Hello everybody I am the owner of a 05 xc90 2.5 and new to volvo . I wanted to know if I could change my turbo with a aftermarket turbo because I would like to get to know the car and maintenance issues because I have heard these car are very delicate and finicky. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

Not sure who said these cars are delicate and finicky. Sure, there are some common problem areas for each model/year, but the turbochargers are not on any of those lists. As a general background, Volvo "white blocks" of your vintage use Mitsubishi TD04 turbos. Some models are HP "high pressure" (meaning top boost in the 10 PSI range) and some are LPT "low pressure turbo" (using a smaller turbo pump for faster spool up=better low end torque) with a top pressure is the 7 PSI range. TD04s come with different flange styles (ie how they bolt up, what shape the ports are etc) and with different pumping capacities. The bigger the number the more maximum air volume. LPTs typically use a 12/13/14 where HPs use a 15/16/18 size. If you match the flanges there's no physical reason you can't replace a 14T with a 16 or 18 - similarly if you decide to rebuild your turbo, you can find kits to install the compressor/impeller from a larger unit to upgrade for more performance at higher RPMs. When turbos start to fail, its usually because the bears wear out and the compressor/impeller shaft develops play which in turn cause the seals to leak. You can check this without extracting the turbo by removing the air intake tube and reach down with a screw driver etc to see how much the shaft moves side to side. A more common issue will be once the turbo's seals go, you will start consuming oil or have some exhaust smoke or loose coolant with no apparent leaks.

So to your question - yes you can replace your turbo with an after market - provided you match the flange type. Its also pretty easy to rebuild a turbo (google for shops that do this if you're not a hands on type) and there are vids on Youtube. The Mitsubishi TD04 turbos are probably the most popular unit in the world so parts and service is easy to find but unless you have a known issue, its not uncommon for these units to last 250K miles or more without service provided the car was maintained on schedule.

My two cents is a better idea is to read up (particularly on the various Volvo forums) on what problems are common to a 2005 XC90. You'll probably learn about things like electronic modules failures (CEMs, ABS controllers etc), ETM issues (electronic throttle mechanism), timing belt maintenance, PCV system maintenance, intake air leaks/vacuum line issues as the "finicky" stuff people talk about.

 

For more HP, and a lower ET? Buy A tune - Hilton or another vendor.

I would not be surprised if during your turbo replacement - things like exhaust manifold studs break, or turbo mounting bolts break, or the stuff you are trying to install does not fit - greatly increasing the complexity and time your car will be out of commission trying to fix everything that you broke trying to reengineer what Volvo already engineered and was not broken to begin with.

Make your 17 year old car stage 0 - you can learn about your car that way and - Buy a tune, you will be happy with the outcome.

 

+1. The factory turbos have some extra capacity that's not called by the stock ECU tune. For example, a LPT model with a tune and no other mods will outperform a stock HP model... Upgrading the turbo with an aftermarket model will set you back $1K and you'd still need a tune to reap the benefits.