Passat 1.9tdi 130 2001 - Whooshing Sound

[dale_jw]

Hoping one of you clever people out there can help me. I put my foot down expecting the usual turbo feel but the car suddenly began making what can only be described as a whooshing noise. More evident when getting into the turbo range. I suspected the top intercooler pipe but I couldn't find any leaks at the side of the road. I did notice that the pipe bulged when my wife pressed the accellerator.

At home I took the pipe off but still no leaks. The rubber gaskets have seen better days but they would not cause the level of air noise heard on this particular trip.

People on the forum have mentioned a second pipe running from the bottom of the intercooler. Would this be the cause and would this cause the top intercooler pipe to buldge? Any other suggestions for the noise would be greatly appreciated. I tried the usual areas for leaks but I cannot find any top side.

Before I levelled my laptop, I had a really useful link from this forum that described the various issues with Passats, and loads of useful diagrams. Can someone please direct me back to this link please.

Happy new year to you all and thanks you for taking the time to read/respond to a miserable Passat owner.

[Guest 2]

Hi Dale,

Unfortunately I can't help with your issue but is the site you're looking for by Martin1810? https://sites.google.com/site/1810martin/home

Hope you get the problem sorted!

[STEWY L]

i would say,and i'm only guessing, that the pipe from the intercooler to the inlet manifold has come off.
your turbo is producing boost because you can see the hose bulging.
this hose runs to the intercooler, which in effect is a restriction,and causes the hose to bulge slightly,
although you would get much more boost when the engine is under load.
the noise you can hear will be the boost air escaping from the hose between the intercooler
and the inlet manifold, which i believe to be accessible from underneath after removing the sump guard.
i could be wrong about the accessibility,as i've never had to go there, but i'd say it was a safe bet,
regards,and good luck,
stewy.

[dale_jw]

Happy new year to one and all. Been under the car this morning but unfortunately did not find a hose hanging off or indeed pointing me to the fault. I did find a small 4mm tear in the gasket within the intercooler pipe that connects the top of the intercooler to the plastic hose that runs around the back of the engine (AVF) to the EGR. Although it is a decent find, I don't think this alone is causing the huge amount of whooshing. How rare / common is it for the intercooler to be blocked?

Using my extremely limited knowledge of VCDS Lite, I am not pulling up any fault codes with the car. Can someone suggest a way of using VCDS Lite to my advantage?

If not, does anyone know a decent garage in Melton Mowbray / Leicester / Nottingham that will have the right kit to check it out?

[creedxup]

Are you still getting turbo boost ? my V6 makes a whooshing noise when it reaches 2,000 revs, just as the turbo boost kicks in and is, I think, perfectly normal.

[dale_jw]

Thanks for your reply Creedxup. I know something has failed as the turbo used to kick in and sound perfectly acceptable. Now however, the sucking/blowing sound can be heard when the car is driven without boost. I am visiting Leicester VW tomorrow to purchase one of every intercooler pipe gasket/seal. Hopefully, this will solve the issue and in turn give me a little more turbo.

I am moving from Melton to Yorkshire next week and could really do with solving this before I go.

Anyone know how much I can expect to pay for seals/gaskets?

Anyone know a decent garage in Melton Mowbray / Leicester / Nottingham that has a VW diagnostic suite? I fear my EGR is playing up as well as the car is painfully smokey whilst warming up.

[creedxup]

It's strange that you can hear a leak but the intercooler pipe is bulging which suggests a build up in pressure which is the opposite of your leak, perhaps there is a blockage in the pipe that restricts the flow of air, when the pressure builds up it then escapes somewhere.

I'd be more inclined to diagnose a little more before you start to buy parts. if you can simulate the noise while revving the engine, you must be able to find where the leak is ??

[dale_jw]

Update:- Purchased and replaced all intercooler seals but unfortunately the fault still stands. It is however easier to identify now that the smaller leaks are now put to bed. Under the car it now sounds like the intercooler side of the house.

Does anyone know if there are seals in the intercooler unit that can be changed? Does anyone know how the get at the intercooler? No doubt the entire front face of the passat needs to be removed and a special tool required to change it. Excuse the wit but times pressing and I am moving to Yorkshire on Sunday.

A friend is going to hook his smoke machine up later to see if we can pinpoint the leak. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, any advice on the intercooler would be greatly appreciated.

[MFGF]

Anyone know a decent garage in Melton Mowbray / Leicester / Nottingham that has a VW diagnostic suite? I fear my EGR is playing up as well as the car is painfully smokey whilst warming up.

Try Crasher at C&R Enterprises in Nottingham. He should be able to help you locate the problem.

Cheers!

MF.




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[dale_jw]

Cheers MF, I didn't know one of the VAG gods lived so close. The bad news is that I'm in the forces and I am due to start my new job Monday. I have identfied that the intercooler was in fact the issue but I am struggling to remove it from the car.

How do I remove the intercooler from the car without taking the front bumper etc off?