Recently while driving home, I noticed a loss of power and intermittent black smoke coming from the exhaust. There are no leaks that I can see and the temp and oil pressure are OK. Any ideas as to what the cause may be?

I took the car to www.autobahnbenz.com to be looked at. I'm hoping to have a diagnoses soon. Once I do, I will post with the findings.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions that you may offer.

 

My first guess would be the air filter is clogged. Other than that, others should chime in with some more help...

 

Fuel filters (both). Easy enough to try, and will cause that problem...

 

Thank you both for the replies. I will certainly try them once I get the car back from the dealer.

As you know, I took the car to a local shop and they believe that the problem is being caused by a plugged trap oxidizer. They also believe that this is a recall item. We'll see!

Thanks again for your replies and I'll post updates as they come.

 

the turbo may not be functioning correctly because if your pouring black smoke there may not be enough boost to match the fuel mixture. check all the simple things first

 

Took it to the dealer last week and they confirmed that the trap oxidizer recall work had been done way back in December of 1996. The dealer also noted that the turbo turbine was seized and quoted that they could replace the turbo for $3,500. $3,500 is a bit salty for me, so, I'm taking it back to the Autobahn shop and they said they can send the turbo out for a rebuild and should cost a lot less.

What do you think, would a seized turbo turbine cause these symptoms?

 

picknpull/ pull a part/ junkyard

 

The shop, Autobahn Las Vegas http://www.autobahnbenz.com/Home_Page.php, acquired a used turbo for $400. There is a 1 year warranty and it will be installed once it arrives. Hopefully, it will do the trick.

 

Well, the turbo has been replaced and she's running like new. I'm very pleased. There is no longer any smoke and I easily brought her up to 100 MPH (just for a second) on the freeway.

Used turbo: $400.00 (1 year warranty)
Installation: $350.00
_______
Total: $750.00 (ouch!)

Case closed!

 

Oh man, I didn't see your comment about $400 being expensive for a used turbo. I guess I'm stuck now. In any case, I appreciate your input, I just didn't see it as it was on page 2. I'll be sure to scroll through all pages in the future before making such decisions.

Best,
Chris