Turbo problems?

[worriedinmi]

We recently bought a used 2004 93 linear which we really love. Unfortunately last night it started smoking heavily from the tail pipe - white smoke and lots of it. My husband is convinced it is the Turbo. Everything I have read here leans me towards that as well.

Your thoughts and advice appreciated.

Thank you

[jstrowe]

Turbos do not usually fail so suddenly. Is the coolant level going down? If so, it might be a head gasket.

John

[worriedinmi]

Isnt it motor oil burning and not engine coolant?

[jstrowe]

Originally Posted by worriedinmi

Isnt it motor oil burning and not engine coolant?

White smoke can be either coolant or oil. Inspection of the fluids and smelling the smoke will tell which it is. In either case, turbos tend to fail slowly whereas HGs tend to fail quickly. A bad HG can burn either oil or coolant. It can also leak oil into the coolant and the other way around.

If the coolant in the reservoir has oil floating on it or if the oil looks like cafe au lait after running, it's pretty much a sure bet that the HG has failed. A compression test would also be in order to complete the diagnosis.

If you pull the elbow that directs the air into the throttle body and there's a lot of oil on the throttle plate, that would argue for a blown turbo. If the oil seal on the turbine side is shot, it's a lot harder to inspect.

John

[Darren900]

You should probably repost here for more specific info for your car:

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30

[worriedinmi]

I wasnt sure if I was in the right place - thank you!