Hi all.

I have MK5 1.9tdi. I had this since 2012. Quite high mileage at 360000km.

The problem i am sitting with is the turbo. In this time i have replaced 5 turbos and i belive this one is also on its way out. I had all the brands. Garrit, MAHLE, some other stuff i can't pronounce...

Is the car just to old... And this one of the signs that the engin is on its way out?

It gets serviced after every 10000km
When i do replace a turbo; i clean all the pipes and intercooler. I replace the oil feed and return pipes. I disconnect the injectora and run the car on the starter a bit to ensure there is oil at the turbo befor startup. After startup it idles for about 10 min off let it cool start let it idle and take it for a nice test, not hard test drive. I ensure i service the car while i am busy and taking everything off.

Am i doing it wrong or is it time for a full top down rebuild?

The tubo in the car currently os only 15000km old.

Check for boost leaks. Common ones are the pipe coming out of the turbo. I had a boost leak but power was still the same. The nubs that clip on by the turbo had ground out and I had a nice boost leak. It's not visible unless you take the pipes out and inspect each one carefully.

When you have a boost leak and the ECU can compensate for it, it runs the turbo at ridiculously high rpm. This makes the life of the turbo extremely low.

It could also be blocked oil feed or returns, but seeing yours is new it shouldn't be an issue.

It could be stuck turbo vanes or the actuator/vacuum lines has a leak or no vacuum to actuate the turbo. This would usually throw a code though.

Typical life of the 1.9 TDI MK5 turbos should be around 150 000 kms and more.

I've fitted the Garret turbo to my dad's car, no issues at all. It has done around 2000kms.

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Callum229 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 22, 2021 12:15 pm Check for boost leaks. Common ones are the pipe coming out of the turbo. I had a boost leak but power was still the same. The nubs that clip on by the turbo had ground out and I had a nice boost leak. It's not visible unless you take the pipes out and inspect each one carefully.

When you have a boost leak and the ECU can compensate for it, it runs the turbo at ridiculously high rpm. This makes the life of the turbo extremely low.

It could also be blocked oil feed or returns, but seeing yours is new it shouldn't be an issue.

It could be stuck turbo vanes or the actuator/vacuum lines has a leak or no vacuum to actuate the turbo. This would usually throw a code though.

Typical life of the 1.9 TDI MK5 turbos should be around 150 000 kms and more.

I've fitted the Garret turbo to my dad's car, no issues at all. It has done around 2000kms.

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Thank you. I'll check the actuator and the vacuum system. The only code i always get is a manifold pressure low warning. It goes and comes every now and then. I suppose it could be that the sensor might be faulty. However no codes as of yet. All the clamps and piping are new except for the one at the turbo. Ill have a look.

Did u do a decat yet that can also be a problem secondly what oil are u using

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Manifold pressure low is either leaking manifold or manifold gasket, turbo not meeting boost conditions or you have a boost leak somewhere. Take out all the pipes and inspect them properly(could be a faulty O ring, not clipped in properly, etc), check o rings and check if you can pressure test the intercooler as well. Low manifold pressure means that there is near to no boost.

Don't put a new turbo unless the cause is found, that is just throwing money down a drain.

@Carel040 I am about to do a decat on my car, what could go wrong?

It's better for turbo the cat gets clogged up and all that heat goes to turbo it will spool better

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I see the car is decatted and tuned.

Who did the tune, what is the power output?

Stock 1.9 TDI 77KW turbos can't take much punishment. Too much of boost and the turbo will have a short life.

Invest in the 2.0 TDI turbo or hybrid turbo.

@Carel040 I see, any issues I might have decatted though?

Better turbo for 1.9 74kw is the sport line turbo straight fit just need to buy billet connector and do software

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I am not sure but I don't think the Polo turbo and the Mk5 TDI turbos are the same. There was something different about the way it actuated or the vacuum system is different. I could be wrong though.

Thank you for all the advice. I am going to Cape Town for a few weeks for work. So the car is parked during that time. When i am back ill start taking the intake system apart.

The vehicle was decat-ed when the first turbo failed. It was a spectacular fail. I called it a tune, however it was more of a ECU flash. I read on this forum what the difference is and never changed it.

So the battle continues. The advice on here and from my good friend are the same. Inspect and fix the plumbing, i am going to replace the senor for security. The reson is that the error is not constant. Today it will be there when i get to work in JHB from PTA. Tomorrow when i check the error is gone after completing the same trip.


Thank you once again for allbthe advice. Will het the old girl fixed up as new when i get back from CT.