Turbo Rattle?

[Duxass]

I am getting a rattle, which I think is coming from the turbo, when the gearbox changes down going up hills (namely Telegraph Hill in Exeter). Can anyone give confirmation that it would be a turbo problem or, if not, what it could be. I am running a 1999 2.5TD automatic.

Most grateful for any assistance given.

Bob

[Northern Bongolow]

maybe exhaust manifold stud/s broken.or the steel band that holds the two halfs of the turbo together, missfixit70 had the bolt snap recently that holds this together, if your a spanner man you could remove this band and split the turbo,then check the internals.check out the threads on here about repairing manifold studs,there are pics of that and of the turbo.

[mikexgough]

maybe exhaust manifold stud/s broken.or the steel band that holds the two halfs of the turbo together, missfixit70 had the bolt snap recently that holds this together, if your a spanner man you could remove this band and split the turbo,then check the internals.check out the threads on here about repairing manifold studs,there are pics of that and of the turbo.

+1 with that..... also Telegraph hill will show up any issues with yer Bongo.... suggest a visit to a local Bongo specialist if your not a competent mechanic....

[Duxass]

Further to my post of 8th November 2010, since that post I have had a thorough service done by local garage who checked both the Turbo band and the studs mentioned but all were OK. The cam belt was also changed and a new head gasket fitted due to original one leaking and the head was "skimmed" while it was removed but I still have the rattle!
Hopefully this is not a 'death rattle'!
I have every confidence in the garage that carried out the work despite that it is not a Bongo ' specialist set up', it does deal with a lot of Bongo's in this area.
If anyone has any further ideas they would be appreciated. The engine appears to be performing alright - just the rattle when under power on an incline mainly.
Happy New Year folks

[Northern Bongolow]

is it a winterpack model.just wondering if the valve in the exhaust is partly closed.are all the exhaust parts tight,as they have metal gaskets in between,and could rattle.the first section of exhaust has a large bracket going back to the block,this could be loose.
is the heatshield on the turbo intact,and make sure the bolts that hold it on are not broken/rattling.
check the mounting studs on the turbo.
maybe worth checking the pulleys too, as these have been known to seperate/rattle.

[bigdaddycain]

Hi, did you say the rattle occured after the box had changed down? Or is the rattle more likely to occur with the engine labouring? I wonder if the cambelt has been changed before, set wrong, and the last cambelt you had fitted was pinned and lined up with the old incorrect timing marks? Does the later 99 model have an exhaust heat sheild? And... Have you tried to get the bongo to rattle with the engine under load whilst stationary? Try holding the bongo on a steep incline, handbrake and foot brake on, then apply power whilst stationary with the gearbox in 2nd. If you can make the rattle appear whilst stationary, ask a kind mechanic to have a listen underneath (when the rattle occurs) to see if he can find the source of the rattle, if you are on good terms with a mechanic the chances are he won't charge you for none intrusive investigative work.

[Duxass]

Hi, did you say the rattle occured after the box had changed down? Or is the rattle more likely to occur with the engine labouring? I wonder if the cambelt has been changed before, set wrong, and the last cambelt you had fitted was pinned and lined up with the old incorrect timing marks? Does the later 99 model have an exhaust heat sheild? And... Have you tried to get the bongo to rattle with the engine under load whilst stationary? Try holding the bongo on a steep incline, handbrake and foot brake on, then apply power whilst stationary with the gearbox in 2nd. If you can make the rattle appear whilst stationary, ask a kind mechanic to have a listen underneath (when the rattle occurs) to see if he can find the source of the rattle, if you are on good terms with a mechanic the chances are he won't charge you for none intrusive investigative work.

Yes, the rattle occurs when on an incline and the box changes down a gear. It doesn't appear at other times. I really don't know if the cambelt was changed prior to me getting the vehicle.
Anyway, thanks for all that, I'll give it a try and then maybe buy my genial mechanic a bottle of Guiness to have a listen for me.

[Duxass]

is it a winterpack model.just wondering if the valve in the exhaust is partly closed.are all the exhaust parts tight,as they have metal gaskets in between,and could rattle.the first section of exhaust has a large bracket going back to the block,this could be loose.
is the heatshield on the turbo intact,and make sure the bolts that hold it on are not broken/rattling.
check the mounting studs on the turbo.
maybe worth checking the pulleys too, as these have been known to seperate/rattle.

Hi
Thanks for the info but being a 'newby' to the Bongo, how do I recognise if I have a "winterpack model" Also where would I find the valve you talk about in the exhaust
The heatshield on the turbo appears to be intact and the bolts tight. Regards the mounting studs on the turbo, pulleys etc, would these not have had to be seen when I had the work done in the garage (head removed etc)
Please excuse me being vague but I'm definitely NOT mechanically minded
Thanks for your assistance

Bob

[Duxass]

Hi, did you say the rattle occured after the box had changed down? Or is the rattle more likely to occur with the engine labouring? I wonder if the cambelt has been changed before, set wrong, and the last cambelt you had fitted was pinned and lined up with the old incorrect timing marks? Does the later 99 model have an exhaust heat sheild? And... Have you tried to get the bongo to rattle with the engine under load whilst stationary? Try holding the bongo on a steep incline, handbrake and foot brake on, then apply power whilst stationary with the gearbox in 2nd. If you can make the rattle appear whilst stationary, ask a kind mechanic to have a listen underneath (when the rattle occurs) to see if he can find the source of the rattle, if you are on good terms with a mechanic the chances are he won't charge you for none intrusive investigative work.

Yes, the rattle occurs when on an incline and the box changes down a gear. It doesn't appear at other times. I really don't know if the cambelt was changed prior to me getting the vehicle.
Anyway, thanks for all that, I'll give it a try and then maybe buy my genial mechanic a bottle of Guiness to have a listen for me.

Hi again
Tried to replicate the rattle using the method you gave me but did not get the rattle so have not worried my mechanic as yet
The heat shield appears to be tight and intact and as you will see in my reply to Northern Bongolow above, I have checked other things as well so I'm at a loss to know what else to check

Bob

[skater]

Hi, something easy to rule out, what " bits " have you got in the jack compartment?

Wheel changing tools etc? I also have wheel chocks and some other stuff, all of which could rattle.

I'm in Honiton and would consider myself reasonably mechanically minded if you'd like some help investigating.

PM me if you like.

[bigdaddycain]

Ok Bob, i wonder if the rattle is resonance related then? (this is pending the timing on the engine being spot on, let's assume it is). When the box has changed up it's just possible that's the nearest point of the engine labouring, (add to that climbing an incline) Would you say the rattle is more likely to occur when the gearbox goes into lock up in 4th, with light(ish) throttle applied?

[Duxass]

Ok Bob, i wonder if the rattle is resonance related then? (this is pending the timing on the engine being spot on, let's assume it is). When the box has changed up it's just possible that's the nearest point of the engine labouring, (add to that climbing an incline) Would you say the rattle is more likely to occur when the gearbox goes into lock up in 4th, with light(ish) throttle applied?

Hi BDC. I must agree I was wondering if it was a resonance prob but unable to prove it.
The "rattle" as I call it, appears when the gearbox drops down a gear on an incline with no change in throttle - simply when it drops down a gear, when it moves up again after the incline, it disappears. It doesn't affect the performance but I must admit I tend to be a bit gentler while it is rattling!!
Bob

[gmaczbongo]

I had a similar thing with a rattle from the front and it was just too cold to have a look.
It repaired itself when the back box fell off and the front rattle went with it.

[teenmal]

Hi Duxass,

This is a wee bit of a long shot,check the brake pipes coming from the master cylinder,make sure that the rubber or foam insulation is intact.If these pipes rattle against the body it can give you some weird noises.

Cheers..

[Duxass]

I had a similar thing with a rattle from the front and it was just too cold to have a look.
It repaired itself when the back box fell off and the front rattle went with it.

Mmmmm....interesting - I'll wait for the bang as the box falls off