[iPodAddict]

Help! My car feels slower than a champagne coloured corolla

I took a quick clip of whats happening. For the record I have:

- Helix FMIC
- A/R catless dp
- v4 proceed +canbus
- injen dci

All of this put down 377 rwhp and trq and was working perfectly fine until about a couple of weeks ago. I went to overtake a car on the highway and had to react very quickly... downshifted to 3rd and waited until a gap opened up in the middle lane to get around the left-lane hogger.

The moment I stomped on the throttle, I got a half-cel. Pulled off the highway at the next exit and turned the car off.

I didn't have my laptop with me, so I did a quick code clear (powering the car up to the position 2 or whatever its called now - when the gas gauge starts to read accurately just before starting the car up, pressing the throttle fully to get the Half-CEL indicator and pressing the throttle fully again to clear it). Powered the car up, and everything felt normal. No more CEL's. No funny noises.

Got back on the highway and all seemed back to normal.

Since then, it's been slowly degrading (performance wise). Last night was the final straw when this loud noise happens under boost. It almost seems like I've stolen a turbo from those transport trucks and McGyvered it into my e92 lol. I will admit, if I just boost quickly and shift, it sounds soooo badass! It's like boost on steroids, however there is NO POWER! The car takes a million years to go from 100km/h (60mph) to 130km/h (~75mph) in 3rd gear.

The noise is exactly what's in the video above.

I still don't have access to a laptop right now, but any feedback on what this may or may not be would be significantly appreciated.



My theories on this are: Vacuum leak or a turbo is starting to go. Fml.

[13749032]

Sounds like to me, there is a leak on the intake side. After the pressurization has occurred. Since the only time it is made is when you accelerate and spooling up the turbo and creating pressure and then you hear the air leak. I would check all tubing coming off the turbo, intercooler etc, as all these parts need to be sealed as to pressurize the combustion chamber. Hope this helps.

just my 2cts.

[slowSwede]

I haven't yet blown a turbo overtaking someone but I have blown a lot of other stuff, not on the 335 though. Bad turbos usually doesn't make cool sounds either....
Usually the turbos degrade over time and not during overtaking a car.
Probably something popped loose.

[ridin135]

boost leak one of your pipes most likely popped off. I was testing my meth setup a couple months ago and it blew off the elbow to the charge pipe and it is slow as a f**k in na form.

[dmurray14]

Agreed, you probably blew off a pipe. Although I'm surprised you're not throwing underboost codes - and a limp. Or are you?

[iPodAddict]

Originally Posted by dmurray14

Agreed, you probably blew off a pipe. Although I'm surprised you're not throwing underboost codes - and a limp. Or are you?

The car feels slow like a limp mode, but no CEL's.

[jblackwell]

You have a boost leak, I can almost guarantee it. It is more than likely at one of your intercooler connections. If not, it's likely one of your hose connections on the pressure side of the turbos. They are typically not visible to the naked eye and you can't pressurize the system without loading the engine, so unless you have access to a wheel dyno, your next step will be to take off and inspect all of your charge pipe couplings. Typically they split and you can't see it, yet under boost they open up and bleed off air (and power). The reason for the CEL is due to the fact that based on pre-programmed parameters, the DME expects to see manifold pressure at a certain level based on throttle angle, RPM, and other prevailing factors. When the DME doesn't see the boost, it throws a code.

Good luck!

[mycoupe]

Good to see what others are saying, because after reading your title I thought, "I don't even have to hear the sound to know he's got a boost leak." Hahaha...just check all your pipe connections.

[ridin135]

I never through any codes when I blew my elbow off and I drove a good 15 miles back to my house. So don't worry about it just take a day to inspect the intercooler piping.

[iPodAddict]

UPDATE!!!


Ok some more information - and still looking for some more insight here...

Yesterday I spent an afternoon with some friends trying to datalog and pin-point where this problem is coming from.

I got two codes from the Procede:

11566
12543

We looked under the car and noticed significant HEAT... it was boiling under the car. Let the car cool off a bit, raised it up and saw the gaskets had a slight opening on it. We tried to tighten as much as we could, but still no difference. The car would not go past 4 psi, at all!

I spoke with Mike@n54Tuning.com to get some gaskets and bolts from AR Design (hopefully he can get that sometime early this coming week).



Now my question is: Is it okay to drive with the car like this? I feel like the turbo's are over-spinning due to the loss of backpressure and could hinder the longevity of them.

Thanks!


-T

[jblackwell]

Originally Posted by iPodAddict

I feel like the turbo's are over-spinning due to the loss of backpressure and could hinder the longevity of them.



-T

NO. You don't ever "need" backpressure.

[iPodAddict]

Originally Posted by jblackwell

NO. You don't ever "need" backpressure.

Are you suggesting that I have another leak elsewhere if I can't pass 4 psi?

[ridin135]

Yes you have a leak check all your charge piping, If you have a leak at the downpipes/exhaust you would still be able to reach your full psi.

[cn555ic]

If you can't reach or pass 4 psi, you have a MAJOR leak...I would think its your FMIC piping thats come totally off....Usually when you have a minor leak you would be able to reach your peak psi but it won't hold it for long, but in your case your not even able to reach stock psi max of 8-9 psi would suggest MAJOR leak...check connections

[boostd92]

Originally Posted by ridin135

Yes you have a leak check all your charge piping, If you have a leak at the downpipes/exhaust you would still be able to reach your full psi.

If you had a major leak at the turbo manifold to head flange, you would not be able to build boost, but I've never seen that happen on these motors.

Hard to tell in the video, but it does sound like an intake/compressor side hose has split. Sadly, it also kind sounds like an external wastegate, as if you had a downpipe leak, but as mentioned before, an exhaust leak AFTER the turbos will not keep you from making boost.

A severe intake leak will however. And until you find it/fix it, do NOT go into boost much. The only way your engine knows what boost your making is by your MAP sensor and it doesn't care if you have a leak or not, it just reads pressure. That means your turbos will spin to hell and back because the computer is telling the wastegates to stay closed because it doesn't see the boost target it's looking for. That's a good way to fry turbos. It's no big deal if you keep your foot off the loud pedal... stay in vacuum as much as you can.

[boostd92]

Originally Posted by cn555ic

If you can't reach or pass 4 psi, you have a MAJOR leak...I would think its your FMIC piping thats come totally off....Usually when you have a minor leak you would be able to reach your peak psi but it won't hold it for long, but in your case your not even able to reach stock psi max of 8-9 psi would suggest MAJOR leak...check connections

If his FMIC piping came totally off there's no way he'd even make 1psi. I'd bet he has a split in a plastic intake pipe, or coupler is loose or starting to back off on an edge. 4psi sounds like nothing, but if you have a mechanical boost gauge and a vacuum hose, try blowing into it and see if you can make 4psi.. won't happen..

[mkPOTO]

sorry to bring up old thread but did you find the leak? i think my car is doing the same thing as well

[kenneth]

Apart from checking at the connections, check the IC to see if there are any visible signs of puncture!

[opdare01]

I'm no expert but if you have a leak, should you still be driving? A lot of sh*t can get sucked in right? Don't yell at my ignorance...I'm an engine noob

[iPodAddict]

Sorry to revive the old thread... however the problem was fixed.

It was two parts:

1st - There was a leak after the downpipes to the exhaust. I purchased the bomb proof gaskets/bolts from AR Design through my local vendor Mike@N54Tuning

2nd - The 2nd clamp was loose. When you're standing in front of the car and looking at the FMIC, on the driver-side of the FMIC there is an "L" rubber hose/pipe. The first clamp connects to the FMIC on that rubber "L" hose, the second clamp of that "L" hose connects to another hard-plastic pipe that's stock piece (it's a near perfectly vertical piece). That second clamp was pratically hanging on the bend of the "L" rubber hose due to gravity bringing it down.

After re-seating the rubber "L" hose to the plastic pipe (which connects to a flexible hose under the Injen DCI) we re-tightened the clamp as hard as I physically could.

Since then, I'm now seeing 14+ psi again.