Technical Panda 4x4 TA 'Turbo actuator rod hole ovaled'

[Fellhound]

Hi everyone.
Having some headaches with my 2016 4x4 0.9 TA, 78k miles, FFSH....Apologies, this is basically another Panda power loss question! For a couple of years now I've experienced an intermittent step down in power, usually on long uphill slogs. Never any warning lights. This recently got worse, seeing me down to 40mph on a motorway hill! Fiat have for ages been unable to identify a fault, but after hooking her up recently they got a fault code for 'turbo actuator rod hole ovaled' causing air leak. New turbo required.
Can't help but be sceptical about this....surely a leaking turbo would manifest itself as an ever present lack of power, rather than an occasional step down. Also, I've recently discovered that flicking the ignition off and back on again instantly solves the problem....so surely more an electronic fault than mechanical?
As I say, there has never been any warning lights/messages displayed when the power drops off, but the shift up/down signals do stop.
Last night I got the engine warning light and triangular warning light in orange, with warning to check engine, start stop unavailable. All fluids etc fine.
Could the whole issue be as simple as ignition coils, tired battery? All are still the originals.
Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide.
Tony.

 

[chris3234]

They are probably right there's been a fair few people on here reporting issues with the actuator linkages rod wearing causing a lack of power

 

[varesecrazy]

there's been a fair few people on here reporting issues with the actuator linkages rod wearing causing a lack of power

Yes there has..
But a 'fault code' from it sounds like a nonsense

Lack of movement giving restricted boost maybe..
But how:why.. would it generate a fault code when no dash light shown ?

 

[The Panda Nut]

I saved this link last time I saw something on here about this issue. There may be something on this site a a decent cost to resolve this I think

https://turboonderdelen.nl/?route=product/product&product_id=14561

 

[Marcus Daly]

Could the whole issue be as simple as ignition coils, tired battery? All are still the originals.

If this forum has taught us anything, a new battery fixes 80% of weird Panda faults and should be the first thing you try before getting involved in anything more complex and costly. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[gar074]

It's hard to see how a mechanical issue resulting from a worn part would produce what appears to be an intermittent fault. And that fault code ('turbo actuator rod hole ovaled') sounds like invented BS.

 

[2668GRIFFIN]

Hi
I had a similar problem with my fiorino 13 diesel multijet turbo actuator
Going into limp mode on full throttle but reset after engine was restarted
As the turbo on this Engine is fitted to the front at the bottom of the engine it obviously gets a lot of muck and bullets thrown at it and after a lot of trial and error i found out that the actuator was partially seized, so with a bit of wd40 and forcing the rod back and forth full travel was achieved and after three years has been trouble free but i do give this a squirt now and then
Luigi

 

[chris3234]

It's hard to see how a mechanical issue resulting from a worn part would produce what appears to be an intermittent fault. And that fault code ('turbo actuator rod hole ovaled') sounds like invented BS.

I agree that isn't the actual code I'm guessing there's been some miscommunication but the wear of the actuator rod is a issues wee have seen several times on the forum
I'm guessing the code will be something to do with the boot pressure being abov or below expected or something along those lines


Edit I think I found one of the threads were somebody has an issue like this minus the fault code ofc

https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-iii/460647-waste-gate-problems-turbo-twinair.html

 

[Fellhound]

Brilliant, thanks so much to you all for your inputs on this. I've re-examined the service paperwork and the wording of the fault re actuator rod does actually appear to be the agent's explanation, rather than quoted from the system. The fault code is actually P0236-62. Strangely though, there had still never been any warning lights and it never went into full limp mode, just the drop in power which allowed me to still get back to 70 once the motorway had levelled out! I'll take a closer look at the rods etc associated with the turbo, and look into getting the battery health-checked too as this one is 5 years old now.

 

[Goudrons]

It's hard to see how a mechanical issue resulting from a worn part would produce what appears to be an intermittent fault. And that fault code ('turbo actuator rod hole ovaled') sounds like invented BS.

You need to remember engine load and therefore fueling, ignition timing, manifold pressure etc aren't constant, so the readings from the various sensors won't be constant either, not unless the sensor is broken (open circuit).

The ECU will be programmed to "expect" certain results from sensors under different conditions.

If it starts seeing abnormal readings it will have various strategies to cope.

With fueling and air related problems it is usually only apparent there's a issue at certian points in a drive cycle.

So for example the wastegate in the turbo is jammed closed, the reading from the MAP will be within normal tolerance until the gate should open, then is sees higher than expected manifold pressure and tries to warn the driver and protect the engine.

The ECU won't see a problem until that point. Drive it around below that point and it would never know.

As the problem isn't a broken sensor (open circuit), but a unexpected result, the ECU isn't seeing that problem all the time, only at that particularly point in the drive cycle.
Turning the igntion off and back on again often clears the limp for a while as when it's turned back on, everything checks out fine (until you drive it and reach that point again).

Normally with these types of faults the warnings tends to be a flashing dash light with some form of limp or engine protecction mode, with perhaps a pending DTC stored in the ECU. As written, this can often be cleared with turning the ignition off and back on, though the pending code usually takes a few clean drive cycles to clear.

Usually if it detects the same adnormal reading 3 times in the same drive cycle (trip) you often get a hard DTC set in the ECU, though in most cases the limp mode stops this from repeating in that drive cycle, so you don't always get a hard DTC and engine management warning light.

 

[gar074]

Many thanks for this - it's the clearest explanation of how the diagnostics work that I've ever read!