Wear and tear in TDI engines - engine and ESP - what wears out?

Hello everyone,

Wear and tear is a topic that comes up frequently, but what actually causes wear and tear?
(see also post: is my engine failing? is it worn out?)


I'm not referring to the typical well-known wear-and-tear parts like timing belts, mass airflow sensors, or fuel injectors. Sensors, but only: motor and ESP.

What components of the ESP wear out, and how can you tell?
What other damages, besides the seals, have occurred on the ESP (Electrostatic Precipitator), and what was the cost of these damages? Were these wear-and-tear damages or simply defects? Trigger: PÖL or RME?

Bearing of the turbocharger: If they are broken, the diagnosis is straightforward.
But with this problem, the question that arises for me is:
Is it possible to diagnose this beforehand? Can you tell if a turbocharger bearing is about to fail before it completely breaks down? You can replace the bearings as long as they are not so damaged that they could damage the shaft.

What parts of the engine wear out? How long do the connecting rod bearings last? Can they be checked by listening, like with a gasoline engine? (Diesel engines are inherently very noisy anyway.) Can you still distinguish good connecting rod bearings from defective ones?
Has anyone experienced connecting rod bearing damage? If so, what was the mileage? Was the engine chipped/tuned?
Does the (reading from a) sensor showing zero oil pressure here provide any meaningful information?
Similarly, connecting rod bearings can be repaired relatively cheaply if you notice the problem early enough.

If the (engine) oil consumption increases, in TDI engines, is the problem primarily with the cylinders or the (easily replaceable) valve stem seals? Is there a discernible trend? (In my case, I suspect most of the turbocharger's performance will be lost.)

I expect to see many short reports about mechanical wear and tear, and possibly about their detection and repair.

It may be possible to identify, over time, what specific factors to pay attention to in order to detect potential major damage early on.

Hi,

You can perform an oil analysis in addition to a compression test for preventative maintenance of the engine or turbocharger. As far as I know, Shell offers this service, even for oils from other brands. A comparative sample of fresh oil must be included.

Based on the metals detected by chromatography, it is possible to relatively accurately determine the source of wear. Among other things, bearing damage due to the presence of certain non-ferrous metals, and even leaky intake manifolds (due to silicon contamination), can be observed.

Manufacturers of large diesel engines sometimes even require this analysis during inspections.

www.wearcheck.de

Regards,

Manuel.