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Car Forum / Volvo Cars / February 2006

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help !  I think I broke my turbo on my turbo !

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circuit slave - 14 Feb 2006 04:32 GMT
I have a 740 Wagon Turbo and I'm not sure if it's electrical that I
bumped or my own fault for running the car with low oil.  I replaced
the 3/8 size type hose that comes up by the Transmission Fluid dip
stick yesterday. It's that hose that has the inline vacuum check valve
and into the top intake.  Well, I was on the freeway today and the car
had no turbo power.  I was going about 70.  When I came to a light the
car was chugging along, shimming like it was cold or something. I
thought it might have been the lack of oil.

I also had low oil because of an oil leak and think I might have broken
the turbo; however, the car runs fine but with no power now. It
accelerates and runs without black smoke or anything.

One thing I noticed is when I come to a stop while in drive, the needle
on the turbo is at "10 o'clock.  When I accelerate the shaking stops.

And when the care is turned off , the needle goes straight to 12
o'clock?  That's not correct, right? If I recall, it's supposed to go
down like the fuel guage and temp guage.

FWIW, the check oil light never came on, and it has run on low oil
before, not that it's good to do, but I'm hoping it's not serious.   I
know I'm an idiot for not checking the oil, but I was only on the
freeway for about 15 minutes.

Do you think I may have ruined the turbo or even worse?   How can I
check?  Any diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.

Just a day ago I was zipping along and the turbo was fine.  I hope it's
something I can fix.
zencraps@comcast.net - 14 Feb 2006 05:09 GMT
I can only compare it to my 244 Turbo, but the hose you are describing
(on mine) provides a source of vacuum for the vacuum operated
heat/defrost system.

It could be you have a vacuum leak: check all the hoses.

To check the turbo, pull off the front air intake hose, and try to spin
the turbine vanes by hand; if they spin freely, and if there is little
or no play in the turbine shaft, then the turbo is probably OK.

Is the catalytic converter OK?
circuit slave - 14 Feb 2006 05:32 GMT
I'll check the turbo tomorrow.  If you can forgive me, where are the
turbine vanes?

I think the catalytic converter is okay, I mean on Sunday I changed
that hose and also the wiring harness is brittle and broken in places.
Saturday it had zip and zoom!  I pulled the throttle body and cleaned
it well, it was sluggish and after cleaning it and setting the TPS,
it's been good! It was never set and was sucking gas with poor mileage.

And so on Sunday I pulled the hose because it had never been changed
and broke and I replaced it.  Only after this I noticed I had loss
power and no turbo and the car shakes at the stop sign/stop light.
James Sweet - 14 Feb 2006 07:19 GMT
> I'll check the turbo tomorrow.  If you can forgive me, where are the
> turbine vanes?

Follow the big thick hose from the airbox to the front of the
turbocharger, disconnect it there and stick your finger in, you should
feel a shaft in the middle with a nut on it, that shaft is what you want
to spin.
circuit slave - 14 Feb 2006 18:41 GMT
> > I'll check the turbo tomorrow.  If you can forgive me, where are the
> > turbine vanes?
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> feel a shaft in the middle with a nut on it, that shaft is what you want
> to spin.

Okay, I'll do that today, thanks. One thing I did notice is when I
accelerate and go into turbo (yellow) I hear a whisper, raspy flutter
sound from the back of the car.  Not outside, but I mean you can hear
it. Not a sputter, but a flutter.

Unless the cat is bad or clogged, but it didn't do it two days ago.
James Sweet - 15 Feb 2006 03:26 GMT
>>> I'll check the turbo tomorrow.  If you can forgive me, where are the
>>> turbine vanes?
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> Unless the cat is bad or clogged, but it didn't do it two days ago.

If the guage goes into the yellow, then the turbo itself is working.
circuit slave - 15 Feb 2006 05:29 GMT
Really, James ?  I mean it does goes into the yellow but that' s just
the guage on the dashboard, I mean I hear what I think sounds like the
turbo spinning, that kind of "breath" sound. Isn't that the turbo, you
know when you accelerate and go into turbo then left off the gas, you
hear that breath sound. "aahhh" sound. If that makes sense.

I didn't get a chance to pull the hose and check the turbine if it
spins, but I did spray WD-40 on the injectors and on the hoses and no
change.

Maybe the fuel pressure regulator?  I pulled off the front hose and
didn't really smell gas. I could feel it sucking air in. I didn't get a
chance to pull the back hose off to check for gas.

I just hope that the turbo isn't gone or anything worse like bent
engine parts.
James Sweet - 15 Feb 2006 06:11 GMT
> Really, James ?  I mean it does goes into the yellow but that' s just
> the guage on the dashboard, I mean I hear what I think sounds like the
> turbo spinning, that kind of "breath" sound. Isn't that the turbo, you
> know when you accelerate and go into turbo then left off the gas, you
> hear that breath sound. "aahhh" sound. If that makes sense.

The guage on the dash is a mechanical pressure/vacuum guage connected to
the intake manifold. The black area is vacuum and the yellow area is
pressure. Where these meet is normal atmospheric pressure. If the turbo
seizes then the guage will behave as a normal vacuum guage and move
around in the black area reacting to engine load, however for it to go
into the yellow there has to be positive pressure in the intake manifold
and the only way that's happening is if the turbocharger is working and
producing boost.

Sounds to me like you've got a rip in one of the rubber air hoses
between the turbo and the intake manifold. Remove them and inspect
carefully as often times you'll get a flap which closes up and becomes
invisible until boost is produced.
circuit slave - 16 Feb 2006 01:55 GMT
I'll check the hoses again, but I replaced it.

See what happened was this:

I was replacing spark plugs and wanted to clean the area around the oil
trap because I don't know when/if it has ever been replaced. I cleaned
the throttle body last week and set the TPS.

Well, when I pulled the fat hose (3/8 about) that goes on the top
intake manifold and down to the one-way black/white disc vacuum valve
into the plastic "T" which one hose goes somewhere up front by the
radiator intercooler (I don't know where the other end goes to? I mean
it's connected somewhere).  Anyway, that top fat hose broke ! It was
original and so I bought 3 feet of new hose and replaced it.

Then I'm on the freeway next day and the car was real hot, I mean like
I said oil was low.

But the temp was in the middle--there was no smoking or overheating,
but it was hot !

So I put in oil and thought I might have ruined the engine!  But it
runs fine for the most part. No excessive gas smell, usage or anything.
It accelerates eventually to 70mph but has no power.

Maybe the "wastegate" ?    (in quotes because I don't know really what
it is orhow it supposed to work if it's not working.

As far as the timing belt, blurp,  It was changed a while back, I don't
think it would be that.
circuit slave - 16 Feb 2006 02:07 GMT
P.S.

I did rewire a spade connector near that area which had baked crubling
wire and restripped it and put the connection back. There isn't
anything electrical on the turbo, right?

Also the car does shake still a little at the stop light but not much,
but enough you could tell.
James Sweet - 14 Feb 2006 07:18 GMT
> I have a 740 Wagon Turbo and I'm not sure if it's electrical that I
> bumped or my own fault for running the car with low oil.  I replaced
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> Just a day ago I was zipping along and the turbo was fine.  I hope it's
> something I can fix.

The turbo guage should sit right between the black and yellow sections
when off, at 0 psi so it sounds like that's working ok.

Pull the intake hose off the turbo and see if you can spin the turbine
by hand. Lack of oil pressure certainly can cause the turbo bearings to
seize though.
Allen - 14 Feb 2006 11:26 GMT
> I have a 740 Wagon Turbo and I'm not sure if it's electrical that I
> bumped or my own fault for running the car with low oil.  I replaced
> the 3/8 size type hose that comes up by the Transmission Fluid dip
> stick yesterday. It's that hose that has the inline vacuum check valve
> and into the top intake.

Did you put the check valve back in the right direction?  :-)
circuit slave - 14 Feb 2006 18:42 GMT
That's what my immediate thought was, and yes, it's on correctly.
Unless it is faulty?  but I blew into it and it works, and confirmed it
is one-way valve.
blurp - 15 Feb 2006 15:40 GMT
>That's what my immediate thought was, and yes, it's on correctly.
>Unless it is faulty?  but I blew into it and it works, and confirmed it
>is one-way valve.
Is there any chance that you may have done something to throw the
timing off? My 83 240 Turbo was totally gutless after a timing belt
replacement and it was found to be the result of improperly adjusted
timing. The turbo still spooled up but the power wasn't there. That
also goes with the "fluttering" sound you're hearing... I think that's
detonation.

Just a thought.

Blurp
James Sweet - 16 Feb 2006 04:21 GMT
> Is there any chance that you may have done something to throw the
> timing off? My 83 240 Turbo was totally gutless after a timing belt
> replacement and it was found to be the result of improperly adjusted
> timing. The turbo still spooled up but the power wasn't there. That
> also goes with the "fluttering" sound you're hearing... I think that's
> detonation.

I experienced that once too, belt was off by *one* tooth and the car
would barely go 5mph in 1st with the pedal to the floor. Once the boost
did build up after around 10 seconds it would smoke the tires though.
circuit slave - 17 Feb 2006 04:35 GMT
well, the car was just smogged so , they did say the timing was off,
and that was corrected. I'll check.
John Robertson - 16 Feb 2006 08:28 GMT
Most likely hose\s perished .Mine did so after replacement I put that slit
tubing over it to protect it from heat when the motor is turned off .Its
called heat soak and does much damage so idling down helps to prevent heat
soak after a long run and the Turbo will last longer too .I lift my hood \
bonnet and let the heat out after a long run and idle down .

>I have a 740 Wagon Turbo and I'm not sure if it's electrical that I
> bumped or my own fault for running the car with low oil.  I replaced
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> Just a day ago I was zipping along and the turbo was fine.  I hope it's
> something I can fix.
circuit slave - 17 Feb 2006 04:38 GMT
I'll check all those hoses, John. Thanks.
circuit slave - 18 Feb 2006 22:46 GMT
I think I fixed it !  It has boost, but there's a problem  : (

The obvious was ---or maybe I didn't fix it, but it feels like it? --
is the aluminium according type stretchable hose that goes from the
airbox at the bottom near the exhaust I think was old and had holes,
and so I cut the end and stretched it to fit, and now it has some
boost!

But there's a problem with the turbo that I will start in another
thread.  Follow me :D
James Sweet - 18 Feb 2006 23:54 GMT
> I think I fixed it !  It has boost, but there's a problem  : (
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> But there's a problem with the turbo that I will start in another
> thread.  Follow me :D

That metal hose isn't needed, in fact it's completely useless on the
turbo cars since it preheats the intake air when the engine is cold, but
then the intercooler cools it right back down. The airbox thermostat can
fail and kill the expensive air mass meter so I just yank that metal
hose and throw it away on my cars, it might have some value in a very
cold climate but it's not needed here and has no effect on the way the
car runs.
circuit slave - 19 Feb 2006 00:51 GMT
hmmm?  Well, it may be coincidence, but why did it help?  I mean I
don't hear the flutter anymore--unless---unless that hose was blocking
the grinded down hole in the turbocharger housing?

The airbox thermostat--what is it?  I mean how's it look?
Michael Pardee - 19 Feb 2006 15:54 GMT
> hmmm?  Well, it may be coincidence, but why did it help?  I mean I
> don't hear the flutter anymore--unless---unless that hose was blocking
> the grinded down hole in the turbocharger housing?
>
> The airbox thermostat--what is it?  I mean how's it look?

Way down in the bottom of the box is a pellet in a holder - that pellet is
the thermostat. I don't have a clear memory of its shape, but it is pretty
obvious when you see it.

Mike
circuit slave - 19 Feb 2006 16:39 GMT
Oh yeah, it's has a spring in it--looks like a peg, right?  I know what
you're talking about.  Well, how can I test it?  Is there a way to find
out whether it's faulty?

thanks, Mike.
Michael Pardee - 19 Feb 2006 17:08 GMT
> Oh yeah, it's has a spring in it--looks like a peg, right?  I know what
> you're talking about.  Well, how can I test it?  Is there a way to find
> out whether it's faulty?

That's the thing!

I knew mine was bad because the flap was being held in the position to get
hot air even though it was summertime in Phoenix! Realistically, a few
seconds heat from a hair dryer should send it to the cold air position and
an ice cube should send it to the hot air position. It seems to me the price
was pretty tame for a Volvo part.

Mike
circuit slave - 19 Feb 2006 17:26 GMT
Thanks Mike, also can I ask you a question?   I started a new thread on
another top that came from this thread.  Can you take a look?  Not sure
how experienced you are, but maybe your input might be helpful:

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.autos.volvo/browse_thread/thread/73c86b319368
251c/aed78310d6394f2c?hl=en#aed78310d6394f2c

James Sweet - 19 Feb 2006 19:23 GMT
> Oh yeah, it's has a spring in it--looks like a peg, right?  I know what
> you're talking about.  Well, how can I test it?  Is there a way to find
> out whether it's faulty?
>
> thanks, Mike.

Unless you live in a very cold climate, just pull that metal hose off
and throw it away, pull the thermostat pin out and wedge the flap shut.

If you do live where it goes down below zero regularly then buy a new
thermostat, they're cheap and they're usually bad if they're old.
circuit slave - 19 Feb 2006 20:46 GMT
Okay thanks!

BTW,  another thing (oh brother, this car)  the oil is leaking from the
return line pipe from the turbo.

Would it be possible to relace the oil seal o-ring and gasket without
removing the turbo ?  I know there's two 13mm bolts---would it be
possible to do it from the bottom of the car?

thanks.
James Sweet - 19 Feb 2006 20:58 GMT
> Okay thanks!
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> thanks.

As I recall yeah, you can remove the drain line with the turbo in place.
You might have to remove the wastegate actuator for clearance though,
I've only ever done it on a Garrett turbo. There's a silicone O-ring at
the block and a fiber gasket at the turbo.
circuit slave - 19 Feb 2006 21:00 GMT
thank you !  I looked at the wastegate actuator ---it looked like it
was held on with wire?

I mean the connection part linkage thingy?
James Sweet - 19 Feb 2006 21:38 GMT
> thank you !  I looked at the wastegate actuator ---it looked like it
> was held on with wire?
>
> I mean the connection part linkage thingy?

There should be a circlip, as well as there's a wire which is the tamper
seal, your warranty is long expired though so don't worry about that.
circuit slave - 19 Feb 2006 22:57 GMT
Oh, okay, thank you.  yeah, I don't believe extended they opted for the
extended extended extended extened 20-year warranty.
circuit slave - 19 Feb 2006 22:01 GMT
thank you !  I looked at the wastegate actuator ---it looked like it
was held on with wire?

I mean the connection part linkage thingy?
 
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