smoking turbo (can't be good)

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Apr 19, 2006 | 06:32 PM
  #1  
I just got the turbo on my '97 850 GLT. When I put it back in I hooked up all the oil and coolant lines right and they have no leaks, but about 2-3 minutes after the car has been running, some oily yet sweet smelling smoke starts to plume up from where the turbo sits. I can't tell what's smoking because the oil and cooling lines aren't leaking. Any ideas or help on this would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks guys.
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Apr 19, 2006 | 07:28 PM
  #2  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
Are you sure they are hooked up correctly to the right places?
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Apr 19, 2006 | 08:11 PM
  #3  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
99.9% sure, the hoses aren't really long enough to reach a place where they aren't supposed to be.
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Apr 19, 2006 | 08:36 PM
  #4  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
If it is 'sweet smelling' it is most likely antifreeze. Check your resovoir for the level.
R.
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Apr 19, 2006 | 09:20 PM
  #5  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
If you spilled when taking it apart it will smoke like that till it all burns off.

Take it for a ride as long as you know it isn't leaking anything.
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Apr 20, 2006 | 12:52 AM
  #6  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
yeah I think I'm gonna try taking it for a drive tomorrow morning, hopefully it'll sort itself out. If it doesn't it looks like I'll have a lot of guesswork to do
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Apr 20, 2006 | 01:42 AM
  #7  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
Let us know what happens.
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Apr 21, 2006 | 06:30 AM
  #8  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
yea the smoke definitely didn't go away...actually the car stalled....it started running very rough then just died, about 20 mins later I could start it back up and limp it home. this is the whole reason why I got the turbo rebuilt (the whole stalling issue)... any ideas about what it could be. for reference it's a '97 850 GLT with about 217,000 miles on it (I know it's a lot, but hey, volvos are supposed to last until the end of time right?)
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Apr 21, 2006 | 09:06 PM
  #9  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
Any Codes?
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Apr 24, 2006 | 10:34 PM
  #10  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
no codes being thrown...it runs great for about 10-15 mins, then starts to run pretty rough, then it just dies. but about 20 mins later it'll start up and run fine for a little while, then the same thing happens
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Apr 24, 2006 | 10:44 PM
  #11  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
Tune up done lately?
Is it missfiring?
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Apr 25, 2006 | 07:55 PM
  #12  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
the car was running great before this happened, there's no misfiring. the last time I changed the oil their appeard to be a milky substance in the oil. I guessed that it was coolant that had leaked into the oil. I asked around and most people said it was either the headgasket or the turbo where the coolant was mixing with the oil. I got the turbo rebuilt because 207,000 miles is quite a bit for a turbo, but it's doing the same thing now. I'm at a standstill now.
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Apr 25, 2006 | 09:29 PM
  #13  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
What does the oil look like now?
Does it run hot?

I would do a compression test.
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Apr 26, 2006 | 09:10 AM
  #14  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
If I lived in the US I'd take an oil sample and get it tested in a lab.
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Apr 26, 2006 | 07:44 PM
  #15  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
the oil's looking pretty clean, and I'm gonna get a compression test done soon.. and it doesn't run hot at all. it runs right in the middle where it should be.
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Apr 26, 2006 | 09:53 PM
  #16  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
Let us know how the compression test goes.
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Apr 28, 2006 | 06:17 PM
  #17  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
Well, if he got antifreeze in the electrical connectors that could be a problem............... After the engine runs and heats up, the antifreeze could be "steaming" and get into the connectors............ It has happened to me before.
R.
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May 3, 2006 | 03:42 PM
  #18  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
which electrical connectors are you talking about? and I'm doing the compression test right now so the numbers should be up in a few hours.
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May 3, 2006 | 03:51 PM
  #19  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
oh and does anybody know what compression numbers I should be looking for? it's a 1997 850 GLT with around 207,000 miles on it. thanks for all your help guys
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May 3, 2006 | 09:04 PM
  #20  
RE: smoking turbo (can't be good)
There really isn't much in writting to the specific numbers.
They all need to be within 20% of each other.
They are ususally at about 150-160 PSI.
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