Signs of a failing Turbo?

DoubleCheese

DoubleCheese

DoubleCheese

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My 2006 1.6Tdci Focus has been in to my local garage for a failed alternator and while in I had a service & MOT. They tested the battery & said it was fine so didn't replace it. Two days after it came back it wouldn't start, so I jump started it from my wife's car. It started fine and ran for about 2min & then sounded weird so glanced at the engine fit was rocking back and forth like it was only on 2 or 3 cylinders.
I quickly switched it off & called the garage. Nothing worked, central locking, etc. Anyway, they said the Alternator had failed so replaced it & the battery this time.

I got it back on Friday & have just been out on a longish drive & its not right.
Firstly there's no power delivery like before. It had a predictable turbo boost at certain RPM and the engine Power would drop off significantly after 2500RPM. So most of the driving was done well under this. Now I'm having to rev well into 2500 RPM to get any power at all..I used to be able to hear the turbo whine at certain seeps too. This has gone too. There's a new sound at about 2200RPM like a stiff bearing or slipping belt. I hope it's the alternator and not the Turbo.
Another issues post repair, if I'm cruising at 30-40Mph in 3rd gear say, the engines at 1750RPM, it cuts out every few seconds for a split second. It's like taking your foot off the pedal and back on again. It's predictable and happens every time for as long as the car is at those revs.
So, any pointers on what it could be? It's going to another garage on Tuesday.
 
if the turbo was going you would have lots of black smoke I would have thought being a derv, sounds like the alternator isn't right and the power problems could be screwing with the ecu
 
May be that they disturbed something in the inlet system, which is now leaking boost. A confused ECU due to an air leak between the flow meter and engine will give that cutting out behaviour.
 
Longshot but it might be worth giving the alternator belt tension a quick check, find the longest belt section and it should twist about 1/2 a turn.

First thought was boost leak, would explain the power drop and cutting out, however you would hear the sound of escaping air.
 
In the few occasions I've suffered turbo failure, an increase in noise from the turbo was as sign of impending doom...

With the whine being less noticable, I'm inclined to think its probably not the turbo at all.

Oh and when they do let go, its usually white smoke.....
 
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When did you last change the leads, more imporntantly the coilpack? they are reknown for going in fords.

Cant remeber if these have MAF sensors?

Do you have any misfire at idle?

Can't seeing it being the turbo.
 
The local police force had issues with their Focuses blowing headlight bulbs while they had the blues on so someone tried messing with the electrical system somewhere (no idea where). But it did massively effect the performance as everyone who drove it had to rev the nuts off it in 2nd to get anywhere as it seemed to have effected the turbo, weather this was an ECU issue as voltages weren't right idk as it seems rather odd the electrics can do this but hey ho.

So my first thought would be make sure the charging/alternator/battery systems are all in order.
 
Put volt meter on the battery and see what the voltages are during running. Should be about 13v off the top of my head if its working right.
 
Right, there's definitely an air leak of sorts, see photo below. There's oil splattered on the exhaust heat guard and on the air intake pipe and surroundin
g components.



With the bonnet up the sound of escaping air is much more noticeable. The oil concerns me. Though it's not a huge amount, but ima about 60miles from home!
 
Will be oil in the intake system, one of the jubilee clips will be slack, take the head of the clip and see if you can move it around the pipe, if so tighten up.
 
Jubillee clip is clearly loose in that pic.
Monkeys doing the service probably forgot to do it back up.
Check the join is correctly aligned before simply just winding the clip back up tight, you might bugger the pipe up completely if it's not seated correctly.

Forget issues with the turbo, 99% that will be the above fault.

A little oil in the intake pipes is pretty normal, don't worry about that.

The juddering on start up could simply be such a flat battery there wasn't enough power in the various systems to keep the car running properly. Saw it the other day on a diesel Zafira. Jump started fine but as soon as you disconnected the jump leads it coughed it's **** off. (Alternator had failed on that also so couldn't support or put charge back into the battery.)


Back to the garage for you!
 
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Yep ok, thought about that. Typing without thinking or drifting into my nightly coma, not sure which :D ... I think I was just going on the proviso that a fully charged battery in open circuit would be a maximum of 12.6v so just said "above this"

But you are correct, to maintain charge level you do need a minimum (float) of 13.9v on a normal lead acid.

Dalin also mentioned something that I thought about writing originally but guess I had forgotten about by the time I'd written about the battery.
You may well have all sorts of DTC codes in the ecu now as low voltage does seem to freak the thing out. Don't pay too much credence to any that are hard latched on for now.
Get them cleared, fix the clearly loose clip/ hose and go from there.
 
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