Why does my car feel so SLOW!?

[95DSMTurbo]

I have a 95 FWD with the following mods:
3" catback
3" dowpipe
2.5" o2 housing w/external dump
Walbro 255
TurboXS BOV (recirculated, of course)
3" intake pipe
MAS adapter filter
gauges (boost, a/f, egt)
manual boost controller

my car feels slower these days than it did when it had fewer mods...could i be running too rich? some tell me i need an afc...could there be timing issues? i know that i have no boost leaks. i'm thinking about hacking the mas (removing the unnecessary honeycombs and messing with the screw on the bottom) but i've had bad luck with this in the past...someone help!

 

[nine5raptor]

I would first get an afpr since that 255 is most likely overrunning the stocker and giving you horrible spool times.

or your buttdyno may just be used to the power now. the only real way to tell is get empirical data.

 

[95DSMTurbo]

yeah, i considered the fact that i may just be getting used to the power (and constantly craving something bigger than that t-25)...but a few mods back, my car would peel out all thru 1st and 2nd (fwd in action) at 16 psi and now i barely chirp the tires in 2nd

 

[TurBoGs-T]

Originally posted by 95DSMTurbo
at 16 psi and now i barely chirp the tires in 2nd

 

[markbenbear]

Maybe cause your a gaypimp thats probly why your car is so slow hahahhaha CHIMONNN

 

[kpt4321]

Would you like to tell me how you "know" that you don't have any boost leaks?

I would be willing to bet that boost leaks are your problem.

If the boost is the same, with the same mods, and no tuning differences, and you haven't seriously hurt anything (head gasket, rings etc) then a boost leak is really the primary reason for performance to decrease.

This is especially true with a T-25.

 

[95DSMTurbo]

i went over my lower ic pipe and jb-welded and potential leak spots. i also re-tightened all the connections on my upper ic pipe and bov. but, i suppose the only way to be entirely sure i do not have any boost leaks is to have the intake system pressure-tested?

oh, and mark....CHIMONNNNN GAYPIMP!!

 

[RuBiCaNT5X]

I thought I couldn't have leaks at all because I had a 99, but I went and make the leakdown tester anyway. Sure enough, I had a leaky valve cover, and leaky TB. You can get almost everything you need to make the tester at Home Depot. You can get the valve stems at Pep Boys or any other automotive store.

 

[my95tsi]

Haha thats what i thought about my car. It felt faster stock and i can burn the tires like crazy in second but now i just barely squeek them at 15 psi. I did have alot crappier tires before and my tires grip like crazy now but my car does feel slower now that i have more mods. But i think its my butt dyno and i'm definitely getting used to the speed. I thought my car was fast as hell when i first got it b/c it had a 1.8 eclipse before my tsi and there is a huge difference between them. I think i'm going to do a leak test just to make sure.

 

[snipe99999]

I have the same story as RuBiCaNT5X. I thought that I had done a better job then anyone and there were no leaks in my car. I was way wrong. I took my car to Wess Hess to find out why it seemed so slow. We did a leakdown test and found at least 6 leaks. One of the worst was the leak at the TB where the Dejon tool IC pipe connects. The flange that attaches to the TB was warped. There is no way of knowing this with out a leakdown test you can't see that it is. After we fixed all of the leaks my car seemed twice as fast. Now that I know how easy it is to do the test I do it every 3 to 6 months. No matter what it will not hurt to do the test so you might as well try it. You will be happy that you did.

 

[my95tsi]

Yeah i'm going to make a leakdown tester asap and do it tommorow.
My question is how do i regulate ow much psi put through the system? I have a powerful electric air compressor.

 

[Newlogics]

I can't believe no one suggested S-AFC!

You def need a way to control your fuel, and a way to monitor it, like Pocket Logger.

 

[Zex4g63]

I agree with all of the above, S-AFC and logger would help. After I put the 255 in my car seemed slower. I found out it was running to rich. Got a S-AFC, leaned it out, squeals tires a 3500rpm in second with T25 and auto trans, It's funny when it does that.

 

[Zex4g63]

And my officially calibrated butt dyno confirmed more POWER!

 

[2GStreeT]

So if i was to install a 255LPH i would start to run extremly Rich all the time?

 

[WhyteSpyder]

I have major leak problem with my car also. I'm running the L2R and my cas is slower than the t-25 with N1 down pipe and exhaust, boosting at 15 psi. I try to get it dyno at Elite this past Tuesday and they said I have some major leak somewhere. They said the way they have it set it should be around 30 psi but they're only seeing around 7 psi. What all do I need to make the tester?

 

[RuBiCaNT5X]

Originally posted by WhyteSpyder
I have major leak problem with my car also. I'm running the L2R and my cas is slower than the t-25 with N1 down pipe and exhaust, boosting at 15 psi. I try to get it dyno at Elite this past Tuesday and they said I have some major leak somewhere. They said the way they have it set it should be around 30 psi but they're only seeing around 7 psi. What all do I need to make the tester?

All you need is in the Vfaq. I got everything except the valve stems at Home Depot. The valve stems I got a pep boys. Basically, the cap that I bought had grip points it so I had to dremmel those off. Just to be on the safe side, I wrapped the cap in duct tape before I put it in the coupler. Then I drilled a >.5" hole for the valve stem. After that, you attach one end of the coupler to the inlet of the turbo. And then pressurize the end with the valve stem. I used a compressor rather than a bike pump because I'm lazy. You are going to have to block off your BOV dump and obviously take off your intake. The inlet of the MBC you will have to block off as well. The vac line coupler for the MBC that gets fed from the wastegate usually has a pin hole on it, or at least mine does. That will leak when you do the leakdown test so take it off and block the line. After that, pressurize and listen for leaks.

 

[95DSMTurbo]

yeah i know i need an s-afc soon...i think i'm running rich and/or my timing is out of whack. in the meantime, i'm thinking about just messing with the mas screw to lean it out a little. i'll make sure to try that pressure tester first though.

 

[Newlogics]

Originally posted by WhyteSpyder
I have major leak problem with my car also. I'm running the L2R and my cas is slower than the t-25 with N1 down pipe and exhaust, boosting at 15 psi. I try to get it dyno at Elite this past Tuesday and they said I have some major leak somewhere. They said the way they have it set it should be around 30 psi but they're only seeing around 7 psi. What all do I need to make the tester?

Keep in mind, that to make thta kind of effect, the leak has to be more like a loose clamp. Cracked vacuum line and what not will NOT cause such condition. If you don't have any oviously loose couplers/clamps, and you DON'T experience boost spikes, then look for problems with your waistgate. Most likely, flapper isn't closing completely, this preventing turbo from utilizing all the exhaust.

A lot of times that is caused by improperly adjusted waistgate connecting rod. (too long) To check that, remove the dowel pin from the waistgate arm (provided you have internal waistgate), remove connecting rod and see if flapper would travel a little more past where the rod was holding it. Then, just in case, make it just a bit shorter (some have adjusting nuts, some you just bend) and slip it back on the flapper arm. Note: It's not supposed to slip on easily, you actually have to pull on it to get it to slip on, if it simply slides in without force, then you def. need to adjust it.

I've gone through this, and it fixed my issues.

 

[my95tsi]

well if there is any sort of leak in the system wouldn't you be able to tell by a boost gauge. It would give a accurate vacuum reading at idle.

 

[my95tsi]

ok well i did a leak down test on my car and found no leaks in he actual intake piping but many leaks on all those little throttle body hoses. The hoses aren't tight enough and the air leaks around them. So i got some zipties and tied up the ends tighted on the leaky ones. I haven't drove it yet but my bov is louder at idle when i rev it up, i noticed it instantly. Hopefully it will solve my problem. Also for those of you looking to make a leak tester home depot has all the parts except for the valve stem which i got at autozone. They even have a 1 1/2 in inside diamtr rubber hose about 6-8 inches in length locaed in the plumbin section. It also comes with 2 ring clamps!!

 

[markbenbear]

CHIMON DSM CHIMON DSM CHIMON DSM GAYPIMP

 

[Bohrn]

as for the 255lph pump, I have no probs with mine.

Just got it, and I was a bit apprehensive about it, but all is good.

I got over 400km out of a tank. It idles well, and makes more power.

I do have a mildly modded(porting of the lower passage) MAF tho, and a few other mods. But no fuel computer or adjustable pressure regulator. I have also rewired the pump with 10 guage.

 

[95DSMTurbo]

made the pressure tester and tested my intake yesterday. some of the vacuum hoses were leaking, so i sealed them up (i hear this is quite common). but the more surprising leak was found at my bov which was leaking HORRIBLE amounts of air at only 3 psi!!! one phone call to summit racing later, i have $250 being credited back to my visa (due to the 1 year warranty on my turboxs valve)

the question at hand is.... which bov should i buy now?? the 1g is out b/c i plan to run more than 20 psi with the 20g i'm getting. i would prefer not to buy turboxs again. greddy seems like a good choice. anyone know anything about the tial? i found one for $200 and was wondering if it recirculates back into the intake. pretty much any recirc valve is game since i haven't bought a upper ic pipe yet.

the moral of the story? make the pressure tester!!! i can't believe a new $250 bov (w/ adapter kit) was leaking all along! you never know what could be leaking!