Low boost after replacing EGR pipe

[Calsonic]

Hi All,

I am at my wits end with this car. About six months ago, I started to notice a strange noise when my turbo spooled up. at first I thought it was air escaping but my boost was still around 18 PSI under load.

After a bit of reading I began to think my impeller was creating the noise and I feared it could fail at anytime. So I purchased a replacement turbo and set about replacing it. Upon starting to dismantle the old turbo, I discovered that one exhaust stud was missing and one nut was missing while the third nut was slightly loose. So this led me to believe the noise I was hearing was the loose exhaust connection.

Having the new turbo and the old one with over 200k on it I decided to put the new one on anyway. So I put it all back together and would you believe it, the air noise was still there.

Next step. I tested the intercooler for leaks. Yep. It has leaks. So I ordered a new one and replaced it. Still had the air noise. Boost pressure still the same.
Going out of my mind. The car still drove fine.

2 weeks ago, the EGR pipe broke in two pieces. When I pulled it off I thought, thats it. Thats been the noise. It had a crack in the pipe that eventually burnt right through. I used to get EGR fault codes several times a week but was told it was due to the oversized exhaust the car had. (Never believe used car salesmen, my mistake)

Anyway, I purchased a new EGR pipe because I'm not confident enough to block it and do whatever else you have to do to keep the boost at a good level.

And now here I am. The noise is still there except now my boost is lucky to hit 15psi and my car is blowing black smoke like never before. Actually, I do mean never before. It never blew smoke until I put the new EGR pipe on.

So now before I start pulling stuff apart again, can anyone give my some insight as to what I might have overlooked or done wrong? I'm still convinced there is an air leak but have no idea where to start looking apart from the obvious turbo pipes.

I'd really appreciate any input I can get. Can I pressure test my system? if so, how?
What else can I do?

TIA

Geoff

[parelius]

Remove the egr system and plug up the hole on the exhaust manifold.


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[parelius]

Black smoke suggest its fuel related i think.
Another note: do you have a catch can? Its worth it for grabbing the oil from the crank case vent that leads back to the air intake and covers the intercooler pipes in oil film


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[mudski]

No mention of what motor, but I assume its a ZD30. Di or CRD?
I take it you are not using any form of manual boost control? If so. This is what i would do. disconnect the -ive to the battery for around an hour to reset the ECU. Having boost leaks prior which you had, the ECU would have been working the turbo harder to achieve your boost levels. Now there is no boost leaks its might be creating issues with the MAP sensor on the intercooler, therefor the fuel mixtures are now to rich.

Also make sure ALL of the vacuum lines are in good condition. And also ALL of the intercooler hoses and clamps are also in good condition.

If you have manual boost control. Ignore this and tell me what you are using for boost control.

[Calsonic]

No mention of what motor, but I assume its a ZD30. Di or CRD?
I take it you are not using any form of manual boost control? If so. This is what i would do. disconnect the -ive to the battery for around an hour to reset the ECU. Having boost leaks prior which you had, the ECU would have been working the turbo harder to achieve your boost levels. Now there is no boost leaks its might be creating issues with the MAP sensor on the intercooler, therefor the fuel mixtures are now to rich.

Also make sure ALL of the vacuum lines are in good condition. And also ALL of the intercooler hoses and clamps are also in good condition.

If you have manual boost control. Ignore this and tell me what you are using for boost control.


Sorry for leaving out some crucial information. Yes its a ZD30 GUIV 2008. CRD. I have no manual boost attached. I will try the battery suggestion and see how that goes.
I have not had the EGR fault code come up since I put the new pipe on so at least I have fixed that problem. I have gone over the pipes several times but will do it all again at the end of this week when I have a few days off and can literally strip them all down and thoroughly inspect and replace if needed.

Your suggestion on resetting the ECU seems like a very logical idea. It has been running with the EGR fault for 3 years now and because I listened to the mechanic of the car yard I bought the vehicle from, I believed it was simply a side effect of the much larger exhaust that had been fitted to the vehicle so just cleared the code anytime it came up. You live and learn.

I'll report back once I have done all this again.

In answer to Parelius, yes I do have a catch can. It probably needs emptying though :-)

[mudski]

Empty the can too mate. if it over full it could be seeping into the intake and then down into the turbo. On the CRD's you can get fault codes come up with larger exhausts. This is not a myth.

[Calsonic]

Hey everyone, I trust you all had a great Christmas.

A quick update on my problem.

Today I finally got the opportunity to pull stuff off the motor again. This time I concentrated on the air return side of the motor as I was convinced that is where the sound was coming from.

I removed the battery So I could get at the hose easier. Thats when I discovered that the return hose from the intercooler was actually in two parts with a metal spacer/joiner in between.

As I had never pulled the battery out of the way before, I assumed that the metal joiner was the end of the hose.

Anyway, I think you can guess where I'm going with this.

I removed the metal joiner and although the bottom section of pipe looked to be in good condition, I shone a light inside it and discovered a nive tear in the hose on the underside.

So there is my air leak. I'm not going crazy after all. No one else could understand what I was talking about when I said there is a noise in my engine that should not be there. You all know how well attuned you become to your car.

I'm off to get a new pipe and cannot wait to hear my car running and sounding quiet again. At least to me.

Cheers

GT

[Hodge]

Thats a good cheap outcome Calsonic.
I know a bloke who spent a few mortgage repayments on a new intercooler, only to find out that the issue was in fact a $10 hose clamp....

[Calsonic]

Update.

Hose replaced. Noise gone and boost normal again. Car even feels smoother and more power. Happy days.

Cheers

[Cuppa]

Good when things get sorted.
Even better when folk take the time to report back
Good on ya Calsonic.