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Duck

Turbo No. 3: Spraying oil again...

38 posts in this topic

Well, I'm scheduling an appointment to take my car in again for repair; this time the third turbo that the car has had (~15 000 km on it) is now spraying oil again and whistling like mad at heavy boost (same symptoms before, twice, when the turbo was failing). So, when it gets replaced (assuming it does), that will make the fourth turbo that has lived in my engine bay. I'll be taking off the rear panel in the next few days to inspect, but a quick examination under shows fresh oil completely coating the rear suspension links.Just when I thought things were going great (and really, they were!), it all comes down again. What is it with the turbocharger in these cars that smart just haven't got it right?Realistically however, it may not matter as it may be near the end. Phil and I are at the point where we do need a larger vehicle. Our camping trip a week ago completely maxed out the car (we had gear strapped all over the back of the rack, etc.), so are looking at the VW lineup (I want a Rabbit, he wants a GTI), but realistically, it will either be a Fit, or an off-lease Yaris hatch (much like the deal I got on my '98 Tercel, which served me well for a few years).-Iain

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Crap, that sucks man. A VW Golf (I think the Rabbit name is dead now) is nice....yeah go for the GTI.

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No Mike the rabbit lives again in 2009 Wabbit

Duck too bad about your turbo troubles. It is still within the 20,000 km warranty isn't it?

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Too bad about your car troubles,Duck.Why not wait till Suzuki brings us the AWD SX4 turbo diesel ?(hopefully next year)

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Yikes.... again!? So how many turbos do you have on the shelf now, Duck? or were they all warranty?

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Too bad about your car troubles,Duck.Why not wait till Suzuki brings us the AWD SX4 turbo diesel ?(hopefully next year)

That was a joke, right? (the second word from the end made his nostrils flare and beads of sweat form on his forehead)

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We are on our third one - it seems fine - not sure if there was an iffy batch that made it out to the spares program or what. If ours goes again then I will be sending it out to a rebuilder to get different bearings and such since the standard ones seem to be hit or miss.When our transmission was up in the air - I was seriously looking at the VW line up too - but the diesel offerings are pretty scant compared to what is available in the "real" world. Kind of a sore point with me - North Americans have to put up with crap engineering in order to accomodate the marketing types - heck - half the cars produced for here would not pass the standards anywhere else - and we take a big miss on some of the really innovative stuff from Europe and Japan.Good luck with it Duck - hopefully it is still covered (tell them to put a good one on this time!).Cheers,Cameron

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It was replaced under 14,000 km ago so the part should be free at least.

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That was a joke, right? (the second word from the end made his nostrils flare and beads of sweat form on his forehead)

here is the response I got from Suzuki Canada the other day.....We regret the delay in our response, Thank you for expressing your enthusiastic interest in the Suzuki SX4 diesel.In our continuing focus to provide high value quality cars that meet the changing needs of Canadian consumers, Suzuki Canada Inc. is currently evaluating the SX4 diesel. While the launch of this model in the Canadian market is not imminent, Suzuki Canada really appreciates your positive feedback and reception regarding an SX4 diesel introduction to Canada.Yours truly,Customer Relations - Relations à la clientèle SUZUKI CANADA INC. (905) 889-2677 ext. 2254

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Turbo no. 2 was free (at about 45 000 km, under the original warranty). The third one I paid for (out the ASS), but they said it was warrantied for 2 years (before installation, it was unlimited km, then it changed to 40 000 km as I drove off the lot, grr).-Iain

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whysyourcargottabesuchpoo!?!??!That's so ridiculous. I understand that you want a new car, but we will miss you and your crazy stories about bad things that happen to your car lol.I want a jetta as my next car!

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Sorry to hear the bad news, Duck...Our car of choice post-Smart is the Jetta TDI. We have a 2002 TDI and it's a great car. Just waiting for an excuse to get a new one. We test drove the new model last fall and it's more powerful and quiet than the older model. For now, our Smartie is behaving itself, so no excuse for the time being... ;)

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Our other car is a 2009 Jetta Tdi Wagon and we love it. It replaced the 2006 Tdi we had before. The new one has so much more power! And you would hardly know it is a Diesel. We also ordered the DSG transmission. It was worth the extra $1700.Cheers,Eightball.

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Our other car is a 2009 Jetta Tdi Wagon and we love it. It replaced the 2006 Tdi we had before. The new one has so much more power! And you would hardly know it is a Diesel. We also ordered the DSG transmission. It was worth the extra $1700.Cheers,Eightball.

We like the wagon too. Good to hear you're pleased with it. We tried the DSG and it's very good at shifting through the gears and keeping the revs right in the power band - sounded like Mario Andretti! We're still old fashioned types, and may opt for the 6-speed manual, though...

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Recently, after a B service at Oakville, I found that the oil level was over the max. I have avoided this in the past by specifying that only half of the third litre be added, with the remainder being left in the car for me to add as I see fit. Several times it needed no more at all, since there was less than 1/2 litre in the container I received. I have accumulated a good portion of a litre of Mobil1 0W40 in this way. Since I didn't make that specification this last time, I got the whole 3 litres that I paid for put into the sump. It seems that the directive not to exceed the MAX line has not filtered down to the line mechanics. Could this account for Iain's turbo woes?I haven't got the excess oil sucked out yet, but I'm not going to run it very hard until It's done.

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... Could this account for Iain's turbo woes? ...

It could, yes :yes: I suggest that you suck out some oil to get it below the FULL line. Or take it back to the service centre and make them do it! This issue is far more important than technicians who haven't bothered to read the smart memos on the subject seem to think it is!

Bil :sun:

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I've spoken with them on multiple occasions and asked that the oil level be halfway up the dipstick and they've always done that (for me, anyway)... they know I'm pretty anal, but I dunno - I can pretty much nail down the moment when it started leaking because it was almost like a sudden "blow out" when I heard it start whistling and it was accompanied by a power drop (135 km/h down to 120 km/h max). Now it whistles hardcore under half to full boost...-Iain

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I hate to be the one asking this: do you think running hundreds of Kms at a time at balls-out may not be good for this little, light-duty engine?

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I doubt he drives it balls out all the time, with his decent lifetime 4.39 L/100 km average!

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Highway driving is easier on cars and turbo's than stop - start (spin up spin down) - probably the 401 is easier than our style of driving in Victoria - only saving grace here is that our winters and summers are more moderate. I am sticking to the turbo's being duds - heck there are lots of Japanese cars out there that the turbos last the life of the car.Did they check the waste gate function when they did the turbo? High EGT can do in turbos pretty effectively too (something I want to fit to the car is a EGT gauge but requires taking the exhaust manifold off).Also is it the turbo and not a leak (i.e. the intercooler) - hard to say until it is checked (wishful thinking that it is something cheap like a clamp came loose).Cheers,Cameron

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Wastegate opration shouldn't affect EGT. The smart's ECU just pulls fuel to keep boost in check if the wastegate isn't working right. I found this out while trying to increase boost with a manual boost controller, even with the wastegate "hard-wired" shut, I could never get boost over 17-18psi.

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Good to know - be nice to know if the EGT is calculated some how in the system or if they just have a set point that the ECU won't exceed - further feature for either the Xgauge or Scangauge if it is something available on the CANBus. What is troubling is they keep slapping turbo's on with out figuring out what the real issue is - either the turbo or something external affecting it.Cheers,Cameron

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My first suspect for repeated turbine bearing failures would be an improper oil supply/low oil pressure in the service line.

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Bizarre - both the failures and their inability to diagnose the cause of the failures. This seems like replacing one badly worn tire over and over instead of checking the wheel alignment.Anywho - Duck! what about the Cube? That really caught my eye and I was thinking about that before the new ride landed in my lap. Frankly I'm startled it wasn't in your list of options. Yaris?! pffft.

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