(T) Stilo turbocharger

Can anyone advise on whether it is a diy job to remove and replace a turbocharger on a 2005 jtd stilo? My local fiat garage has quoted me £712 supplied and fitted, but i have found a place that will repare mine for a lot less , and if i can save the labour charge so much the better. The trouble is there are no manuals available, except the type you download for £9.99. Does anyone know if these manuals are worth the money?Would appreciate any advice.

Hi mate,

Its not to difficult to change the turbo, the biggest problem comes with the bolts being seized meaning that they sometimes have to be drilled out and re-tapped. In order to get decent acces you need to remove the rad and condenser (if you have aircon) If your fairly confident and ok with a set of spanners, its certainly worth a go.

Alan

Are you sure the turbo is faulty? What are the symptoms?
It is extremely rare for such a new car to have a turbo failure, unless it has done a lot of miles.

In answer to your question, I recently changed the turbo on my JTD. I had to take front bumper and radiators off to get access. My aircon had no gas at the time so it was OK to disconnect the pipes. You may be able to move it out of the way while still leaving the pipes connected.
It is straightforward, with nothing tricky. It does take a while though because there is a lot of things to undo, then put back again afterwards.
I had no problems with seized bolts on the exhaust and mine has done over 100K miles.

Thanks Alan and John for your replies.My local Fiat garage put it on their diagnostic machine and told me it needed a turbocharger.The syptoms were a hesitation on light throttle openings,and the "engine fault" message came up. I was a bit aggrieved at the fact that at 60,000mls this should happen,as the car has been serviced ,and it is only 3 months out of the 3rd year warranty. I phoned Fiat customer services in the hope that they might offer a contribution as a goodwill gesture,but no joy.I even had thoughts of taking this to the small claims court. Fiat say this is " normal wear and tear" but i do not agree.You read in Diesel Car magazine of people running diesels for 150-250,000 miles,without having to change turbochargers every 60,000.

I am certain you don't need a new turbocharger. The computer will not tell you that it is faulty as the turbo is in no way connected to the car computer.
You almost certainly have one of the following:
Faulty overboost valve,
Sticking EGR valve,
or a split intercooler pipe.

Search for these, there are plenty of threads and its much cheaper to fix than replacing the turbo. If the turbo has gone, your car will have very little power and probably be using a lot of oil and smoking badly.

All these are very common and much cheaper to fix than replacing the turbo.

Did the garage give you a printout from Examiner with the error code shown?

Hi Argonought, yes I've got the Examiner printout.Under heading "errors detected by the control unit" there are two:- PO235 -supercharging pressure,and PO191 diesel pressure control. Opposite each is printed " intermittant,signal not valid"Then I have a sheet for each fault code with probable causes.There are a dozen probable causes for fault PO191, and eight for fault PO235, the very last of which is "turbine faulty". But I think you may be right to suspect that it's not the turbocharger, because there's no smoke or untoward noises , and the engine stil delivers power,allbeit a bit hesitantly. I can't believe a Fiat accredited dealer would mislead me in this way, or be mistaken, what do you think. I obviously hope you're right, as it's a much cheaper repair! Thanks, Les Graham.

Hi Graham,

There are some Fiat techs on here who hopefully will recognize those codes.

I personally agree with John and would start looking for poor contacts on your overboost valve and also clean/replace your MAP sensor (on inlet manifold).

You could buy yourself a can of contact cleaner for starters

That's terrible, jumping for the most expensive part, at least they didn't run through all of them until they find the right one.
You've come to the right place
Do you get any whistling or whooshing noises? these have been diagnosed as split intercooler pipe as the guys have already mentioned.
Does your hesitatin always come at the same rpm/speed?

Hi Minimad99, No, there aren't any sounds like you said,and the hesitation is on light throttle openings-when you boot it it seems to run better, but I haven't been booting it lately. I changed the oil & filter last night[ used fram filter and 10/40 semi-synthetic oil]and the engine needed a few more spins on the starter motor before firing up,and the exhaust had more of a smoky smell to it.I've booked the car into an independent garage for next thursday, and they specialise in diagnostics and injection systems, so I hope i can get the problem diagnosed correctly and sorted.thanks for your interest,Les Graham.

I work for a company that builds turbos, (worked there for a week, that therefore makes me an expert ) I would suggest that if it was a turbo failure, there would be no power at the top-end rather than early throttle hesitation. This would be because the turbo is more effective in the top end due to higher revs and therefore higher turbo spin rate.

Its annoying how some dealers/garages jump for the most expensive option, as if they are on commision for the parts lol Mine recently failed its emmisions MOT test, and they immediately jumped at the catalytic converter. Its best to get a second opinion

Thanks Adamcot, I thought it would be best to get a second opinion after what everyone's been telling me,so I'll know more after next thursday. Watch this space.Les.

Graham, the only comment I'd make is that if I even suspected a turbo issue then I'd use a top quality oil rather than something just run of the mill.

If you even considered changing a turbo then you almost certainly have the skills to resolve the problem you have now. I'm a little surprised you don't get stuck in and try to track down this problem yourself?

Hi Argonought , If I had a workshop manual I think I would have a go at it myself, I used to work as an improver/fitter 30 odd years ago working on Triumphs and BMC cars,but to be honest the components mentioned that I should check I haven't a clue what they look like or where to find them. I think the EGR valve is in the inlet manifold, isn't it?I don't know what the overboost valve looks like,either. Sorry, but I would need a manual,and Haynes don't do them. What do you think about the downloaded version? I would prefer to see a sample of it before paying £9.99.

the overboost valve is easy, originally it is located behind the front bumper beneath the battery, can be accessed via wheelarch.
However most (not mine though) have been relocated by dealers to the side of the battery due to water getting in them and causing running issues.
The valve has two thin pipes running to it and a blue electrical connector commonly used on the stilo.
If it's not obvious on the left side of the battery tray then it will be below.

The EGR I believe is connected to the silver 1"ish concertina pipe that you can see to the right rear corner of the engine block near inlet manifold.