Loss of turbo power

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Andrew H PNG

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I have a D40 2012 Thai built 2WD manual drive Navara and it has about 90k on the clock. I think I have two problems but they may be related. Reading about limp mode around the internet but nothing that I could find that relates to my issues.

Below are the 2 issue I have:
1. Knocking sound coming from around the turbo charger. It appears to be the boost control actuator but not sure. When I accelerate and take my foot off and the engine speed reaches 1500rpm, you can hear the clicking sound. Its not too loud or concerning. Could it just be the actuator or could it be the vanes of the turbo?

2. Loss of power going up hill. Was told by the dealer after they did a full service to the truck that my intake tube that connects the air cleaner assembly to the turbo is weak and will collapse leading to loss of power. They took it out and cleaned it and put it back. However, when I lost power, the truck did not have any black smoke. Happened to me twice and the second time I switched off the engine and started back and no issues. Something wrong with the electronics? What could it be? Maybe something wrong with the reading to the turbo? Or with that clicking sound above?
 
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There are several possibilities here.

The collapsing hose problem was only with the V9X, I thought - but if that's collapsing, you should see plenty of black smoke. It would be worth checking your air filter, but also ensuring that the path from the air intake to the filter is clear. If a bird gets sucked into the intake (is your grill intact?) or if wasps etc start making mud nests inside the intake, flow will be drastically reduced. The MAFS should sense that and adjust fuelling appropriately, so smoke won't be abundant.

You should check the turbocharger's shaft. Remove the hose from the front and try to wiggle the shaft. It shouldn't move much. If it does, the bearings might be shot - see if you can get one from Honeywell Garrett, not Nissan. We asked Nissan - the staff discount was $3500. We bought the same thing from a Honeywell Garrett reseller in Queensland - $1500 delivered (if I remember the $ correctly, it might have been $1400).

Control of the turbocharger could be a culprit. Have a look at your turbocharger, if it has a rubber hose coming off the top of the turbo, which connects to a small black unit mounted on the intercooler intake pipe at the front of the car, then you have a vacuum-operated turbo. You could have a damaged vacuum hose (3mm hose, you need about 3m of it), or you might have a failed BCS (Boost Control Solenoid) - that's the small black unit mounted on the intercooler pipe.

Replacing the BCS is easy but it's an expensive unit, compared to other fixes. I replaced mine twice until I finally got sick of doing it and bought myself a Tilix valve. I've had no trouble since.

As for the ticking sound ... I'm not sure. It might be a gasket leaking in the exhaust manifold, a cracked EGR pipe, or it could be the air pipe collapsing. It would be interesting to take a look at yours, because in mine there's a fair bit of bracing in the air pipe.
 
Hi Tony,
Thanks for the response.
The air intake is good. Air cleaner filter was changed a month ago and there is no obstruction to the air flow. Don’t think it’s the collapsing of the hose because as mentioned, the second time it happened, I switched off the truck and switched it back on and it was all good.

Have not checked the turbo shaft but don’t think it’s a problem too. Although will have to verify it. There is power of the turbo, just that it just cuts out with no acceleration at all.

Control of the turbo is likely to be the problem however the face that the truck started and was all good to go, tells me it’s something to do with the electronics. However with the clicking sound, it appears to be the boost control actuator. Wondering if for that connects the turbo vanes and the actuator is not moving smoothly. Need a operation manual of the Garrett turbo to find out.
 
You might have two separate problems. The lack of power - if it's not the turbocharger control - will more than likely be the SCV. This is a widget that lives on the fuel pump, has 2 Torx bolts that hold it into place plus an electrical connection. I couldn't remove mine (Uncle Arthur stopped me), but I bought a unit off eBay and had a mechanic install it and haven't had a problem in a long time.

You could try some good injector cleaner. There are two options:

* Liqui Moly Fuel System Treatment. If you want it to be really effective, add the whole bottle to about a quarter of a tank of fuel and go for a 100km drive.

* Liqui Moly Diesel Purge. This needs a bit of effort with fuel hoses but is really, really effective.

If you still have the problem after doing one of these treatments, chances are the SCV is damaged. Those treatments won't hurt anyway - they'll do your injectors a favour too.
 

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