9000 turbo - no power

Don't know if there is a good way to test the turbo. But what you experienced is pretty much an indication the turbo impeller is stuck. I bought one 94 cde just like what you test drove last October (for $250 can you believe it?) I have it flat bed home because it won't run. After putting in a new battery, I started it and drove around the block with the exact sympom you have. The gage boost fine but there is no pick up.

I had already determined to convert it to 5 speed the day I bought it. But it wasn't until I took the drive train apart and remove the turbo did I find the stuck impeller. About $800 to $1,000 and hours to many to count later, the 94 cde is a FPT turbo 5 speed. It is a lot of work. But It certainly is worth it to me.

If the boost guage goes into the yellow then the impeller is not stuck, that indicates positive pressure in the manifold so the turbo is working properly. Look elsewhere for the problem.

How far into the boost gauge did the needle go on maximum boost?

There are a multitude of problems that will restrict the boost to "base boost" which is about 1/2 way into the middle color band (orange usually). It should make it into the last (red) band at least a little bit.

When you egt base boost only, the car is certainly drivable, but it doesn't have the pep it should at full-on boost.

-Fred W

NO, this is WRONG!! If the turbocharger is shot you will not get anything close to "normal boost" on the gauge, as the OP stated.

-Fred W

So you accused me of lying?

The gage moved. Maybe not all the way to the red. But it did move. But there was no pick up. Too bad you can not go back in time to October 2004 to see what it was before it was converted to 5 speed and before I replaced a turbo.

Malt_Hound wrote in news:U8idnb39q-s_7NTfRVn- snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com:

What grade of gas was in it? It can perform that way on regular. There may, of course, be mechanical problems, but eliminating gas as a source of the problem is a good place to start.

Yaofeng - Fred W is correct. If the turbine is in any way stuck, you would not get measurable boost. I don't believe anyone is saying you are lying; more that you misdiagnosed your problem.

Measurable is key. With what? The trubo gage has a vacuum hose connection. Just tell me if you have a stuck turbo the needle will lie all the way to the left motionless.

Define 'stuck'.

If the shaft is spinning at anything less than a few thousand rpm you will get no boost. If the shaft is not spinning at all, what you'll see is the needle going into negative pressure (inlet manifold pressure is always below atmospheric in a NA engine).

I did not say you lied, just that your advice did not apply to this poster's symptoms.

If you cannot tell the difference between boost and vacuum thne you are not very observant.

There is a difference between the needle moving and moving normally, as the OP stated.

It is very common for people to want to blame the turbo right off when they have apparent boost problems. In most cases (on SAAB turbo engines) it is not the actual problem.

-Fred W

If it goes a bit into the yellow on acceleration but NOT down into the white on overrun, it is a failed Dump-valve, I believe.