Successful turbo change on 2.0 TDI BKD Touran

[VAG-Abound]

I know I was grateful for others writing up their turbo changing experiences, so I'll return the favour.

This is for our 58 plate / 2009 model year 2.0 TDI Touran with BKD engine. The online workshop manuals that I found for the same engine Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia were very useful, but I’d say this article was the overall key to success: https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/thread...rboost.149599/. Its list of tools and step-by-step guide were invaluable.

I was switching the original Garrett turbo and hard oil feed line for a new Melett turbo and flexible / braided oil line from Darkside. Overall it was a steady two-day job for me as a first timer, working on ramps in a friend’s empty rented lockup / workshop (there was kettle, etc but no tools). I was pleased to find that everything worked out by removing the front exhaust section, which gave a passage for the turbo unit and also an important line of sight and reach for various fastenings. I took a couple of wrong steers, especially with the flexible oil line, and hit a couple of unexpected snags. I think I’d be able to do the next one within a day.

Overall I was pleased with the outcome. Although it took a half-day longer than I anticipated it felt worthwhile and bizarrely pleasing as the last fastener went back in and I had none left over.

I’d make the following additions to the list of tools and supplies in that Audi-Sport article:

• Proper "remote hose clamp pliers": not sure the ones under car would be accessible with anything else
• Mains powered lamp
• Head torch
• 1/4" flexy driver: ideal for hand spinning of various nuts
• 1/4" ratchet drive: more wiggle in some tight spaces
• 1/4" deep sockets: handy for some deeper studs, etc
• Two M8 nuts and Plus Gas to remove / fit studs mounted in turbo casting
• 17mm deep(-ish) socket for turbo oil line connector: wheel nut spanner may work
• 24mm deep socket: for oil pressure sensor - may weep oil if not drained
• 17mm ratchet spanner: for oil line connector at engine
• Bit of tape: to hold oil line banjo, bolt, washer together while fitting at engine
• Oil line clips / mounts: Reeuse original VW - new ones on braided line aren't as malleable
• VAG flared nuts for turbo mounting: I didn’t like the looks of the unflared, pinched nuts in the supplied pack
• VAG gaskets: no special reason, just seems sensible given overall time / cost investment
• Boost pipe o-ring seals: handy to replace while under car if worn
• Oil and filter of your choice: Quantum oil was available from Darkside at a decent price and I got filter from VAG as they’re not that expensive

The main snags I hit were:

Actually no problem for me, but in the Audi-Sport article it talks about the turbo oil feed adapter possibly turning when releasing the hard line, and using a modified spanner to hold it. That'd be very hard to get in place IMHO, so I think having a TBD size drill bit / rod / plate / thingy to drop into the channel alongside the adapter and stop it turning might be a decent plan. I'll try to remember to see what size object would work and update here.

I was a bit stumped when I had the old and new turbos next to each other and looking at which parts needed moving across. I had to go and cadge a couple of M8 nuts to move five studs across using the nut-against-nut method: they actually came out pretty easily after 5-min Plus Gas soak.

Also had to find a deep-ish 17mm socket to reach over the projection on the pre-fitted mounting adapter for a hard line oil union that is between two rising surfaces so hard to access with regular spanner. I didn’t need this in the turbo oil feed as I was using the flexible line. Luckily our Laser extending wheel nut lever has a reversible 17mm/19mmsocket which was ideal.

Oil feed connection at engine is a bit hard to access. The oil pressure sensor is very close to it making spanner wiggle hard, so removing that sensor makes access somewhat easier. A 24mm deep socket I happened to have was ideal for this. 24mm ring / open spanner might also do it. The original 17mm size male-male oil feed union adapter then came out quite easily. This is in pretty tight so that in use the “collar” on the oil line is looser and unlocks first.

I ran the oil line and connected / removed it 3 or 4 times as I realised it wasn’t looking right from below, was passing various pipes between block and battery side that it might start to chafe on, wasn't near enough to mount points, etc. I was weary at this point and should have checked more carefully before finally fitting at engine. If I was doing it for again I might pull a length of cord / curtain wire / etc tied to the original line through as I removed it so I could then feed the line along the original path.

Fitting new oil feed banjo / washers / nut into engine oil feed mount was very fiddly. An inch or so of insulating tape over components made it much easier to align them, get first half turn done, then remove tape. Still awkward to access, so a ratchet ring 17mm spanner was very useful for snugging this up.

I also had to loosen a hard pipe that was “pinching” lower left of turbo when viewed along exhaust tunnel. 13mm or 16mm bolt just around lower corner on engine block. Don’t forget to tighten it back up.