Looking for some help with a boost issue

[Tsmith]

Lets start from the beginning:

Ebay 16G
FMIC with hardpipes

When I got my car 4 weeks ago everything was working fine. Getting around 14 lbs of boost at around 4900 RPM. I decided to change the stock exhaust with a 3" turbo back. Everything was still fine except that the o2 housing did not exactly match up to the new 3" down pipe. Long story short while finding that exhaust leak I found that there was a leak between the turbo and the manifold. Bought a new gasket from Mitsubishi and everything was still good.

Now for when it started going downhill. I decided to do a BLT with a tester I made from home depot. Found a bunch of leaks that were fixed by tightening clamps and doing a small intercooler repair. The last leak was on the compressor housing to ic downpipe. After trying a couple different gaskets and such I finally got it all sealed up. During all of this there were a couple times the leak was much worse than it originally was. I assumed that this was why I wasn't able to build more than 7 psi at times. It seemed like each time I tried to seal the gasket again the psi dropped a few psi everytime. I finally got the entire system sealed to where it holds 15 psi for about 45 seconds with a slow drain but I am content for now on the leaks.

As it is I am not getting any boost at all right now. I have spun the compressor wheel to make sure it isn't stuck and it seems to spin very freely. I also don't feel any shaft play.

My next thought is that the wastegate is stuck open. I would like to test this but I do not have time (or the tools) to take off the Turbo completely and test it. At WOT it sounds as though there pressure being made and a boost leak somewhere but again my system holds pressure long enough to watch the needle slowly drop from inside the car from 15 psi.

My big question besides does anyone have any idea where to check next is is there a way to make sure the wastegate does not open under any pressure at all? Do I just have to disconnect the actuator arm or can I simply block off a vaccuum line somewhere?

Thanks for your time and input.

Adding a video to ask about vaccum and boost hoses. Was told that a BOV should be on a vaccum hose and wastegate should be boost hose. My wastegate and BOV are both t'd off to the same vaccum hose. Video will explain more.

Click the picture below please.

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[GRAVEDIGGER]

Take the actuator rod off and make sure the flapper door is moving freely. Also make sure it is closing all the way and staying all the way closed when the actuator rod is attached and it is in the normally closed position. If for some reason it is not staying closed all the way, that could explain why you have no boost.

 

[Tsmith]

how far should the actuator rod move? in the open position I would say it is horizontal (or close to horizontal) to the ground but when I close it it doesnt go straight up and down. Also when moving it by hand you can tell that it gets stuck on something in the open position and you have to wiggle it a bit to get it to start to close again. I know the best way is to take off the setup and check it out of the car but is there any other way to make sure it is closing completely?

 

[eli96talon]

I don't think your bov and wastegate should be t'ed off the charge pipe...on mine I have the wastegate off the charge pipe and the bov off the intake manifold.there is a specific nipple one the manifold for the bov

 

[-Boosty-]

watched your vid, your wastegate hose needs to go from the wastegate nipple, to either the jpipe or the closest icp. My jpipe doesnt have a nipple for a hose, but the intercooler pipe just after the jpipe does. I hooked it up there for stock boost levels which should be around 10psi. My actuator moves very freely so you may want to check that out, it should easily move. Take that t-fitting out, and the hose that goes to the TB should connect directly to the BOV. Hope that helps, keep us updated.

Also a way to check your wastegate is if you have a compressor, with some sort of attachment for blowing air, take the hose hook it up to the wastegate, and blow air into it. BE CAREFUL it doesnt take a lot of air to move that, if you throw a bunch of psi at it you could blow your diaphram, id hook it back up to the flapper, and see if it moves, paying attention to if it closes all the way, mine doesnt move a whole lot.

 

[Tsmith]

Yea neither of them are on the charge pipe. both are going to the intake. I need to have a dung put in the charge pipe for the wastegate. found out my wastegate is probably not closing all the way though. That is why I am not getting any boost at all. Anyone got a fix for this on an Ebay 16g?

 

[-Boosty-]

Yea neither of them are on the charge pipe. both are going to the intake. I need to have a dung put in the charge pipe for the wastegate. found out my wastegate is probably not closing all the way though. That is why I am not getting any boost at all. Anyone got a fix for this on an Ebay 16g?

You need to find out if the reason your wastegate isnt closing all the way is related to the wastegate rod. If that is the reason its as simple as loosening that nut, and spinning your rod what i believe to be clockwise. That will adjust the rod inward so when u hook it back to the flap actuator it will pull it all the way shut. I just pushed my waste gate closed, then i screwed that rod all the way in until it slid back over the flap mechanism (lack of a better term for that thing). Slapped my E clip back on and was good to go. This should help.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/274251-video-how-test-wastegate-actuator-wastegate-functionality.html

If thats not the case, your going to have to pull the housing and see whats causing it to stay open. While you have it off, you might as well port that thing too. good luck n keep us posted.

oh as far as the bung, u might be able to install one yourself, shouldnt be too hard to find a fiting.

 

[Tsmith]

Yea thanks for the info. I had already looked at all the adjustment threads. I tried to take the exhaust side of the turbo off by disconnecting the J pipe and loosening the v clamp and then seeing if I could tap the exhaust only housing off so that I didnt have to worry about leaking the oil and coolant out.

Didn't work so well I ended up stripping 2 turbo/exhaust manifold bolts in the process and now ###### gonna need to get some help taking the turbo off to do all this stuff.

I can tell its sticking on something inside the housing because about halfway through the wastegate movement I have to wiggle the arm to get it to continue. BLAH. At least I will have the next 9 months to save up cash for a new turbo and manifold while I am in Afghanistan.

 

[-Boosty-]

Yea thanks for the info. I had already looked at all the adjustment threads. I tried to take the exhaust side of the turbo off by disconnecting the J pipe and loosening the v clamp and then seeing if I could tap the exhaust only housing off so that I didnt have to worry about leaking the oil and coolant out.

Didn't work so well I ended up stripping 2 turbo/exhaust manifold bolts in the process and now ###### gonna need to get some help taking the turbo off to do all this stuff.

I can tell its sticking on something inside the housing because about halfway through the wastegate movement I have to wiggle the arm to get it to continue. BLAH. At least I will have the next 9 months to save up cash for a new turbo and manifold while I am in Afghanistan.

Yea, that sux, i literally just had my whole turbo setup off around 3 weeks ago and i ended up breaking off a bolt where the turbo bolts to the manifold, i had to drill it out, and retap it. I know i ported my wastegate hole too much and with the flap loose it would catch on the hole making it stick open sometimes, its hard to explain, but i had to stick a washer in it to keep it tight so it wouldnt hit it anymore. I hope your deployment is a safe one, and thank you for your service.