Failed turbo

What do you know about turbocharger re-conditioners?

Last week in the Daily Telegraph you replied to a letter from someone who had encountered an engine warning light on his 2005 Honda CR-V2.2 CDTi while accelerating up a hill. The fault code was high turbo boost pressure.

I had exactly the same problem last summer towing in Spain and France in my 2005 CR-V 2.2 CDTi, It happened twice and was very hot at the time. The derate clears on restarting the engine and the light went off after a week. The problem has not reappeared but I understand that the most likely cause is sticking vanes on the Variable Geometry Turbine (VGT). Over time carbon in the exhaust builds up and causes these to stick which is why MB was looking at a replacement Turbo for £2500. What about a reconditioned one? Can you recommend any companies that do this?

Asked on 10 April 2014 by UncleRob

Answered by Honest John
The main one is www.turbo-technics.com, which has a good reputation. But that does not mean that every turbo can actually be reconditioned. You must always idle the engine for a couple of minutes whenever you stop while towing before you switch off. This ensures that engine oil continues to be pumped through the turbo bearing while it spools down, and helps to cool it down from a state that might actually be close to red hot. Fail to idle from this condition and the oil in the turbo bearing and the feed pipe to it will carbonise, eventually cutting off the flow of oil to the turbo.
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