Supra Whistling Noise Power Loss

I'm having some major issues with my 2002 Toyota Supra IV with a gasoline engine. The check engine light is on, and the car feels like it's lost a ton of power. Engine response is terrible, and sometimes it even stalls at idle. My fuel consumption has gone through the roof, and I'm hearing a weird whistling noise, like air escaping, especially when I accelerate. It even sounds like a loud hissing sometimes. I checked the mileage, it's at 133270 km. Any ideas what could be causing this? It feels like something is seriously wrong with the boost pressure system. I read online about turbo lag and intercoolers, but I'm not sure where to start looking.

4 comment(s)

Sounds familiar. I had a similar problem with my Supra. Those symptoms point towards a wastegate valve issue. It's like a stuck door that's supposed to open and close to regulate boost. Is the whistling particularly loud when you really get on the throttle?

Yeah, the whistling gets super loud when I accelerate hard. So, the wastegate valve... is that part of the turbocharger? Is it a complicated fix, or something I could potentially tackle myself? I'm not a mechanic, but I'm fairly handy.

Yes, it is related to the turbocharger, and while you could try yourself, I'd suggest getting it checked out by a professional. Better safe than sorry when dealing with boost pressure issues. A defect in the wastegate valve could definitely cause all those symptoms. A damaged or stuck wastegate valve is not ideal. Could get expensive quickly. The repair cost me around 860€.

Thanks a lot for the advice! I really appreciate it. I'll take it to a trusted mechanic and get the wastegate valve checked out. Hopefully, it's just that and nothing more serious. You saved me a lot of guesswork! I'm happy it's not something like a full turbo replacement!

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