Clicking clattery sound from turbo at moderate acceleration. Help! I'm begging!
 

So imagine a baseball card in the spokes of a bike wheel. Thats the sound I'm hearing as the turbo spools up at moderate acceleration (normal driving). It is doing it weather the car is hot or cold. Today i was driving in front of some stores and then later through town between the buildings on Main and when I slowed to go over the speed bumps in front of the stores within 2 seconds of pushin on the gas pedel there was the sound. And in town, a car turned in front of me off Main and I was in 4th just putin along. Within seconds of pushing on the gas there was the sound. Went under an overpass today and hit the gas in 4th or 5th and with in seconds there it was. It is definately related to the speed of the turbo as I can feel the turbo doing its job as the sound appears. ANY ideas? i mean should a turbo be making a plastic fluttering/clackity sound as its spools up. Could it be the wastegate or maybe the bypass valve. I haven't really noticed any loss in power but there is def a sound that is not normal unlike what the dealer seems to think. thing is though, it't not overly loud and obnoxious. you can only hear it with the windows down as it is echoing off the buildings, and curbs around you. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!! i don't even turn on the radio now cause i'm so obsessed with figuring this out and what makes it happen.

Are you sure it's the turbo? The injection system makes a light tapping sound that's quite normal.

Spridget

Are you sure it is the Turbo. sounds to me like you might be low on oil. The timing chain will make that sound if you are severely low on oil.

NO its not the injectors because i know that sound. And if it is then something is def wrong with them to be that loud. It's not the oil level either because i check it regularly and its had an oil change while all of this has been going on. This has been happening for at least 6 months now. Since it's been warm enough for me to have my windows down and first notice it. Normally if it's over 60degrees out then the windows are down. I have driven 2 newer loaners and my buddy's 08 and I don't hear it on their car and trust me i'm listening.
If it was the chain wouldn't it make the sound from just revving the engine or would it need load? The entire chain/guide/tensioner deal was replaced last fall.

I'm going to say it...

Have you tried different fuel stations?

I say this (1) because the trucks at work would ping on the miserable fuel we had even though they had/have modern engines with anti-knock systems - they can only deal with fuel that is bad - not horrible fuel... And (2): I also had a similar experience with fuel I purchased while traveling home from a ski hill a few years ago. That fuel caused CELs and pinging under moderate acceleration. Next tank of gas from my usual station and all was good again...

Good luck!
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I'm almost positive it isn't fuel related because I don't necessarily use fuel from only one place. Shell, Kroger, Chevron, whatever.....it still does it.

Loss in power at all? Keep us updated.

No. no loss in power that i have noticed. I hate trying to explain a sound. What i think sounds like a card in a spoke might sound like something else to someone else. It basically sounds like somethin is loose and flappin around as the turbo starts spinnin.

Could this be the waste gate flapper loose on its shaft? Flapping in exhaust stream? A guess...:confused: I doubt it's the turbine or compressor bouncing off their shrouds - turbos don't last long at all (!!) when that happens.
Good luck! Hope it's a cheap easy fix!
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You could pop off the inlet pipe. While the car is cold!!! And stick your finger in the turbo check for shaft play. Wiggling back and forth gently. Doubt that's the problem but easy check.

Summons I have been wondering that exact thing. Lowsid3r I will check that out tomorrow and see if there is any play at all. Is there a way to check the wastegate valve without taking to much off?

Aight so i had the hood up tonight after changin the oil and had my dad start it up and give it some very slight revs. Sure enough the sound is def coming from under the turbo heat shield so its the turbo or something rattling under the shield. It sounds like a lesser version of when my catalytic converter was bustin up and rattling. Any clues now?

How about a video?

I tried but I have a piece of crap htc evo and it just picks up all the regular clatter from the engine but not the sound from the turbo. I will try with my camera tomorrow night out in the driveway tomorrow where there is no echo.

Here's the best video I can do at the moment. It normally rattles on a cold start just as it did for about 30 secs after work today but of course not in this video. You can here it when my friend is doing the short quick revs. I will try to get a better one.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxlLP...ature=youtu.be
Also, I've read the service bullitin and several posts about the N18 with the noisy wastegate that is "normal" for the newer engine but should i hear anything from the wastegate on my 09?

I heard the sound in your video. Is it still under warranty? If it is I would take it to dealer, get a loaner and tell them to fix it.

Just got told today it's a normal sound from the vacuum pump. I'm going up saturday morning to take the tech for a ride again and show him what I'm talking about. I can accept that maybe the innitial ticking noise at start up is a pump but I don't think that the clackety thrashy sound when i'm accelerating is normal. UGH

Vacuum pump will sound almost like that, if it is the turbo making that sound only 2 things would cause it, bent shaft or debris. Cant really tell as you weren't boosting in the video.

Wastegate rattle? Mine does it on cold engine. After a few mins it's gone

Where is the vacuum pump? The dealer is telling me thats the clicking sound off boost but would that sound get thrashier sounding at light to moderate boost and if so does that mean that it is messed up? They say it's normal but again i havent heard it on the other 4 or 5 MINIs i've been in over the past year.

Any knees on this?

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After 6 days and 140 miles of test driving they have come to the conclusion that they dont hear anything abnormal. they can't tell me what the sound that i hear is or where it comes from or that they ever really heard it but its not abnormal. i asked if anyone checked out the turbo and its components to see if anything was loose or messed up somehow and they answer i got was that they didn't hear anything abnormal which means they never touched it. Of course when i brought up the fact that since mine has started this i have been in 2 or 3 other S's and they didnt make the sound their response was well we didn't hear it. At this point i'm sayin EFF IT and just gonna drive and enjoy the damn car. It doesn't seem to be hurting performance and its not overly loud. However when i do find out what it is I will for sure be calling them to let em know.

Had an issue similar to what yours sounds like a few months ago. Originally only heard the clattering when driving on the freeway near the divider or sound barrier. It progressively got worse and louder to where it got extremely obnoxious and could be heard at low speeds.

it ended up being the center spinning piece from one of the 2 water pumps. They r able to replace that tiny piece without replacing the whole water pump. Maybe someone can look at it for u.

Thanks for that bit of info rburna. Thing is I have figured out that if they don't hear anything, reguardless of if they know exactly what i'm talking about based on my description of the sound, they aren't going to look at it. I have had it in 3 times for this sound and twice for the waterpump squeeking at very low speed and its always the same........we didn't hear anything. We all know that squeeking sound comes from the waterpump but they have yet to actually investigate it because they don't hear it squeek on their 10 min test drive. They didn't want to replace the timing chain parts last year until I went in with a video on my phone that I had taken and said this is what it is doing. I know its difficult to troubleshoot sounds sometimes but when i describe exactly what its doing, when it does it, and the component that I hear it coming from they can at least check that part out to make sure it's in proper working order.

Forgive me for reviving a dead thread. But did you ever figure this out? Mine is doing it as well. It seems to happen when it's cold, and when turning and accellerating hard.