603 Turbo not Working- Vacuum Disconnect?

[will_sanderson]

My brother just picked up a lovely 87 300sdl with 115k. It is rather sluggish because the turbo isn't engaging- no whine, no power as the rpms go higher.

I read about cleaning out the soot from the boost line to the pressure switch/alda but when I looked at the engine I discovered some differences from the 617 I had read about. Is there a similar soot build-up problem with this engine? What else should I look at?

This car did get a new turbo 10 years ago after the recall.

I have attached a photo in which there is a loose vacuum hose that isn't connected to anything. What should it be connected to and is this the problem?

[dieseldiehard]

Congrats to the new owner, that's certainly a low mileage car! Pics, please - when you get it running like it should!
I doubt that vac line you are showing is causing the turbo to not run, the pic is too dark to tell where it came from though. There is a line thar runs straight from a small nipple on the intake manifold over to the switchover valve and eventually supplys boost to the ALDA. That needs to be in place or it won't run well.
The carbon buildup in the ALDA line is not as bad on these engines, for one thing because the way the manifold is situated way over to the other side from the turbo, most of the crud collects in the crossover pipe.
There's a lot of vac lines on this engine, esp on the left side! The ones around the EGR are better plugged for testing purposes
My 603 didn't run well at all because the turbo wastegate flapper was clogged partially open. Removing it and a good clean out with a screwdriver, plenty of elbow grease and some liquid wrench (WD40 would also probably have worked) and the car ran like a scalded rabbit
A wastegate partially stuck open will dump the boost as if the turbo isn't working when in actuality it is. If the turbo bearings are loose either radially or axially, then its time for a rebuild.
Does yours still have the trap (football shaped) topside, on the turbo outlet?
If so these can get plugged up so bad the car will not even run and before that the car will run very poorly. The trap oxidizer was a lousy idea. The replacement is a Cat oxidizer under the car and this is a lot more reliable but these have also been known to get plugged up after lots of slow around town driving.

The 603 engines need frequent Italian tune ups (ie. run the engine WOT as far as you can without getting a speeding ticket!)

[will_sanderson]

Thanks for that. I have attached another picture in which I drew in where the hose goes.

I will check for the football.

I have plugged the EGR with a bb.

Where do I find the wastegate?

How do I find out if the head is the #14 that I have heard about?

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by will_sanderson

Thanks for that. I have attached another picture in which I drew in where the hose goes.

I will check for the football.

I have plugged the EGR with a bb.

Where do I find the wastegate?

How do I find out if the head is the #14 that I have heard about?

You appear to have the hose that goes to the bottom of the overboost protection valve.........in your hand.

This is what gives you the fuel enrichment. It needs to be connected to the intake manifold. The port is right in front of you when you lean over the left fender. Once this is connected, the vehicle will change its entire performance characteristics.

Don't even bother with the wastegate just yet.

If the engine is original, the head will be the #14 head. The number is cast into the left side of the head, just below the crossover pipe. You'll need a mirror to read it. The second to last group of two numbers represents the casting number. It will almost surely be "14".

[will_sanderson]

So, I saw what you meant and where to connect the line. Done, but no change from the turbo, still no whine. All the vacuum connectors should be replaced it looks like...they are all cracked and dry.

Is the wastegate the next step?

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by will_sanderson

So, I saw what you meant and where to connect the line. Done, but no change from the turbo, still no whine. All the vacuum connectors should be replaced it looks like...they are all cracked and dry.

Is the wastegate the next step?

Nope.

You won't hear a whine from the turbo.......even if it's working perfectly.

The question is how much boost you have. It's time to get a boost gauge and hook it up in a "T" to the other line from the overboost valve. The line goes from the top of the valve over to the "ALDA". It will tell you everything we need to know.

Any 0-60 time with it?