Late Spooling FP Big28

[CowPimp]

My mods are in my profile.

Recently I noticed than my turbo is spooling very late. It slowly builds up beginning around the late 2s or early 3s. I hit full boost (17PSI) at about 4.5-4.8K. The car feels great. It idles nice, accelerates smoothly, and pulls as hard as always once full boost is reached. I have had this turbo on for the past 15K or so, and it has always reached full boost at just a hair above 3K. The only things I have done recently that I think could affect this is to replace my spark plugs and use some injector cleaner.

After searching, some ideas I have are that I am running rich, I gapped my plugs wrong (I measured based on the middle of the the electrode, or whatever it is on top, so I shouldn't be off more than .028" +/- .001"), or I have some sort of exhaust system issue (Which I doubt because the car sounds exactly the same as always).

Thoughts, comments, solutions? Thanks.

 

[IMMORTALSPYDER]

Do you have a logger, or money to go to a dyno and use wideband to see if you're that rich? I don't think it would affect your spool up that bad. I know I'm running rich and my spool up is great. I'd try calling FP and see if they have any other suggestions for you.

 

[CowPimp]

Do you have a logger, or money to go to a dyno and use wideband to see if you're that rich? I don't think it would affect your spool up that bad. I know I'm running rich and my spool up is great. I'd try calling FP and see if they have any other suggestions for you.

If all else fails, I may try that. However, I would like to gather some ideas on the forums first. Thanks for replying.

 

[CowPimp]

Oddly enough, today the turbo seems to be spooling a little lower, although not where it should be. This morning it was hitting full boost at almost exactly 4K. I was testing in 4th gear so that I could be fairly accurate. The only difference that I could see is that it was colder last night when I was testing.

I unhooked my battery leads this morning so as to reset my ECU. Hopefully, once it learns the fuel curves again, there will be some sort of positive benefit.

Any other ideas?

Oh yeah, also, the plastic cap on the left side of the top of the engine (When standing in front of the engine bay) popped out a little today. I pulled into a gas station and there was a little smoke coming from my hood. It was burning oil. I know that smell. I popped the hood, and it looked like someone puked oil in the upper left portion of the engine (On the battery and upper IC pipe). I pushed it back in and it appears to have stopped. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[CowPimp]

After some more searching, I have come up with two more ideas. The thread I came across was this one.

One: Some sort of leak in my exhaust manifold, perhaps a crack. However, I have the exhaust manifold from an EVO, which was ported. It hasn't been on my car that long. It seems unlikely that it is kicking the bucket already, but such is life. I talked to the originator of the thread, he said his EGT gauge had popped out and that was the problem.

Two: The possibility of the wastegate flapper arm not pulling the flapper door totally closed, as mentioned by a poster in that thread.

I'll pop my hood tomorrow and see if I can feel any air leaking from my exhaust manifold. I also pull on the flapper arm a little bit and see what that does. It's too dark and rainy right now.

More suggestions are welcome though!

 

[95TSiNewbie]

I had a similar problem and it turned out to be my intake mani gasket. I found this out one day trying to listen to my loud ass lifter tick.... which wasnt lifter tick at all...because the gasket was bad, i could here the valves tapping. Did you check all your intake pipes? do a leak test? Check your turbo for shaft play and make sure that its still getting oil. Just some ideas I got from other people when I had a similar issue.

 

[CowPimp]

How do I go about doing a leak test? The turbo has only about 15K miles on it; there shouldn't be any shaft play.

 

[95TSiNewbie]

check the the vfaq.... http://vfaq.com/mods/ICtester.html

 

[CowPimp]

Thanks. Man, it has been so rainy out the past couple of days, which happen to be my off days from work. I haven't had a chance to do anything like this. Hopefully it will subside by next week, or I will find out a quick and easy solution in the meantime.

For whatever it's worth, I did some testing today. I found it hard to believe that one day I was boosting at higher RPMs, and the next day I was boosting sooner. I discovered that as I climb through the gears, I hit full boost at lower RPMs. In 5th gear it's about 3700; in 3rd gear it's about 4100; in 2nd gear it's about 4600. What I'm thinking is that the time it is taking for the wastegate to open is static. So, in that same amount of time, the higher gears don't wind up the crank as fast and full boost is achieved sooner. Does this give anyone more information in the meantime?

 

[CowPimp]

Alright, this Wednesday or Thursday (My days off from work) I'm going to try and tackle the issue of what this problem is with my mechanic. In the mean time, the problem has gotten worse. I now am not even sure if I reach full boost. I am at like 5PSI in 4th gear by the time I'm at 4.5K. It comes on super slow. Sounds like a boost leak to me, but if there are any other possibilities that you could suggest, lemme know before I get down and dirty.

 

[AL92]

Hey not sure if you saw my recent posts.I just latlely put in an rs49 50trim.
From day one its been weird.It has no bottom end,its very very slow to spool up .It seems to only go to 10 psi or so and the power is not there.I used my tazzo vpc like a gtech that was within a tenth or two faster than track timer and 2.5 mph or so higher than track also and 60fts were exact.I tested my car since they can be deceptive.Once it was making its 10psi it felt fairly good.I made a couple of runs and got 16.1 and 16.2 at like 85mph and with no wheel spin 2.50 60fts. It was breaking up though when I floored it.Changed out to colder ngk plugs had stock heat range iridiums in there.Got a better 15.3 at 90mph with a 2.4 something 60 ft.Still pathetic for a 50 trim.It just had no off idle power,it was super slow to spool and it had not much overall power.Tunings seemd ok.not super hgih knock fair timing all that stuff looked ok no check engine lights..nothing.
I found a pinched almost shut lower intercooler hose.It was twisted bad from the way my elbow is off the 50 trim.I fixed that.Not much better .ran another 16 at 90mph with a 2.6 or something 60ft..huge bog usually and no pull.I tried leaning the car ,richening the car,not much diff.Of course it got even doggier when rich and started getting knock when lean.
I checked the wastergate acutator.Put a bit of preload on it.No change.Today I looked under my heat shield to check my turbo to exhuast manifold bolts.One was really backed off and saw gasket blown out the side.Not sure how this happened as used the ring thing that mits has on the 14b thought it prevented gasket blow out.Guess not!! At least not with my setup think the rs 49 don't have step or whatever for the ring.
So from talking to other guys on board a leak pre turbo can do it.If you have new manifold like I have and new studs and new gasket not likely there but this blown out turbo to exhuast gasket well guys said they lost huge power and there turbo didin't spool up good at all and was very late.So that seems to be my problem too.Now ordered new supposedly thick blow out proof gasket and will hopefuly have it in tommorrow or next day
and hoping it solves my problem.Maybe its yours.I didn't torque the turbo to man bolts and the gasktet went by by..
Let me know.. and I will post update if my car is cured also.
Other than that boost leaks might do it..slipping clutch might make the car rev and not go anywhere not sure about spool. Really really bad boost leaks and think car will stall minor ones not as likely and they can hurt power too not sure about spool..

Also if you find the answer email or post solution.

 

[CowPimp]

Hey not sure if you saw my recent posts.I just latlely put in an rs49 50trim.
From day one its been weird.It has no bottom end,its very very slow to spool up .It seems to only go to 10 psi or so and the power is not there.I used my tazzo vpc like a gtech that was within a tenth or two faster than track timer and 2.5 mph or so higher than track also and 60fts were exact.I tested my car since they can be deceptive.Once it was making its 10psi it felt fairly good.I made a couple of runs and got 16.1 and 16.2 at like 85mph and with no wheel spin 2.50 60fts. It was breaking up though when I floored it.Changed out to colder ngk plugs had stock heat range iridiums in there.Got a better 15.3 at 90mph with a 2.4 something 60 ft.Still pathetic for a 50 trim.It just had no off idle power,it was super slow to spool and it had not much overall power.Tunings seemd ok.not super hgih knock fair timing all that stuff looked ok no check engine lights..nothing.
I found a pinched almost shut lower intercooler hose.It was twisted bad from the way my elbow is off the 50 trim.I fixed that.Not much better .ran another 16 at 90mph with a 2.6 or something 60ft..huge bog usually and no pull.I tried leaning the car ,richening the car,not much diff.Of course it got even doggier when rich and started getting knock when lean.
I checked the wastergate acutator.Put a bit of preload on it.No change.Today I looked under my heat shield to check my turbo to exhuast manifold bolts.One was really backed off and saw gasket blown out the side.Not sure how this happened as used the ring thing that mits has on the 14b thought it prevented gasket blow out.Guess not!! At least not with my setup think the rs 49 don't have step or whatever for the ring.
So from talking to other guys on board a leak pre turbo can do it.If you have new manifold like I have and new studs and new gasket not likely there but this blown out turbo to exhuast gasket well guys said they lost huge power and there turbo didin't spool up good at all and was very late.So that seems to be my problem too.Now ordered new supposedly thick blow out proof gasket and will hopefuly have it in tommorrow or next day
and hoping it solves my problem.Maybe its yours.I didn't torque the turbo to man bolts and the gasktet went by by..
Let me know.. and I will post update if my car is cured also.
Other than that boost leaks might do it..slipping clutch might make the car rev and not go anywhere not sure about spool. Really really bad boost leaks and think car will stall minor ones not as likely and they can hurt power too not sure about spool..

Also if you find the answer email or post solution.

Thanks for the input. I'll definitely let you know if I solve the problem.

 

[CowPimp]

Uh, what the Hell... The spooling characteristics are back to what I described earlier in the thread for no apparent reason...

 

[AL92]

I took my car apart today and found out that I should not have used that turbo ring thing in my RS49.It was laying in there broke thru fortunately no pieces broke off just broke thru and laying sideways in the turbo exhaust inlet and gasket was blown to pieces also.

So have a problem with stripped bolt hole in my turbo housing so take it to machine shop or something and get it fixed.I do expect better spool and power though after looking at that stuff and it likely was like that from day one of my install.My turbo was exactly like yours..slow spool..no power ,no low end power..I though they sent me a 60 to 1 or whatever by accident...

 

[AL92]

I got my car running again after replacing that turbo to exhuast gasket.It seems faster but not sure my turb is spooling that much quicker than before.Maybe have bad boost leaks maybe.Last time I checked though my tester would blow off at 15psi every time.What do I do about that.I tigthened heck out of it and do you test with throttle open and close both to first find leaks before tb and then leaks after it?

 

[CowPimp]

Well, I finally decided to get off my lazy ass and post the solution to the problem. It was so simple. I popped the heat shield of my exhaust manifold and looked for leaks. The visual inspection passed, so I decided to turn on the car and feel around for leaking air. Bingo. It turns out the bolts holding in the exhaust manifold were only finger tight. I tightened them real good and did a real fast merge onto the highway in 2nd gear. Voila! I forgot how fast it used to be. As well, the wonderful noises the car makes during WOT are back. Hurrah!

 

[kelvinb]

good to hear! have fun