# TT 225 Turbo removal



## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

Hello all,

I am pretty sure my wastgate flat has broken so i need to remove the turbo or at least the down pipe!

I have located all the nuts that need to be removed but the bottom nut on the downpipe is going to be a real piglet lol

Considering I can only just get the tip of my finger on it how the hell do you get it off [smiley=bigcry.gif]

I am thinking remove this one first otherwise not much point doing the others!!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## infidel.uk (Feb 21, 2015)

you are going to do this all on your own are you ?

lol i dont think its a one man job tbh, im sure others will be along to tell you how its done.


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## TT Tom TT (Oct 9, 2015)

infidel.uk said:


> you are going to do this all on your own are you ?
> 
> lol i dont think its a one man job tbh, im sure others will be along to tell you how its done.


It is a one man job but without a ramp it's a pain in the arse, I certainly couldn't do it - even with a ramp.


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

TT Tom TT said:


> infidel.uk said:
> 
> 
> > you are going to do this all on your own are you ?
> ...


Hi, thanks foir the reply!

Mission aborted gone for a spliff.........................................................................

O.K So may need a rethink!

I cannot see what else could be the problem, I have deleted the N249 and put a mbc in place of the N75, it will boost to 10psi in 1st and 2nd for a brief moment then no boost all, been pressure/smoke tested and no leaks found! 
Considering the ecu no longer controls boost there is no other explanation I can think of, I have heard of the flaps breaking off hence my quest to inspect it!


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## charliewade (Sep 24, 2016)

Hi ive got a similar problem, my 2000 225 roadster wastgate keeps jaming open so loosing boost its the bushing on the turbo seems to have slipped back into the turbo so ive got a new turbo and started to removed it but its a nightmare can anyone confirm you can take the turbo off without removing the head ? just i read on some forum you had to take the head off which is a no go , i think the easyist way is to take the drivers side drive shaft out so you can get to the bolts but i agree how an earth you remove the down pipe nuts !!! i got a 17mm socket on but rachet is too long think i need a stubby one [smiley=bigcry.gif]


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## lloydbutler (Jan 10, 2016)

Hi Gents,

I have recently removed my turbo, it is possible to remove with the head still on. To remove the down pipe bolts you don't need to remove the driveshaft either. I removed the heatshield from the drive shaft though so start by removing that. It may not need to come off but it made it easier to see and reach up.

Ideally you will need a knuckle joint on the socket, then use an extension bar in the knuckle (my extension was short so I used two extensions). Long enough that it comes far enough back so you can get your ratchet on it. I do have some pictures of how I achieved this but I will need to find them out when I am home.

Hope this helps chaps

Edit: I removed the bottom bolt from underneath, just to be clear.


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## JonoCarter (Dec 16, 2012)

This seems to be a more common issue now, my wastegate flap I beliee is broken what are your symptoms?

no boost at all, slightly noisier exhaust note, rattle in the exhaust system?

To remove the turbo as mine fell off after 500 miles, we will look to remove the driveshafts and prop and any other things in the way, crane it, undo the mounts and rock the engine forward, failing this we will just pull the engine its that much of a pain.

If it is a daily driver and you need the car running soon I wouldn't tempt fate I would just pay someone, as little things always seem to break and catch you out.


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

Hello all,
I thought I would update this, I have been working away for 3 days so not been near the TiT!
Put it all back together today after changing the valve cover gasket, also done up the turbo to manifold bolts as I loosened them in anticipation of dropping the turbo. Anyway I fired it up and it sounded like a very loud tractor, conclusion is the bolts from manifold to turbo not tight enough, redone them but still making nasty noises. I have ordered a new gasket and bolts so will replace when I am off again as I am back to work Saturday.

Anyway I am not 100% sure where to go from here, I may try replacing the actuator first, although the spring does feel bloody stiff I can't be sure the actuator is not just opening up under pressure. I don't honestly think it's that as there have been times when the car boosted properly, I am sure if it was the actuator it would be consistent and not erratic!

From what I understand to get to the bottom bolt you access it via the drivers side wheel arch, having said this I had a look with a mirror and think it would be possible to get a socket on it from above although I have not tried yet!

The obvious thing to do is just replace the turbo but I would be gutted to find the flap on the wastgate is o.k after taking the turbo off!

I have also had a look at where the actuator arm attaches to the turbo and mine does not stick out like some others I have seen, is this normal I wonder?!

Thoughts/suggestions please people!!!!


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## JonoCarter (Dec 16, 2012)

What are your symptoms what is the car doing to make you feel its broken, zero boost, 7psi of boost?


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

JonoCarter said:


> What are your symptoms what is the car doing to make you feel its broken, zero boost, 7psi of boost?


Hi John,
When I bought the car the chap I bought it from said it had been stood up for a few years and when he bought it the wastgate was jammed open. Anyway to cut a long story short the car has never boosted properly for the 6 weeks I have had it. I have replaced most of the hoses with silicone ones, had it smoke tested and there are no leaks. I have deleted the N249 so the ecu cannot dump boost and I have plumbed in a manual boost controller to eliminate the N75. The car will boost to 10psi ish in 1st and 2nd gear, in the other gears it barely makes 2-3psi!
I have come to the conclusion the issue is mechanical as all electronics have been bypassed or deleted. The way it makes boost briefly then dumps it and cannot make boost gradually says to me the wastgate is stuck open or the flap has come off, there is still a lot of tension on the actuator so it seems o.k. 
What do you think?
Thanks
Thad


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## JonoCarter (Dec 16, 2012)

If the wastegate penny had fallen off you would get nothing at all in pressure especially not 10psi.

I believe my wastegate flap has fallen off and I have increased noise of exhaust and zero boost pressure at all, no play in the shaft and it spins. was hoping to drop my downpipe this weekend.

I am betting it is possibly a collapsing wastegate or the penny is still on there and it is just play in and out on the flap meaning the valve isn't shutting or a crack in the turbo 

Yours though may be worth getting an opinion of a vag specialist.


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

JonoCarter said:


> If the wastegate penny had fallen off you would get nothing at all in pressure especially not 10psi.
> 
> I believe my wastegate flap has fallen off and I have increased noise of exhaust and zero boost pressure at all, no play in the shaft and it spins. was hoping to drop my downpipe this weekend.
> 
> ...


Hi John,
Yours does sound a bit dire!
I was told that if it had fallen off it would still make some boost as the wastgate hole is pretty small, maybe this is not the case!
Anyway mine sounds like a bag of spanners now so I need to replace the manifold to turbo gasket and get some new studs lol
My friend is a mechanic, has his own garage etc and has a lot of experience with the VAG 1.8T, he did the smoke test and could find nothing wrong. He suggested wastgate or actuator but only after I deleted the N249 and went with the manual boost controller, we also tested the recirc valve and it holds vacuum/boost as it should. It really is a case of turbo or very weak actuator i think! I cant see it being the actuator as it has boosted very well before :roll:


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## IPG3.6 (Sep 5, 2015)

can be done one man job for sure

i would recommend 3/8" ratchet with a set of extensions, universal joints and regular sockets, deep well and stubby spanners

to remove the turbo with head on this is what i did on axle stands
- remove driver's side wheel
- lock with steering wheel (key out and turn the steering wheel until it locks), remove foot rest, undo 13mm nut at bottom of steering column
- undo steering rack (16mm socket)
- undo sub frame (21mm socket)
- make sure you undo the little power steering bracken the PAX side on the sub frame (10mm socket)
- swing the sub frame down and out the way (you need to undo all this because there is no way in hell you will be able to put the oil drain back on WITH the sub frame installed

- now you can tackle taking off airbox, TIP, charge pipe, heat shielding, turbo to charge pipe rubber pipe, undo the lambda sensor

* now you wanna soak the 3 E14 torx with a 1:1 mix of acetone and auto transmission fluid or a penetrating oil & drain your coolant*

- i like to tackle the 3 DP bolts as so -
3/8" ratchet, 17mm deep well, extension (experiment with/without the extension)
- you can undo the top two bolts this way - mostly by feel to get the socket on and then push.... really hard! movement is minimal so be patient while you click the ratchet like 2-3 clicks
- the one closest to the head - you wanna reach up through the wheel arch and "swing" the deep well on a universal onto the stud then onto the bolt. you'll be able to crack it loose this way - again bit by bit
- get a whole bunch of extensions to get to the turbo support bracket bolt - just crack it loose for now, don't undo it fully

- moving onto the 3 E14's - 
- get your socket on there and give them a shock
- crack off with a breaker
- i would fully undo the one closest to the head, then the one to the left, then finally the one closest to the firewall (this ensures if the inserts wanna back out you can get it back in easily)
- you should be able to push the turbo down a bit... if not
- undo the under turbo support bracket fully
- you should be able to move th turbo about to inspect your suspected penny valve failure
- it is recommended you undo the coolant line at the block and leave the other end on the turbo when you fully remove the turbo
- now the turbo should move around heaps and give you access to -coolant and drain banjo bolts (8mm allen socket) - oil drain bolts (5mm socket)
- undo the rest of the banjo's and you can lift the turbo from the TIP area


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

ianpgonzaga said:


> can be done one man job for sure
> 
> i would recommend 3/8" ratchet with a set of extensions, universal joints and regular sockets, deep well and stubby spanners
> 
> ...


What at amazing post!

Thankyou for taking them time nand effort to do this I really appreciate it as I am sure others do!


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## IPG3.6 (Sep 5, 2015)

:wink:

All good! Once you get stuck in there you can see for yourself what bolts you need to remove in order to get the job done.

Half the exercise is knowing how to get to them with enough movement in your tools to be able to undo them!!!

Good luck


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

Thanks for all the help guys 

I wanted the downpipe undone so i could see if the wastgate flap was still attached and O.K. I managed to undo all the 3 bolts from the top and it was a piece of p**S, the top 2 were very easy, the bottom one was easy too, once I worked out what size extension I needed i just slid it in the gap aiming for the stud and it slipped straight on, I had just enough space on the other end to connect the ratchet and it came off straight away!

Looking at the exhaust it looks like the downpipe has been replaced, the exhaust is a supersprint but I wasn't sure if it was cat back or not but looking at it the downpipe looks pretty beefy so maybe it's the full system, hence the bolts came out easy!

Anyway the flap is still attached after all that lmfao, actuator seems pretty weak though, i think i might replace it!


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## 3TT3 (Aug 30, 2014)

Since the whole unit is off, now might be the time to connect up some pretty accurate p gauge and air supply to the actuator and even on a new one,to be sure to be sure(as the Irish say  .


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

3TT3 said:


> Since the whole unit is off, now might be the time to connect up some pretty accurate p gauge and air supply to the actuator and even on a new one,to be sure to be sure(as the Irish say  .


I decided to order the new actuator anyway as I will eventually be getting it remapped when it's all back together working properly lol

Along the way I found the cam tensioner end leaking oil, replaced the rocker cover gasket but missed that one lol
Bought the correct VW tool as well, I also bought a nice shiny relentless manifold and a red alloy catch can, deleted the N249 as well, all hoses now red silicone and I cleaned the valave cover but didn't go as far as polishing it as I wanted to retain my sanity lol

It's taking shape slowly, no rush though as I have another car to use anyway!

Where can I buy a pressure tester?


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

O.K So i need a new tubo lol

I thought I would check the play on the inlet side, as I pulled it I thought it was going to come off in my hand ha ha

There is a leaast 5-10mm of play and if you pull hard enough you get an extra couple of mm lol

Anyway it looks like I will need a new one!


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## 3TT3 (Aug 30, 2014)

Hybrid turbo time then?
Heres the link infidel posted for me (actually its linked in this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1389473 ) and TTtom has some aet one in his build, I think,probably need to look at his build as well.
Might be worth looking into, at least I would if my turbo gave up the ghost.
(I m guessing one of these turbos would work fine without any bolt on mods..? just would be limited and then you could put other stuff on after)


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## infidel.uk (Feb 21, 2015)

3TT3 said:


> Hybrid turbo time then?
> Heres the link infidel posted for me (actually its linked in this thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1389473 ) and TTtom has some aet one in his build, I think,probably need to look at his build as well.
> Might be worth looking into, at least I would if my turbo gave up the ghost.
> (I m guessing one of these turbos would work fine without any bolt on mods..? just would be limited and then you could put other stuff on after)


I have a spare k04 if its any good to anyone ?

Also with my new one i only have the badger 5 bigger injectors and a front mount ic, and a new air filter, i only want 300 from it, tbh i was happy with the k04 but i thought the seals had gone haha

bare in mind, if buying a hybrid, factor in the cost of mapping and a new clutch at the very least.


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

I dunno what to do lol

I just want to drive the bloody thing, done about 300 miles in first week not driven it since, bought it 2 months ago!

It is a very pretty ornament at the moment!

infidel how many miles has it done and how much play in it, are the seals deffo o.k and what was wrong with the car?

Cheers chaps I appreciate all the help, sometimes you can feel a bit isolated when working on it, so it's nice to get some support from here


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## infidel.uk (Feb 21, 2015)

thad1 said:


> I dunno what to do lol
> 
> I just want to drive the bloody thing, done about 300 miles in first week not driven it since, bought it 2 months ago!
> 
> ...


 86k ,there is zero play, i had 3 failed stem seals in the cylinder head. 4 rings told me there was nothing wrong with the unit and i trust their word.


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

infidel I have sent a PM, i got an offer accepted on a ebay turbo so need to talk to ou asap!!


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## infidel.uk (Feb 21, 2015)

i have replied to your message.


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## IPG3.6 (Sep 5, 2015)

Good job on finding the culprit!!! Glad the swinging recommendation worked for the DP bolts. Lol

If going replacement k04 would you want to consider about re building it before you install it for longevity? Plenty of kits out there. If you can remove you will for sure have the tools to be able to rebuild one!


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

Thanks to everyone again!

I decided to pull the trigger on an ebay K04 23 same as I already have!

I went over the Seat forum and quite a few chaps over there have had them for over 50k miles without issue. The secret to longevity is apparently being gently for the first 1000 miles or so!

It has a 12 month warranty as well, not that I would want to keep taking them off and sending them back but i will if I have to 

I have a relentless manifold to go on as well, taking the turbo off will make it a lot easier to fit lol

I also have a liftmaster impact gun which has made the whole process a hell of a lot easier!

I didn't want to spend a fortune on the car because I thought I bought it cheap but now I'm not so sure ha ha

I bought it because it was yellow with red leather, has a supersprint full system, led running lights and has done 80k cosmetically it's an 8 out of 10 so it does look very pretty. i guess if it was all tip top and working perfectly I might get £2500 for it on a good day wind assisted!

I still have coilovers to fit and the rear brakes to f=go on as well, I just want it sorted now so i can start driving it, the E39 with the 4.4V8 is a bit of a handful in winter and in snow forget it!


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## stevov (Jun 15, 2016)

Change the turbo oil feed pipe or at the very least make sure it's clear. I have seen them plugged solid at the turbo end. If it is plugged, drop the sump and check the oil pickup pipe. The oil pickup pipe is know for getting clogged up which restricts the available flow to the turbo causing the turbo to slowly starve of oil.


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## thad1 (Jul 2, 2016)

stevov said:


> Change the turbo oil feed pipe or at the very least make sure it's clear. I have seen them plugged solid at the turbo end. If it is plugged, drop the sump and check the oil pickup pipe. The oil pickup pipe is know for getting clogged up which restricts the available flow to the turbo causing the turbo to slowly starve of oil.


Thanks mate, I was considering a sump drop anyway. I did one on my old Saab Aero, it sounds like an easy job but OMG it's the messiest thing I have ever done on a car!

I guess it's a case of replace the pickup as well as new gasket etc?


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