Safe to drive my car?

[justin0469]

So I am driving to work and halfway through the trip, I don't hear my BOV anymore. Looking at my boost gauge (not stock), pressure still builds and drops off normally. My BOV is not recirculated (I know, I know, its been like that before I got the car and the intake pipe doesnt have a recirc tube) so the BOV sound is pretty obvious when its there. A few min later my CEL comes on. Randomly, I get at CEL for P0170 Fuel Trim Malfunction. I don't have my code reader here at work so I am not sure if thats what the CEL is for. Is it safe to drive it home, about 30 min in stop and go crappy San Diego highway traffic? What should I be looking for when I get home for possible causes for this?

 

[damnthecops]

you shouldnt have a problem driving it home, just dont get on boost and try to just be lite on the throttle, if its a fuel trim problem then most probably your car will richen up the a/f, as a safety on every car when the cel comes on it richens the fuel mixture and adjusts timing, making the car slow and non resposive but somewhat safer to drive

 

[justin0469]

Yeah, I am sorry, I should have been more clear. I am not worried about the fuel trims. I was just informing you that I randomly get the CEL for that, but am not sure whether or not that's what its for this time since I don't have my code reader.

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

It sounds like the code is probably from not recirculating it, which makes sense. Hopefully it's just that.

If the BOV isn't venting it's got to be either stuck open or closed. If it's open you'll have a nasty leak, but it should still run relatively safely. If it's stuck closed it will put more pressure on your system, but shouldn't be a problem in the short term. (a BOV isn't a *necessary* item) Either way, I'd think you'd be fine driving home.

I'd give it a look over to make sure nothing critical is loose or missing, drive it home, and get a 1G BOV

 

[mr2turbo]

Yeah, DONT BOOST!

 

[justin0469]

Thats what I was thinking but if it was stuck open, I wouldn't build boost, if it was stuck closed, I wouldn't blow off the boost pressure, it would stay in the IC piping after the throttle body plate closed.

 

[mr2turbo]

I've had boost leaks that won't let me fully build up boost it's just they're really small, spray soapy water on your couplings and flanges and gaskets and other shit like that

 

[justin0469]

I know but I'm saying I can boost fine. There would have to be a massive leak for the BOV to not sound, in which case, I would not build boost.

 

[mr2turbo]

is your bov flange leaking?

 

[justin0469]

Im at work, I can't test it but as far as I know, no. Still, even if it was, I would not be loosing enough pressure to not hear the BOV. If I was, I couldn't boost as much as I am.

 

[mr2turbo]

well, once you do get home at the very least try a boost leak test

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

Or try to manually activate the BOV as that seems to be the problem.

It may be possible for a small leak to let you boost, but quiet the sound quite a bit. Never had it happen to me though, so I can't say. I'm interested to know what you find when you et it home.

 

[justin0469]

Well I found that the BOV does make sound, but a fluttering sound. That means no vacuum. I just couldn't hear it over road noise. So I followed the line off the BOV and found that the MDP adapter I have (I have a 6 bolt) came off. So just put it back together and its all good. Thanks for the help and sorry for the trouble.