407BEAST
Probationary Member
- 19
- 0
- Sep 13, 2012
-
Orlando,
Florida
Ok last weekend i decided to take this ebay 16g off my car and install my Evo3 16g, at the same time i had the car apart i also fixed my downpipe hookup which was only held on by one bolt (previous owner laziness)... The main reason for wanting to change turbos was one of my j-pipe bolt threads were stripped in the turbo housing (previous owner) and i had rigged it up to work with RTV & jb-weld.
A little info about the car pre-installation: the car ran decent overall, my air fuel ratios were good all the way around from idle to cruise to WOT. a tad lean at idle but nothing terrible. the car was being driven daily on 15PSI boost, could turn up to 18 but i like being conservative. Ran a boost leak test right before starting turbo install and my lil compressor could only get it up to 10 PSI but it all leaked out fast from my j-pipe leak.
After installation: Complete chaos, head scratching & troubleshooting/checking everything it could be...
I test drove the car right after getting the install done, the idle was great, no more erratic bounce or lean a/f #'s, idle seemed perfect, i did notice my vac was reading 12 instead of 20 (always read 20 before changing turbos)... As soon as i pulled of i could tell something wasnt right, the car had no power at all and wasnt making any boost, I could hear the turbo spooling as it should but the boost gauge would go from 12 vac to 0 boost and not pass 0!!!
Came home, 1. checked the wastegate arm, it was good...
2. removed cotter pin on WG arm checked the flapper movement, good...
3. attached air compressor supply to WG nipple, it opened after being on there for 10secs and closed as soon as air supply removed.
4. checked all couplers/rubber/and clamps on IC piping...looked good but for certain we loosened each one and re-tightened each.
5. took air intake off checked play in turbo shaft...no play, wheel spins freely, started the car and visibly watched wheel spinning...
Test drive # 2.
car now makes 8lbs boost at WOT.... feels extremely sluggish, notice HUGE problem @ WOT, wideband reading 14.5 @ WOT... immediately back off pedal and drive home at low RPM...
Home, Boost leak test.....1. small leak @ j-pipe flange... fix with jb-quik weld (i know not a good practice but desperate to fix car fast)...
2. next leak was BOV gasket leaking like a civ, fixed with rubber seal all and a strip of electrical tape. then realize BOV itself leaking from the horn, plugged it with a rubber bouncing ball (impractical, but worked).
3. next realize air coming from pcv valve hose (mine is vented to atmosphere) previous owner's choice. plug pcv hose.
4. fixed leak just before throttle body.
5. All we can get into the system before it starts to not hold anymore air is 10 PSI, the air compressor is a very small one and this is all it can/will pump into the system, it holds 10 PSI decently drops about a LB. per 3 secs....
At this point i have no clue what to do, i cant understand or believe that installing a new turbo to replace a cheap crappy turbo & fixing a major exuast leak could lead to my car running way worse... i cannot think what to do next,
my roomate wants to run a seperate leak test at the throttle body itself but im not sold on this problem being a boost leak, if the car had a boost leak before the new turbo but ran fine why would a more powerful better turbo create these insane problems.
Im stumped
, desperate
, frustrated
& discouraged
..... Please if anyone has ANY ideas at all im all ears...
sorry for the novel but being thorough in this situation is probably best.
thanks for reading, suggestions? questions?
A little info about the car pre-installation: the car ran decent overall, my air fuel ratios were good all the way around from idle to cruise to WOT. a tad lean at idle but nothing terrible. the car was being driven daily on 15PSI boost, could turn up to 18 but i like being conservative. Ran a boost leak test right before starting turbo install and my lil compressor could only get it up to 10 PSI but it all leaked out fast from my j-pipe leak.
After installation: Complete chaos, head scratching & troubleshooting/checking everything it could be...
I test drove the car right after getting the install done, the idle was great, no more erratic bounce or lean a/f #'s, idle seemed perfect, i did notice my vac was reading 12 instead of 20 (always read 20 before changing turbos)... As soon as i pulled of i could tell something wasnt right, the car had no power at all and wasnt making any boost, I could hear the turbo spooling as it should but the boost gauge would go from 12 vac to 0 boost and not pass 0!!!
Came home, 1. checked the wastegate arm, it was good...
2. removed cotter pin on WG arm checked the flapper movement, good...
3. attached air compressor supply to WG nipple, it opened after being on there for 10secs and closed as soon as air supply removed.
4. checked all couplers/rubber/and clamps on IC piping...looked good but for certain we loosened each one and re-tightened each.
5. took air intake off checked play in turbo shaft...no play, wheel spins freely, started the car and visibly watched wheel spinning...
Test drive # 2.
car now makes 8lbs boost at WOT.... feels extremely sluggish, notice HUGE problem @ WOT, wideband reading 14.5 @ WOT... immediately back off pedal and drive home at low RPM...
Home, Boost leak test.....1. small leak @ j-pipe flange... fix with jb-quik weld (i know not a good practice but desperate to fix car fast)...
2. next leak was BOV gasket leaking like a civ, fixed with rubber seal all and a strip of electrical tape. then realize BOV itself leaking from the horn, plugged it with a rubber bouncing ball (impractical, but worked).
3. next realize air coming from pcv valve hose (mine is vented to atmosphere) previous owner's choice. plug pcv hose.
4. fixed leak just before throttle body.
5. All we can get into the system before it starts to not hold anymore air is 10 PSI, the air compressor is a very small one and this is all it can/will pump into the system, it holds 10 PSI decently drops about a LB. per 3 secs....
At this point i have no clue what to do, i cant understand or believe that installing a new turbo to replace a cheap crappy turbo & fixing a major exuast leak could lead to my car running way worse... i cannot think what to do next,
my roomate wants to run a seperate leak test at the throttle body itself but im not sold on this problem being a boost leak, if the car had a boost leak before the new turbo but ran fine why would a more powerful better turbo create these insane problems.
Im stumped
, desperate, frustrated & discouraged..... Please if anyone has ANY ideas at all im all ears...sorry for the novel but being thorough in this situation is probably best.
thanks for reading, suggestions? questions?
Sounds like its time to replace it with one that holds boost.
