[Slick_FThirty]

Just curious, what happens if there is a damaged area in the air intake system. This could be a crack or an intake duct incorrectly installed. In this situation, the turbo and engine would be sucking in unfiltered air.

Would the unfiltered air damage the turbo and engine?

Would an error code of some sort be thrown in any kind of similar situation?

[Billfitz]

It depends where the damage is. If it allows unfiltered air to reach the engine it would have to be fixed or replaced. If unfiltered air was OK there would be no filter.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

It depends where the damage is. If it allows unfiltered air to reach the engine it would have to be fixed or replaced. If unfiltered air was OK there would be no filter.

+1

[Slick_FThirty]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

It depends where the damage is. If it allows unfiltered air to reach the engine it would have to be fixed or replaced. If unfiltered air was OK there would be no filter.

Makes sense, thanks. Would there be an error code or would it have to be noticed through inspection? Just wondering cuz the plastic parts, especially the turbo inlet seems really flimsy.

Would be reassuring to know that I would be notified the moment a problem happens.

[xdrive_320i]

Originally Posted by Slick_FThirty

Makes sense, thanks. Would there be an error code or would it have to be noticed through inspection? Just wondering cuz the plastic parts, especially the turbo inlet seems really flimsy.

Would be reassuring to know that I would be notified the moment a problem happens.

An error code probably won't be generated unless the crack is after the turbo has compressed the air, which would result in a boost leak. These are the turbo-to-intercooler pipe or the intercooler-to-engine pipe. These are also known as the boost pipe and charge pipe respectively.

You are correct that these pipes are flimsy and can crack. Luckily, there are plenty of aftermarket options to remedy this. The turbo inlet pipe itself is also made of plastic and is highly reccomended to get replaced. If that cracks, the last thing you want are chunks of plastic entering the turbo. However, this is only an issue on older cars where the pipes are brittle.

Hope this helps!