?Whistling sound
 

So, my car had been running pretty nice for the past few months. Yesterday, I thought I will give it some gas and see how much revs can I take it to. After I reached 5k, my gut feeling told me not to go further than that. And immediately afterwards started this loud whistling noise from engine comp. If I am pushing on gas pedal just for maintenance of a speed, there is no noise but the moment I try to accelerate (even minimal), the noise comes back and increases in volume proportionate to the acceleration. If I accelerate more, I hear another sound from front right (?Turbo) as if air is leaking or something like that!!!!
But if I am in parking and then press on gas, then the sound comes really late after keeping the gas pedal pressed for long time and doesnot sound that bad either.

I can do fair amount of stuff on cars but need help on how to diagnose things!
If I can get some idea as to what I may have blown off when trying to top the RPMs?
I did search on turbo issues but not sure how to go ahead with this problem...

Do you think if it will hurt if I keep driving in this condition for next few days?

Thanks in advance

Bix

If it is making a sound like a dentist drill, then you need to start shopping for a new turbo.

Well lets not jump to that.

It is possible you blew a turbo, but lets look into less frightening possibilities. You could have blown off a hose, and there are a few to pick from. DV hose, IC pipe hose, N75 valve hose, etc. Your job then is to look around for blown off hoses. The IC pip runs under the bumper and will probably be the easiest to check. The others are on the passenger side of the bay, by the turbo and air box. If you're lazy, you can just do a vacuum leak check using the steps detailed in the stickies.

Next, post a video of the sound. Try to get the best quality possible. If all we can hear is wind noise we cant help you. Maybe roll along at 5mph and have your friend walk beside. Those would be the first things I'd check. Give your whole intake system a once over.

Tx man...

I will do the check up and get an audio on that sound in the next 24 hrs.

Bix

When you drove the car, did you feel anything different?

My wife likes the sound of my turbo whistle. She thinks my car is whisting at her... haha. But I think Kayakman hit it on the head, you probably have a boost leak somewhere...

I think the car's acceleration power has definitely decreased a lot. Also, if I continuously press gas for about 2-3 seconds, apart from loud whistling, I hear the some rattling/air leak from somewhere.
I will check the tubings and everything tonight or tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, my friend helped me record the noise. I have to find a way to convert it to some format that I can attach.

Here is the file. It works with real player after extraction. During this time, I was trying to go upslope from 0-5mph. If you listen carefully, as the whistle gets louder, there is some rattling followed by whistle and then car stops. I stopped accelerating when I heard the rattling.

Tx

Sounds like the turbo....just my $.02 but he is right, check everything else too.

Its Good to have a boost gauge.

So, I checked the lines and everything that I know of....Listened to the sound with a stethoscope. It is coming right from top of the turbo-turbine component- located b/w the engine and the heat shield....If I am thinking/guessing right, the turbo connects to the exhaust just right to the engine (looking from front of the car) and that is exactly the place where the noise is coming from.....
Damn.....sounds like I need a new turbo...
But I am going to take it to a mech tomorrow and see what he says (maybe he will find something less bad).
Anyhow, if it really is a turbo and I need a new one, how much does it usually cost??
I have not looked at any diy but is it a feasible diy project??

Tx again

I'm nearly positive thats a bad turbo. Time to upgrade!!!!

ECStuning.com sells replacements, or you could piece together an upgraded kit. If you're lazy APR sells turbo kits but you pay for your laziness.

Plenty of people DIY turbo upgrades, but its pretty in depth. Gotta have the tools, the knowledge and the guts. If you dont have a repair manual and an extent of tools I wouldn't try it. To my knowledge its fairly straight forward, just remove and replace. You'll also have to drain coolant and oil though.

Things to keep in mind with your new 'bo. (just coined that nickname for a turbo by the way ;) )
Warm up and cool down times: observe them
I always start up my car and let it idle in the driveway while I load it. Maybe 30 seconds to a minute depending on temperature. Then I dont drive it hard until its warmed up to the bottom line on the gauge.

I let the turbo cool down for another 30 seconds to a few minutes depending on the severity of the drive. This time is short because our 'bos are also coolant cooled, so the convection currents of heating and cooling coolant help cool it off even as the engine is off.

Blah blah blah.... lol

Sorry for your loss man! :(

Tx Kayakman..
I think this is the one you were talking about..for $715.00
http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...rbo/ES1892044/

I will buy it once I show my car to a mechanic just to make the right diagnosis....
But few questions to help me further.. (keep in mind that I have not done any mods to the car)...please feel free to ignore them if you feel like now I am just that SOB who wants to save some money.....
1. How about rebuilding K03..That would help me save some money and maybe an opportunity to learn the intricate details of turbo.
2. I did some internet search and people are selling on ebay, gpopshop etc. Is there any that you think is better than other?
Thats all I can think of right now...I am just trying to make a list as to what I will need if turbo is what needs replacing and then, I would just get it done this weekend.

Its also kindda exciting to think that now I will know more about the turbos as well...(if I it is indeed bad)

If you must replace, you might as well upgrade. The KO4 is suitable as a "replacement upgrade," but like the little ditty next to it says, tuning is suggested to maximize it's potential. I say, if you have the money, go bigger. There are a few places out there that sell complete Elim kits with software (tuning) and fueling (injectors) that will pump out a lot more power than the KO4 ever would. Of course, now you're looking closer to 3 grand instead of less than 1 grand. So, that is completely up to you. Of course, you don't have quattro, so putting all that power to the pavement would be difficult.

Oh, and a boost gauge is a must, no matter what route you decide to take.

Hopefully, it's not your 'bo (haha, good one kayak), but I'm leaning towards it myself now that we have more info.

Tx for the input. Can you tell me how does a boost gauge help? Also, is a turbo timer a must too?? (I gave up few months ago on slowing down/idling for 30-60 sec)
Another thing, I found this website -http://blaastperformance.com - who rebuild turbos for $220.00!! You 've heard anything about them--good or bad? I am thinking of trying it since it saves a lot of money and plus, I think I am not going to run my car hard anymore in the fear of something else may blow up..LOL.. This Audi has left huge holes in my pockets this year ( 6 months more to go yet!!)

Boost gauge is a must in that it helps you keep an eye on your boost. If it starts acting funny, you know something is wrong.

A turbo timer is a great help, I'm thinking of getting one myself sometime, but not necesary as long as you're not driving too hard for the last few minutes of your drive, and you give yourself a bit of cool down time before you kill it.

So, can I still drive with a blown Turbo without causing any further damage to "anything"?

Don't do that...you are playing roulette with your motor.

^agreed. It's feasable, but I wouldn't.

Ok. So, final decision---I am going for K04 upgrade. decided.. am excited about it..
Please look at this link to help me figure out which K04 kit should I order? http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-.../Engine/Turbo/

Also, what else do I have to or may not have to change after this upgrade?

If I get a quicker reply, I may be able to order it today itself...

Tx again for dealing with impatient me!!

Bix

I don't have an opinion on which one you should get, but I can tell you what to think about as far as supporting mods:

You'll need a KO4 tune (GIAC I believe, someone correct me if I'm wrong) probably some 330 cc injectors, HFC or test pipe and a decent cat back exhaust. Don't forget a boost gauge to monitor your boost. Of course, all this is not required to make it work, you'll just need it to make it work like it should. The KO4 with proper tuning and stuff should net you about 250ish HP.

Standard GIAC K04 is for stock injectors and 5 bar, but the PC16 is 310-317cc injectors with a 3 bar fpr but runs much better on a adjustable FPR at around 2.6-2.8 bar because at 3 bar the car runs a big rich at WOT.

Mike to the rescue! I stand corrected. OP- If Mike says it's so, consider it law;)

Except when he says going through tranny's every few thousand miles is normal! ;) Mike's crazy!

It is normal, when you make that much HP and ft. lbs.!

yeah, seriously.

Well, I am almost done taking the turbo out....Damn the bottom cat bolt!!!!
Am taking a break then go back to it. Have not yet ordered since everyone is down for the weekend. Still debating b/w K03 vs K04 since all the stuff to get max use from K04 will be expensive for me...I think if I keep my lovely Audi up and running, that should be pretty good ............ ha ha ha ...

Might as well go KO4 if you're going to be replacing a turbo. You dont HAVE to add all the stuff, you can put it in later. It wont affect reliability, just power created. Those cat bolts did me in too! Pain in the ass!

For all those encouraging for K04, I am sorry but I decided to stay with K03..few reasons...I have an automatic and the only part about my audi that I hate is automatic. I do not want to do mods on this one but once I have some money on my hands, I will buy manual and then do the mods...In the meantime, time for some help!!!
So, I got my Borg-Warner K03, but I am having an issue of understanding the exhaust studs. I can manually tighten them to some extent but how to I completely tighten them into the Turbo??

Tx again

You might not have to but if you want to you can put 2 nuts on them, tighten 1 up against the other and then use the top nut to turn the stud tight.

Awesome..Tx

You have a point. Throwing a KO4 in a FWD auto is not the best idea. You would sit there spinning your tires for the most part. I went to "test drive" an '06 A4 FWD 6-speed a few months back (had no intention of buying once I saw it was FWD) with the 2.0T. I couldn't have any fun because I would lose traction as soon as I tried to get on it from a stop. Once she was rolling though, 2-6 gear was pretty fun!

FINALLY!!!..For what seemed like a painful#*&^#$ affair with lugnut (for some reason!),
I got my new turbo in and although not a bigger one, but it did make a huge difference to the car. Now,I think the older turbo was 50% dead long time ago.
I want to thank this entire forum and all the members who have taken time to reply to my crazy/stupid/nonsense questions....without you guys, I would have never been able to accomplish this DIY.
Once again, now that its running, I love my Audi.....

Bix

Glad everything worked out in the end! Everyone loves a happy ending...