E46 330d 135kW,1/2 boost lost, cracked hose? whoosh sound

[nakedsnake]

Hello there,

I drive BMW E46 330d, 135kW, manual. I drove to work this morning and after an hour I had to go somewhere else. So I started the car and suddenly a problem occured. When the boost should've kicked in, engine started to sound like a very loud vacuum cleaner with this "whoooooosh" sound. I've lost probably half of the boost power. Idle is perfect, no fault codes. I really hope it is only cracked or badly attached hose or something. I can hear this swishing sound even inside the car over the radio. Looks like the air from turbo is leaking somewhere. Acceleration is much weaker because of the air leakage.

Can you please help me to find the source of this sound? Which hose cracks most often? I think the sound comes from left side of the engine bay (when standing in the front of the car). Pictures are welcome!

Thank you in advance!

EDIT- It definitely sounds like compressed air sound. So, which hose is most likely cracked (based on your experiences)?
http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E46-Sedan/Europe...

Edited by nakedsnake on Monday 9th June 15:12

[andyiley]

Surely if it is that obvious can't you hear it with the bonnet up & someone revving the engine?

[nakedsnake]

Yeah, but at the time this happened, I was alone. I will check the car in the evening, but I'd like to know where to look. I don't want to end up loosening some hoses from cooling system... :-D

[andyiley]

Don't loosen anything, just listen while someone else revs the engine as I said.

[helix402]

Check if the manifold is cracked.

[nakedsnake]

Manifold isn't fortunately cracked, That was the first thing I checked. My guess are those lower hoses connecting to intercooler. I will have to drive 50 miles today to get car into garage, so I hope the car will make it if gently driven...

Edited by nakedsnake on Tuesday 10th June 08:34

[nakedsnake]

Update:
both upper hoses were fine. After removing bottom engine cover I found out that lower hose entering intercooler had one large crack (5 cm) and one small crack (2 cm -> It's part number 3 http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E46-Sedan/Europe...
So I patched it temporarily before I can get another hose (Patch for bycicle tube + 4 layers of tape). Hope it will last till then.
I may be paranoid but I can still hear some hissing sound. I don't know if car made this sound before, it's probably normal. I feel like the car has 90% of the power it had before... :-/ Don't know why. I'll probably check EGR valve, clean it and then all the vacuum hoses and pipes, in case some of it is loose/broken. Especially the one from turbo that controls VNT actuator.

[to3m]

My 135KW 330d hisses when boosting. I've never thought of it as a problem, and indeed I actually quite like it. Some diesel engines do seem to make a turbo-related noise anyway. Mine is quieter than many, certainly much quieter than my old 320d's whistle, which people in the car would often mistake for a police siren.

But since you've just had to patch up a bunch of hoses... I suppose it could be related

[nakedsnake]

Okay, I orderer that hose, so I hope it will help with those 10% of power missing :-D Price: £52

BTW, can you easily check the function of VNT actuator, that controls flaps in turbo? I mean, is it okay to pull and move with that rocker with my fingers? I don't want to break it somehow. On my car, that area near actuator is somewhat rusted, so maybe it's sticking a bit. How can I know it is not working properly?