Smooth, sluggish acceleration with hound dog noise following turbo gauge

[Saabster Tale]

On my 2002 9-5 Linear, auto tranny. This just started yesterday, after driving 3 hours. Now I'm 2.5 hours from home and not sure what's at risk with this rising howl that follows the turbo. It's not there at idle. The turbo gauge rises, but will not go into the yellow - max's out at the top of the green (lowest section). Next to no power. The engine is smooth and isn't missing. Could it be a vacuum leak, stuck bypass valve, or overboost protector? The car starts and runs fine otherwise. The sound does NOT follow engine RPM or tranny. Definitely seems to be linked to turbo RPM. I'm hoping it's safe to drive home. All ideas welcome. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Saabster Tale]

Note: I believe this turbo has about 180k miles on it.

The car sat all day Sunday. Started it at night to start heading home. No more howling sound, but ridiculously sluggish, still. Boost never made it into the yellow, no power, but engine ran smoothly (not missing). Made sure I topped off the oil, first. Had to drive about 10 minutes to a 7/11 to get a couple if quarts of oil. Noticed that whitish vapor smoke in the fill tube. Added a quart and a half. Made it to my home town. As I reached my neighborhood the oil light started to come on. The car went through about a quart in 2 hours of driving. There was whitish, very-light-blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe after the car sat overnight, upon starting. Very little power the whole way home. Did barely well enough on flat highway, struggled on even the slightest uphill grade, and went with the flow downhill, just fine. Culd only go about 30mph up the local steep grades. RPMs almost NEVER went above 3k. It just wouldn't do it.

Not sure if one of the limp home modes was entered. No check engine light. Should I assume that the turbo is shot? Potentially rebuildable with the gasket kit available at eeuroparts, or similar? At this point, I'm figuring on removing the cobra pipe to feel for slop in the turbo bearings, but not sure what else to do, other than remove the turbo.

Might not be the turbo. Suggestions/thoughts greatly appreciated. Recommendations for repair parts or rebuild/replacement sources? Also, I have a known good turbo out of a 2001 9-5 Aero (manual). It looks like that turbo will not work in this Linear. Too much boost?

[Saabster Tale]

Just found this post ( http://saabworld.net/f9/white-smoke-...exhaust-29286/ )and will check cobra and throttle-body intake, big-black hose for oil.

Also should mention that I put some transmission fluid in place of motor oil about 2 weeks ago. Can't help wondering if it loosened/dissolved crud that was acting as a seal....

[CaptainMediocre]

Just found this post ( http://saabworld.net/f9/white-smoke-...exhaust-29286/ )and will check cobra and throttle-body intake, big-black hose for oil.

Also should mention that I put some transmission fluid in place of motor oil about 2 weeks ago. Can't help wondering if it loosened/dissolved crud that was acting as a seal....

How much transmission fluid exactly?

[Saabster Tale]

One quart.

[CaptainMediocre]

Have you yet drained the oil and replaced it after that? I can't say for sure what will happen with trans fluid in your engine oil but I can't imagine its good. Trans fluid, I imagine, would burn up faster and not offer actual lubrication potentially causing a whole host of problems.

[Saabster Tale]

Not yet. I had read, form several sources, that putting some (up to a quart) tranny fluid in place of motor oil will help open clogged ports (lifters, etc.), and that it is a common thing for some mechanics (even one I know) to do.

[CaptainMediocre]

I would never ever recommend that to anybody, ever. People used to do this on old V8 engines, things were different back then, we're talking about a modern turbo-charged engine now.

[Burnsside42]

To clean an engine on my old Saturn's I would drain the oil and mix in 2 quarts oil and 2 quarts ATF and then go out and beat the balls off it. Then drain it out and add 1 quart ATF and 3 quarts oil Drive it for 500 miles - then good clean straight oil. The engines would usually look spotless and run awesome. I've done this once to a Saab - older car - and it worked fine. The ATF is a cleaning detergent. Don't leave it in too long. FYI - a 9-5 isn't very "modern" as far as it goes. Remember it's essentially a revised 1994 ng900 engine.... it was around a LONG time and was based off the 9000 2.3L as well which was from circa 1991.

[CaptainMediocre]

No kidding. Well, all of that aside, we still haven't come up with anything that might actually be this fellows problem. Sounds to me like an issue with the turbo? Perhaps some manner of leaking from one of the many lines that lead in and out of the turbo perhaps causing the turbo to start seizing? I'm guessing here.