Navara Turbo issues.

[Clint.B]

I recently bought a 2006 D22 STR with 97000ks on it. Recently meaning 8 days ago. Driving to work this morning the lovely wurr of the turbo turned into an uncomfortable screech. Basically when you hit 2.5-3k rpm the screeching starts (when the turbo starts to kick in).

The car should be repaired under warranty and the car yards preferred mechanic says it is definitely the turbo bearings.

Basically my question is do you guys think this is a bearing issue and have you had the same symptoms and problem? Or could it be something else?

And also should I be asking the mechanic to look at anything else to do with the air intake system that may be a precursor to the bearing failure if that is the actually issue.

Also turbo timer or not? Both mechanics I spoke to claim its a good idea to get one installed after the turbo gets a re con.

Thanks guys. I know this topic has been done to death but I am Sh**ing bricks 8 days out of an expensive purchase. Any advice and tips is appreciated!

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome to the forum!

I think it'll be bearings too. Probably as a result of not being cooled properly after a run - the turbo's still spooled up, oil pressure stops = failed bearings.

Turbo timer - not a bad idea, get one that monitors EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature). Don't just get a simple timer.

 

[joshy]

Id be checking the motor for any damage from the turbo.

 

[joshy]

sorry should have mentioned, yes ive had it happen to me. Turbo went, was fixed and 24hrs later replacement turbo went followed by the motor self destructing.

 

[Clint.B]

sorry should have mentioned, yes ive had it happen to me. Turbo went, was fixed and 24hrs later replacement turbo went followed by the motor self destructing.

Awesome. Makes me feel so happy inside. Sorry to hear that though. Hopefully its a rare worst case scenario and not a common trend

What were the symptoms of your turbo going. Did it die completely and stop working? Or just bearing noise?

Mine still runs fine and boosts as normal. Will be leaving it in the driveway until its fixed though...

Ill have to get the mechanics to look for any other damage once the turbo is done.

 

[joshy]

was working fine and then started making the noise you described. Pulled over immediately and pulled off the turbo inlet, found the bearings were gone and it was grinding the housing. Flat towed it to the main road and trailered it to the dealer. Second time it went i just kept driving it, i was about an hour out of phone reception, keeping it under range of the turbo..shifting as early as i could to build up speed.
Its not a common thing but its not unheard of. I just had really shit luck/shit dealer.

 

[Clint.B]

Sigh fingers crossed that nothing has disintegrated and ended up inside the engine.

Mechanics checked it out this afternoon and said its ok to drive until next wed which is when its booked in for. But I don't think ill take any chances other than driving it to the mechanics.

Almost wishing I had stuck with the VR commodore now.

 

[Clint.B]

Does anyone have stories of the same issue and getting away with just a turbo recon and no engine issues?

 

[Deejay]

Hi Clint.B,

You mentioned you had a 2006 D22 ST-X. Is it s D22 ST-R or a D40 ST-X?

If it is the D40, there is an intercooler between the turbo and the donk so if the turbo does crap itself the parts will be stopped by the Intercooler before being inducted into the cyliners.

If it's a D22, you may not be so lucky if the turbo blows.

Good luck,

DJ

 

[Clint.B]

Its the D22 ST-R. Fingers crossed. Atleast its still under 3 month warranty from the auto wholesaler.

No intercooler to catch the bits. Hoping the bearings have just started to go and I caught it in time.

 

[Old.Tony]

Could I suggest the addition of an intercooler as well. Not only will it catch stray parts of a turbo (which, with a timer, may never be an issue again) but it will give you a performance gain as well - which translates into an economy gain.

 

[the_bluester]

Another issue to look for is that if the turbo flange becomes a bit loose from the exhaust manifold the gasket can vibrate like a reed and can make some very odd noises!

That said i think if you are not driving it then that is the right thing to do until it is fixed, if the bearing has failed then the noise it most likely one of the wheels contacting the housing, sooner or later it will fail completely and if it is the compressor side making the noise then it will be producing alloy filings which are being delivered straigt into the engine!

 

[Dave]

If it was me Id be geeting the turbo replaced and then installing a turbo timer.

If your budget allows fit a intercooler aswell.

I have a Navara the same as yours and the thing has never given me any greif what so ever. But I had my turbo timer installed at about 2000km's on the clock, 185,000km's on it now and running like a dream.

Dave.

 

[achimw]

I hope they did not do any work under the rocker cover before you bought it.
I bought a 2003 ST-R 3.0 diesel 3.5 weeks ago. Took it back for oil leaks a week later.
Picked it up after five days of being repair on Friday and the Turbo blew on Monday last
week and my mechanic thinks its diesel in the oil and the engine should be rebuild.
I only drove it 8 days out of the 3.5 weeks I had it so far and it will not be ready for another week. Lucky it is under warranty.
I bought it of a "reputable" dealer but you never know....
All the best anyway.
Achim

 

[Clint.B]

Well its back at the mechanics so ill have an answer within a few days.

Engine wise the car is pretty solid. All plug magnets were clean and free from steel when we dropped the oils (which were dirty oils so its safe to say oil changes weren't done to hide faults). Underneath there are no dents or scuffs to suggest its been off-road. Even the tow ball is shiny and has few scratches (barely any towing done). The pre purchase inspector and the mechanic who dropped all the oils said its in great cond. So fingers crossed its just one of those things.

Give commenting guys! All info is good. I'm on a steep learning curve.

 

[Arnie]

This is the exact reason i ordered an intercooler about 10 minutes ago and intend to install ASAP. Its not a common problem but its certainly not unheard of.
Although i use an EGT gauge to monitor when i shut down, i have only owned the car since it had done 100,000k's. Its now done 170,000k's and only had the gauge fitted for about 5,000k's. I cant trust that it has been shut down properly in the past.
I was going to do the exhaust first but have decided to go with the intercooler for now.
Even if it gives me no performance I can have a little piece of mind that the intercooler may catch turbo parts if/when it fails.
BTW absolutely nothing wrong with the vehicle for the 70,000k's i have had it.

 

[Old.Tony]

Engine wise the car is pretty solid. All plug magnets were clean and free from steel when we dropped the oils (which were dirty oils so its safe to say oil changes weren't done to hide faults).

When you get the car back, take a look at the oil on the dipstick. Diesel dirties up really fast - mostly due to the "blow-by" during combustion. For those that don't know, I'll explain that process. It happens in all internal combustion engines, but due to the higher compression ratio and greater combustion forces involved, the effect is greater in diesel engines.

When the fuel ignites, the piston is up near the top of the cylinder and the downward force is incredible. The piston rings and piston-cylinder clearance "seal" the sides of the combustion chamber, but they can only do so much - some of the combustion gets past the rings and into the crankcase below the piston. This is called "blow-by".

This contaminates the oil - makes it look dirty - and causes a high pressure build-up in the crankcase. Blow-by is hot, will cause some of the oil on the bores to mist and this comes out the PCV - Positive Crankcase Ventilation - which is fed into your engine's intake manifold and combusted. This is why Nissan specify JASO-FD crankcase oil - burning this oil in the combustion chamber creates less ash and particulates than lower rated oils. Part of the reason for them to specify this oil is to meet emission control regulations, but you'll find that any oil that is rated JASO-FD will probably be a high quality oil, too.

This is also the reason why some people fit catch cans - to grab that oil before it is fed back into the engine. This is also on my to-do list.

 

[Clint.B]

Well theres a few things to add to the list once the three month warranty is out. Fingers crossed the engine hasn't been damaged. I'll keep you posted on progress.

 

[skater]

I had a similar issue with my 04 dx just after i brought it second hand. It had a loud screeching noise when the motor was boosting. Would not do it free reving so it was definately turbo related.

Thought my turbo was gone. Took the intake pipe off to check the shaft play and it was fine.

Ended up being a Boost leak at the EGR pipe, that runs out of the intake manifold. The alloy pipe that goes to the Steel EGR valve above the starter motor had warped and the gasket on th valve side had a 3mm hole through it.

Never had to diagnose a Boost leak sounding like it before. Very loud screaching noise. $7 gasket from nissan and a bit of filing off the alloy pipe to make it flat again.

If you havent blocked off your EGR good time to do it.

Hope that helps and your not up for a new turbo

 

[ljacko78]

I've had the EGR gasket go on my D22 at about 70,000km mark. Sounded like a loud whistle blown on mine when the turbo kicked in and also lost a little power. Certainly not the screaching noted above. Quick fix tho. 6 months later the boost sensor went. That was about $130 repalcement and a 2 week wait cause none in Oz at the time apparently. Only two things ever gone wrong in my ute