significant power loss...sometimes

[Beanokid69]

ok so I smoke when I idle sometime...im 99% sure its my valve stem seals...but sometimes my car will pull like its got 400 horse and sometime it will pull like it has 190 . Is this directly related to the valve stem seals or am I looking at yet another wonderful problem?

Turbo has slight side to side shaftplay...little to none in and out. fins are alittle chewed.

 

[Beanokid69]

oh and no boost leaks

 

[linksys42]

ok so I smoke when I idle sometime...im 99% sure its my valve stem seals...but sometimes my car will pull like its got 400 horse and sometime it will pull like it has 190 . Is this directly related to the valve stem seals or am I looking at yet another wonderful problem?

Turbo has slight side to side shaftplay...little to none in and out. fins are alittle chewed.

Sounds like the turbo is toast. Could be two things with the blades being chewed up. Either something got sucked into the turbo or the bearing has too much play and the compressor blades are contacting the housing. And that would explain the power loss you are experiencing. Valve seals wont effect power that much.

 

[rossb]

Does your turbo sound like a fire truck siren sometimes? My 14b just went bad, and I had a similar experience It wouldn't pull at all, then I'd shift and it would slam me into my seat(and sound like a siren, loud enough to turn heads from people in other cars). I drove it for a day like that, then it blew. Take a stethoscope to your turbo and have some someone give it some gas, and listen, if you hear scraping/grinding it's your turbo.

 

[turboglenn]

It could also be the ECU pulling timing WAY back sometimes too. I remember back on my stock ECU with an AFC hooked to it. Sometimes the car would just act like it didn't want to go when i gunned it. Then sometimes it took off like a rocket. After some data logging, i learned that at certain times when i gunned it it would retard the timing a LOT and because of knock it wouldn't advance it either. But i could let out, get right back on it and not have that problem. That was just one of the few limitations on the stock ECU that led me to install a stand alone ECU.

 

[bpestilence]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/bolt-tech/168661-phantom-knock.html

Both of you guys are talking about the same problem. Lifter tick, actual detonation, or a failing turbo can all give off knock signals that causes the ECU to yank timing.

 

[linksys42]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/bolt-tech/168661-phantom-knock.html

Both of you guys are talking about the same problem. Lifter tick, actual detonation, or a failing turbo can all give off knock signals that causes the ECU to yank timing.

as i was saying its the turbo.

 

[Beanokid69]

ya, i have dsmlink