Key Causes of Turbocharger Failure and How to Spot Them

Your turbocharger is a vital component of your engine that allows you to accelerate quickly and reach top speeds in critical situations. It offers you the boost you need to make a speedy and safe overtake on the highway. A pleasurable whoosh can be heard on some vehicles as the turbocharger engages and pumps air into the engine. However, if your turbo fails to function properly, your engine will become inefficient and perform poorly.

A turbo failure might manifest itself in a variety of ways. However, by attentively monitoring the car’s performance, you can frequently see the telltale signs of the most prevalent difficulties and so confirm the possibility of turbo troubles, necessitating a diagnostic test at a garage to establish the problem’s origin.

In this article, we’ll look at the Common reasons why turbochargers fail and the symptoms of bad or failing turbo.

 

 

What are the symptoms of bad and failing turbo?

The followings are the common symptoms of a bad and failing turbo:

If you notice that your turbocharged vehicle is accelerating more slowly than usual or isn’t reaching the speeds it used to, it could be an indication that your turbo is failing.

• Power loss
• Whining engine
• Smokey exhaust and excessive emissions
• Check engine light
• Inactive boost gauge
• Burning oil

Power loss

If you notice that your turbocharged vehicle is accelerating more slowly than usual or isn’t reaching the speeds it used to, it could be an indication that your turbo is failing.

Whining engine

Because it muffles the sound of the air intake, a turbocharger has the unanticipated benefit of making the engine quieter. If you hear a loud howling noise, similar to that of a dentist’s drill or a police siren, it could be a sign of turbo failure. The noise will become louder as the fault becomes more serious. If you hear whining from your engine, you should have it checked out by a competent mechanic.

Smokey exhaust and excessive emissions

When oil gets into the exhaust system and burns, it produces a distinctive blue-grey smoke. A crack in the turbo housing or damaged internal seals can cause this. If the turbocharger is the source of this symptom, the discolored gases are more likely to appear when the engine RPM rises after idle.

Check engine light

This light on your dashboard may be illuminated for a variety of reasons. It could be caused by a faulty sensor or even a loose gas cap, but it could also signify a significant problem with your turbo. To be on the safe side, have the vehicle inspected by a mechanic.

Inactive boost gauge

A boost gauge is installed on some turbocharged vehicles to tell you how much boost your turbo is producing (you can also fit one to your car if you wish). If your boost gauge isn’t rising as quickly as it used to, your turbo may need to be repaired.

Burning oil

Oil leakage in the turbocharger, as previously said, is an indicator of its gradual breakdown. Take a look inside the turbo by disconnecting the downpipe at the front.

Is there any oil visible? Any deposits in the pipe indicate that the turbo needs to be serviced? The entire system may fail if this problem is not addressed.

 

 

Before we continue, the followings are the common signs of a blown turbo:

• There is a notable reduction of power in the vehicle.
• The car’s acceleration appears to be slow and noisy.
• The car is unable to maintain high speeds with ease.
• The exhaust produces smoke.
• On the dashboard, there is an engine fault light.

 

What causes your car turbo to develop fault?

Turbochargers have a high level of dependability. Burned turbos are mainly the result of difficulties with engine lubrication or the entrance of foreign items, and only about 1% of warranty examinations reveal a defect with the turbo itself. The followings are common reasons why your car turbo fails:

• Oil lubrication
• Damage seals
• Foreign object deposition
• Wear and tear

Oil lubrication

A turbo requires a steady flow of clean oil to function properly, and you must change the oil and oil filter on a regular basis to keep your turbo in peak shape.

This helps to prevent the build-up of carbon deposits and pollutants that can abrasively harm the interior of your turbocharger, lowering its performance and causing irreversible damage over time. The least carbon is produced by fully synthetic oil.

Damage seals

Oil will flow into the exhaust system if the seals between the compressor and the engine become worn or fractured. As a result, the turbo is forced to work harder in order to increase air pressure.

Over-speeding is another term for this issue. In the end, the turbo’s efficiency and boost will suffer as a result.

Foreign object deposition

A turbocharger is made up of two fundamental parts: the compressor in the front and the turbine in the back. Foreign objects such as dust, dirt, leaves, and small stones can sometimes enter the turbo through the compressor or turbine inlets.

The air filter is frequently where the foreign object enters the compressor housing. If, on the other hand, the foreign object damages the turbine, the issue is almost always with the engine.

When debris damages the compressor wheels or turbine blades, turbo efficiency suffers. Your air filter should be serviced and replaced on a regular basis to avoid this. Check for debris in your turbo as well.

Wear and tear

A turbo, as you might assume, does not last forever. Depending on how you drive your automobile, you may expect this part to last between 100 and 150 thousand kilometers. It will eventually need to be replaced.

 

 

Can I drive a blown turbo?

If you suspect your turbo has blown, you should pull over to the side of the road and inspect it. The presence of smoke coming from the part is quite obvious, but if you’re not sure, remove the intake and inspect the stem. You can continue without a turbo, believe it or not, but it’s generally safer to request a rescue lift.

If you opt to drive with a failed turbo, remove the linkage from the wastegate activator first, then use a wire to hold the wastegate open while driving the required distance to a mechanic. Step on the gas because the wastegate won’t be able to take the full exhaust pressure. If you opt to race with a failing turbo, keep an eye on your oil level, and don’t travel more than 100 kilometers.

What should I do if my turbo is blown or fault?

Once it’s been determined that the turbo has blown, you have two options. To begin, you can purchase and install a brand-new turbocharger. It is also possible to have your turbo overhauled and fixed if you want to save money. Of course, a new turbo is preferable to a reconditioned turbo because it comes with a longer guarantee and will last longer.

When you discover that you have a defective turbo, as you can see from the difficulties listed above, there are a lot of things to check for and think about. If you feel this is the situation with your vehicle and would want to arrange an exchange or simply seek assistance, please contact your local technicians and mechanics.

Conclusion

Turbocharger being one of the components most drivers enjoy, can result in annoyance when developing a fault. The most common issues with car turbo are when it’s blown. Well, some common reasons why turbo is blown or faulty have been discussed, and causes and symptoms of a bad turbocharger are also explained.

I hope you learned a lot from this article, if so, kindly share it with other students. Thanks for reading see you around!