).
The cost: garage charged £10 for the part + £120 labour (total £130).
It sounds a lot but I’m just thankful it wasn’t the turbo.

By the way I did use my car whist it was whistling, did around 350 miles and it didn’t seem to get any worse or any power loss.
However I did notice that the average MPG was slightly lower (just slightly) then normal even though I was driving it very carefully.

Thanks,
Rehman