Diagnostics, Causes, Troubleshooting and Prevention of faults
Shortly about the most common injury patterns of the turbocharger and valuable advises about analysis of the cause, troubleshooting and prevention:
- Oil fouling in the bearing housing
- Oil sludge deposits in the oil line
- Oil flow due to clogged oil circulation line
- Compressor damage by foreign particles
- Compressor wheel damaged by foreign particles
- Cracks in the turbine housing
- Turning marks on compressor impeller
- Damage of the turbine wheel edge by foreign particles
Oil fouling in the bearing housing
Symptoms
- Blue smoke
- Loss of power
- Turbine and compressor oil leakage
- Charge air cooler clogged
- Clogged exhaust gas aftertreatment device
Causes
- Use of unsuitable oil (low quality)
- Overheating of turbocharger
- Rapid shutdown of a hot engine
Troubleshooting / Prevention
- Observe the prescribed oil quality
- Leave the hot engine running for at least another minute
- Take the following measures into consideration during tuning
- Do not flush with oil until a defect in the turbocharger has been found so that no deposits can enter the lubrication system
- Dismantle and thoroughly clean the oil tank
Replace the turbocharger after you have flushed it with oil. - Follow the installation instructions.
Strictly observe oil change intervals when operating on biofuel - Change the oil more frequently when operating with biofuels
- When replacing the turbocharger, always change the oil and oil filter as well as the air filter
Oil sludge deposits in the oil line
Symptoms
- Blue smoke
- Loss of power
- Turbine and compressor oil leakage
- Charge air cooler clogged
- Clogged exhaust gas aftertreatment device
Causes
- Failure to observe oil change intervals
- Use of unsuitable oil (low quality)
- Improperly laid oil lines
- No thermal protection
Troubleshooting / Prevention
- When replacing the turbocharger, be sure to replace and properly route the oil lines
- Pay attention to the required quality and adhere to the specified change intervals
- If the turbocharger is damaged, the charge air cooler must be replaced
- If the turbine wheel is damaged, replace the dust filter and check the catalytic converter
- When replacing the turbocharger, be sure to change the oil and oil filter as well as the air filter
- Considerably reduce the frequency of oil changes when operating on biofuel
- Follow the installation instructions
Oil flow due to clogged oil circulation line
Symptoms
- Blue smoke
- Loss of power
- Engine oil pressurized in turbine and compressor
- Stiffness of mechanisms (adjustment, bypass, exhaust gas bypass valve)
- Severe contamination of the charge air cooler
- Trapped engine oil in charge air cooler
- Clogging of the exhaust gas aftertreatment device
Causes
- Restriction or bending of the circulation line
- The oil level in the engine is too high
- Use of sealant instead of gasket kit
- Circulation line replacement, but not replacing engine connection parts
Troubleshooting / Prevention
- Only use a suitable sealant installation kit
- Replace the oil pipes
- Thoroughly clean the circulation connections to the motor
- Dismantle and thoroughly clean the oil tank
- Thoroughly clean the charge air cooler or replace it if necessary
- When replacing the turbocharger, always change the oil and oil filter as well as the air filter
- Replace the turbocharger if the mechanism (variable geometry turbocharger, bypass, exhaust gas bypass valve) is blocked
- Significantly reduce oil change intervals when operating on biofuel
Compressor damage by foreign particles
Symptoms
- Blue smoke
- Loss of power
- Noise (whistling)
- Charge air cooler is clogged
Causes
- Restriction or bending of the circulation line
- The oil level in the engine is too high
- Use of sealant instead of gasket kit
- Circulation line replacement, but not replacing engine connection parts
Troubleshooting / Prevention
- Only use a suitable sealant installation kit
- Replace the oil pipes
- Thoroughly clean the circulation connections to the motor
- Dismantle and thoroughly clean the oil tank
- Thoroughly clean the charge air cooler or replace it if necessary
- When replacing the turbocharger, always change the oil and oil filter as well as the air filter
- Replace the turbocharger if the mechanism (variable geometry turbocharger, bypass, exhaust gas bypass valve) is blocked
- Significantly reduce oil change intervals when operating on biofuel
Compressor wheel damaged by foreign particles
Symptoms
- Blue smoke
- Loss of power
- Noise (whistling)
- Charge air cooling radiator clogged
Causes
- Molten sediment from the crankcase ventilation system
- Ice in the intake system
- Fragmentation of turbocharger with prior damage
- Abrasive wear of compressor blades
Troubleshooting / Prevention
- Thoroughly clean entire intake system
- Thoroughly clean or replace the crankcase ventilation system
- Replace turbocharger
- Read out the fault accumulator and check the air mass measuring device
- When changing the turbocharger, be sure to change the oil and oil filter and the air filter
- Clean the suction pipe
- Check the air intake system for leaks
Cracks in the turbine housing
Symptoms
- Power loss at low rpm
Causes
- Rapid shutdown of hot engine
- Overheating due to faulty injection system settings
- Improper boost
Troubleshooting / Prevention
- When replacing the turbocharger, be sure to change the oil and oil filter as well as the air filter
- Run the engine when it is hot for at least one minute
- Check the engine management system
