[Engine] Turbo smutty

[daviddb]

[attachment=1879][attachment=1880][attachment=1881]Car is a  2010 XTR 110.

 
So there we are, heavily laden with bikes and all our tut, batting down the autoroute  at 80-ish  with 400 miles done and 400 to go. The sun is shining, the picnic is in the basket, there is nary a cloud on the horizon - what can possibly go wrong?
 
Suddenly, Paff! the engine warning light comes on and a 'pollution fault' shows on the display. Hellfire and tarnation.  We ease to a halt and for want of something better to do look under the bonnet. Not quite sure why, there's not to do these days with a standard Citroen tool kit but at least no  fluids could be seen a-leaking away.
 
Three things struck this  non-mechanically minded worrier.
 
Firstly the bit of the turbo that  can be seen is covered in exhaust smut,

[Image: 14953537524]
 
Secondly the thick metal pipe that  bends around the front of the turbo is loose at the unseen further end  on the right as seen from the front of  the car that is where it dives in amongst the engine parts and,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddb/149...otostream/

 
Thirdly there is a credit card sized gap on one side only of a manifold above the turbo. Now I think about it I wish I'd used something other than a credit card analogy to measure the gap.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddb/153...otostream/
 
So what to do bearing in mind we are a long way from home, they all speak foreign and we have a very incomplete grasp of the lingo. The last thing  I  want to do is to  rock up to the nearest  Citroen concession and end up being told ' we've changed everything, you're good to go and that will be 2800 euros please'. Ker-ching.
 
We carried on, gingerly, to our destination with the baleful light gleaming evilly. Car is not exactly  'limp' but is certainly a bit flacid on the acceleration front. Perfectly driveable for a gentle potter around but I'm more than a bit concerned about what harm might be being done in the meantime.
 
Any thoughts on what might be amiss, come adrift? Is it worth as a first step getting the aluminium heat shield off for a looksee? I can see three star bolts across the top but nothing else further down holding the shield on. That presumably means finding a way to wriggle under the car other than a severe diet, getting the undertray off and finding some more bolts further down.
 
The amateur optimist in me hopes that a bolt has come loose and with a slosh of jollop and snakeoil together with a right sized spanner she'll get us home. I can do Meccano.  The pessimistic realist is not sleeping well. To say that it's put me off writing my postcards is an understatement.
 
Irritatingly  a couple of weeks or so before we set off I had a rare fluid checking foray under the bonnet and saw a slight slight shadowing of dark material on the turbo but, mind being on other things didn't think anything of it. Now it's thick jet black.
 
Any advice gratefully received;  snaps attached if I can master the system.

[Opensauce]

Just checked mine & credit card sized gap is there so ok. Pipe is turbo oil feed pipe, mine feels a bit loose as well but long pipe & if leaking, oil would be pouring out so ok, I think. Soot over turbo, mine has always had a bit & my Cit garage says no probs but yours has far more than mine. I would guess something has come loose & you cannot take risks with turbo.

So you're in France & driving a Citroen? things could be a lot worse, you could be driving a Toyota. In morning head to nearest town where unlike non French makes you are guaranteed to find a Cit garage & I don't think they will rip you off. They have overnight parts delivery in France so if you see them first thing in morning & parts are needed not from stock then you will be back on road by Tues.

[Opensauce]

Looking at the Torx screws that hold cover they look same size as Torx tool in your toolkit with jack under drivers seat so up to you if you want to remove cover. I'm guessing there will be some kind of seal that has failed on pipe so you will need a new one, so you will need to get to Cit garage anyway. Whatever repair is needed I doubt it would cost any more in France than UK so I would get it fixed. If a Peugeot garage is nearer they could fix it of course & of course any local independent garage should be well familiar with engine, so your choice.

[Jed Clampit]

Could be the turbo waste gate valve worn or seal gone when it open's or close's it let's out a puff of exhaust gas onto the turbo if you get some one to rev the engine up and down you mite be able to see it open and close to see the gases coming out it may last some time it's up to you to take the chances on driving it home or the garage will be able to give you a better judgement

[daviddb]

Just checked mine & credit card sized gap is there so ok. Pipe is turbo oil feed pipe, mine feels a bit loose as well but long pipe & if leaking, oil would be pouring out so ok, I think. Soot over turbo, mine has always had a bit & my Cit garage says no probs but yours has far more than mine. I would guess something has come loose & you cannot take risks with turbo.

So you're in France & driving a Citroen? things could be a lot worse, you could be driving a Toyota. In morning head to nearest town where unlike non French makes you are guaranteed to find a Cit garage & I don't think they will rip you off. They have overnight parts delivery in France so if you see them first thing in morning & parts are needed not from stock then you will be back on road by Tues.

Sure enough there is a Citroen specialist/generalist garage in the nearest town......maybe time to get out the phrase book.

cheers

David

[daviddb]

Just checked mine & credit card sized gap is there so ok. Pipe is turbo oil feed pipe, mine feels a bit loose as well but long pipe & if leaking, oil would be pouring out so ok, I think. Soot over turbo, mine has always had a bit & my Cit garage says no probs but yours has far more than mine. I would guess something has come loose & you cannot take risks with turbo.

Thanks for checking yours. Good to know your gap is the same and your pipe has slight play in it also. Happily I have no oil leaks from it. As soon as I have a moment I'll see if the heatshield can be removed for a looksee.

regards

David

[daviddb]

Could be the turbo waste gate valve worn or seal gone when it open's or close's it let's out a puff of exhaust gas onto the turbo  if you get some one to rev the engine up and down you mite be able to see it open and close to see the gases coming out it may last some time it's up to you to take the chances on driving it home or the garage will be able to give you a better judgement

Thanks Jed - haven't quite with hand on heart been able to identify the turbo wastegate yet - presumably this lies under the so far intractable ally heatshield?

yrs David

[daviddb]

Looking at the Torx screws that hold cover they look same size as Torx tool in your toolkit with jack under drivers seat so up to you if you want to remove cover.

So it is = well spotted. Unfortunately the shaft of the Cit supplied tool is plastic and so the heatshield fasteners just kick sand in it's face  as the tool twists in a spiral and the fasteners don't budge. I guess whatever that tool is meant to be able to undo had better be tested for tightness first or come the day it won't be man enough.

Anyways, with a proper metal tool in hand I've got the top three heatshield T30 bolts undone now - even the one hiding under the intercooler pipe once the bracket holding that pipe in place has been removed. (13mm hex bolt) The bolt down in the depths on the right has also come undone. Ditto the bolt half way down on the right hand side which is a T25 not a T30 just to keep you guessing. Bit the 10mm hex bolt that lurks betwixt  the alternator and the engine is a tad  inaccessible and has yet to yield to reason. 

In anycase it seems that the heatshield can then only be shifted to one side as there is what I take to be some sort of sender, held in place with a 19mm nut, that passes through a hole in the shield  and I'm not sure I fancy undoing that so far away from home. Photo attached ( possibly). Anyhowsup, I'll have another go tomorrow. 

On the plus side I'm fairly sure that the play in the turbo oil feed pipe is intentional and a feature of the nature of the beast.

On the down side it sure is sooty and smutty down there which is a mite " arghhh!!"

yours  not fully enjoying his holiday

david

[Jed Clampit]

What engine have you got the 110 bhp / ps if it is that is the fuel feed pipe to burn and clean the dpf / fap

[daviddb]

What engine have you got the 110 bhp / ps  if it is that is the fuel feed pipe to burn and clean the dpf / fap

Good morning! That's right Jed, it's the 110 with the DPF/FAP  doings  wherein, I suspect, lies the problem.


yrs 

David