Only making 125hp on the dyno? Let's double that!!!

[Chad989of2000]

Need some serious troubleshooting advice here guys. Got a strong rebuilt 4G63 (only 3k miles) leakdown + compression tested fine. Just installed the ETS FMIC and Keydiver stage 3 chip and I am on the dyno now....only seeing 125hp at the wheels! No boost leak, no exhaust leak...turbo is an Evo III 16G done up by RRE and it only has 3k on it also. Am I experiencing some manner of wastegate failure? Car is holding 16psi steady but not making any power whatsoever. Any ideas/speculations greatly appreciated.

 

It the dyno just giving you a really low reading, or does it feel slow as hell too?

 

[Chad989of2000]

It feels slow as hell too...you can hear the turbo spooling like crazy, but it seems like there's no surge of power.

 

[thecman02]

Hmmm if you have good compression and good boost I'd be checking for restrictions in your intake pipes/intake system and make sure the exhaust is breathing without restriction.

 

[3rdstrikedsm]

Really sounds like a boost leak are you 100% sure there is no boost leaking? Also check to be sure the wastegate flapper is getting a good seal in the hot housing as I have seen those go bad more than once so bottom line is your boost is going somewhere so you gust need to pinpoint exactly where.

 

[Chad989of2000]

Tearing apart intake now, gonna check the cat just to make sure there was no catastrophic failure there. Car is making and holding 16psi across the board, and I've boost leak tested the car 3 times to make sure. Gawd dammmnnn is this a headache. Keep the ideas rolling fellas, we need to brainstorm this beyatch.

 

[Barnes]

What tuning mods? Was the keydiver chip specifically burned for you setup?

 

Timing off?

 

[Barnes]

Is the e-brake on?

 

[Chad989of2000]

Timing - Good
Ebrake - Off
Chip - Exactly for my setup

In the process of taking off the downpipe back exhaust to run it with no restriction. I really hope it's just the cat destroyed itself...it was one of those $60 magnaflow jobs.

 

[rgeier11]

Boost leak, clogged cat, paper towel in the manifold runners.

 

[RedTwo]

Boost leak testing doesn't check the exhaust manifold

 

Does timing good mean the timing belt is aligned correctly or that base ignition timing is set correctly?

 

[solidviper89]

If the turbo is spooling like crazy then you might have an exhaust leak or boost leak..(?)

 

[speedyvr4]

are you logging? is their knock ? maybe a wot log might help decifer your situation ?

 

[curtis]

Buddy of mine built a 2.3 turbo once for his merkur , the old fart in the corner thought a few red shop rags in the IC pipe would be funny. Took a week to figure out why it would boost and no power.

Damn funny after that the old farts 2600 cc supercharged VW powered dune buggy kept having weirdo problems every time he started it. Carb was removed once and had 4 bushings installed under the carb, we though extra air would help. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif

 

Get a timing light and recheck timing, boost leak test the whole system correctly, check for cracks around the WG flapper/hotside of turbo. Is there any spitting, sputtering, or hesitation when driving?

 

I just pulled the cat out on my galant. Car felt like it just layed over on the top end so i blamed the cat. Come to find out it was horribly coming apart. I built a straight pipe for it and feels like a whole different car.

 

[Chad989of2000]

Sorry for the late reply...been swamped at work this week and had to leave the car at the dyno garage. Lead tuner swears it's the turbo that's bad and didn't even bother checking the cat or intercooler piping for obstructions. Can't get to the car till Saturday...first thing I'm doing...saws all through the exhaust right before the cat and testing her out...I really think the cat is suspect. Thanks for all the advice guys I'll keep you posted, and if that isn't the issue I'll continue trouble shooting. As far as boost leak testing...I've always used the device I made via the Vfaq site in testing with it plugged right at the turbo inlet...no leaks. Guess I'm playing the waiting game...I can't see it being the turbo unless RRE ported the exhaust side too much and it cracked but I doubt that...like I said making and holding 16psi with no feeling of power.

 

[mikus]

WG cracks would reduce PSI - if you're seeing 16psi this is not your problem.

AFAIK if you're seeing 16psi in the pipes, the turbo is all but eliminated as a cause. It could have some problems sure, but 16psi at your intake manifold is what it is.