[chzvacmyye]

I think....

serious lag and major flatspots when im trying to join motorways on the slip roads I have to disenguage the gearbox rev the fooker to 4krpm then re engague to get any usefull power to safely enter motoways foot right to the floor sitting there at 1.5k~2k rpm which is roughly where the turbo should begin to spool up and kick in does it in every gear from first upwards even when I boot it.

but instead I crawl onto the motorway at 40mph

but once im up to speed all is well I think my cats died too so that may be causing problems (rattles at tick over) engine management possibly

any idears guys ?

im gonna drop it into the garage when I get back perhaps the ECU is playing up and not spooling up the turbo (the car has urban driving and motorway driving settings which are sensed so the turbo dont kick in when ur pottering around town to save fuel)

[chzvacmyye]

but leave the ole girl to cool down and shes right as rain again untill the next time I drive 680 miles then she gets laggy 300 miles into the trip.

[viiagrag]

yeah ecu might be worth checking, best to get it looked at really by someone who knows what to look for

[chzvacmyye]

yeah ecu might be worth checking, best to get it looked at really by someone who knows what to look for

yeah im gonna take it to a beemer garage

ive been looking round for symptoms on the net an my turbo is a black dot turbo (the one that was the replacement to the original turbo that was found faulty and all the cars were recalled)

its been on there since manufacture so its not a faulty turbo that some how slipped through the recall some 4 years ago.

ive found related issues to do with the catalytic converter and the activation valve that causes random losses of power as ive described and the engine management cannot talk to the turbo correctly thus producing what ive described but aparently its an expensive job to sort out but ive also found some info on diesil chipping which would negate the turbo lag if the above isnt the case but its an odd one.

it was so bad today that I tried to overtake a lorry doing 60 mph and I just couldnt get past it lol and it was embarrasing because I pulled out and just sat there with me foot flat on the floor and nothing happened

[kmjbbT3U]

i hate engine management more trouble than its sodding worth

over the last 18 months my van has been into the garage 4 times all with faulty sensors [thumbdown]

[Ijkavylo]

i hate engine management more trouble than its sodding worth

over the last 18 months my van has been into the garage 4 times all with faulty sensors [thumbdown]

I'd have to agree. Hell, even my brother's 2005 Vauxhall Corsa (supposed to be a reliable car) currently has an engine management problem, so he can't rev his car above 5k rpm. Obviously it's still driveable since you rarely need to rev that high. Mechanically, the engine is in good order - it's just a stupid sensor that won't let him rev above that without losing engine power at lower revs. [thumbdown]

[Crundaangerge]

Often with turbo cars the problems with power can be traced to faulty or broken exhaust system, so I think you're on to something with that cat...

[viiagrag]

yeah sounds like a sensor may be out, or its gone into limp mode but a diagnostic on the ecu will normally find the problem

[SobiquYo]

my dads merc turbo deisel has done a similar kind of thing 3 times. the turbo wasn't kicking in because of an engine management problem. so yeh, maybe an ecu issue. oviously white smoke out the back often leads to a turbo dieing rather than just an engine management problem.

[chzvacmyye]

my dads merc turbo deisel has done a similar kind of thing 3 times. the turbo wasn't kicking in because of an engine management problem. so yeh, maybe an ecu issue. obviously white smoke out the back often leads to a turbo dieing rather than just an engine management problem.

yeah I hope the turbo isnt dieing because its one of those variable geometry ones which a fooking expensive

quoted 3 grand for replacement only that done include ecu reprogram and labour

[kubekniekubek]

You dont need ECU reprogram, thats just utter BS.

Just do your basic maintenance your self this weekend and that hopefully should fix your problems; Oil, air filter, spark plugs and wires, use a Fuel system cleaner next time you fill up.


The easiest way to tell if your Turbo is going bad, is disconnect the outlet pipe from the turbo (its made out of rubber), and see if there is a lot of oil on the inner pipe of the black rubber tubing.

Or, disconnect the rubber hose from the inlet housing on the turbo itself, and if there is a lot of oil there, then you got problems.

It could also be that parts of the honey mesh that makes up the Catelic, have fallen apart as you said, and are blocking the outlet on the exhaust, and that will cause major power loss. Disconnect it your self and just clean it out.

Even if your turbo is going bad, and it happened to me a lot times, you still can drive the car normally on daily basis with out significant power loss, and youll be able to go over 100km/h easy.

But dont spend 3k. If you cant do it your self, go to some shop in the hills and tell them to Gut your catelic for you, should cost you 50 bucks.

Another thing besides the cats, is you could have a "vacuum leak", that will cause turbos not to spool up, very simple and easy to fix.

But ECU rarely go bed, if ever, unless you been playing hockey with it, but thats the last thing you should worry about.

[chzvacmyye]

You dont need ECU reprogram, thats just utter BS.

Just do your basic maintenance your self this weekend and that hopefully should fix your problems; Oil, air filter, spark plugs and wires, use a Fuel system cleaner next time you fill up.


The easiest way to tell if your Turbo is going bad, is disconnect the outlet pipe from the turbo (its made out of rubber), and see if there is a lot of oil on the inner pipe of the black rubber tubing.

Or, disconnect the rubber hose from the inlet housing on the turbo itself, and if there is a lot of oil there, then you got problems.

It could also be that parts of the honey mesh that makes up the Catelic, have fallen apart as you said, and are blocking the outlet on the exhaust, and that will cause major power loss. Disconnect it your self and just clean it out.

Even if your turbo is going bad, and it happened to me a lot times, you still can drive the car normally on daily basis with out significant power loss, and youll be able to go over 100km/h easy.

But dont spend 3k. If you cant do it your self, go to some shop in the hills and tell them to Gut your catelic for you, should cost you 50 bucks.

Another thing besides the cats, is you could have a "vacuum leak", that will cause turbos not to spool up, very simple and easy to fix.

But ECU rarely go bed, if ever, unless you been playing hockey with it, but thats the last thing you should worry about.

Theres no oil in the intecooler and the turbo oil header tank level hasnt changed.

also its a diesil so I cant change plugs.

the exhast has been excessivly rattley of late ive gotten under the car and held the catalytic converter and the rattliing has abated. also when I rev the engine (just over tick over I can head a ffdmph noise which dissapears when the exhaust has warmed up.

[chzvacmyye]

I get complete power loss matey it just coasts almost and the throttle is wireless so it goes to the floor and nothing happens

[chzvacmyye]

also sometimes the car randomly stalls when pulling away.

now before someone says it....

Ive been driving cars for years

[kubekniekubek]

Good, then Turbo is good, you just saved your self a ton of money.

Even if your Turbos arent kick in do to vacuum leak, the engine has enough power to get you to 60mph without any struggle at all. Sounds like the exhaust is clogged up when the mesh on the cats fallen apart.

If you have no Check Engine Light on your dash, then your ECU is fine, other wise it would throw a code, that will activate the Check Engine Light. At the least you can go to another shop and ask them connect a scanner to OBD and and see if it comes up with a code. And ill bet it wont get any codes.

Many Turbo Engines dont have electronic boost controller, instead its internal mechanical one, thus requires no CPU. Trace the vacuum hose's from the waste gate and on the turbo, and see where they go.

If you do have electronic boost controller, then one hose from Turbo, and one hose from waste gate will be connected to it. Its the size of a 9v battery, its black, made out of plastic and has 2 or 3 wires connected to it.


What year and model is your car?

[smokeberly]

Take it to a shop, figure out what the problem is and see if you can just fix it yourself. If you need a new exhaust, just order one off the net and do it yourself.

If you need new turbo's, look around for some used ones. There are a lot out there that you can get for $500 or less a pop, rebuilt or in very good condition. I don't see any point in getting new turbo's on a used motor that isn't rebuilt itself.

If it is some sensors, then replace the senors.

That thing has got to be annoying to drive now. Without forced induction, diesels have absolutely no power, even in big liter diesels. I am thinking your beemer is an old one, and even the older diesels with turbo's barely have any power to have fun in.

[chzvacmyye]

Take it to a shop, figure out what the problem is and see if you can just fix it yourself. If you need a new exhaust, just order one off the net and do it yourself.

If you need new turbo's, look around for some used ones. There are a lot out there that you can get for $500 or less a pop, rebuilt or in very good condition. I don't see any point in getting new turbo's on a used motor that isn't rebuilt itself.

If it is some sensors, then replace the senors.

That thing has got to be annoying to drive now. Without forced induction, diesels have absolutely no power, even in big liter diesels. I am thinking your beemer is an old one, and even the older diesels with turbo's barely have any power to have fun in.

2002 2ltr e46 320d 150bhp last one produced with this engine was 2006 so shes not old and I think the e90 2007's still use this engine with a 6spd gearbox

I just drove her to the shop and back (8 miles) and shes absolutely fine again no lag no flat spots

stuck me head put the window and the turbos working fine again boosting at 1.5k

crazy eh

[Crundaangerge]

If you need new turbo's, look around for some used ones. There are a lot out there that you can get for $500 or less a pop, rebuilt or in very good condition. I don't see any point in getting new turbo's on a used motor that isn't rebuilt itself.

The problem with that is that most likely the turbo is built into the exhaust manifold. I'm pretty sure all modern diesels have a turbo like that. Heck, our Focus ST has a turbo like that too...

[chzvacmyye]

Its the Mass Airflow meter.



gonna cost me 180 quids but thats better than 3,000 for a complete turbo assy


gonna unplug it and see what happens

found a compatable MAF on ebay for 90 squids so im even happier

[FjFHQLJQ]

That's weird, it should have thrown a code out for that. Anyways,makes sense; car has no idea how much air is getting in, so it doesn't know how much fuel is needed. Hence it stuttering and stalling.

And for future reference, you'll know when the turbo is out. There will be either oil all in the engine bay, or white smoke out the exhaust when you first crank up.