Help with Loss of Turbo Power. Fixes after Restart.

I've a problem that I'm hoping to get some help with. This is on a 2007 Dodge Sprinter 2500, 3L Diesel.

Recently, I have been experiencing a loss of power after driving about 15 minutes. When this happens, I can floor the pedal and the engine will not downshift to try to compensate, nor can I hear the whine of the turbo. I can then pull over, turn the engine off, turn the engine back on, and all is good for 10-20 minutes again. This has been doing this without causing the CEL to turn on.

Today, it did it again and the CEL did indeed light up, so I went to the parts store and had them read it for me. The codes read as follows... (Oh, also, I should probably have my own code scanner, right? If so, is there a general consensus on which one is the best bang for my buck?)

P0428 - Catalyst Temperature Sensor High Input (Bank 1) (Pendinng)
P0299 Turbocharger / Supercharger A Underboost Condition (Pending)
P0299 Turbocharger / Supercharger A Underboost Condition (Confirmed)
P0088 Fuel Rail / System Pressure Too High (Confirmed)

I'd sure appreciate any help! We have already done the preemptive fuel filter change, air filter change, and oil/oil filter change.

Your loss of power and loss of boost is 98% probably due to a leak in your turbo hosing.
When the boost pressure rises above the strength of the (let's say) hose's ability to hold the pressure, the split (or under-clamp) opens enough that the Engine Control Unit notices it and it quits even trying to boost.
Until you turn it off.
Then it resets that flag, and will try to use it until the next time.
(i had a cracked resonator that would open at 27 psi Manifold Absolute Pressure (i.e. about 12 psi boost))

Look for sprayed oil down behind the radiator on the (US) passenger side, or more near the top on the driver's side.
That's where the leak is pointed, try to think of where it would come from to get there.
A common spot for NCV3s is at the ends of the hoses... the transition from clamped to bent causes a weak point.
The sprinter-store people sell an internal re-inforcement. https://www.sprinterstore.com/product/single-turbo-hose-adapter-for-sprinter-vans/

--dick

autostaretx said:

Your loss of power and loss of boost is 98% probably due to a leak in your turbo hosing.
When the boost pressure rises above the strength of the (let's say) hose's ability to hold the pressure, the split (or under-clamp) opens enough that the Engine Control Unit notices it and it quits even trying to boost.
Until you turn it off.
Then it resets that flag, and will try to use it until the next time.
(i had a cracked resonator that would open at 27 psi Manifold Absolute Pressure (i.e. about 12 psi boost))

Look for sprayed oil down behind the radiator on the (US) passenger side, or more near the top on the driver's side.
That's where the leak is pointed, try to think of where it would come from to get there.
A common spot for NCV3s is at the ends of the hoses... the transition from clamped to bent causes a weak point.
The sprinter-store people sell an internal re-inforcement. https://www.sprinterstore.com/product/single-turbo-hose-adapter-for-sprinter-vans/

--dick

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Fantastic! Thank you so much. If that's the case, should I be able to see this leak on the hose or would it likely be too small for me to see. I'll look for the sprayed oil and report back. Thanks again!

Nate_Yarbrough said:

If that's the case, should I be able to see this leak on the hose or would it likely be too small for me to see. I'll look for the sprayed oil and report back.

Click to expand...

The holes (at least on the hoses) can be any size (it's surprising how long the hole can be before it causes issues). They're rarely "pinholes". You can also feel for them (and mirrors help for looking "under" things). I'd expect something at least a half inch (1 cm) long.

That's why the "look for oil or tarry deposits" technique...

--dick
p.s. since i have a T1N Sprinter, my leak was hidden in the seam of the plastic resonator.
p.p.s. wraps of duct tape or heat-sealed tape plus baling wire have served many people.
p.p.p.s. you also should check your resonator, too... the NCV3 has fewer problems with them, but any part can fail...

This thread shows one way to hunt for it: https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?p=551019#post551019

--dick
p.s. rumor has it that MB has slightly changed at least one of the turbo hoses... they've made it slightly longer so it's not suffering quite the "pinched bend". So if it's the hose, a replacement may avoid the problem in the future.

Hi, I had a similar problem to yours and it turned out to be the turbo wastegate was sticking.
Van would start up, drive fine for a mile or so, then no turbo boost. I think the wastegate wasn't opening/closing quickly enough causing an over/underboost which caused the ecu to cut the turbo out.
Restarting the engine reset the ecu and the turbo would work again.
Have a look at the wastegate actuator valve and make sure it is opening/ closing as it should.
when the engine is revved.
This was fixed by disconecting the actuator rod from the wastegate. spraying the wastegate and linkages with wd40 and working it open and closed with some vice grips on the linkage. Also while it is disconnected, check the actuator is working properly
Afterwards it was like driving a brand new van

Meikodel said:

Hi, I had a similar problem to yours and it turned out to be the turbo wastegate was sticking.
...

Click to expand...

This may seem picky, but it may help others with future comments.

Our Sprinters don't have a wastegate. They have vanes to control the flow. The actuator positions the vanes.

Even a slight catch affecting the turbo vane actuation can be noticed by the monitoring modules.

I keep my turbo vane actuator linkage lubed by using heavy duty wheel bearing grease and an acid brush. Our road salt winters can cause the linkage to rust.

If the LHM consistently sets when climbing hills or other times when under long(er) acceleration then it is worth closely checking for charge air system leaks. A split in a hose can "heal" or return to seal when pressure goes to zero (engine off). It will then leak less until high(er) pressures again open the split. A similar scenario can happen with turbo resonator TR seams, but to date the NCV3 TR seems fairly robust.

vic

Absolutely fantastic information! Thanks! I'll do some poking around on the hoses and see if I can find a leak. If not, I'll make one of those pressurizing hoses and give that a shot. Past that, I'll check the turbo vane actuator and lube as necessary. I'll obviously take more ideas, but in the meantime, I'll start there and report back. Thanks again!

Afternoon Recap: We removed both of the rubber hoses on either side of the intercooler and thoroughly inspected them. There was no wear on either and both of the o-rings were in tact at the quick disconnects.

We also pressurized the system to 5ish psi all the way through the system (with no end cap at the intake manifold) and sprayed soapy water. We found no leaks. We then capped the far end of the intercooler and pressurized it again to 10 psi and also found no leaks.

So, basically...we can't find any leaks... lol

We will give the turbo acuator a wiggle tonight after it cools off a bit.

Thanks for the help!

anyone got a pic of this turbo vane/actuator.got me curious.

Another update: We gave the turbo actuator a wiggle and the linkage shoelwrd no signs of binding.

How about the EGR? Possible culprit?

For those of you who do not quite understand how a Garrett (Division of Honeywell) VNT turbocharger (the kind of turbo used in
all 5 cylinder and 6 cylinder NA Spec Sprinters) works, here's a link to a very clear and easy to understand video that demonstrates how the Variable Nozzle Technology (VNT) system works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu0UGKS7-JQ
The VNT turbo in the video is a VW, but the Sprinter uses exactly the same technology.
In 2002-2003 I5 (OM-612) 5 cylinder engines the turbo actuator is vacuum powered.
A small vacuum bellows has a diaphragm inside that pushes and pulls the pushrod to open and close the turbo vanes.
There is a small vacuum switching/sensing unit that is controlled by the ECM so that depending on the current
demand for power the vacuum actuator will extend/contract, which moves the bell crank on the turbo, which rotates
a small gear that meshes gear teeth cut on the outside of the vane control ring.
As the vane control ring turns in the housing, the vane attack angle on the turbine wheel changes giving your engine more
or less turbocharger boost (MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) or Boost.
The 2004-2006 OM-647 engines use exactly the same design turbo components, but they are controlled by an electronic
linear actuator.
The 2007-2017 OM-642 V6 uses a similar design Garrett VNT turbocharger with an electronic actuator like the OM-647.
Hope this helps, and puts the "waste gate" controversy away somewhere.....there are NO waste gates in NA Spec Sprinters
except the 2014 and later OM-651 4 cylinder which has 2 turbochargers (one small for low engine speeds) and a larger turbo for max. power and higher engine speeds. The large turbo has a waste gate that releases the excess pressure @ 36.9 PSIA MAP.
Roger

Neat! Good to visually see what was happening when I was operating my linkage. I'm glad it seemed to work with no sticking, that's a lot of moving parts!

At any rate, any other things I should check? There are no leaks in the rubber hoses. No Leaks anywhere at 12psi (I was nervous to go over 12psi with my homemade pressurizer.) Turbo vane actuator had no sticking. We ordered the gaskets so we could clean the EGR which should be in next week. Anything else? :/