I'm looking at a beautiful 1993 945T. Turbo is out, what's a reasonable cost of a new one? Can I drive it without the turbo until I find a good price on one?

Opportunity or junk?

 

Turbo's out? Out of the car or it doesn't work? You really can't drive the car without it, either way. A turbo can be had used, or rebuild, for $100 on up... A new turbo is expensive. The car As-is is not worth that much, depends on its condition but still without a driving turbo, $500-1000....

 

Thanks lev,Turbo is on the car and the seller has had two Volvo guys look at it and tell him that it (turbo) needs to be replaced. Seller says it drives fine. The guy is asking for the price range you gave.

Also, the door ajar sound won't turn off (is always on, even with doors shut). Easy fix or a bigger problem? I'll look the car over tomorrow so any input would be appreciated.

 

So, what's wrong with the turbo? If it 'drives fine'? Door chime's is minor stuff... Better look closely at the interior, a/c, heater core, trans, etc...

 

That's what I intend to find out tomorrow, all he's said so far is that two volvo mechanics have told him he needs to replace it. Maybe it's just slowly going out? I don't know. Other than looking for play in the impeller shaft, anything I should look for in diagnosing the turbo? I understand if the Turbo is "blown" it's not good to drive the car, when else should the car NOT be driven. From what I've read Turbo's can take a long time to finally croak, if it's not quite dead, could I possibly drive it home?

Would a parts yard be a good place to look for a turbo, or is that too risky?

One good thing about this car is it comes with a "complete" set of records. Although, I don't know how encouraged I should be about that. Hopefully it means it hasn't had a lot of owners and has been well cared for.

 

I usually ignore what someone said about a car's condition... just too much BS. Turbo failing signs: Smoke, leaks, noise, car running poorly--things like that. Sure, check the shaft play... Used turbo is fine, if it's ok, but if you like the car and it's a 'keeper' then better get it rebuilt for a couple of hundred... I'd get the car, drive it, go from there...

 

Look for massive amounts of oil if you remove the charged air hose on the turbo. If it runs ok, the turbo must at least be free wheeling. When they freeze up, they become a major obstruction; the car will run but be VERY slow.
The door chime means the radio/cigarette lighter fuse is blown...just check the fuse panel.
Not sure by 93, but earlier 7's and early 9's used the Mitsubishi 13c turbo. Much better than nothing, but not exactly pocket rocket material. I gave a 13c away six months ago. If you check the classifieds on TB, you may be able to find one for dirt cheap. Many folks don't list them for sale as few people want it. If there are none listed, place an ad in the wanted section.
Yes, turbos usually take a long time to actually seize; warning signs are excessive smoking, especially under boost. Puking oil into the intercooler is a give away too.
Generally, even a brand new 1st line turbo will fail in 50-80k miles. Nature of the beast.
Running synthetic oil is paramount for increasing longevity. When you shut down the engine, coolant will percolate through the engine for quite some time simply as a result of varying temperatures. Oil, on the other hand, stops instantly when the engine is shut down. Sure, high spots will run downhill, but low spots just...stop. The conventional oil in a turbo will "coke" or scorch and burn/stick to metal. Over time, it builds quite a coating, impeding oil flow, increasing oil pressure in the turbo and generally playing Hell w/ the turbo. Synthetic oil will not coke...so the turbos last longer.