This morning during some brisk driving my car lost power and went into limp mode. After 15mins of a rest the car started up and seemed to drive normally, after an hour of sustained high motorway speed it happened again.Again it started and drove normally.During the day I put up about 500km and it seems to go ok whilst driving like miss daisy(up to 2000 to 2500rpm) but as soon as I go near a sustained 3000rpm it dies again. While spinning up there is also that mechanical whine just about audible amongst the usual hiss. Am I on borrowed time ????????

That hiss just might be a split hose, or popped off

That hiss just might be a split hose, or popped off

and if it is a split hose, more air would leak at higher pressures, until the airflow/fuel ect doesn't match what the computer expects, then it will shut down to limp mode....

Get the connections on the pipe work joins checked out as they tend to wear out.

They dont half go with a pop when they let go

I found my turbo started spooling up on its self whilst it was idling though. A quick blip of the throttle would bring it back down to idle spool speeds.

It did whine while coming on boost though, my mum thought there was an ambulance coming the first time i gave her a lift somewhere.

Not much longer the shaft snapped and lodged the turbine in the catalytic convertor.

My car is a 1.9TDI though, not a 2.0TDI.

Would a split hose be a big job ?? are there any ancillarys that might be causing this (wastegate, actuator) ?? I know I'm clutching at straws, I just can't deal with a turbo replacement right now!

Anybody know is the turbo in the PD140 the same as the one in the PD170 ??

Anybody know is the turbo in the PD140 the same as the one in the PD170 ??

No it's not. PD170 turbo is a GTB1749VM. PD140 turbo is a GT1749V.

No it's not. PD170 turbo is a GTB1749VM. PD140 turbo is a GT1749V.

Is a GTB1749VM useless to me If I need to replace the turbo in my PD140 ??

Split hoses arn't a problem, providing there accesable.

Leaver a clip upwards with a flatblade screwdriver, then pull the pipe out of its fitting. Do the same for the opposite end of the pipe.

Refitting, would be to shove the clips down and then push the connectors on the end of the boost pipe firmly until you hear it click.

Then try pulling it back out by hand to make sure its locked in.

Is a GTB1749VM useless to me If I need to replace the turbo in my PD140 ??

I believe so. I'm no expert on this so don't quote me but iirc the manifold design is different.

The symptoms described by the OP could also point to a turbo with sticky vanes (ie running in low speed mode even after the revs come up a bit). If you get the error codes on the ECU from the limp home modes read (using Vag-com/VCDS/dealer tool), that will give you some accurate information about what is actually wrong rather than having us all speculate on very limited facts.

What's the average cost for a new turbo over there? Round here (they're made 100 miles east of where I live) they're sometimes dirt cheap.

The car has showed up no faults. Done a little bit tinkering about in a friends garage and cant find any problems with any hoses and there doesn't seem to be any unusual play in the turbine shaft. What could be the cause of pressure getting forced back towards the airbox on the over-run ??? Do the actuators fail and can they be replaced without the need for a complete turbo ???