Turbo whine/whistle, normal or not?

[Yetti]

Hello Everyone!

I have recently bought a MK4 TDCI mondeo, 1.8 year 2009.

What bothers me is that when I accelerate, there is a distinct whine/whistle coming from the engine.

It is a bit confusing, as some videos on youtube describe same noise as whine, and some as whistle.

It sounds like a vacuum cleaner, and starts as distant police siren.

 

When the car is stationary it only occurs at 3000 rpm. When driving, 2000 rpm and even earlier when driving uphill.

There is no smoke or power loss.

 

I have read loads of information about it on the internet, and it is very confusing. Some are saying "thats how turbos work" while some are saying "turbo is about to fail".

 

I also learned about all the other possible sources for the noise, like failing alternator and overtightened timing belt, leaky air hoses.

 

I have taken it to my mechanic, who always sorted any problems with my old mondeo, (although it never had engine problems) hoping that he will at least pinpoint the problem.

 

His answer was that he definitely thinks the sound is coming from the turbo, but then it is not uncommon for a turbo to make a sound. And he is not sure if there is anything wrong with it or not. So he thinks I should keep driving it, as it is. To be honest, not the result I was expecting.

 

I even got in my old MK3 TDDI mondeo and tried to rev it up, and that also seems to have some sort of whine to it, only I was not really paying attention to it before, as the sound seems to be lost a bit more with a noisier engine.

 

Could it be that I am just freaking out over a normal turbo sound, just because this engine is quiter and I am able to hear it more?

 

I will post the videos so you guys can hear the sound on Friday morning, as that is the earliest time I can pick it up from the mechanic.

 

Meanwhile, do you think it is a failing turbo?

 

I would appreciate if someone could post a video of their MK4 TDCI accelerating, so I could see if the sound mine has is normal or not.

 

Thank you for reading this, any opinions are greatly appreciated!

 

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[Yetti]

Then again, I am watching many videos of TDCi engines revving up and many of them have this noise, like in the video above.

So could it be normal?



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[TomsFocus]

This question is asked a lot on forums and there is no definitive answer.  Some turbos are quite whiny from new, others are quieter...  So while a whine can indicate a worn turbo...you'd have to compare it to an identical engine to work out how much more whiny yours is - if that makes sense!

Honestly, if it still boosts fine, doesn't smoke and doesn't throw any turbo related fault codes it probably is fine and nothing to worry about.  

[Yetti]

Ok, I heard you.
It would be a relief if everything is ok.
If someone owns same car as me, could you please post videos of yours accelerating, so i can compare the sound?
Would really appreciate it guys!

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[Yetti]

Ok guys, as promised, some videos. To be honest, the sound is not as apoarent in videos.
Revving when statinary:

Engine camera:

Some videos of actually driving:

I tried to check the spindle, but cant see or touch it after removing the side pipe.

There is definitely oil in there.

Ok guys, so what do you think, normal or faulty?

Also, the sound gets stronger with the engine warming up. There is almost no sound when the engine is still cold.


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[pragmatix]

That's no noisier than my new C-max 1.5 tdci, seems normal to me, as long as there's no smoke and the hose have only a light oil mist in them I wouldn't worry.

[Yetti]

That's no noisier than my new C-max 1.5 tdci, seems normal to me, as long as there's no smoke and the hose have only a light oil mist in them I wouldn't worry.

Thanks for you feedback mate, feeling more hopeful now.
And my mechanic said the same thing :)

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[FatHead1979]

59 minutes ago, pragmatix said:

That's no noisier than my new C-max 1.5 tdci, seems normal to me, as long as there's no smoke and the hose have only a light oil mist in them I wouldn't worry.

+1 for the above.

I've got the same basic engine in my MK2 Focus and coincidentally mine was doing something similar yesterday after I'd been fiddling under the bonnet.  It turns out that when I refitted the 90 degree hose (turbo intercooler) that eventually splits if it's the Ford one......I'd refitted it back to front .  With my silicone replacement hose at least, the jubilee clips at each end are slightly different, with a larger clip for the end nearest the cabin/bulkhead, although the hose itself appears to be usable either way round.   It seems that there was the tiniest break/gap in one of the seals, fitting the hose with the jubilee clips at the correct ends fixed the problem. 

Even a tiny boost leak can cause a noise (whine/whistle) once you've built up some boost, unfortunately there are a number of pipes that it could be and even if it was a cracked/split pipe, the split could be that small you can't see it.

To be honest as long as it's not smoking excessively when booted, the intercooler hose isn't full of thick oil and it's driving properly I really wouldn't worry about it.