boost problem

aaep88629 Sept 2010, 19:16

my turbo spool up @ 3k rpm... i can hear the turbine is spooling up... but i dont feel any push from the car... what could went wrong? boost pipe or leaks???

EEro_sennin29 Sept 2010, 19:31

boost pipe pulled out some where?

CCharlvdw30 Sept 2010, 06:58

Ero_sennin wrote:

boost pipe pulled out some where?

+1

DDracomoderator30 Sept 2010, 07:50

Have you got a boost guage? what does it say?

Is your manifold not leaking?

GGuy30 Sept 2010, 12:40

aep886 wrote:

my turbo spool up @ 3k rpm... i can hear the turbine is spooling up... but i dont feel any push from the car... what could went wrong? boost pipe or leaks???

The engine is in the front, you won't feel a push, you'll feel a pull...

CCharlvdw30 Sept 2010, 12:43

Guy wrote:

aep886 wrote:

my turbo spool up @ 3k rpm... i can hear the turbine is spooling up... but i dont feel any push from the car... what could went wrong? boost pipe or leaks???

The engine is in the front, you won't feel a push, you'll feel a pull...

😀 😀

JJacquesopper30 Sept 2010, 13:16

Have a look at the actuater arm , see if it is still on and if the clip did not fall off.

aaep88630 Sept 2010, 16:11

Guy wrote:

aep886 wrote:

my turbo spool up @ 3k rpm... i can hear the turbine is spooling up... but i dont feel any push from the car... what could went wrong? boost pipe or leaks???

The engine is in the front, you won't feel a push, you'll feel a pull...

car is RWD... so it is a push

aaep88630 Sept 2010, 16:13

Draco wrote:

Have you got a boost guage? what does it say?

Is your manifold not leaking?

i have a boost guage... it boost 1.0bar @ 3k rpm....

DDracomoderator01 Oct 2010, 08:38

Mine did the same...I could see 1 bar on the guage but car did not feel like it was boosting, the exhaust mani was leaking....

Does the boost stay at 1 bar through higher revs and does the car rev?

ddjtreble01 Oct 2010, 10:09

You not maybe just getting use to the power?
If you guage is showing 1 bar as it should at 3k rpm, either you have a shite guage or you are just use to the power.

If the mani or any pipes were leaking, then the car wouldnt hit full boost at the usual rpm (3k in your case I pressume).

What guage are you using?

What is your setup?

aaep88601 Oct 2010, 12:02

djtreble wrote:

You not maybe just getting use to the power?
If you guage is showing 1 bar as it should at 3k rpm, either you have a shite guage or you are just use to the power.

If the mani or any pipes were leaking, then the car wouldnt hit full boost at the usual rpm (3k in your case I pressume).

What guage are you using?

What is your setup?

now it hitting 1 bar @3,5k rpm
autoguage...
factory setup

ddjtreble01 Oct 2010, 12:05

If it's moved from what it was then leaking manifold and/or boost pipes is more than likely your problem.

Is the turbo sounding any different to what it did before this?

aaep88601 Oct 2010, 12:28

Draco wrote:

Mine did the same...I could see 1 bar on the guage but car did not feel like it was boosting, the exhaust mani was leaking....

Does the boost stay at 1 bar through higher revs and does the car rev?

when the turbine spool up... rev is not going like it use to be

DDracomoderator01 Oct 2010, 12:31

I'd bank on a leaking exhaust mani....but a boostpipe can also be the problem...

ggodzilla02 Oct 2010, 20:40

itcould be most of the above, i even had a tear in my intercooler,and looked myselft vrek for the boost leak.good luck

aaep88603 Oct 2010, 12:58

djtreble wrote:

If it's moved from what it was then leaking manifold and/or boost pipes is more than likely your problem.

Is the turbo sounding any different to what it did before this?

turbo sounds the same...

ddjtreble03 Oct 2010, 13:00

Some info on boost leaks, what they cause and how to diagnose them:
(note: if you know the causes/symptomes skip to the test guide at the end of this post)

The most common boost leak is intercooler, intercooler piping, turbo leaks. This is because these areas are under high pressure, hence loose piping is more likely to pop off or split. Its also the longest air piping in the engine bay, plus by far the most common area for 'inventive' fixes by alot of car performance enthusiasts. These are all positive pressure boost leaks which generally don't cause damage to an engine

Max boost pressure could be the same with small or even medium leaks therefore do not use this when attempting to diagnose boost leaks. Use the tips below:

Boost leak after turbo (e.g. loose intercooler piping)
-------------------------------------------------
Positive boost leaks simple make the turbo work harder to compensate the lost air, this results in over fueling. Over fueling occurs due to AFM reading more air than is entering the engine.

Symptoms:
higher RPM required for same boost pressure, fuel cuts, flames, pops, less power, poor on boost performance, black spark plugs, bad fuel consumption

The best way i've found to identify positive pressure boost leaks is to take note of turbo RPM spool up. I.e. At what RPM the boost pressure maxes out. If its higher up the RPM range than normal, its likely you either have your timing out, or a boost leak. The reason this works is as follows - if the turbo is made to work harder for the same boost pressure, its peak boost point will be shifted up the RPM range, quite simply, it has to flow more air to get the same boost, anyone remember reading up on turbo flow maps?

Boost leak before turbo (e.g. loose AFM)
---------------------------------------
No boost pressures changes will be seen however severe the leak, all that will be noticed is the symptoms of a very lean engine. People with their engines running lean may never know they have a air piping leak as its not the most obvious cause. The reason the engine runs lean is simple. Air will be sucked in not forced out the leak as the turbo/engine sucks it in. This means unmetered air is entering the engine bypassing the AFM. This causes the AFM to underread the airflow resulting in less fuel added than actually needed. Fueling will be lean which could lead to DET, DET will mean to the engine dying very quickly.

Symptoms:
engine starting problems, poor engine running, pinking, pinging, deting, power black spots (i.e. certain rpm ranges have reduced power), pistons popping out the engine bay (worst case).

As for indentifing boost leaks before the turbo, these are very hard to diagnose, best thing to do with these is to check all the pipes by hand or perform the guide detailed below. These pipes are not under big pressure differences so loose piping doesnt result in lots of air leaking like in intercooler piping however it is still a leak no matter how small. Its also alot more damaging than a positive pressure boost leak as it could cause DET hence a big engine rebuild bill.

Air leak guide: 'How to test for boost leaks'
-------------------------------------------
(by far the most accurate sure way to test for boost leaks)

- Detach boost pipe attached to the turbo compressor and block it by putting a can or tin of appropriate size then tightning a jubilee clip around to create an air tight seal.

- Remove idle bypass pipe (attaches to a T piece on your intercooler pipework)

- Block idle control unit (attached to the side of the manifold) to prevent air escaping there. I use a large bolt and screw it into the pipe. Note: if you've detached the bypass pipe at the T piece which also goes to the cold start bypass, you will need to ensure this is also blocked.

- Power up compressor and build up pressure, insert the end of your compressor gun into the idle bypass pipe. Wrap lots of tape around the gun and bypass pipe, this will provide an air tight seal. You will need to use alot of tape over a wide area as the pressures will be high in the pipe work.

- Using your compressor gun, allow pressure to enter the pipe work, if everything is correct your pipe work should pump up and maintain its pressure inside.

Note: If you have a very bad leak it'll never build up any pressure at all. Either quickly run around the car after putting air into the system to listen/feel for the leaks or get another person to do the listening/feeling while you do the pumping. This should allow you to identify the leaks.

- Fix any leaks that are found and repeat the test, pressure will leak out the system as the manifold and valves will never be completely air tight however it should maintain pressure for at least 30 seconds if your pipe work is good. Identify and fix every leak

Note: If you find a leak between the next step and the previous but can not find any leaks in the pipework, it's likely your turbo itself is leaking. This could be a split turbo casing or faulty turbo seals. If in the next step your sure you have no boost leaks, you may need to investigate the turbo itself.

- Now remove the tin/can blocking the turbo compressor pipe and use it to block off the air flow meter. If you now do the same test you should be able to identify leaks before the turbo (WARNING: DO NOT ALLOW PRESSURE INSIDE TO EXCEED 10psi, AS THE INLET PIPES COULD EXPLODE!!!! THEY WERE NEVER DESIGNED TO TAKE POSITIVE PRESSURE)

- Fix air leaks and repeat.

- If you are sure you have no leaks but can not maintain boost pressure, try rotating your engine a little, as if the inlet and exhaust valves are both open (wild cam profiles) and air is getting past your throttle butterfly, air could be escaping down the exhaust. You could try blocking off at the butterfly to test this

GGameBoy03 Oct 2010, 21:43

lol, had a similiar issue with my buddies S13 yesterday. Was a vacuum pipe that came loose on the intake manifold.

PPOWDER04 Oct 2010, 13:18

I have definatly had that vacume pipe problem on more than just one ocasion, but in that even you will hear a high pitched hissing sound, APE said the turbo still sounds the same though.

Although that would account for the variable boost he is experiencing depending on the thickness of his boost lines.

Also, there is the possibility of a very slight tare in a sillicone or plastic pipe. I have seen before that if it is not toooo severe, that the lines can still pressurise, the motor then runns a little rich , power starts to dip more and more the bigger the tear becomes and well, you know the rest of the story... Finnaly POP got the boost pipe.

Also if the turbo has a cracked waste gate then you would also get the same effect, she boosts but does not go, and the pressure would also variate on full boost/rpm levels...

I would definately read up djtreble's piece, pritty good advice there....

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