my first renault got it cheap

[bernard1971]

hi i know ive been silly but here we go ..... not my main transport but somthing to go to work in .... just bought a 2003 03 megane 1.9 dci for £800 it is in very good condition but now have realised it may have issues i will list them

1. and a big worry pulls like a train but there is a loud whoosh under acceleration (drive volvo petrol turbo t5 and this isnt audible realy not like the renault)
2.what oil should i put into the engine (going to service asap to be sure history is fully stamped but dont trust dealers)
3.is there a common fault with strut tops as i think one is stiff or collapsed
4.anything i should look for
5.IM SO IMPRESSED WITH THE CAR BUT OWNED T5 VOLVOS FOR MANY YEARS AND ALL THIS DIESEL TURBO WITH WHISTLE AND BELLS IS NEW TO ME OOOO IM SCARED
t
please any advice would be much appreciated
thanks jay

[bernard1971]

oh yeh little engine symbol maf light doesnt iluminate at engine start?

[davelowe]

Blimey - I hope my car is worth more than what you paid.

1. Dunno - depends on the sound. If it screeches, you will be looking to pay the same again for a new turbo.
2. Mobil 1 0w40.
3. Yes - cheap to replace or try spraying with WD40 or silicone - might dull the noise.
4. Check the fuel consumption - watch out for anything out of the ordinary - especially anything electronic.
5. MAF symbol?

[bernard1971]

sorry little orange engine symbol mil not maf
not a squeal mor a whooooooow noise
avarage speed 34 mpg 52.9

[davelowe]

Sounds okay so far. Does the sound disappear if you continue to a high RPM in the same gear - ie is it only when you are accelerating at low RPM under load?

[bernard1971]

seams to be loadest low rpm under acceleration

[AlexB]

Bernard,

You are right putting the engine related issues at the top of your list. These cars have a problem with the service schedule that allows overly long oil drain intervals. In 2003 Renault issued a special Technical Note forbidding the use of the old generation oil. At a later time the dealer's instructions were silently revised into using 5w40 oils, but these were not applied retrospectively to the cars in service. Benfield, for example, on a number of occasions quoted some semi-synthetic 10w40 oil as suitable for my car (53 plate). Then, after seeing increase in turbocharger failures the dealers started offering Mobil 1 0w40 to those who wanted to pay more for servicing, but many still used the minimum specification route...

So, start with the oil and cleaning. Get Mobil 1 0w40 (MB229.5) oil, OEM (!!!) oil and air filters, the special washer for the sump plug and do the servicing. In the service check the turbocharger for traces of repair, check the induction air ducts/intercooler for splits (the air escaping sound you mentioned), clean the EGR valve and the channels from the valve into the intake manifold. Then remove the oil separator (the part with the dipstick in it) and clean it alongside with the attached to it rubber pipe. Don't use engine flush, especially with the old filter. It will block the filter completely, cause the bypass valve to open thus sending the dirt downstream into the turbo.

Do I understand you correctly, that the "whooshing" sound you hear is not a high pitch scream that scares pedestrians within half a mile radius? That would have been bad news... Turbocharger failures are often preceded with loud noise (audio recordings are in the sticky thread on the top of this forum), increased oil usage and oily smoke from the exhaust. If the turbo fails completely, the engine will start revving and refuse to stop. Pressing the Stop button 5 times fast is supposed to shut the air to the engine, thus forcing it to stop. It will not disable the steering, so it can be done while driving. If this does not help, then just stall it in gear.

If it is a sound of air escaping, then it may be coming from the intercooler, which are known to go banana-shaped in the early models. Check the intercooler for any deformation and look for any spots of oil which is always present in the induction air.

Finally, it is always a good idea to check the diagnostic codes stored in the ECU memory. Any garage can do it, or one can by the OBD interface ELM327 for £20 on ebay. By using ELM327 one can record the engine parameters while driving and plot them as diagrams for later analysis. Also, download and keep at hand the workshop manuals from the sticky thread on the top of this forum.

[bernard1971]

going to check through all the items you have listed but im now convinced the turbo is shot... no smoke from exhaust pulls well but the noise just doesnt seem right, maybe im panicing about nothing
i see alot of cars (i work for an insurance company in their bodyshop) we have a megane dci in the workshop and that sounds the same as mine but maybe that is shot too
not sure what to do
will plug diagnotics in monday and see whats stored if anything.. if the mil light illuminates is there also a message displayed as my car doesnt have the mil at engine start possible bulb failure or more likely bulb removed

[davelowe]

Alex has outlined in great detail the important points that are relevant to your situation.

As mentioned, check the codes. The fact that the car isn't smoking and is returning a good MPG is reason for me to give it a ~80% chance of the turbo being fine. The noise disappearing when the load is dropped is normal - at least it has been on my car for the last 4 years.

Good luck.

[bernard1971]

well had a astrange day first the shock of going to motor factors to buy engine oil, grab a bottle of mobil 1 ow40 as advised place on counter oh plus oil filter please.... little banter.... thats £56 somthing....... jaw drops to floor i think not.... oil is £51 ..... my bottom oil £51.... i will leave it thanks.... onto i phone internet halfords £38 ish more like it with trade discount plus filter £46ish ...
off i toddle to freinds bodyshop a few hours later oil changed breathers checked few more things to do
but had a brain wave interior front door handles look well used so stripped them from door cards a little prep work and backs painted satin black front painted silver to match other silver items on the car... plastic primed silver waterborne base 3 coats of semmi gloss clear...they look superb if only the onion chewing buggers had done the same maybe they wouldnt have looked like a puppies chew toy
will post some pictures