So, i have 2 issues I'm facing right now. My main issue is that my turbo is spooling, but only shows about 1psi on the gage, and the car feels like an NA motor to boot.

I'm fairly new to turbos, so I'm still learning about how all the stuff works. From the wastegate, I can pull the rod and feel tension from the spring, but the rod DOES move with a good pull. But when I hit the throttle under a load, (chocked wheels, winter mode 3rd gear, e-brake set) the arm doesn't move at all but you can hear the pressure building up. Could this be my culprit? I recently replaced all my cracked vacuum lines a month ago but who knows, there could be more..

I recently replaced my radiator so the issue of wrong vacuum lines could always be there but I double checked everything with the diagram under my hood and it all looks kosher.

My other issue that could be possibly contributing to this is I found 2 hard plastic vacuum hoses that are not hooked up underneath the drivers side by the air pump. one of the hoses has a purple check valve... is this one line that busted into two, or do they both need placed somewhere? It was like that when I bought the car, so I have no idea where they go, but if it gives any help when you start the car, it sucks air in rapid spurts that sound like a classic sprinkler (does that even make sense? lol)

Sometimes it feels like the power builds, then surges, then builds again. Using my scanner, I found no knock signals nor timing retards. but the boost goes from 1psi to -4psi in a split second.

Anyone dealt with this before?

 

Sounds to me like when my throttle body hose burst. The hose that the IAC valve connects to is fused to the hose that connects the intercooler pipe to the TB and the point where it's fused is a weak point in the hose. Pull that hose off and look it over very well. I drove for a week while throwing parts on it before I found the hole in that piece. Also, if the gauge reads 1psi, the pressure on the wastegate is 1psi and the wastegate shouldn't move until something like 3 or 4psi. My bet's on that hose. Give it a look over and let us know.

 

For sure! I'll try to get into it tonight and see what I can find. Thanks!

 

I didn't see anything obvious, although I'm very new to volvo motors so I could have been looking the wrong direction.. is it the rubber hose that connects to the output of the IC that also hooks into some kind of solenoid dealie?

 

If you've worked on one turbo car, you've worked on em all. The basic premises still apply. Check for boost leaks, make sure vac lines are properly hooked up, etc.

Boost leak symptoms video and DIY boost leak tester (not quite 100%, but the idea still stands)

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=92396 (better option)

https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...testing-47847/ (may also help)

Hope this helps

 

First turbo car :/ I have 2 hoses below the car on the drivers side that are hard plastic that have been dangling since I bought it. not sure if they're both supposed to connect to something or if they were one hose that busted, but other than that, I haven't found any vacuum leaks.

 

I've officially taken the car to a shop, as I have been really caught up with work and just haven't had the time to put into it... The shop has had it for 3 days now and they can't figure out what the heck is the problem with it either!

Basically I was told that I could pay another 400 bucks and have them round trip the turbo to see if it's clogged up, and that's basically about all I can do, but of course if I was gonna go that route, then I'd upgrade to a 15T anyways. Still can't figure out this issue though

 

Did you take those 2.5 turns on the waste gate rod and had it running good before this loss of power ??

What is "round trip" a turbo ??

 

Yeah, the car ran fine for like 9 months..At one point I even set it back to it's original settings just to see if it would make a difference but it makes no change really. The turbo spools up sooner with the turns on the rod, but again- exactly 0lbs of boost.

round trip is what they would charge to remove it and replace it again, (or put a new one in minus the cost of a turbo) But I think at that cost, I'd just do it myself... time is just the biggest factor for me.

 

If you're reading zero for boost there is a chance the turbo is seized. You could remove the intake hose and physically use your finger to see if it spins smoothly.
There is a chance the bypass on the exhaust side of the turbo is stuck open or the vacuum motor is stuck and holding it open. If you disconnect that rod from the lever at the exhaust housing you should be able to feel and hear the valve seating, hitting it's metal seat. Once you know it's hitting or seating than you can look at re-connecting the rod and see if there is enough length that it's in the closed position when you put it back on.

Besides those two the only things I can think of is a bad hose that's ripped or not on correctly.

 

I'll try that this afternoon, but I know it hasn't seized completely. You can hear the spool, and because it has a warm air intake you can hear pressure building, and you can also hear it blow off... that's what completely riddles me.. the bypass valve works because if you remove the wastegate rod and turn the little arm it hooks to and open the valve, the turbo doesn't spool at all. I'm probably gonna take a look at the hoses from the i/c also... I know I have a top one that ripped but it's only a pinhole, dunno about the bottom one.

Thanks for keeping up with me on this thread

 

Update.. Turbo was removed this week, and it is clean as a whistle.. not even a smidge of carbon buildup! the turbine spins just fine, the bypass valve is nice and tight, so that's one more thing that isn't the issue... is there a way I can rig my intake system to do a pressure test? I'm running out of ideas..

 

Another update; put the turbo back on, still spools and builds pressure and blows off but does not make it to the intake system because in still showing Zero boost... I also replaced ALL of the hoses including the inter cooler hoses and still isn't holding pressure.. Im getting seriously frustrated here.. I hope at least one persons had the same issue as me!

 

Can you describe "blows off" so I understand ??

Have you tried another gauge ?? Does it feel seat of the pants like a dog when you accelerate ??

If you've done the hoses and you're sure they are on tight you might want to try and have it "smoke" checked for a leak. Maybe something let go in the intercooler or ???

 

It releases the turbo pressure via bpv when i let off the gas. I tried an analog vacuum gage as well, but still same reading. And not sure what you meant by that but it's about as slow as a 3 cylinder metro where it used to take off running faster than a scalded dog.

 

Also, in diagnosing the inter cooler, would it be bad to temporarily run the turbo straight to the intake or would it be too hot and cause detonation?

 

Bump. Still can't tackle this issue and getting 12mpg is kicking my butt! I could probably lose a race to a peterbilt right now. Am I really the only person who's had to deal with this issue? Sorry if I sound frustrated but after 300 in inspections, pulling the turbo, redoing all the hoses (new silicone ic hoses also) and this thing absolutely refuses to act right! The turbo is basically a glorified sound machine right now. Please please can someone give me some insight? I might be dumping this car if I can't get it figured out.

Quick recap:

Symptoms, slow as hell, turbo spools and blows off just as it's supposed to, wastegate is shut, so is the valve on exhaust side of turbo, also removed vacuum line to wastegate but didn't help. New inter cooler hoses, new vacuum lines, but still shows a max of -2 vacuum, no boost.

 

Let me ask a different question.. Is the turbo completely vacuum regulated or is there something else electronic that can tell it not to build pressure?

 

Even if the TCV that regulates the waste gate were stuck open, you would build at least 3-4PSI due the the crack pressure of the actuator itself. It's entirely regulated by the vacuum line to the waste gate. It sounds like when my TB hose burst yet you have all new hoses. Have you examined the manifold and all of its related gaskets? It wouldn't hurt to do a low stress pass with no IC. Just try to get it into boost without running it all out.

 

Do you think that it is possible that the intercoller is broken or clogged?