Electric Noise When Turbos Spool

[R490]

My turbos make a strange "drill" type noise when they spool sometimes, this is at pretty much any RPM and isn't the infamous "dentist drill." The noise is rather quiet. Any ideas? 108k, bone stock.

I'll try to get audio if it happens again.

Thanks!

[PaperToast]

sounds about normal
mine do the same with 207k on them

[R490]

sounds about normal
mine do the same with 207k on them

Ah good, it scared the hell out of me originally. Do you warm up/cool down after driving?

[estomax]

don't get into boost when the engine oil temp hasn't moved off the bottom of it's gauge and don't boost right before parking, though right before parking is not so bad since we have an electric water pump to keep things cool afterwards. it even says to not drive hard when oil is cold in the user manual.

but yes the light whistley noise when the turbos spool up is normal

[R490]

don't get into boost when the engine oil temp hasn't moved off the bottom of it's gauge and don't boost right before parking, though right before parking is not so bad since we have an electric water pump to keep things cool afterwards. it even says to not drive hard when oil is cold in the user manual.

but yes the light whistley noise when the turbos spool up is normal

Thanks, there's also a whistle noise that happens always when I accelerate. Not sure if that's normal either..... I blame turbo whistle. I always warm it up before I drive and cool it down after hitting ze boost though.

[PaperToast]

Ah good, it scared the hell out of me originally. Do you warm up/cool down after driving?

always, especially now in the winter time.
it might boost like mad when cold, but only do that if you like pulling the motor and rebuilding everything once a month
cool down is more critical in the summer when its hot, not so much in the winter

[R490]

always, especially now in the winter time.
it might boost like mad when cold, but only do that if you like pulling the motor and rebuilding everything once a month
cool down is more critical in the summer when its hot, not so much in the winter

Ah, that's probably why your k03s have lasted you 200k :)

Sorry that I'm a 2.7t n00b, but how about the turbo whistle? Hope you don't mind the questions

[estomax]

if yours sound like what mine do at beginning of this video then its perfectly normal.. whistle noise as it spools and then just a whoosh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3cfXviPM14

[R490]

Yup, that's the noise! I personally like it, even if something is broken.

[PaperToast]

Ah, that's probably why your k03s have lasted you 200k :)

Sorry that I'm a 2.7t n00b, but how about the turbo whistle? Hope you don't mind the questions

once everything gets to operating temp, its barely noticeable

[julex]

I don't buy that whole get it to operating temp OCD... fact is that 99.999% of these were bought by people who only knew where gas and brake pedal is and fine nuances of getting car to operating temp was far beyond their concerns...yet the cars somehow survived it and we are driving them currently without problems!

So long you let the car to warm up enough for coolant temp needle to start moving from cold (that's at about 60C coolant), you can stomp on it as much as you want. You need the coolant needle to start moving to ensure that pistons and rings are warmed up. Mind you that this is probably 15 minutes before the oil needle even spasms from its lower reading.

I've done 100s WOT pulls on my car observing only the coolant rule (it takes car about 2-4 minutes to move the coolant needle depending on ambient temp) and that's on quite insane power levels, on both K04 and now Tial 770s @ 36psi (had them on for last 4 years).

[JediJoker7169]

I don't buy that whole get it to operating temp OCD... fact is that 99.999% of these were bought by people who only knew where gas and brake pedal is and fine nuances of getting car to operating temp was far beyond their concerns...yet the cars somehow survived it and we are driving them currently without problems!

So long you let the car to warm up enough for coolant temp needle to start moving from cold (that's at about 60C coolant), you can stomp on it as much as you want. You need the coolant needle to start moving to ensure that pistons and rings are warmed up. Mind you that this is probably 15 minutes before the oil needle even spasms from its lower reading.

I've done 100s WOT pulls on my car observing only the coolant rule (it takes car about 2-4 minutes to move the coolant needle depending on ambient temp) and that's on quite insane power levels, on both K04 and now Tial 770s @ 36psi (had them on for last 4 years).

It's true most owners have no idea about warming up and cooling down the oil. But you then take the example of two replacement sets of turbos and use that to support your position? What about the original K03s? And if you had left in the K04s and not gone to 770s? Who knows how beat to crap your K03s/K04s would be by now from you not warming up and cooling down the oil?

Why take that risk? It's minimally annoying to keep your foot out of it and the revs below 3K until the oil needle moves. I go one step further and wait till it hits 175F on the gauge, and let it drop down around or, preferably, below 200F before shutting down. Do I know for a fact that having gone through this routine over the past 7+ years of ownership has helped me get to ~160K on original stock K03s? No, but the general consensus among enthusiasts and engineers is that it does make a difference. I see no reason to ditch it now, and plenty of reason to recommend it to others.

[R490]

It's true most owners have no idea about warming up and cooling down the oil. But you then take the example of two replacement sets of turbos and use that to support your position? What about the original K03s? And if you had left in the K04s and not gone to 770s? Who knows how beat to crap your K03s/K04s would be by now from you not warming up and cooling down the oil?

Why take that risk? It's minimally annoying to keep your foot out of it and the revs below 3K until the oil needle moves. I go one step further and wait till it hits 175F on the gauge, and let it drop down around or, preferably, below 200F before shutting down. Do I know for a fact that having gone through this routine over the past 7+ years of ownership has helped me get to ~160K on original stock K03s? No, but the general consensus among enthusiasts and engineers is that it does make a difference. I see no reason to ditch it now, and plenty of reason to recommend it to others.

That exactly. I love my A6 and I'm not afraid to baby it a little to prolong the life of the turbos.

[a4kamila6]

It's true most owners have no idea about warming up and cooling down the oil. But you then take the example of two replacement sets of turbos and use that to support your position? What about the original K03s? And if you had left in the K04s and not gone to 770s? Who knows how beat to crap your K03s/K04s would be by now from you not warming up and cooling down the oil?

Why take that risk? It's minimally annoying to keep your foot out of it and the revs below 3K until the oil needle moves. I go one step further and wait till it hits 175F on the gauge, and let it drop down around or, preferably, below 200F before shutting down. Do I know for a fact that having gone through this routine over the past 7+ years of ownership has helped me get to ~160K on original stock K03s? No, but the general consensus among enthusiasts and engineers is that it does make a difference. I see no reason to ditch it now, and plenty of reason to recommend it to others.

I bought my a6 with 158k.. and im 95 percent sure previous owner just drove her.. didnt love her. So... my snails are probably shot or half way there but its okay.. Saving for stk


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[julex]

Whatever rocks your boat, if I could warm her up properly I would but as is, my commute is less than 10 miles so the oil just barely sits at operating temp for a minute or two before she shuts down. It is not practical to me to do it "right". Now, the K04 turbos lived on my car for couple of years and when shaft play was measured at time of sale, it was well below BW's "factory new" specs for both radial and axial shaft play. 50k later and the dude who owns them now is still riding on them just fine.

Far more important than letting the oil warm up is to use right oil (0w-5w at most and thickest you can run for hot range, so at minimum use 5w-40) and change it frequently (big NO to 10k intervals audi set these cars for!) and most importantly use formulation with > 1200ppm of ZDDP which most modern oils fall well short of (0w40 Mobile 1 for example should not be used anymore as they reformulated this oil due to emission reasons to much lower ZDDP, I think it sits at about 800ppm now and it used to be 1200ppm when audi certified it). ZDDP keeps your valvetrain alive.

Now, this is a super funny little fact for you:

Did you know that taking the same oil, it will support MUCH LARGER load on bearings when it is completely cold than when it is at operating temperature? And that what keeps lifters and tappet camshafts alive is not oil itself but ZDDP zinc-oxide layer on top of these parts? - kind of against of what you were thinking, isn't it?

The fact is that you will never hear anybody talking about turbo failure due to cold engine boosting as turbos get hot immediately after start up, but cracked rings etc is not unheard of if you don't let the engine to work lightly for couple of minutes - so that these critical parts heat up. This will happen well before your coolant gauge even moves.

[R490]

I feel ya on that thing about operating temp, my commute is four miles round trip. I usually let it warm up ~5 minutes or so in the morning and less than that on the way home, as the weather is warm. It's probably not too great on the engine though, but I rarely hit ze boost or shift above 2.5k.

[4rings2turbos]

What oil do you use Julex?

[julex]

What oil do you use Julex?

Right now Castrol Edge Titanium 0w-40 Euro (with titanium for wear additive). It is properly certified for our engines. You can also use Rotella T6 if you wish, both available at Walmart for hair above $20 per 5 quart jug.

[a4kamila6]

Right now Castrol Edge Titanium 0w-40 Euro (with titanium for wear additive). It is properly certified for our engines. You can also use Rotella T6 if you wish, both available at Walmart for hair above $20 per 5 quart jug.

Wow thats a good price for 5 quarts. Usually runs me around 45 for 5 liters of ravenol 5w-40.

I do not doubt rotella and castrol work fine.. Reason I use ravenol is because it has some of the best cold starting performance compared to other oils in its class. most of the time its marketing bs by each company to promote their product, but these guys have been confirmed by various oil reviews. we run castrol in my sisters hyundai and my moms kia. my father runs mobil i believe in his dodge ram, and for my moms weekend benz, also ravenol. neighbor pours in liqu-moly into his gti.

But for 20 dollars a jug.. damn maybe i need to get on that wave.


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[Iamdoinitrite]

always, especially now in the winter time.
it might boost like mad when cold, but only do that if you like pulling the motor and rebuilding everything once a month
cool down is more critical in the summer when its hot, not so much in the winter

How do you cool down? Just get out of the car and turn it off? (In Wisconsin so its essential for me to warm up in the morning.)

[PaperToast]

How do you cool down? Just get out of the car and turn it off? (In Wisconsin so its essential for me to warm up in the morning.)

let it idle for 30 sec or so, in the winter the cold air does the rest

[a4kamila6]

How do you cool down? Just get out of the car and turn it off? (In Wisconsin so its essential for me to warm up in the morning.)

For the last 5-10 minutes of your drive, dont build boost, just take it easy. By the time time you park your car, wait maybe another minute if you like, turn her off.

if you are paranoid about overheating then install a turbo timer


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[4rings2turbos]

I use Liqui Moly Leichlauf but haven't really done all the research I could to see what's optimal for my region. I am not bashful about high top dollar for top oil.