Hi

I'm wondering if anybody here has used the Innotec Turbo Clean Kit on a W211 E320 Diesel and can give me pointer on how to use it.

As a bit of background, I've been having issues with my car dropping into limp home mode ever since a service (at a so called independant Mercedes 'specialist') and believe the issue is related to the turbo. I've gone through all the pipe connections related to the turbo and all seems well with the possible exception of the bottom pipe that comes directly off of the turbo. This pipe is bolted to the alternator, but when I seat this pipe as I feel is correct and tight inside the Turbo housing, the bracket does not align with the one on the alternator at all. If I pull the pipe sufficiently in line with the screw hole on the alternator things loosen off considerably and I am not confident that it is making a good seal inside the turbo housing. The Mercedes specialist replaced the alternator for me at the service, so I know they would have disconnected and reattached the bottom pipe and although they only deal with OEM parts I now have a Lucas alternator rather than a Bosch one. I wonder if the screw holes align identically to the Bosch item that was previously on there and if this is now causing the bottom pipe to be pulled at an incorrect angle and breaking the seal. Could a poor seal at this point cause the issues I have been experiencing - is this is something that I should be concerned about?

Anyway, with the exception of that one concern, I thought the next sensible step to diagnosing/rectifying the limp-home problem would be to give the turbo a good clean in case the variable vanes were sticking. To do this I have purchased the Innotec kit but am confused as to exactly which point into the turbo I should feed the spray pipe. The instructions say to 'Disassemble the outlet pipe at the outlet side of the turbo charger so that there is direct access via the outlet vanes to the turbo shell'. I'm assuming that in the case of my car this means the pipe that goes to the metal casing (catalyst?) and subsequently the exhaust as displayed on the left-hand side in the first photo below. Can anybody confirm this? If this is correct does that mean that I also need to disconnect the other end of that exhaust pipe from the rear section of the exhaust in order to remove it and provide me with sufficient access to spray the Innotec fluid inside?

I have also noticed oil inside the bottom pipe that comes off the turbo and goes towards the bottom front of the car and presumably the intercooler and wonder if this is something I should be concerned about as shown below in the second photo.

In respect of the limp-home mode I have already replaced the fuel filter and the air filter (that the Mercedes specialist 'forgot' to do at the service) and have added Redex to a couple of tanks of diesel. I have also taken the opportunity to put the engine/turbo charger under load at high revs (steep hill, low gear) to try and clear out any ash buildup but the problem remains. I've also disconnected the Mass Air Flow sensor on the basis that the computer should default to a standard mapping in its absence and the problem still occurs - hence my focus on the turbo charger and the surrounding piping.

Any help with any of the above would be greatly appreciated.

 

small traces of oil is normal. It happens to all turbo cars. You mention your boost hose is loose. It could be the reason for the limp mode behavior. I had replaced the seal gasket on the pipe intercooler connection the other day. The seal wasn't even seated properly at factory. The turbo lag and crazy power surge are gone.

 

Thanks for the response CrazyPotato.

It's good to hear that it is not unusual for a little oil to be seen in the pipes.

I applied the innotec turbo clean kit by disconnecting the catalyst and while there also reseated the boost pipes again, but I still feel that the pipe connected to the turbo charger is being unduly pushed to one side when lining up with the alternator mounting point.

The end result is a car that ran well for a couple of trips but is now lacking power at low revs although it is no longer going into limp mode. Turbo charger spins up nicely at higher revs albeit with some lag.

I believe I can hear air leaking at the front of the engine when revving at standstill so I still massively suspect that the bottom pipe from the turbo charger is not making a good seal. I'll see how things go and if they don't improve I'll take it to the stealership and ask them to check the boost pipes.

Thanks again.