Cant get over 9lbs of boost

[svo86cobra98]

well, i will start off by giving a little background on my car.
rebuilt motor forged bottom end, polished head, ported e6 manifold, t3/t4 hybrid turbo, 3inch downpipe... ok thats about it... knock sensor is unplugged.


My problem is, after breakin period, i tried turning up boost, i have a mark hallman boost controller, and i cannot get over 7psi. Any suggestions on what i should check or do in order to get some boost?

[SVOeric]

were you getting over 9 psi before?

what boost controler were you using before?

can you get us a pic of your install ?

that would help...

[svo86cobra98]

Since i had just recently rebuilt the motor i havent used any other boost controllers and have not tried to get more than 5 psi...

just within the last week i tried to turn the boost up to 18psi but to no success. =( I am stuck at 7.

I just took a pic of motor.. maybe ya can see something bad going on =) well besides the messy wires

[svobud]

what's up with the hose running to the blue hose on the vac tree? are running your boost controller inside the car?

also, have you checked your wastgate actuator rod?

[SvoTy]

Here is a couple of things to check for. The fitting on the turbo or the fitting on the boost controller needs to have a ported fitting. It look like a pinhole but that is how it works. Usually the rebuliders will put a regular 90 degree brass fitting on there and those will not work. If you look at a stock fitting it has two outlets a ported "ie pinhole" and an open one.

Another thing to check would be the wastegate tension on the flapper door arm. You should have to force it onto the door arm. If it is too loose it will let the boost bleed by it.

Hope this helps you out.

[svo86cobra98]

well, the blue hoses are hooked up for an aftermarket boost gauge.

How would i be able to check tension on wastegate flapper? If you are talking about the rod that goes from the actuator to the wastegate that is pretty rigid.

Now the fitting on the turbo and boost controller being ported i really dont understand what ya mean.

With the stock turbo i can see a fitting that has two outlets.. but with my aftermarket turbo i do not see a fitting anywhere on the turbo itself.

OK, i took another picture. I put the stock turbo in picture so you could see the fittings i think you are talking about.

The black tube coming out of the actuator is leading to the boost controller.

[Majestic]

Just a suggestion.... Try disconnecting your "Halman" boost device and run with the black hose on your actuator capped. (does your stock boost gauge still work?) See what kind of boost you can get that way to eliminate a bad boost valve as the culprit.

Also, who else here is running a t3/4 like him? Surely someone can look at the picture and see what's up.

Chris

[SvoTy]

Originally posted by svo86cobra98
well, the blue hoses are hooked up for an aftermarket boost gauge.

How would i be able to check tension on wastegate flapper? If you are talking about the rod that goes from the actuator to the wastegate that is pretty rigid.

Now the fitting on the turbo and boost controller being ported i really dont understand what ya mean.

With the stock turbo i can see a fitting that has two outlets.. but with my aftermarket turbo i do not see a fitting anywhere on the turbo itself.

OK, i took another picture. I put the stock turbo in picture so you could see the fittings i think you are talking about.

The black tube coming out of the actuator is leading to the boost controller.

Bingo! It is not going to work like that. You should have a fitting like the stock turbo and use the outlet with the small hole to the boost controller and then to the wastegate.

I dont know where that housing came from, that one does not have a fitting or a threaded boss for a fitting.

It needs to be set up like a stock turbo.

[svo86cobra98]

why would a reputable svo aftermarket place sell a turbo that wouldnt work on an svo? what will i have to do to get the turbo to work? or did i get ripped off again cause i am sure that after 8 months the place i bought the turbo is not going to take it back.

ok wait, that means that the place i got the boost controller doesnt know a thing about svo's either because i just looked at the diagram they show and it is exactly like the setup i have now with no fittings on the turbo housing itself.

i will try capping the actuator tomorrow and see what happens.

[svocudd]

Fitting

Ty,

I am not familiar with the Hallman BC but the Gillis valve had you cap off the threaded fitting in the stock housing and my stock T3 boosted to 20 psi every time. Are the Gillis and Hallman controllers set up differently? Just curious.


Cudd

[SvoTy]

Re: Fitting

Originally posted by svocudd
Ty,

I am not familiar with the Hallman BC but the Gillis valve had you cap off the threaded fitting in the stock housing and my stock T3 boosted to 20 psi every time. Are the Gillis and Hallman controllers set up differently? Just curious.


Cudd

Actually Mike I might have to back out of this one. I was looking at his last picture and not the first. I also was under the impression that the Hallman and the Gillis worked like a regular boost controller. I dont know about getting your vacuum and boost to control the wastegate out of the vacuum tree. If that is the way that the instructions say to hook it up I would guess that the controller itself might be bad. We have always used the Turbo XS valve with the check valve built in it and you HAVE to have a ported fitting for it to work right.

Maybe someone else out there can shine some light on it.

[svobud]

well - that's why I asked what was up with the vacuum hose that's going to the tree. Thought maybe he had set something up where he manually control boost levels while driving from inside the car.

That Hallman valve...I've never seen a set up like that either...new one on me.

[svo86cobra98]

Ok i got a question for you... would there.... Should there be a little hole the size of a pinhead anywhere on the boost controller? I decided to get a hand pump and hook it up to a vacuum line. I found a vacuum leak... it was coming from a fitting near the boost controller.

Hehehe, i wish i could take my car to a "real" mechanic but the last one in the area i took it to said, "Its suppose to run like that ...its a 4 cylinder".

[SVOeric]

that is dificult to say, because most of us haven't dealt with that boost controler before.. it is possible they are using a pin-hole to bleed off ????

one thing you can try is to test your actuator. Hook your pump up to the vacume port on the actuator, and make sure it pushes the wast gate all the way.

I can't remember how much pressure it takes to open it , but I'm sure someone will remember..

[svobud]

Originally posted by svo86cobra98
Ok i got a question for you... would there.... Should there be a little hole the size of a pinhead anywhere on the boost controller?

I gonna take a big fat guess and say, NO. Try wrapping some electrical or suitable tape around the pinhole for a quick fix and run it up the street real quick....that should give you enough of an answer.