Please Help. 2003 Volvo XC90, pouring blue smoke from tailpi

B-XC90 · Post by **B-XC90** » 23 Aug 2009, 15:12

Hey Guys,

Let me first start off by saying I have browsed this site for the first time today and it is by far the best Volvo site out there. Now to my problem. My Wife told me she was getting a whining noise while driving from her 03' XC90. Upon checking I found that the oil level was low, so I changed the oil and set her on her way. The next day she complained that the truck was pouring white smoke from the tailpipe while driving. I know I did not overfill it with oil so I would like to take off the exhaust manifold off to inspect the turbo and PCV systems. Does anyone have the steps for doing this? Please also let me know if I may be missing something and or going down the wrong path.

Thanks in advance for your help

Post by **billofdurham** » 23 Aug 2009, 15:38

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

Let me first start off by saying I have browsed this site for the first time today and it is by far the best Volvo site out there.

Thank you for the kind words. We are all Volvo lovers, even when the beasts go wrong.

White smoke is usually an indication of water/anti-freeze getting into the combustion chamber. Have you checked the coolant?

This link exhaust troubleshooting will lead you to more about different coloured exhaust smoke.

Yes, we have the steps to do the jobs if you still need them after checking the coolant.
Bill.

B-XC90 · Post by **B-XC90** » 23 Aug 2009, 17:49

Hi Guys,

I took the intake manifold off and literally there is oil everywhere, (Intake, turbo lines, rubber hoses, etc) does this point to a faulty turbo, oil trap or PCV system? The coolant looked ok to me. I believe the smoke is more BLUE in color also. My apologies there. It is definetely oil burning, but from where??

Pictures added

B-XC90 · Post by **B-XC90** » 25 Aug 2009, 15:02

Anyone have any insight here?

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 25 Aug 2009, 18:16

Could be a blown seal in one of the turbos. Is there oil in the tubes going to the turbos? After the turbos?

KJP-2000 · Post by **KJP-2000** » 10 Sep 2009, 22:10

I'd bet my butt that it is one of your Turbo's. I just purchased my first Volvo an 04 XC90 T5. I paid $4100.00 for a car that blew smoke out the back that would make the Batmobile blush. The dealer and a local Volvo shop had told her that she had a bad engine. I suggested she had a Bad Turbo. She just wanted to get rid of it. Lucky me.... I kinda like it.

Same symptoms, turbo whine, smokes like Crazy, oil pooled in the turbo inter-cooler and inter-cooler hoses. The Inter-cooler hose that is wet is the turbo that has the problem. Another way to check is to look under the car at the Turbo's where they meet the exhaust manifold. One turbo will have oil on the housing and outlet pipe.

Once removed, the shaft on the turbo will have endplay where there should be none.

I located my Turbo through car-part.com, a wrecker locating service for $200 with only 60k on it.

One thing .....that almost made me think the dealer didn't lie. After you replace the turbo, plan on it burning off the oil buildup in the inter-cooler hoses, PVC, and Catalytic Converter. This could take 5-10 miles on a freeway.
Do this at night..... somebody might freak out and call the "Gross Polluter" hotline.

You may also notice an apparent oil leak near the left front. This is normal, there is a seap hole in the inter-cooler for just that purpose.

Davega1 · Post by **Davega1** » 19 Oct 2009, 11:48

Hey folks, thanks for the postings. It helps me here. Can anyone tell me if there is an online guide or repair guide that can tell me how to replace the turbo myself? I would rather have some guidance before I start on a project like this. thanks in advance.

rlwhalen · Post by **rlwhalen** » 27 Nov 2009, 11:55

Replacing the turbo is not that difficult. I just did it with a 1994 850 that was blowing huge clouds of blue smoke from the exhaust. After checking the compression to rule out bad rings, I was able to find an inexpensive used turbo ($175). Modern turbochargers are very reliable, and a used, working unit is not a big risk. A good resource for used parts is: www.car-part.com.

The instructions in the Haynes manual I used as a guide were quite brief, but all of the important steps seemed to be covered. Just be certain to mark all of the vacuum/pressure hoses at the turbocharger. They are color coded, but the labels can come off.

It took a while for the oil left in the turbo circuit by the old unit to burn off. If you did not expect this, it would be quite discouraging. Thanks to the earlier post that mentioned this.