Do Turbos All Sound This Way!?!!!

Generally no, you may hear a soft whine or whistle but usually only while accelerating but the turbo should be silent while idling and cruising.

Is there a belt slipping? Maybe power steering? Does the tone change when you turn one way or the other?

It sounds nothing like a belt, it's a steady whine, too.

Good call. When my idler pulley went that is exactly the sort of noise it would make.

The quick test is to remove the drive belt (serpentine) and test run the engine briefly. Briefly because you will not have a water pump, so no engine cooling. No noise? You found your culprit. It's not very expensive and not too hard to change (except for having to remove the inner fender liner to get at it).

-Fred W

Is pitch proportional to engine speed or wheel speed?

Acceleration, and how fast you turn the wheel, too.

And steady speed?

Talking to an acquaintance, he claimed a more free flowing exhaust immediately provides a significant boost in HP in a 2.0l 205hp turbo engine. My thinking is that the electronics would have to be remapped to take advantage of such an exhaust, otherwise the increase in performance is mainly of aureal nature. There is a reason why the common upgrades are chip upgrades and boost increases, I would think. Can anyone deny/confirm if I am right or wrong?

...pablo

There isn't much restriction in regards to a stock turbo exhaust system so that while there may be slight performance increase - it is not significant and it can, in the longer term, affect the service life of both the turbo and the exhaust valves.

Basically - if you are looking for a little more presence (and 205hp isn't bad as it stands of course) - you are just as well off running a half tank of fuel.

You can get a substantial stock performance increase simply by mounting a less restrictive intercooler on the turbo and/or combining a more open exhaust with a free flowing air intake system - at which point you should look at altering the fueling rate so you don't lean out with the stock ignition and injectors.

All this said - there be dragons in there as many folks on this NG may be able to explain. The SAAB people spent the better part of 20 years squeezing about as much as you -reliably- can out that 2.0 turbo configuration and while it is certainly capable of even better performance

- it is very delicate work to keep it working in that trim as a daily driver.

If you are racing - start by stripping out all the interior weight and you'll be amazed how the chassis handles 205hp.. It's remarkable really..

Saab makes a factory free ("sport exhaust) flow which they themselves claim about 8hp, AFAIR. Of course, that's running flat out Dyno, so the practical advantages are probably minimal in daily driving. A free flow exhaust may have some additional advantages if you combine it with intake improvements like rearranging the stock air box. I don't know about your year but there were some improvements to be made in the plumbing with a Dremel in earlier years to smooth the flow too. Of course, a chip or perhaps a MBC for earlier Trionics can give you a bit of boost too - combined with a better exhaust it all helps.

So, the answer is that, yes, it can help. Saab's stock exhaust is a compromise for power and noise. If you don't mind a little more noise, the Saab sport exhaust or similar aftermarket items can improve performance a bit but don't expect to get pinned to the seat with one component change.

Power steering system maybe? The turbo doesn't know which way you're turning the steering wheel. Can you make the noise with the car idling and stopped, and by turning the wheel back and forth?

Dave Hinz