Mondeo Diesel Turbo fix 

I completed this fix on my mondeo today & it really works! no more flashing glow plug light on start up & no more limp mode! thank you for the info

our Mondeo was constantly going into limp mode....saw this video and bought the gear to try it....it works an absolute treat....we were on the verge of getting rid of the car but it can stay in the family for a while longer....thank you

This saved me a lot of money. Had the fault code reader diagnose a turbo fault and told it could be the actuator or the turbo itself. Symptoms were glow plug light flashing and going into limp mode. When I released the circlip from the actuator arm going to the turbo and pulled it back and forth it was squeaky and stiff. Even when the glow plug light wasn't flashing there was a slight hesitation on acceleration. Purchased the tools and set about the job, some tips. My 2007 Mondeo TDCI has a heat shield, there are 4 bolts. Three are visible on top and one is out of sight at the back, be careful not to drop this. The main hole is cut with a 6.8m drill bit but you need the right angle drill attachment and drill a pilot hole first. When you cut the thread with an M8 tap and die, liberally apply a lubricant and go slow, I did a maximum of 2 turns before backing out and cleaning off the swarf and applying more lubricant (3 in 1). It takes some time to cut the thread but when the resistance ends and it is turning freely, your in. I used the applicator from a tin of WD40, make sure it is snapped back fully so it is open and apply liberally, the foam came out of the hole when I did it. Leave 10-15 mins and go for a blast after sealing the hole with an m8 bolt and washer. I did this 3 weeks ago and not gone into limp mode since.

I love people like you , no bullshit just pure genius.

Fantastic, mans a giver not a taker, may it come back to you 10 fold sir...The 90 odd who dont like this video are the sellers of turbos or actuators for sure, who cant love this, thanks and all the best to you Tony

For 3 years been having problems with the turbo on my Mondeo, had a recon fitted and after 18 months it went again. Showed my husband your You tube clip and we thought it was worth giving it a try. Bought the tools £20 and a tin of Mr Muscle........................BINGO it worked. You saved me a small fortune and also all the grief it was causing me. Anthony Bennett you are a GENIUS and worth your weight in gold, Thank you.

This is clever for a couple or reasons, 1 because it works 2 because your drilling over the exhaust outlet on the turbo so any metal filings that fall inside the turbo will fall straight down the exhaust pipe and not into the turbo :)

Did this to my car yesterday. Absolutely fantastic fix, drives and runs like a new car. Thank you very much for posting.

Brilliant mate i came across this while back and did same. IV cleaned turbo a few times and still going strong. I showed a ford mechanic and he thought was brilliant too and showd his boss. Your a legend in that garage.

My 2.2 TDCI has been getting progressively worse for the last year, now it's stuck in limp mode all the time. I disconnected the actuator rod earlier today, and discovered it was very stiff to move... fault found! I was dreading the thought of taking the turbo to bits, so I'm definitely going to give this a go instead.

Just east of hull on the coast, plzd you like the idea, saved me a damn fortune in turbo's and the proper cleaner, works better than the Wynn's stuff

Done this today. Worked brilliant. Only challenge was the fuel filter is in the way. So unclip and push it carefully down.

Hi Anthony, great video, I was suffering the same limp mode and was getting DTC Code P132B on my 2007 MK3 Mondeo 2.0 tdci 115 - done your fix and the limp mode is gone away and the P132B code is now cleared and doesn't come back. Thanks a million.

Anthony Bennett; I have to say you are a gentleman and a scholar. I have looked at your video numerous times and finally went through with it :) it worked a bloody treat as the actuator arm was sticking and car going into limp mode. (MK3 TDCI Mondeo 115ps) I replaced the actuator also as this was damaged by the arm sticking. I have since used Wynn's turbo cleaner down the turbo hose inlet and done a Mr muscle blast again to keep the carbon buildup away :) when tapping out the thread my bit did snap clean in the hole lol. I was like OMG but manged to tap it back out and go through again completing the thread. There was a lot of spoils but I kept a hold of it by magnetizing the bit and a little screwdriver to keep hold a remove the spoils. Due to over fueling from the turbo not burning the fuel correctly I had much build up of Carbon in my EGR sensor and broke out Mr Muscle and worked a treat :) The car is like a new car now with loads of power compared to before :) Just a pointer I used a bolt with a separate nut, washer and compression washer to help tighten the bolt without stressing the thread cut into the turbo housing just by using the one bolt to tighten. Many thanks again Sir :)

You absolute hero! Had the dreaded glow plug light start to flash esp when hard acceleration and then quite frequently when the car was started from cold. Was quoted £80 for a garage to spray cleaner into my turbo. Thankfully I saw your excellent post, followed it as instructed and have not seen the dreaded light flash for a week. Thanks pal!

Hello Anthony, did the fix a few days ago (a garage referred me to your video)! Fantastic! The glow lamp was coming on all the time & it wouldn't reset. So plucked the courage bought the stuff & went for it, changed the fuel filter & air filter whilst I was at it. She purrs like a kitten. Just to be sure I did a 400 mile round trip (picking the in laws up from the airport) to give it a good blast through. Thanks for that saved me the best part of a grand. You're a scholar & a gentleman. Good show!

Thanks for great fix. My 2003 Mondeo Ghia was going into limp mode up hills and under hard acceleration. I initially tried Innotec turbo cleaner kit which reduced the problem for a while but this entails unbolting the exhaust manifold and access is still really awkward. Finally mustered the courage to drill and tap the hole as shown and this makes regular cleaning so much easier. Made the mistake of not driving the car hard after 1st Mr Muscle application and next morning went into limp mode at start up! The actuator arm was really stuck then but quickly fixed with another dose of mr Muscle with regular movement of actuator over 30 minutes or so and then taking the car out for a drive . Thanks so much.

You saved me ££££ aldi have mr mussel on sale for 1.99 did it yesterday did a 10 second squirt within 10 seconds my actuator Arm was free moving not gritty and still like it was left it on for an hr and half turned the engine on and no coil lights came on. Revved it up high and the amount of crud that came out the back end was unreal Now it's like a new car no smoke on acceleration no limp mode all is well Sir I salute you

Just to say thanks for this video. I was getting limp home mode all the time, actuator fault code, did this fix and it's cleared. Works a treat. Only troubles I had were still moving around so I didn't get a tidy hole and I haven't been able to make a very good straw yet!! Many thanks.

Followed your instructions on my 2005 jaguar x type which has been on limp mode for a month .Anyway it works like magic car is class now thanks

Hi Anthony ,just seen your video on this turbo cure, going to try this at weekend. Ive got an 04 plate 130 mondeo as well. She was playing up going into limp mode back in January 2014 when I got her. Because I had few months warranty with here garage fitted new turbo and re code an injector on the car because it wasn't code for the car, strange ,but anyway now its fuel consumption is falling away from the 58.2 I was getting. Black plumes of smoke on hard excelaration , egr valve and manifold been off 4 times with little effect , hoses have been checked, no splits. Its starting to get sluggish, going to try your cure, many thanks for posting this, your a top man, a dying breed, not many people like us willing to get our hands dirty and try these things. will let you know the outcome cheers.

Just done my x type yesterday with the Mr Muscle fix and it works a dream. All the garages were saying it needs a turbo or acctuator. Brill fix.

Did this a couple years ago. I think it was after seeing your video. It works great. My 06 tdci runs like a bag of crap.had injectors changed. Removed egr. Put air intake straight through. Still runs like crap. Coil light limp mode regular. Smokes now and again and rattles like pennies in a tin can. And after all this today i squeezed 66.9 mpg. Not sure i want to tinker anymore. Might lose some mpg. Not a great fan of these cars.

tried this fix this morning (26/05/14) carwas going into limp mode under hard acceleration and occasionally at random. I tried this fix then took her for a thrash up some hills...at the moment there have been no limp home probs at all....Thanks for this amazing fix!! Dave

Garage wanted £800 to fit a new turbo. So tried this, problem solved and a good amount of cash saved. Nice.

Hi Anthony, you have correctly identified one of the issues with these Garrett turbo's. The vanes gumming up as a result of other problems such as EGR valves sticking open and feeding waste back into the boost air (A bit like pissing into your drinking water) this burns at a higher temp and causes the problem. Other problems can be the vane actuator, overfuelling injectors and failing turbo oil seals. I had mine rebuilt by Sasha engineering 70, 000 miles ago and no further problems as they diamond polish the vanes making it impossible for the soot to stick. Cheers Simon!! Other problems with these cars are steering rack rattle at dead ahead position and the belt tensioner which Jaguar have solved by making a larger crank pulley and longer belt, it fits the Mondeo and ends the misery once and for all. Keep tinkering guys, we are winning!! :-)

This is something that we Jag owners have known about for a long while but it's takes guts to actually do it, well done for doing it so well. Be good if they sold a kit consisting of a drill bit a tap bit the bolt and the washer.

Just saved myself £2000 on watching this video,I have a St 2.2tdci which kept going into limp mode, so decided to have a go what a brilliant idea Anthony has come up with. Just done this on the 5th November 2017.

INCREDIBLE !!! Amazing fix brother thank you very much, after the fix my 2007 mondeo works like a new one, plus no more Limp mode and glowing plugs light blinking.

I did this and now my turbo works great,except i used a self tapping screw much quicker ,,a word of warning wait untill the manifold is cold ,unlike me second time around i did a quick spray but the plastic tube meltted half way and fell in to the manifold ,Derr...but so far not caused a problem ..Thanks AB

Thanks for posting this video. I've just done it to my '06 ST which has only 56k on it, and within seconds the actuator arm was moving freely again, after probably needlessly replacing the EGR, and paying £150 for a carbon clean which didn't solve the problem.

Hi Anthony. My turbo was sticking and in limp mode every time i started it until it got hot. Did your fix and now its perfect. Thank you very very much.

spraying the Wynns turbo cleaner into the compressor housing (the silver, aluminium one) it will NEVER migrate into the turbine (rusty, cast iron side). there are 2 seals that keep high pressure oil in so they're never going to let cleaner thru. the only way it can go from 1 side to the other is thru the combustion chamber. the swarf will just fall down into the cat and not into the turbo. an easier way to clean the variable geometry mechanism is take the rubber intake pipe off the "in" side of the turbo then get a windolene type bottle that sprays a fine spray, fill it with plain water and spray it in the compressor housing, while a friend runs the engine between 1500rpm and 2500rpm. the combustion process turns it into super-heated steam which will remove all traces of carbon. I have used this method for 15years (approx 60 turbos and never had to remove or drill a turbo.

just done this on my x type excellent fix only took half hour start to finish. only difference was I drilled a smaller hole and used the cap and pipe from a wd40 tin. can't thank enough saves a fortune and masses of hassle

Speechless bloody speechless! Thanks so much Anthony I'm getting on this Tomoz, recently got another mondeo tdci 130 6sp zetec with 195k on. No lights or anything and no bad smoke but it just feels restricted? I had 2 others before same engines same specs but they were flyers! Starts good and averages 30-35 mpg town driving. Just feels as though there's no turbo on this one lol.

This really does work, then turbo cleaner was £12.75p and i was using 1 tin every 2-3 weeks, the Mr Muscle oven cleaner is £2 and because it is going straight on the sticking vanes, i will be only using 1 tin every 12 - 18 months.....maybe even longer. The sticking vanes are a common fault with the Duratorq engines so if you have a mondeo or jaguar with this fault, you can now do the job easily. The reason i used a right angle drill attachment is that you can do the drilling with the turbo on the car, but because room is a bit tight you will need this tool...........ENJOY 8-)

The right-angle chuck I've been waiting on finally arrived today, so I've given it a go. Followed your instructions, and success! No more limp mode, and the car goes like $h!t off a chrome shovel again! Thanks for the video, very helpful. :)

good video, i paint cars for a job its my own garage, but i love my fords i know a lot about them,, it is good for them to put them in 4th gear and keep your foot down, just now and then and it gives them a good clean out, driving them sort all the time does the engine more harm than good, they just need a good kicking now and again,,

done this today on my jaguar x type ,as it would go in limp mode now and again .just back from a drive up and down the m/way .. NO LIMP MODE and a LOT less black smoke.. a big thank you to Anthony Bennett.. for putting this on here....

Hi mate did this mod/fix today i didn't have a problem with my turbo but i am a firm believer in preventative maintenance. Hardest part of the job was summoning the courage to drill the hole lol had a panic moment when the tap wouldn't take but all good and cant believe the difference two tine of Mr muscle now added to my toolkit and maintenance schedule. thanks for the video and excellent job of re-engineering Fords work if you have any other tips please share. thanks again

hi ,im really pleased u posted this video because i never would have thought of doing it in a million year lol...ive had my 2.2 07 st tdci for a couple of year and the limp mode has been driving me round the bend..backand forward to the garage..new egr valve etc etc...car was still going into limp mode under hard throttle..was just about to give up on the car when i plucked up the courage to try this fix ..i struggled with the tapping of the drilled hole but all done now and i must say its like a different car now...thanks again for posting ..also if your not confident to do this urself i would recomend letting a mechanic do it..still the best money you will have spent by a long road ; D

Did this tonight wow what a diffrent car no more flashing glow plug light aculator moves nice and floppy again Top man

Anthony, urge a genius, and that's coming from a gas and steam turbine engineer. Turbine moving no fault code, and that feckin heater coil light is off. Still abit smokey maybe an injector I hope, but no fault codes which is strange have a bit of injector cleaner which will dose into it in the morning. The only thing I did different out of necessity, used an M6 bolt and on Mr Muscle couldn't make up the the straw so pulled the tube out of dettol kitchen cleaner, put it over a flame for a second and pushed it onto the Mr muscle. Thank u so so so much. Tadhg

Thanks so much for this tip, i did it a week ago and it has totally solved the limp mode problem. Took a while to drill through but doing the thread was easier than i thought it would be once started. It seems a bit daunting but my advice to anyone thinking about it is just do it. Once again thanks Anthony.

Hi Clint, to remove the honeycomb out of the cat i had to remove the turbo and the cat, 1 hours graft for 5 mins of demolishing the gut, i banged them out with a crowbar then washed the cat out with a hosepipe, simples, then another hour putting everything back, as far as the garage knows it still is a complete cat even though diesels dont actually need one fitted for an MOT,

I remember watching this years ago, was such a good idea because it didn't set the engine management light off so was a double win.

hi Anthony tried your method today on my sons mondeo ghia absolutley brilliant was a bit apprensive about drilling the hole and tapping it but all went well the mondeo now goes like shit off a shovel thanx great tip

S Max 2.2 TDCI 2008 100K here...not sure about accessing the turbo to do this but if it's feasible I would try this. Going into limp mode, EML light on - tried Wynns Diesel Cleaner Extreme x2 bottles in 30L of fuel and Revive Turbo Cleaner into air intake after the MAF sensor and seemed to work better for a short time but still limp mode and "under boost error" when running a diag. Mr Muscle might be the way to go. Loving the Hull accent (father in law from Hull). Thanks for the upload and idea!

Did this on my Jaguar X-Type 2.0D. The car kept coming up with a warning and would on occasion even going on motorways would suddenly go into limp mode. Sometimes though it would just show the coil light with Engine Management Light and it would drive sluggish. The reason was the turbo wasn't working as it was clogged. So did what this guy on here showed me and drove it later in the day and no problem...I'm not making this up, but the engine is a lot smoother and the acceleration is like I have never known it since buying this car last November. My Jag has done 105000 on the clock and still drives lovely.

Worked a treat on my '03 Volvo D5! Thank you for this excellent video.

just done this to my car.. had sticking actuator..works a treat thanks for vidio

Quick update...carried this work today..took about an hour or so to complete. Yes, had to remove the diesel filter canister, but all straightforward....just be careful when drilling the smaller smaller pilot holes, so not to snap the drills as space is tight when holding your 90 degree drill...rather than using Mr Muscle, I used a specialist turbo cleaner aerosol that came with a long tube that and sprays in 3 directions...also includes an additive to put into your filter canister and fuel tank...

Great video, I decided to drop the cat down on mine and sprayed in industrial oven cleaner as you described.. my car is now perfect, actuator is no longer notchy and all you can hear is the spool!! thanks again

Hi Anthony, great video. I know its a few years old, but still current for Mondeo and Jaguar X type owners.....Great idea to use a spare turbo to show how it works. Plan to do this soon....can you remember how thick the metal is where you drilled the hole in the turbo manifold? assume you removed the diesel filter to give you more room to drill the hole...and how long was the straw you used? if it helps anyone else the standard thread for a M8 bolt is M8 x 1.25 (as mentioned use 6.8mm drill size) . If used with grease, any swarf will stick to the tap thanks Pete

Nice accessible turbo there. Not all as easy to get at. Certainly beats taking off exhaust at turbo or egr valves to get into the vanes.

Hi Anthony I am Mick from Mablethorpe I had problems with my 2006 X-type Jag with the turbo. Following your video to the letter it now works a dream. You are one hell of an engineer. Once again thanks. Plus ford ought to pay you for the patent.

tryed many cleaners to sprey in this "Drilled magic hole" .... My best result with long lasting effect is - mannol 9970 Vergaser Reiniger (carburetor cleaner) And once again, many thanks to the author for our happy turbos!

Deadly...not sure what my issue is but I'll be sure to do this before bringing it to the garage, good man

Tried on my 1.6 mtj(lancia delta3) this is hilarious!!!! 2 years of stalling, problem solved!!!! Goes like butter!!! 10min of mr. Muscle.Workshop guys sad my turbo is "dead"... Thanks so much for this video!!! Can I clean intake on my car with mr Muscle???

Feckin predictive text ment ur a genius, saved it now, this is absolute brilliant.

Thanks for the advice on the turbo fix I nearly bought an actuator or turbo until I came across this video did the job myself was a bit awkward to drill but great idea thanks mate

I'm going to have a go at this. It's been in limp home for ages and garage are telling us new turbo and a mechanic friend is saying actuator. Either way, this is worth a go first. Will let you know how it goes!

Hi bud, yes, leave your turbo on your car, that's why you need a right angled drill to get in, you may have to lower your diesel filter but keep the fuel pipes attached, easy stuff, go careful when tapping out, nice and slow and put some oil on it too, this helps it thread....happy days

Did mine today as had all the same symptoms. Easier than i thought, thank you very much for posting.

Thankyou so much for posting this, having tried all the possible chugging and limp mode solutions i came across your video on how to check for stuck vanes, and hey presto that was my problem ! Just to note my mondeo would go into limp mode with no warning lights or codes. As an extra note when i bought a tap and die set i tested it on blocks of wood and steel before attempting the turbo. Thanks again !!

mans a genius , really makes sense and no more arse ache!!! will try it on my one, should be quids in!!!! thanks mate!!!!

Hi Buddy Brilliant idea 👍🏻 You n your mr muscle done my Jag X-Type back to fly again. It was completely dead. Thank You for your video 👍🏻permanent fix.

I used Mr Muscle to clean a VW Golf Plus turbo and it worked a treat

Superb diy fix! I will do this on my Transit mk7

have a long life for what you done, i never saw this idea, thank you

hi carried out your cleaning procedure and it worked a treat thankyou very uch for the video...one tip tho i had problems getting straw to adhere to cap so i used the cap and red pipe supplied with WD40!!! waste gate arm free as it should be

Anthony Bennett, did this on my Mondeo Mk3 2.0 TDCI and now it is running like a new turbo!

Good clear instructions nice one on the upload mate Unfortunately I was made redundant and had to sell my car for which I had big plans for.. I've passed this info on to the gentleman I sold the car to..

Proper Yorkshire man! Can hear seagulls so I'm guessing Hull. Brilliant Idea.

Jaysus... mine has 300k miles on the clock and still the original turbo. I do use fully synthetic oil which I change regularly every 10 k along with the fuel, air and oil filters.Great idea though.

Great video Anthony Worked a treat on my 2006 mondeo tdci Saved a fortune

Thank you Ajith A These damn duratorq engines should come with s free tin of Mr Muscle and a present drilled hole.......might put the idea forward to Ford

My Mondeo is doing this - i just wonder how to prevent swarf/metal chips from going inside, if you do this on the car?

Really good video, My MK3 2005 Mondeo has started making a whirring sound. The garage have said it's coming from the turbo and it's just a matter of time now. Would this help it?

Thanks for vid. I came across the video looking for a glow plug light issue. Turned out to be EGR. Heads up for faulty EGR. Between 5 and 10 seconds after you switch ignition off egr should make a sound like a comical horse galloping. This is egr cleaning itself. If it doesnt, look at EGR. cleaning doesnt always work! Good luck.

Just finished this on mine. Worked a dream !

Hi Anthony, Looks superb - do you think this would resolve a sticking actuator arm? That's if the actuator hasn't broken as a result... Any chance of a 'parts list'? Maybe a link to a tap and die set that is needed? Sorry for my stupidy, little nervous and also never used a tap and die before! Cheers and good work!

Mr Bennett that was Brilliant Welldone 👏👏👌

you are a real legend! thank you so much!

Antony!!!! please wear gloves and googles!!! but thanks for the idea!!! I going to do it on my renault van. I have though about it once when I was cleaning my oven the idea sparked up. But lot's of people are doing all ready :-) thank you for sharing :)

right so that's the turbo sorted, now time to sort the injectors try Diesel Technique in Birmingham spot on set of lads fully rebuilt for £320 the set. Mines not missed a beat in 2years still getting 54 mpg.

No worries buddy. Hope you get better soon.

out of the box thinking - brilliant

Hi mate. Going to try this on a ford kuga 2l tdci with the sticking vanes problem. I know its been a while since you posted this video and I read somewhere that the ingredients have changed in the mr muscle cleaner. Apparently it has a lot less sodium hydroxide and does not foam up as much. I was wondering if it is still working for you, or have you found an alternative cleaner which might have more sodium hydroxide. Thanks and kind regards.Mark

I drilled the hole on the top where the bolt goes down holding the heat shield on and used plastic tubing to get round then forward that way I just put the bolt and shield back on so no need for tap and dye set with new bolt

hi Anthony love your video do you think its possible to drill and tap the turbo on the car without taking it off? Great vid thanks again James Bromley

Genius! 😂😂this is amazing sir! Simply amazing! 😂😂

Thank you Anthony. Did it today and it worked a treat

What about the metal shavings made when drilling? Will they not cause damage?

have ordered one today, dont spose it will do much being after the maf eh ! but got to be done reguardless ! thanks :-)

Thanks for the heads up worked a treat....

Did this today and works great, thanks mate!

great tip saved a lot of time and money,many thanks

Super great.... does this helps stoping grey smoke from exhaust....???

A little tip, use a copper washer, it will get a better seal