Arosa TDi: Turbo Problems, Engine Damage?

Hello,

I bought an Arsoa TDi model year 2001 on April 8, 2004, with 62,000 kilometers on the odometer.
So far, I've driven about 600 kilometers, mostly on the highway, and everything has been fine.

Suddenly, I lost power on the highway.
I pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, waited a moment, restarted it, and then continued on my way, as I had to get home.

The problem was still there, though.
The turbo isn't engaging, and also, thick blue smoke occasionally comes out of the exhaust.

I then slowly made my way home, covering the 40 kilometers while staying behind the trucks at a speed of 80-100 kilometers per hour.
I also noticed that occasionally, there would be a 'growling' sound coming from the engine compartment, and then the smoke would become much more intense.

'Sometimes, when I pressed the clutch pedal around 2500-3000 RPM (without giving it any gas), the engine RPM would suddenly increase and the amount of smoke would also become more intense!'
The car accelerated as if on its own!

WHAT IS THIS, PLEASE?

Or something like a faulty LMM (mass airflow sensor), a defective ARG valve (air recirculation valve), a faulty boost pressure valve, or a broken turbocharger?

Thank you in advance for your helpful answers.

Hello,

Could it be that you experienced a pressure surge and now a hose has burst somewhere? I recently had a similar experience on a 130hp common rail engine, after a new cylinder head had just been installed. Your description sounds like that.
I wouldn't drive again until the problem is fixed.

Good luck, Rainer.

Hello Rainer,

Unfortunately, I can't check right now because the car is outside in the dark.
I didn't want to drive it anymore, except maybe to the nearest Seat service center.

What kind of hose should I be looking for?
How do I actually get the plastic cover off the engine?

'I used to have an AFN (81 kW) TDI a few years ago, and on that one, the cap was held on with 3 screws. Is it just clipped on for the Arosa, since I can't see any screws?'

Remove the engine cover: Take out the dipstick and pull it upwards; it's just clipped in.

When you're standing in front of the car: The charger is located on the left side, behind the engine. On the left side of the charger, there are two plastic hoses. The one that doesn't come from the left, but points towards you from the turbine housing and leads to the intercooler on the front left, might be the problem. Alternatively, it could be the piece that comes out of the top of the intercooler and leads upwards to the black shut-off valve, or the AGR valve located above it, on the top of the engine (it's located under the rear end of the engine cover). Pay particular attention to the flexible parts and squeeze them to check for any cracks.

Regards,

Olaf.

P.S.
"If the hose is damaged, also try to figure out the cause of the overboost. You can usually feel overboost while driving... it's often a sign of a sticking wastegate or a defect in the associated pressure sensor or the associated hose. If you can't find anything like that, but the car still sometimes accelerates unevenly ("pulsating") under heavy load, just replace the boost pressure control valve as a precaution. A good tuner might even give you one; it costs around 30 euros. It's normal for some cars to run well enough with the stock boost pressure, but only produce problems with a chip tune..."

I took the afternoon off today to take care of the car.
Upon arriving home, I immediately added 1 liter of PD oil.
The dipstick was slightly wet at the bottom. It could have definitely held another liter.

I started the engine, and suddenly I was surrounded by a cloud of blue smoke.
Anyway, I just wanted to get to the dealer (4 km away) as quickly as possible.
After 800 meters, I gave up, as everything behind me was completely filled with smoke and a bluish haze. It was really bad, not just a little bit of fog.
I pulled over to the side of the road and had the Seat dealer tow my car.
There he is, standing in the dealer's yard.
Since the dealer doesn't have time today, he wants to look at it tomorrow and let me know.

I'm curious to see what happens!

Quote:

Try replacing the boost control valve randomly. A good tuner might even give you one for free; it costs around 30 euros.

WARNING.

The AMF engine has a (cheap) wastegate turbocharger, similar to the 1Z, but as far as I know, the pneumatics are controlled by a "central pneumatic element," which costs "considerably" more than 30 EUR.

Does the AMF already have a successor, who will then be the one to have the ZPE?

m;

Da brauch ich wohl gar nichts mehr tauschen ausser den kompl. Engine!
I was just at the workshop again, and the mechanic said it's a bearing failure, or even engine damage!!

I feel like I'm going to vomit...

The mechanic wants to check if Seat will still cover anything under warranty, as the car was first registered on November 1, 2001.

Engine damage or turbocharger damage?

As far as I understand, it's related to the engine.

Okay, you should probably look into this yourself (you'll probably be able to claim 100% of the cost). It would be interesting to know what really happened. I suspect it damaged the turbocharger because the boost pressure was probably set too high, but that's just a guess. If the engine had bearing damage, it would have likely made a much louder, more serious noise, or not run at all, rather than just smoking.

Hello,

If you bought the car from a dealer, I wouldn't have anything repaired; I would simply demand a refund of the purchase price.

Best regards,
Christian.

I bought the car privately on Friday!

I bought the car privately on Friday!

And what was the oil level like back then?

I tried something similar: I bought a G2 GTD, and on the way home, suddenly there was no more coolant .

There was a crack in the cylinder, leading to the water jacket.

I checked the oil level in Cologne before leaving. It was OK.

I will get precise information about the condition of the car tomorrow.

Hi,

Your sentence.
If I pressed the clutch pedal (without giving it any gas) at around 2500-3000 RPM, sometimes the engine speed would simply increase, and the smoke would become thicker!!

According to that, I would rather suspect bearing damage.
There have been occasional cases where a faulty fuel injector allowed oil to enter the cylinders and combust uncontrollably. This would explain the increasing engine speed without any driver input. The smoke produced is a natural consequence of this type of combustion.

Please provide the text you would like me to translate from German to English. I will only provide the translation, without any explanations.
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It's very extreme, but perhaps comparable.

Hello.
I can't imagine the engine has a bearing failure. With a diesel engine, you wouldn't be able to drive more than 50km with that kind of problem. I think it's more likely that the turbocharger has failed, which is why you're experiencing a sudden loss of power.


Best regards,
Volker