Octavia engine whistle

[KEITHBAKER]

My 2.0Tdi Octavia (2005, 105k miles)which I have just bought has a strange ghost-like wailing coming from the engine.
It sounds as though I'm being followed by a police car with its siren on! The wail is very noticeable in low gears, and goes up and down in pitch according to accelleration/decelleration.
It had a cambelt change 15k miles ago by a non-franchised garage.
My local garage thinks it is not the turbo but that it might be related to a tensioner on the cam belt, because the belt seems to be "flapping".
Has anyone any experience of this, please?

[smokey0123]

Is it the cambelt or the alternator belt flapping? if its the alternator belt flapping change the clutch on the alternator.

[KEITHBAKER]

Is it the cambelt or the alternator belt flapping? if its the alternator belt flapping change the clutch on the alternator.
Thanks Smokey.
Has the alternator a viscous clutch? Would it produce this police-siren type noise?

[Crasher]

That will be the turbo, they do whine like that. I have worked on three BKD code engines in the last two working days (Friday and today), one in an Altea, one in an A3 and one in a Golf 5 and they all whistled and whined. I used to look after a fleet of seven Taxi Octavia 2’s with BKD’s (the taxi firm went bust) and they all sounded like they had asthma. The turbo on these engines is also extremely prone to failure, my local TPS keeps two in stock at all times.

[KEITHBAKER]

That will be the turbo, they do whine like that. I have worked on three BKD code engines in the last two working days (Friday and today), one in an Altea, one in an A3 and one in a Golf 5 and they all whistled and whined. I used to look after a fleet of seven Taxi Octavia 2’s with BKD’s (the taxi firm went bust) and they all sounded like they had asthma. The turbo on these engines is also extremely prone to failure, my local TPS keeps two in stock at all times.

Thanks Crasher. Looks like a new turbo before long, then. And I thought these cars were bullet proof!
Keith

[Crasher]

Thanks Crasher. Looks like a new turbo before long, then. And I thought these cars were bullet proof!
Keith

Not necessarily and who told you that one!

[KEITHBAKER]

Not necessarily and who told you that one!
Hi Crasher,
I checked out reviews from the trade and from owners and no-one had a bad word to say about the Octavia.
So what other horrors can I expect besides the turbo?
Keith:mad:

[Crasher]

The Octavia 2 is a great car and about the only common issue is the turbo on the BKD engine, I have an Octavia 1 VRS and it is solid even with 130K on it. They tend to be better built than the equivalent VW or Audi and are leagues ahead of Seat build quality but they have apparently pulled their socks up under new management.

[KEITHBAKER]

The Octavia 2 is a great car and about the only common issue is the turbo on the BKD engine, I have an Octavia 1 VRS and it is solid even with 130K on it. They tend to be better built than the equivalent VW or Audi and are leagues ahead of Seat build quality but they have apparently pulled their socks up under new management.
Thanks again for replying Crasher. Faulty turbos seem to follow me around! My son's Leon had to have one changed. Still, if that's the only common problem on the Octavias then things could be worse!
Keith

[greg123]

100% agree with what Crasher says. I would add that I have had them in with very low miles, and high miles, and the turbo siren/whistle (I also think it sounds a bit like an air pump, such as they have on the petrols) was always identicle. What I'm saying is that they just sound like this, it doesn't mean yours is on the way out even if they are more prone to failure than some others.

Avoid variable servicing, change your oil for quality stuff specified for your engine (505.01 or 507.00, unless yours is dpf in which case 507.00 only) at 10k max, sooner if you can afford it, let the engine idle for a few seconds after a cold start before you drive off/rev up and let it idle for a minute after a fast run before you switch off and you will have done everythign you can to look after your turbo.

Greg.


My 2.0Tdi Octavia (2005, 105k miles)which I have just bought has a strange ghost-like wailing coming from the engine.
It sounds as though I'm being followed by a police car with its siren on! The wail is very noticeable in low gears, and goes up and down in pitch according to accelleration/decelleration.
It had a cambelt change 15k miles ago by a non-franchised garage.
My local garage thinks it is not the turbo but that it might be related to a tensioner on the cam belt, because the belt seems to be "flapping".
Has anyone any experience of this, please?

[KEITHBAKER]

100% agree with what Crasher says. I would add that I have had them in with very low miles, and high miles, and the turbo siren/whistle (I also think it sounds a bit like an air pump, such as they have on the petrols) was always identicle. What I'm saying is that they just sound like this, it doesn't mean yours is on the way out even if they are more prone to failure than some others.

Avoid variable servicing, change your oil for quality stuff specified for your engine (505.01 or 507.00, unless yours is dpf in which case 507.00 only) at 10k max, sooner if you can afford it, let the engine idle for a few seconds after a cold start before you drive off/rev up and let it idle for a minute after a fast run before you switch off and you will have done everythign you can to look after your turbo.

Greg.

Hi Greg,
Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.
When I say the turbo sounds like a siren , I mean it really sounds like a siren! Very loud, especially in first and second gear. We've got VAG in the family - a Fabia, a Leon and an Audi A6 - and none of them sound anything like this Octavia! If someone's designed a turbo to make this much noise then he ought to be on gardening leave now.
Anyhow, thanks again for your comments - much appreciated.
I'll leave well alone until I can't stand the noise any longer. No wonder Octavia drivers always have their radios on!
Keith

[Crasher]

It isn’t just the Octavia 2, anything with the BKD engine suffers with this such as the Golf 5, Jetta 5, Golf Plus, Touran, A3 8P series and the Leon 2/Altea/ Toledo 3.

[David56]

100% agree with what Crasher says. I would add that I have had them in with very low miles, and high miles, and the turbo siren/whistle (I also think it sounds a bit like an air pump, such as they have on the petrols) was always identicle. What I'm saying is that they just sound like this, it doesn't mean yours is on the way out even if they are more prone to failure than some others.

Avoid variable servicing, change your oil for quality stuff specified for your engine (505.01 or 507.00, unless yours is dpf in which case 507.00 only) at 10k max, sooner if you can afford it, let the engine idle for a few seconds after a cold start before you drive off/rev up and let it idle for a minute after a fast run before you switch off and you will have done everythign you can to look after your turbo.

Greg.
Hi Greg, interested to see your note about idling engine after cold start, I appreciate that one shouldn't drive off hard with a cold engine, but what is achieved by a few seconds idling.........efficient lifting of oil to all parts of the engine ?

We have an 02 Mk1 Octavia, bought ex. demo, and that lost its turbo in very early life, not agreat surprise as Honest John's DT column had flagged the problem early. FOC replacement by the supplier in Brittany where we live.

[zollaf]

a turbo spins at up tp 150,000. rpm. to do this reliably it needs a good supply of oil to lubricate/cool the bearings. a few seconds of idling ensures a good oil supply before using it. when you stop after a drive it will still be spinning very fast. the quickest way to kill a turbo is to turn off the engine while said turbo is still spinning. the oil supply stops and only the oil left in the turbo lubricates it. this oil can then burn due to the intense heat. leaving the engine on tick over for a few seconds after a run lets the turbo slow down with a good supply of oil.a turbo is an incredible device and needs looking after in this way. this can be the difference between a life of 20k or 150k.

[David56]

a turbo spins at up tp 150,000. rpm. to do this reliably it needs a good supply of oil to lubricate/cool the bearings. a few seconds of idling ensures a good oil supply before using it. when you stop after a drive it will still be spinning very fast. the quickest way to kill a turbo is to turn off the engine while said turbo is still spinning. the oil supply stops and only the oil left in the turbo lubricates it. this oil can then burn due to the intense heat. leaving the engine on tick over for a few seconds after a run lets the turbo slow down with a good supply of oil.a turbo is an incredible device and needs looking after in this way. this can be the difference between a life of 20k or 150k.
Thanks for that zollaf, I was aware of the preferred requirement idling after fast running, funny how you see the drivers on motorways zap into a parking bay and leave the car more or less in the same movement. Perhaps not so wise to buy an ex rep car !

[greg123]

Hi David,

Correct, it's about getting the oil up there. It's possible to not have oil pressure at the turbo for up to 3 seconds on a cold start and if the oil has mainly drained down off the bearings and you rev up or pull off immediately after starting, over time that does wear an engine. Incidentaly this is also where you get most cam/big end wear etc, so it's good practice.

The idling after stopping is more contravercial. The turbo contrary to belief follows your right foot pretty closely, it spools down almost as quick as the engine and does not take seconds to 'spin down'. With no meaninful exhaust flow to power it and the compressor dragging in large amounts of air and shoving it the inlet manifold whcih 'backs up' due to the slow speed of the engine, the 'braking' effect on the turbo is pretty swift, within a second. You could leave the turbo spinning fast if you rev up and cut the engine, but other than that this 'spinning down' is a myth.

What is actually the point is that the turbo is hot. Oil cools it and the bearings, running for 30 seconds may cool it enough so that when you switch off you don't get coking. Coking is where the turbo was red hot, you turn off, now the oil doesn't flow and sits in the bearings. The housing heats up as heat from the exhaust side is transmitted and eventually theo il boils and 'cokes'leaving black marks on the bearings. Eventually this is enough to reduce flow and cause build up and causes failure. A turbo shop normally has a shaft on the wall that has coked up as an example.

Weather 30 seconds makes enough differece, or if modern turbo's with correct oil coke, is something we can't 100% say. What I can, is that running it for 30 secs after a hard/long run at idle will certainly not do any harm and MAY help.

Greg.


Hi Greg, interested to see your note about idling engine after cold start, I appreciate that one shouldn't drive off hard with a cold engine, but what is achieved by a few seconds idling.........efficient lifting of oil to all parts of the engine ?

We have an 02 Mk1 Octavia, bought ex. demo, and that lost its turbo in very early life, not agreat surprise as Honest John's DT column had flagged the problem early. FOC replacement by the supplier in Brittany where we live.

[zollaf]

it annoys me to see people start there turbo car up and give it a big rev, then do the same thing when they stop. <usually chavs or reps>. then they moan when the blower gives up the ghost and costs a fortune. drivers need education on this matter. but then it does keep people in jobs!!!

[David56]

Hi David,

Correct, it's about getting the oil up there. It's possible to not have oil pressure at the turbo for up to 3 seconds on a cold start and if the oil has mainly drained down off the bearings and you rev up or pull off immediately after starting, over time that does wear an engine. Incidentaly this is also where you get most cam/big end wear etc, so it's good practice.

The idling after stopping is more contravercial. The turbo contrary to belief follows your right foot pretty closely, it spools down almost as quick as the engine and does not take seconds to 'spin down'. With no meaninful exhaust flow to power it and the compressor dragging in large amounts of air and shoving it the inlet manifold whcih 'backs up' due to the slow speed of the engine, the 'braking' effect on the turbo is pretty swift, within a second. You could leave the turbo spinning fast if you rev up and cut the engine, but other than that this 'spinning down' is a myth.

What is actually the point is that the turbo is hot. Oil cools it and the bearings, running for 30 seconds may cool it enough so that when you switch off you don't get coking. Coking is where the turbo was red hot, you turn off, now the oil doesn't flow and sits in the bearings. The housing heats up as heat from the exhaust side is transmitted and eventually theo il boils and 'cokes'leaving black marks on the bearings. Eventually this is enough to reduce flow and cause build up and causes failure. A turbo shop normally has a shaft on the wall that has coked up as an example.

Weather 30 seconds makes enough differece, or if modern turbo's with correct oil coke, is something we can't 100% say. What I can, is that running it for 30 secs after a hard/long run at idle will certainly not do any harm and MAY help.

Greg.

Many thanks for that Greg, no chance of a racing start from cold here, have a blind corner exit with the risk of being squashed by farm machinery, and a grip issue with an inadequate road surface :aargh4: But no chance of speed cameras :biglaugh: