Edge,

In general, the turbo on these MB diesels are pretty rugged, and they often last the lifetime of the engine. The most important factor in a long-lived turbo is proper lubrication.

The simplest test for the turbo is as follows:

Simply remove the air intake "horn" from the air cleaner housing to the turbo. This piece is a plastic U-shaped duct, easily removed by loosening two large hose clamps. Make sure the engine and turbo are cool enough to touch. Reach into the intake side of the turbo (where the smaller end of the "horn" was attached) with your thumb and forefinger. If you can turn the turbo with ease, and if it keeps spinning for a second or two after you give it a good twist, then you know for sure that there's no problem with the turbo in general. However, this does NOT necessarily mean that the turbo is spinning up quickly enough for the engine to take full advantage of its properties. The wastegates on these turbos become fatigued over time, and besides, the factory at Stuttgart sets the adjustment on the springs very conservatively. In short, it's possible that your turbo lags well behind your engine RPM before any of its benefits are realized.

My other post to you mentions steps to take if your car is sluggish.

__________________
Matt
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1995 E300 Diesel (Die Blau Frau)