Mondeo 2.0 TDCI Variable Vane Turbo Cleaning My Car: '05 Mondeo 2.0 TDCI Euro IV Turbo with Electronic Actuator (The variable vane turbo with the vacuum actuator is much the same process I believe) Guide about how to clean the vanes inside the turbo using Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner. Sticking vanes are caused by carbon deposits building up on the surface inside the mechanism which prevents the parts moving freely. With the engine off and the actuator arm disconnected so that it can be operated by hand, there should be NO resistance at all when moving the arm. In my case, when the engine was cold the arm was stiff for the first 10mm of travel and then free after that. When warm it was just completely free. My initial symptoms were limp mode, flashing glow plug light and P2263 (Turbo boost performance) code being thrown up under load mainly in 4 th gear when accelerating up a slight incline and reaching about 50mph. Only happened once when engine was cold or cool and after a restart on the same journey it wouldn't happen again. Mine isn't too bad as I gave it a little clean out about 4 weeks ago but symptoms returned so decided to do it again with Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner. Usual Disclaimer: This is just the method that I used I'm not a mechanic so if you're not confident seek help from someone who is. Fairly obvious that Mr Muscle wasn't intended for this purpose but it's very effective and used by many people to cure this problem. Basically if you choose to follow this then I am pleased to have helped you but I'm taking no responsibility if anything should go wrong. Tools Required: 8mm, 10mm, 13mm Spanners 8mm, 10mm, 13mm Sockets Wrench Flat Screwdriver Pliers Mallet Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner Large Towel Lint Free Cloth Tissue Gloves I will break this down as much as possible to cater for everyone but it really is straight forward just a little fiddly in places. I apologise now for any typos or spelling mistakes its currently 1am...
Ok so as the turbo is sat in the middle under the metal heat shield just under the windscreen, you can clearly see that its not in the easiest of places to get to but still very doable! Need to remove the plastic engine cover, airbox and associated hoses. Removing the airbox is very straight forward, you simply loosen the jubilee clips on the fat pipe that goes into the turbo and the small breather that goes into the rocker cover. On the back left of the box there is a small pipe that you need to pull off. Unplug the MAF sensor that is sat in the pipe coming off the box, lift the left hand side of the box and wiggle out. Really simple. (Pic 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3) Pic 1.1
Pic 1.2 Pic 1.3
Now you need to remove the heat shield. This is held on with two 10mm nuts (on top) and two 8mm bolts (one on top and one down the back in line with the top bolt). Wiggle the cover as you pull it out and it will free itself. After you have removed it you will still see a heat shield in place below it but this is fine to be left in place. (Pic 2.1 and 2.2) Pic 2.1 Pic 2.2
Time to disconnect the actuator arm and remove the three bolts holding the actuator in place. Using a screwdriver, GENTLY lever the spring clip off of the peg. Mine will look different as I wasn't so gentle previous and it pinged off. Bought a pack of Rolson assorted spring clips and had the perfect size in it. Once removed, unplug the actuator and undo the three 10mm bolts holding the actuator on. (Pic 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3) Pic 3.1 Pic 3.2 Pic 3.3
Now the fiddly bit begins. Ultimately the aim is to remove the six red coloured bolts that you can see in the pictures with the fat gold washers. Access to these is restricted by the shape of the turbo and also the oil feed and return pipes. First pipe you need to remove is the oil feed pipe which is the thinner of the two and can be identified if you look underneath the turbo from the gearbox side as it has a section of flexi pipe. The pipe is attached with a Banjo Bolt into the back of the turbo between the red and the silver parts. This is a 13mm bolt and will likely require both use of a 13mm socket and 13mm spanner as it is in a tight spot. When retightening you MUST take great care and DO NOT over tighten as you will twist it. The flexi pipe allows this to be pushed to the side out of the way to enable access to the other bolts. (Pic 4.1 and 4.2) Pic 4.1 Pic 4.2
Time to remove the oil return pipe now which is the fatter silver pipe with a bend ever so often and this attaches to the underside of the turbo with two 8mm bolts. There is a gasket to be sure to recover this and take great care as it is very brittle. With the aid of an 8mm spanner, 8mm socket and a lorry load of patience, remove the bolts from underneath but take great care not to drop them. I've lost count of the amount of small things that have disappeared into the black hole down the back of my engine! I found that after slackening them they were easy enough to turn with my fingers but this is very fiddly as space is tight. Take your time, took me about 20mins to get these two bolts out. You can't move this pipe out of the way of the turbo but you can't remove the turbo without unbolting it. You can move it to one side but this doesn't give enough access and its easier to get the bolts out while the turbo is in one piece trust me on that one! (Pic 5.1) Pic 5.1
Now you need to unbolt the six red 13mm bolts using a 13mm spanner. They are tight and awkward but very easy once you've cracked them. Again, easiest way is to wind them back a few turns and then use your fingers. They are not that long and the washers have a tendency to want to jump off and down the back of the engine so beware. Once they are out and you have bent back the small section of the heat shield you will be able to separate the two halves. This may require a little persuasion with a mallet. DO NOT smack the hell out of it as you will crack it. Tap it very gently at the same time as pulling it and it will come free. Be careful not to wiggle it too much as you pull it out as you may damage the fins on the impeller. (Pic 6.1 and 6.2) Pic 6.1 Pic 6.2
Ok so now you have revealed the variable vane mechanism inside the turbo. You can see if you move the actuator arm that it moves a little lever. This lever sits in the spare little cut out on the ring and turns the ring which moves all of the levers together which have vanes on the back of them that open and close as the ring turns. Simple design but not a lot of clearance on the moving parts. The carbon that you can see is easily cleaned off on this side but it is the other side that you need to get to. There are three Torx screws holding the mechanism in place but its almost a cert that you won't get them out. For this reason we are using Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner. Loosen the jubilee clip on one end of the thick black pipe coming out of the bottom of the turbo and lift the turbo unit out. In Pic 7.1 you can see three little rollers. These will fall off if you're not careful. These are held in place by a peg that is about 10mm long that passes through the middle and into a hole on the turbo housing. I found that the best way to get these out was to hold two in place with two of my fingers and gently tease out the third just a couple of mm. This will hopefully bring the peg out with it. You can then push the roller back leaving the peg exposed which you can then grab with the pliers. Us you pull the peg with the pliers VERY SLOWLY apply a very small amount of sidewards pressure and it will release it from the hole and from the ring. Hard to explain but you will understand when you get the first one out. Just please make sure you hold the ring in place as you do it. (Pic 7.1) Pic 7.1
Now the ring is off, you need to prepare for lots of foam! Put a bag over the pipes, a big towel under the turbo housing and some tissue into the hole down the middle not too deep as it will become soggy and hard to get out just enough to bung it up. Then crack open the Mr Muscle and start squirting. Spray into the vanes inside working your way out until it looks like below. It foams up very quickly so don't go too mad. Leave for about 30 mins or so and move the levers too to loosen any carbon on the back that it touching the vanes. (Pic 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5) Pic 8.1 Pic 8.2
Pic 8.3 Pic 8.4
Pic 8.5
Refitting is very much the reversal of removing. I squirted a little more cleaner into the vanes for it to be working whilst I reassembled it all. When replacing the ring, ensure that the slot for the actuator lever is in the right place and use the pliers to help you to slide the rollers back in to place. I found it easier to put the ring on and then put the rollers in. Then reattach the big black pipe and slide the turbo back into the housing taking great care not to damage the fins on the impeller. Put the six red bolts back in place and tighten up. Then tighten the oil return pipe back into place ensuring that you've put the gasket back in, refix the oil feed pipe, and all of the other bits that you've removed. Don't over tighten the bolts that secure the actuator in place as the metal is soft! Now prime the turbo. To do this, disconnect the fuel rail sensor and turn over for 30secs in three 10sec bursts. This allows the oil to pump back up to the turbo before it starts whizzing round. Refix the fuel rail sensor, start up, wait for the black smoke to clear and away you go. Good Luck!