slow boosting

[Ozyeclipse]

Car-1990 eclipse gst 6 bolt with (14b) at 145k
Basically stock besides hard pipes (dejon) and an eBay boost controller

I checked for boost leaks today can't get anything but a small one at 25+ psi
Waste gate is fine,turbo has a tiny bit of shaft play (barely) but no broken fins

I've got an issue where I can't get past 7 psi
The turbo spools slowly to 7 psi and its very slowly it feels to sluggish even for stock @ 3600 rpm
I know stock 1g boost levels are from 7-9 psi so that's about right
The only thing I have found is that the manifold gasket leaks a little from 1 of therunners
See pic

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I'm getting a metal gasket tomorrow its a to late for that today
Am I in the right track here I can't find anything besides that leak in the gasket
If you have any helpful input as towards why I can't boost past 7 psi that would be great and I've
Tried using another waste gate still the same
Tried adjusting the mbc still no change I'm gonna get another one from hallman also

*** can someone tell me what is the stock Waste gate spring pressure for sure if its 7 psi or 11.5

Edit also when I'm at 7 psi turbo sounds more like whining than a regular whistle spool

 

[Dsmmonster08]

when my turbo was wining it lasted for 1 month then blew the seals and the turbo blew , also my car did the same thing couldnt boost past 7 and i had a leak .... also it could be the MAF clogged , or a cat conv clog ect ....sounds like a boost leak over all

 

[gorf]

Wild guess but common problem.

14b have poor metal in the exhaust housing, they crack all the way around the, opening for the waste gate. You can try putting some washers under the waste gate actuator mounting bolts to pull the gate shut harder and it "might" seal those cracks better.
Put the washers on the actuator side not the nut side.

 

[EGLTAWLN]

i've seen 14b's where the wastegate flapper doesn't fully close the wastegate hole. as if the external pivoting arm needed to be hammered into the turbine housing. i laughed when i saw it, since the owner never would have had proper boost with the way it was. just throwing that out there. wastegate flapper problems cause laggy boost and stress out the turbo trying to make boost.

 

[AK Maniak]

A clogged cat can cause boosting problems as well as any exhaust leaks. My j pipe had a big leak and it caused my 16g to spool like a gt42

 

[007jimmy]

1gs have a terrible exhaust manifolds that notoriously crack very easily. Visually inspect the top and bottom for cracks. Just as common as cracking in the turbine side of the turbo, as already stated.

 

[Ozyeclipse]

I've got my manifold off but I can't find any cracks in it surprisingly still looks good theres a few small cracks by the flapper but nothing going all the way through :/
I can't figure it out that small leak in the manifold gasket is making this big of a deal
Geez man I guess I won't know till I get a new gasket :/

 

[AK Maniak]

I wouldn't be surprised if that leak is the culprit. It's amazing how much something as seemingly insignificant as that can cause such problems.