Turbo Noises: Troubleshooting & Solutions

Hi,


'On my Seat Toledo with the AFN engine, the turbo occasionally makes very loud, grinding noises. This doesn't happen all the time and only occurs above 1900 RPM. The noise clearly comes from the turbo area. The noise is even louder under load. Despite this, the car pulls very well. The fuel consumption has also remained low. Now, the car even accelerates effortlessly up to 210 km/h, and even higher, reaching 220 km/h!'

What could be the problem? Lately, the noise has been getting louder. I've driven it for 5,000 km already.

I am grateful for every contribution!

Hello,

If the noises are actually coming from the turbo, the first thing you should check is whether the turbocharger is still being properly supplied with oil. Next, make sure that the shaft of the turbine wheel has no or only minimal play. If the turbine wheel is rubbing against the turbocharger, this could also manifest as reduced boost pressure. However, I can't quite picture how that would happen...

Hello,

I'm leaning more towards a belt that slips when it gets wet.
Otherwise, there would be a very noticeable play in the turbocharger's wastegate, and the oil consumption would likely be correspondingly high.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi,

Take a look here and see if this seems familiar to you.

By the way, extending the length of my VTG rod helped.

'In my Leon (ALH engine with chip, 35,000 km), the turbocharger is very noticeable, even inside the car, when the outside temperature is below freezing. I used to only experience this when the engine was cold, but now it happens even at optimal operating temperatures. Is this something to be concerned about, or is it normal? The car is running great, as you might expect given the current weather conditions. The only thing that has changed compared to the last cold period is the maximum possible reduction of the EGR rate using VAG Com.'

Where it was just mentioned.
The car also consumes oil. I forgot to mention that. It uses 0.5 liters per 1000 km, which is already too much! The performance and fuel consumption are unchanged. So, there are no changes in terms of driving, but the oil consumption is a major concern for me.