Turbo Help

[bomper04]

so i have a 98 eclipse with a 16g turbo and just the other day i was driving pretty fast and came to a stop. put it in first then shifted to second and floored it and i had little to no response from the turbo, instead of it spooling up it normally did, all my car did was shake really fast, it felt like something was holding my car back and so i got pretty scared. pulled over and popped the hood to take a look and i saw very small white puffs of smoke from the little sucker and that scared the crap out of me. the next day it drove fine..but i'm afraid that if i floor it, the same thing will happen again. what could be the problem?

 

[ROOKIE1]

Have you checked for turbo shaft play ? Is car running rich , color exhaust fumes , bumper color near exhaust ? Boost leak test ? Check all your intercooler couplings ? Could be bad airflow sensor . These are all things we should check on a regular maintenance schedule but do not . Rarely did my car run fine , it ran like I was used to .

 

[bomper04]

there's no colored smoke from my exhaust and i'm not running rich, haven't checkd for shaft play or boost leak. but when i floored it today, the same thing happened but the stock turbo guage read that the turbo was spooling as it's supposed to be but when i hit over 4000-5000 the car just starts vibrating, but that's only when i floor it. if i were to just give it like 3/4 of thrttle, it feels fine. weird.

 

[outkastracing]

sounds like fuel cut to me how much boost you running and also what are you fuel upgrades

 

[97gstjosh]

Check your coilpack, timing, plugs, and test for boost/vacuum leaks.
One of those things are your problem.

 

[bomper04]

how would i check for a boost leak? i've heard of some methods but i'm not sure they're the best way to test for it

 

[TSITuner4Lyfe69]

change your plugs and wires it sounds like to me

 

[dsmconvict]

IC Pipe Tester

There's the boost leak tester. Check your plugs also. How much boost are you running and also what fuel mods do you have if any? These could all play a big factor.


Chris

 

[bomper04]

to be comepletely honest, i don't know how much boost i'm running, the stock boost guage doesn't help at all and i'm working on getting a boost guage soon. the guy i bought it from installed a 16g turbo and that's as much as i know now. hey by the way have you guys heard about pulstar plugs..i'm planning on buying some of those and seeing if that's the problem. =) i really appreciate how much help i'm getting on just these forums, they're such a convenience..better than going to a mechanic and getting jipped

 

[1bad91tsi]

Id say boost leak,does it hiss?

 

[kahl23]

Two things:

1. Stock boost gauge is absolutely worthless. I believe that its just a little feature that measures RPM and goes up and down as a novelty.

2. People have had great success with NGK BPR7ES or -8ES plugs, tried and true. If you're looking to troubleshoot this you might want to consider using them, as it helps eliminate one area of uncertainty. Good luck!

 

[bomper04]

i guess you can say it hisses..but if it were boost leak then the turbo shouldn't even be spooling up and putting out as much power right? when i give it 3/4 throttle it's fine, and it drives normally and still has that speed...its just when i floor it..

 

[Twistaye]

No, the turbo will spool up, but won't be hitting the full boost it should be hitting. Which is one reason why it's bad not having an aftermarket boost gauge because you can't gauge what boost you should be hitting in the first place by the stock gauge. I'd say to go ahead and do the boost leak test. It'll only cost you about $20 to make the tester, and it shouldn't take long at all to test it, find the leaks and get it fixed. That would be my first priority though is testing for leaks. If you don't have any leaks (and you probably do if the last owner didn't maintain it well enough), then I'd check my plugs and wires. If you do all that and still have the problem then let us know and we'll go from there

 

[skeeter4200]

I had kinda the same problem and my intercooler cupling was torn replace it now no problem

 

[pitbull419]

Boost leak or something in the line of spark.

 

[ILLegit420aT]

Best way to test for leaks is just remove bov or re-circ, and pressure test the whole system...any boost leak will throw off a/f mixture and could create a shakey bucking type action from your vehicle, which is commonly refered to as fuel cut...and it doesnt have to be bogging or anything...it might just feel slower. and if someone put a 16g turbo on there...i would check the turbo setup for leaks and such also

 

[bomper04]

yea i'll do a test for leaks soon because it's been raining over here all week and i haven't been able to get anything done . sucks. i appreciate all the help i'm getting and will report back within the week. thanks!

 

[bomper04]

sweet, so after all that it just turned out to be a boost leak. it stopped raining here and i could finally check the car out thoroughly. two of the hose clamps were not secured tight enough and air was escaping. so when i floored it and all the boost came out my turbo, it went in all sorts of directions . so, problem solved, thanks a bunch you guys are great.