Boost leak and Belt questions

[fresh83]

the leak my self alright so im not smart enough or skilled enough yet to find my own boost leak but from the response from my last thread people seem to be pretty sure its a boost leak.


So im going to have to take it to the shop up the street .


Heres a recap of my problems :

First off, i live in Michigan. Very cold right now, i dont know how much of a role this plays , just thought i should throw it out there.


*Car starts fine, In park it revs up fine.

*When driveing it , everything seems slow and clunky ,struggles to get past 3000 rpms in unless i nail the gas and even then it picks up slow.


*boost gage that used to get up to around 20 psi now wont go past 10 no matter what i do.

*when i nail the gas it also make a horn kinda noise .



3 days ago i got a misfire cylinder 1 error

and a p0505 idle speed malfunction


i replaced the spark plug and had them reset my errors and they havent come back yet .




a side note: my belts been squeaking at start up and im missing my timing belt side cover. just thought id throw it out there.






questions:


How long dose a boost leak test useually take?
Dose this sound like it could be anything else?
any other info i might need to know .

 

[habitatguy187]

Don't take it to the shop, just do your own boost leak test, it takes less than ten minutes to do the test (not including fixing leaks) which usually doesn't take long.

When was the last time the timing belt was changed?

What kind of spark plugs did you replace it with?

 

[fresh83]

my belt is brand new .

 

[fresh83]

and i only replaced the one spark plug for now , my uncle is getting me those ones that they want a arm and a leg for free next week but i figured replaceing the 1 for now was better than nothing .

 

[nlzn]

and i only replaced the one spark plug for now , my uncle is getting me those ones that they want a arm and a leg for free next week but i figured replaceing the 1 for now was better than nothing .

Stop. No need for that. NGK 6 or 7 series, most people here will agree.
I know for a fact that 6 series are 2.25 @ AZ here. (Copper core, labled "V Power" or something like that)

Sidenote: real good chance if you've had a boost leak for quite some time your plugs are fouled.. leading to the no spark problem

 

[fresh83]

and do u think the leak would also play a role on the idle speed error to ?

 

[habitatguy187]

Yes please don't put expensive spark plugs in your dsm. Just use the 6's. $8 for four.

 

[PIMking]

Okay there is a search button on the top of the screen. When you started a new thread it should of asked you about four other threads to look at.

Now your missing a timing cover? lower? Or is it the upper piece that covers the Cam gears?

The belts could be that they are not tight enough or the Harmonic balancer is just bad.

That link from the other useless thread that you started had what you needed to make a boost leak tester.

Now you take off the tube that connects the air filter to the turbo. It will be on the front of the motor that goes to the the passanger side. Then you hook that tool that you just made for $8 and pump some air into it. Now if you dont have an air compressor ( I can already hear your excuse) get a bike pump that plugs into your cigerette lighter.

Pump it up to 5psi more than what you are running (20 psi) and listen for leaks.

Go to any parts store, Auto zone, Oreillys, Advance, Napa. and ask for BPR6ES for your spark plug they are cheap and the best that you can run in the car. Also gap them to .028 and DO NOT CHANGE YOUR PLUGS WHILE THE ENGING IS HOT.
If you have anymore problems just sell your car.

 

[habitatguy187]

If you have anymore problems just sell your car.

....To me

 

[nlzn]

RE to the above(PIMKing): no need to get nasty especially in reference to your last comment. Some people aren't good or are ignorant to working with cars, especially DSMs. For those of us that have knowledge in this area it's our job to help and support, he came here for help and he could have went somewhere else.

Listen, get the NGK 6's.
He's telling you not to install them hot because it's easy to cross thread the head. IF you have no choice get a foot of 3/8" vaccum or fuel line and place it on the head of the plug and use the line to thread the plug in, DONT tighten a whole lot. (save that for checking the torque when it's cold).

As for the boost leak.. if you aren't inclined to make one (you can get the guide to creating one on VFAQ.com) just buy a pre-made one (google it- ~20$ or so).

You can use any type of air compressor, a handpump will be hard if it's a big leak.

As for the belts, check the tension (you can use a tension tool if you'd like). Check the integrity of the belt, see if it's cracked, cut etc..)

If you need more help feel free to PM me.

 

[fresh83]

okay thank you thats what i needed to know, am i going to have to check underneath to?

 

[fresh83]

and i can plug it in right at the port of the iac to the air filter right ?

 

[nlzn]

You need to plug it to the turbo intake intlet.

 

[fresh83]

is there anything else this could be?

 

[fresh83]

alright so i go to a mechanic because my boost is laging and it feels like im driveing a pontoon boat currently ( i.e it only goes around 20 mph ) . i have the details in the thread titled boost leak and belt question .



well i go in to the first one and they do a visual check and cant find it , he tells me i would have to get a 90 dollar diagnostic to find whats going wrong .


so i drive up the street for a second opinion . i describe the problem and the mechanic insists that its no boost leak problem , before he even sees the car.



he telling me my turbo went bad or its something to do with my waste gate.

i really dont trust mechanics and idk how i could get 15 ppl on this site all telling me it was a boost leak and no one even suggesting the waste gate.



is this b.s ?

 

[djalogik]

you need to go to home depot and build a boost leak tester for less than 90 dollars.

 

[zhjiln]

you need to go to home depot and build a boost leak tester for less than 90 dollars.

90 dollars...you sure overpaid for your materials....

i did mine for only $30 bucks....

 

[fresh83]

so what are you guys staying solid that my problem is a boost leak ?

 

[snowborder714]

It's worth a check at least.

While you have your intake pipe off, check the turbo for shaft play. Grab the shaft (middle of the fins) and push and pull (in and out) as well as move side to side.

 

[kris_stewart10]

yes i am positive it is a boost leak probably a major boost leak that you cant hear without testing it but just test it and if anything i would blame it on your injectors

 

[wesley357]

90 dollars...you sure overpaid for your materials....

i did mine for only $30 bucks....

he said build it for less than. he says nothing about thats what he paid.

 

[fresh83]

k im gonna make one now, but more opinions are appreciated

 

[olmytsi]

If it's a boost leak, the car will break up and blow black smoke as all the metered air is leaving the system and you have tons of fuel.

 

[rEclipserGST]

Check to make sure the MAF is plugged in. Any hoes unplugged? Get a friend to help you as you look at the engine bay, and he presses and releases the accelerator. If your car ONLY goes to 20 mph... its more than a damn boost leak. Im thinkin a combo of things. Maybe even Limp Mode.

 

[robbo185]

jesus just build the boost leak tester already and do it.

If nothing is leaking then we can go from there.

Stop making threads if you're not even going to do what we said.