1994 850 Turbo

This week my 1994 850 Turbo started to stall and cut out with loss of power.
Checked the filters etc and found nothing. Took it into the shop yesterday
and I'm told that the turbo is totally shot and must be replaced for a cost
of $1,150 parts and labor.

Money is tight at the moment and I'm loath to throw good money at the
problem for a short term fix. I live in Lubbock, Texas, and there are not a
lot of options available here.

Thanks

Michael Bird

 

I don't have any experience with Volvo turbo's... Only VW turbo's - but loss
of power and potential stalling can be caused by a failed MAF sensor (O2
sensors also cause similar symptoms) on these cars - and I think both cars
use a Bosch (Motronic) engine computer, so failure of these devices
***MAY*** be similar (but we're dealing with a 10 year old Volvo and a new
VW here as my two references, so there are bound to be differences aplenty
in management technology)... No expert on a blown turbo, but I think it's
more of a slow death where you would see oil in your exhaust, notice the
power isn't as strong anymore... Now I could very much be wrong, but unless
the turbo seized because of the bearings, or it threw a blade on the
"fan"/"impeller" (whatever the thing that makes the pressure is called) I
can't see one dieing instantly.

Again not an expert, but check the MAF and O2 sensors first.

 

My experience of a dying turbo was a sudden 'kangarooing' at high
acceleration (this in a 1990 Nissan engine). The wastegate was
sticking closed, causing overboost. The ECU saw the overboost and cut
the fuel. It wasn't a slow loss of power or gradual event. It got
more frequent as the wastegate got worse. If your wastegate sticks
open, you will get no boost at all!

I'd imagine that the ECU logs would show what was actually happening
if it was the ECU cutting the power. If it isn't the ECU, then it
shouldn't be hard to fit a boost gauge to find out what boost is being
provided.

In the UK it is much cheaper to get turbos reconditioned by someone
like Turbo Technics. I think about £250 as opposed to £1000 for a new
unit.





--

Tim Hobbs

'58 Series 2 88" aka "Stig"
'77 101FC Ambulance aka "Burrt"
'95 Discovery V8i aka "The Disco" (SOLD)
'03 Volvo V70

My Landies? http://www.seriesii.co.uk
Barcoding? http://www.bartec-systems.com
Tony Luckwill web archive at http://www.luckwill.com

 

I had a turbo let go on a Mitsubishi back in 1985 and it was most definitely
a sudden death event where it developed an unhealthy thirst for oil and a
sudden ability to drop smokescreens that James Bond would have envied. After
only a mile of running (to get it home) it leaked black il from the exhaust
tailpipe. Don't drive a cat equipped turbo car if this happens as you will
kill the cat! Took ages for the oil to stop burning in the pipe after it was
fixed too.....

I believe that is the normal failure mode for a turbo....

Wastegates jammimg can cause the car to do as Tim said. Thats easy to check
as all you need to do is remove the heat shield on top of the turbo,
disconnect the rod from the wastegate diaphragm and wiggle the arm it was
attached to... if it feeels tight there is your problem. It should flap
loosely. The good news is it is a lot cheaper and easier to fix than a full
turbo rebuild! To check the wastegate should take not much longer than half
an hour for someone who knows how to use a 12mm spanner...

A.

 

I wish I'd known that in 1996...





--

Tim Hobbs

'58 Series 2 88" aka "Stig"
'77 101FC Ambulance aka "Burrt"
'95 Discovery V8i aka "The Disco" (SOLD)
'03 Volvo V70

My Landies? http://www.seriesii.co.uk
Barcoding? http://www.bartec-systems.com
Tony Luckwill web archive at http://www.luckwill.com