Turbo help..left on side of road last night :/

[Zach315]

i have a 97 gs-t. i just bought this car a month ago, and have never owned a turbo car prior. I am really new to the turbo scene. Well, when i bought the car, i noticed sometimes when i punched it in 1st gear it would cut out, and there would be no power..then all of a sudden it would catch and drive normal. This wouldn't happen all the time though. Anyways, last night this happened to me on the freeway, except this time it did it for good. i noticed i couldn't get passed 45mph. Next thing you know there was a weird smell, and i saw that the turbo temperature gauge was getting hot. I pulled over and let it cool down. After looking around i saw that the right side piping for the intercooler was dangling. i couldnt get it back on so i called a tow truck. Today after work i was working on it. I got it on and now notice it idles fine. When i took it for a drive the boost gauge would slowly decline. I noticed that when i gave it a lot of gas, the turbo would spool and the temperature gauge would rise, but when the turbo stopped spooling it would go back to normal. I am thinking it is a boost leak..but im not understanding where. I do not own a boost leak tester..so was wondering what i should be looking for exactly. This is a daily driver so i would like to fix it as soon as possible. I just dont understand why the engine would cut out sometimes. It makes no sense to me. Thanks for reading and for the help! If anyone needs more info i apologize and will give the best i know. Thank you

 

[Zack Huffman]

Sure sounds like a boost leak. Do you have an aftermarket boost gauge or are you looking at the stock POS?

The cutting out may be due to overfueling caused by the boost leak, but until you fix that you won't know for sure.

Without a leak tester you'll just have to carefully check every coupler from the compressor outlet to the throttle body and inspect the piping and intercooler for holes. Or you could just get the parts to make one, or buy one, since it's pretty much a required tool for any turbocharged vehicle.

BTW, you don't have a turbo temperature gauge.

 

[rlacasse1]

Turbo temperature gauge? What the hell is that?

All you have is a boost gauge, stock anyways.

Do a boost leak test. I'll bet that is your problem.

 

[TSIturbo91]

I would have to agree. Grab 10 bucks and go to a hardware store. And then build the boost leak tester. It's got to be under $5 most likely but then you can pay a friend for the ride. That little tool with show even pin pricks of a boost leak.

IC Pipe Tester

 

[iBoostDSM]

Make sure you are naming all of the gauges correctly for us to help. From left to right the gauges in the little circles on the bottom of the dash are, boost, oil pressure, fuel level, and coolant temp. Hope that helps.

 

[Zach315]

i apologize, i thought the gauge all the way to the left on my dash with a "+" and "-" meant that was for my temp on my turbo. im sorry. Maybe it rose because it had a major leal (with the ic piping falling off) that it rose because the turbo was overworking itself? idk, im learning as i go along. .

and i do have an aftermarket boost gauge. Everything was fine, until the other night. Like i said, i gave it some gas in first gear, then all of a sudden i had no power, and that gauge went up like crazy. The only thing i saw was the IC piping that came off.

Thanks for the clarification on the turbo gauge. Now i know! haha

Will make a Boost leak tester..its just now i have to find an air compressor :/

 

[Greedy Pimp]

You could of over spun your turbo, check the play and see if it spins freely, due to the inner cooler piping blowing of there is no boost pressure holding it back and it could of messed up the bearings.

 

[Zack Huffman]

...and that gauge went up like crazy. ...

The stock boost gauge is controlled by the ECU and has only a few possible stepped read outs. The ECU does not measure boost directly with a pressure sensor, so it guesses boost level based on the engine rpm speed and the amount of airflow being reported by the MAS. When you blow off a charge pipe, the MAS reports a very high airflow because the compressor flows freely since it no longer is fighting against existing pressure to create more pressure, and the wastegate becomes inoperative, which can allow the turbo to overspeed.

 

[Zach315]

well i hope i did not mess my turbo up! I put the ic piping back and and all seems well. Thank you all for the new information i have gained! I appreciate it very much! Now im off to fix the stupid readiness monitors for smog due.

 

[luv2rallye]

I like this homemade BLT as it has a presure gauge right on it: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...st-how-boostpro-net-tester.html#post152554139

 

[Roberti 2G]

Sounds like your clutch is slipping. Do your RPMS go up but you dont actually start going faster?

 

[Mischif]

its just now i have to find an air compressor :/

Find the closest gas station with an air machine