2012 D11 - Replaced turbo and actuator and now I have low boost

2012 VNL with D11H405 engine.

So here is how I ended up replacing the turbo.

I have been having a very loud screaching/squealing sound coming from the turbo area (no codes/check engine light). I have recently replaced the charge air cooler, hoses, tested with soapy water and I am confident its not a boost leak. Since my original turbo had 28k hours on it, I thought it was possibly going out. So I just got done installing a reman unit from HDTurbo and it came with an actuator and they said it was already calibrated.

Took the truck for a drive and it never gets above about 15 -18lbs of boost. I was making 30 or 32 ish with my old turbo. And my intermittent squeal is still there. these readings are with the dash gauge and not a mechanical reading.

Any luck that I might just need to have Volvo do a recalibration to get my boost back to normal?

And then I'll worry about the squeal a little later now that I know my turbo isnt about to blow up on me. lol

Also I have code SPN 1127 FMI 18 now.

 

I took it to Volvo and they said they did a actuator calibration (though I'm skeptical because it doesn't look like the actuator was removed)and replaced the boost sensor. Driving it home bobtail I noticed it was still a little sluggish and even when getting on the highway with 100% throttle boost never got higher than about 15 to 20psi. That's kind of a guess on my part but slightly past the first tick mark on the gauge. Normally it would got slightly past the middle tick mark. The low boost code hasn't come back so I'm waiting for it to come back before I take it back to them.

Can the EGR valve cause issues without setting any EGR codes?

 

Well I started the engine cold and sprayed soapy water on the EGR valve mounting area and it bubbles like crazy. So I'm working on replacing that since it is the weekend and volvo probably wouldn't have been able to get to my truck anyway. I am almost at the end of my rope. lol. 2 bolts broke so far despite taking a lot of time with penetrating oil, and heat. I expect the other 2 to break as well. Then I'll have a day of drilling and tapping to do. Also trying to take my time and not destroy the hoses because they are seized in as well. All this to hopefully fix my squeal sound that I mis diagnosed as a turbo going out. I'm out 4 grand in parts, days of my time, and my truck is literally in worse shape than it started. My plan is to get the EGR replaced, flush out the EGR cooler in place on the engine. If that doesn't fix my boost issue (im kind of doubting it because i was making boost fine with the old turbo) then I will take it back to volvo. I'm also going to place a sticker on the actuator that will be broken when taking it off so I will know if a proper calibration was done.

I hope someone can chime in and let me know if I'm on the right track

 

Well I finally gave up drilling the bolts out and ended up just replacing the manifold. I also went ahead and pulled the EGR cooler and cleaned it in an ultra sonic cleaner. I also put on a new EGR valve. Everything is back together and my squeal sound is gone thankfully. Unfortunately fixing the exhaust leak didn't effect turbo performance as it still only building boost to the first mark on the gauge (15psi). Gonna take it back to volvo and hopefully talk with the lead mechanic there and make sure it gets a proper VGT actuator adjustment. I'm really hoping that is it, otherwise it is a defective turbo and that means I get to do another turbo swap and have more down time.

 

got it back from volvo they had it 3 days, but at least the #### thing is fixed and making 30psi of boost again. I used a paint marker on the VGT actuator mounting bolts and this time things look disturbed and sure enough the paint lines didn't line up anymore. So looks like they actually performed a proper VGT actuator calibration this time.

 

Well my problem is back. It was good that day I drove home and first load I took, it was back to doing the same thing. I have just been running the truck anyway because I need the money. I have noticed that sometimes when the truck has sat over night it will build boost like normal then After 45 min of driving it back to building only 15 to 20psi. I have also noticed when pulling hills at it’s only giving me about 20psi the pressure will fluctuate/bounce but that is only sometimes. Most of the time tho it’s steady as a rock, just low pressure. EGTs seem high 850-950 cruising at 70 bobtail. And the second I hit any type of incline or tiny hill I’m over 1000F real quick. Ive also noticed that my high exhaust system temp light comes on a lot now when coming to a stop. I use to only see that after a parked regen. I thought my 7th injector was leaking fuel when it shouldnt be so I replaced it and the problem is the same. I really don’t want to take it back to Volvo. I’ve spent $2400 with them and I have the same problem.

any ideas or thoughts guys would help me out. I’m at the end of my rope and want to burn this truck to ground.

oh and the only code im getting is low boost pressure

 

Spent another $600 at volvo and they said they didn't think the injectors were bad (so that's good at least). The said they tested the exhaust back pressure and it was fine. They also tested the EGR valve and said it is sticking open. This in a brand new EGR valve that is 3 weeks old. Either they are bs'ing me (which I doubt) or I guess I got a bad reman EGR valve. They said they tested it by unplugging the EGR valve and starting the truck and said it was still flowing gases through the EGR system. It was unclear if they physically tested this by unhooking a EGR pipe, or if this was simply something like the computer said it was not 100% closed. I'm thinking about testing it myself because I never got any EGR codes. I got a quote for kicks to replace the EGR valve with a volvo one and they quoted me $4200, parts and labor, I about fell over. I can get a volvo egr valve and kit (new clamps, gaskets, etc) from a volvo dealer online for 1650, and they quoted $2600 for parts.

So my plan is to test the EGR myself to double check and verify it is indeed passing gas when unplugged, and if need be I'll call TamerX who I bought the EGR valve from and see what they can do for a warranty replacement.

Even though it is not working right, thankfully I have been able to run the truck some, otherwise I would be out of business right now.

Hopefully chronicling this will help someone else in the future.

 

Replaced the EGR valve with a new one from Volvo and I am still having low boost pressure. It is so crazy when the truck sits 24hrs it builds boost like normal for the first 30 min of driving and then it is back to building 15 to 20psi tops and sets SPN 1127 FMI 18 low boost pressure code. I guess the next thing is pull the turbo and send it back to HD Turbo. I'm just worried when they bench test it cold, it is going to work fine.

 

Just wanted to update this thread.

HDturbo was willing to send out a replacement actuator to try and get this fixed. They were great, shipped it out overnight, and then I had my local volvo dealer do the calibration. They had issues with getting the replacement actuator to calibrate/connect with the software correctly, so I called HDturbo back and they overnighted another actuator that day. That would did calibrate correctly. Unfortunately that did not fix my issue.

So I just had Volvo put on an OEM turbo and actuator. That fixed it! Engine power is back to normal, EGT temps are way down and looking normal, no engine codes, Boost will hit 35 ish psi under full load and pulls great. boost response also seems better.

So I called HDturbo hoping to get a refund, and they wanted to test it so I sent it back to them (they always paid the shipping). I got a email saying it tested fine and they were going to send it back to me, but I called them back and explained again, and they held it and had a manager call me the next day. They gave me a full refund and I didn't have to argue with them or anything.

I say all that because they deserve credit for great customer service, and I do honestly believe they make a great product. I just think whatever they were using to cross reference (they used my VIN number) wasn't right and it just was not correct for my D11 application.

So if you have a D11 I would highly recommend going OEM, or have a shop do the install so if it goes wrong then it is their problem to figure out. I wasted thousands of dollars and time. So maybe this thread can help someone else in the future.