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Sluggish 1994 855T Turbo

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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rsmigel
Posts: 134
Joined: 1 January 2009
Year and Model: 1994 850 Turbo
Location: SC
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Sluggish 1994 855T Turbo

Post by rsmigel »

Wife's car just threw a "check engine" light on the highway and read as a P0171. No other codes stored and this the is first CEL I've seen on this car in years.

I drove the car and noticed very low turbo boost... only 1/4 of the way in the white scale (I've got another boost gage coming and will report back with a more accurate reading) Performance matches the gage: sluggish with little torque. Gage on vacuum side looks good, 3/4 to the far left on deceleration and 1/2 on idle.

EGR system was replaced 25K miles ago. All vacuum hoses were replaced with blue silicone lines at the same time. Mileage is currently 181K.

I popped the hood and checked the big turbo hoses and every vacuum hose I could trace without dis-assembly. Everything looked fine.

Drove car another 100 miles w/o CEL light coming on. Added a can of octane booster and saw no performance improvement.

The car burns no oil. I checked the action of the "Turbo Boost Pressure Valve" and it appears to be working properly with a 12V signal.

I have an ACTRON CP9575 ( https://actron.com/sites/default/files/ ... nglish.pdf ) to use for further study if it will be of any help.

Suggestions???

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theWIFES_S70
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Year and Model: 1998 S70 base
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Post by theWIFES_S70 »

Retired:
1998 Volvo S70, N/A, 5-speed, 187K
2007 Volvo S40, 2.4i, 5-speed, 121K
2015 Volvo S60, T5, 85K

scot850  
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Post by scot850 »

Try pulling a vacuum on the CBV (compressor bypass valve). They have a diaphragm that splits with age preventing boost. On you car it should be possible to fit a new diaphragm without removing the turbo. Also the TCV is also a good culprit, especially if the original. It may be getting 12V but they start to stick with age and again prevent boosting.

The linked article is excellent for other areas to check. Turbo pipework and intercooler are other places to carefully check.

Neil
2006 V70 2.5T AWD Polestar tune
2000 V70 R - still being an endless PITA
2006 XC70 - Our son now has this and still parked in our garage
2003 Toyota 4Runner V8 Limited
2015 Kia Sportage EX-L - Sold
1993 850 GLT -Sold
1998 V70 XC - Sold
1997 Volvo 850 SE NA - Went to niece in California - Sold
2000 V70 SE NA - Sold

Ozark Lee
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Post by Ozark Lee »

^^ This.

The intercooler lines can also develop leaks that are tough to see without actually removing the hoses.

...Lee
'94 850 N/A 5 speed
'96 Platinum Edition Turbo
Previous:
1999 V70XC - Nautic Blue - Totaled while parked.
1999 V70XC - RIP - Wrecked Parts Car.
1998 S70 T5
1996 850 N/A
1989 740 GLT
1986 740 GLT
1972 142 Grand Luxe

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