Compressor Wheel Damage: Is It Dangerous?

"Today, I disconnected the air hose on the intake side of the turbocharger, and I observed the following."


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bastion wrote:

Is a major turbo failure imminent, or should the turbo be replaced? Or can I continue using the turbo for a while longer?

If you look at it closely, you already have damage to the compressor housing. The magnesium/aluminum casting of the compressor housing is quite porous, and if it looks like that, I would replace it as soon as possible. Complete disintegration of the compressor housing could damage the bearings and shaft seals, the motor could become a runaway, and the debris in the combustion chamber could also cause damage.

"I don't think the loader is over-revving. Before considering a new loader, my first question would be: where did the foreign object come from? Could it possibly have been caused by a leak in the turbocharger system, leading to a pumping effect or something similar, which damaged the blades?"

I had an accident 8,000 km ago where the car rolled onto its passenger side. As a result, oil leaked through the crankshaft position sensor (CKP) into the intake manifold and out of the air filter housing.

The workshop, to which the car was towed, reportedly ran the engine without the air filter for a period of time. It's possible that this allowed a foreign object to enter the engine.

Could the N75 valve have been damaged by oil in the intake manifold? When I measured it, I got a resistance of 29 ohms. How can I tell if the valve is broken due to oil contamination? I have a VAG-Com diagnostic tool available.

Where can I get the turbocharger repaired, or where can I find a new or like-new turbocharger at a reasonable price?

bastion wrote:

I had an accident 8,000 km ago where the car rolled onto its passenger side. As a result, the oil passed through the catalytic converter (KGE) into the intake manifold and leaked out of the air filter housing (LuFi Gehäuse). The workshop, to which the car was towed, reportedly ran the engine without the air filter for a period of time. It's possible that this allowed a foreign object to enter the engine. Could the N75 valve have been damaged by oil in the intake manifold? When I measured it, I got a resistance of 29 ohms. How can I tell if it's broken due to oil contamination? I have a VAG-Com diagnostic tool available. Where can I get the turbocharger repaired, or where can I get a new (like-new) turbocharger at a reasonable price?

Hmm, if the boost pressure control valve is affected by oil or contamination, causing it to regulate the boost pressure too high, you might experience the full effect after a period of full throttle: this could lead to a limp mode and an error code being logged.
It's hard to tell if it's overheating in the short term. I definitely wouldn't run it like that again! When the turbocharger over-revs, there's usually contact between the impeller and the housings, which would cause the entire assembly to spin out of control, and at least the compressor wheel would be broken off externally.

I have personally never seen damage like this. The foreign object must have been quite large, preventing it from passing through completely and causing only minimal damage (at least in the short term) given the rotational speed.

You can have the loader repaired, for example, at Schlütter (turbolader.com) or other companies. As far as I understand, this is a waste of resources?

Hi,

My condolences. Please do not drive any further under any circumstances. If the compressor impeller breaks down, things will get very serious.
In its current state, I would flush the intercooler and the charge air cooler system, and install a new turbocharger.

Best regards, Rainer.

Okay, today I'm having the engine's compression checked and I'm going to have a look inside the combustion chamber with an endoscope. If it looks bad (low compression, scratches, etc.), the car is going to be scrapped.

Otherwise, I will get a new or refurbished turbocharger and continue driving.

But how could such damage occur? It must have been caused by a rupture in the compressor impeller, which also caused damage to the piping.

It appears to be a 'relatively soft' foreign object. Perhaps something made of plastic.
The engine must have been in very good condition.

Let me know when the forensic analysis is available.

Since your car was repaired by a workshop after the accident, I would blame them for this issue and try to continue on my way. Because, if this defect had already existed, they should have seen it when they started the engine without the air filter box. Otherwise, they would have been happy to tell you that your turbocharger was damaged due to the accident and would need to be replaced.

"This won't work; 8,000 kilometers have been driven since the accident. They can easily find a way to avoid responsibility, and I had to resolve this through the courts."

I now have a new charger and I will install it this weekend. Then I will also disassemble the old one and take a closer look at it.

When I was at Rainer's place some time ago, we also looked at that. We found 3 small pieces of debris from the compressor impeller in the hose near the air filter (about 1-2 mm² in size). I have no idea how they got there.

Okay, what do I need to be aware of when installing the turbo? I know I have to fill it with oil and then let it run for about 1 minute in neutral. Does the exhaust manifold also need to be removed?

The best option would be a short guide. ^^

Edit: What kind of screws are used to attach the turbocharger to the exhaust manifold? Are they external Torx screws?