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Manual Boost Controller Problem!

B

bhiggs89

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Messages
706
Location
Peoria, IL
I have a Turbosmart Tee Type Manual Boost Controller, and have been having some problems with it lately. Ill give you a little information to help trouble shoot it.

Alright, well when I first got my car about 4 months ago, the max boost was 7.5 PSI. Then around December I turn it up one click and it is right around 9 PSI. I decided that I didn't really want that much boost, especially during the crappy winter months, so I go to turn it down and it doesn't move. It still says right around 9 PSI. I have my Dad come over and look at it, and he can't get it to turn down either.

It was still at 9 PSI so I wasn't too worried about it, I don't go WOT alot anyway.

But today I was getting on the highway to go to school and I look at the boost gauge and it climps up to right around 11 ( I don't know exactly how much it got up to, I let off because I was kinda freaked out). When I got home I tried again to turn it down and it doesn't move.

I've looked at Turbosmarts website, and read all the directions, but I didn't really find anything that helped me out.

There is a small set screw on it, but I don't want to mess with that unless I know what it does.

So anyone got any info that they can share? This is on a completely stock SVT engine and I've read that anything above about 9 PSI is in the danger zone.

Thanks
 
i would just remove it then so you can only run what the wastegate spring is for. you can reinstall it later.

also in the colder weather its going to make more boost then in the warmer weather.
 
BrApple said:
i would just remove it then so you can only run what the wastegate spring is for. you can reinstall it later.

also in the colder weather its going to make more boost then in the warmer weather.
Click to expand...

x2 just run base boost for a while. I have to ask, why do you need a MBC when the car is tuned for the turbo. The ECU should control the boost, I would think.
 
bhiggs89 said:
I have a Turbosmart Tee Type Manual Boost Controller, and have been having some problems with it lately. Ill give you a little information to help trouble shoot it.

Alright, well when I first got my car about 4 months ago, the max boost was 7.5 PSI. Then around December I turn it up one click and it is right around 9 PSI. I decided that I didn't really want that much boost, especially during the crappy winter months, so I go to turn it down and it doesn't move. It still says right around 9 PSI. I have my Dad come over and look at it, and he can't get it to turn down either.

It was still at 9 PSI so I wasn't too worried about it, I don't go WOT alot anyway.

But today I was getting on the highway to go to school and I look at the boost gauge and it climps up to right around 11 ( I don't know exactly how much it got up to, I let off because I was kinda freaked out). When I got home I tried again to turn it down and it doesn't move.

I've looked at Turbosmarts website, and read all the directions, but I didn't really find anything that helped me out.

There is a small set screw on it, but I don't want to mess with that unless I know what it does.

So anyone got any info that they can share? This is on a completely stock SVT engine and I've read that anything above about 9 PSI is in the danger zone.

Thanks
Click to expand...

im pretty sure there should be a screw to add/subtract boost, turning it usually a quarter turn should either add or subtract 1 pound of boost. get a picture of the boostcontroller and post it up here.
 
I put a cheap ebay one on my SVT. I could not get the set screw to back out enough to get a solid boost number. I was shooting for 10#, but it would spike to 12 or so. I just took mine out for the winter, and put a plastic fitting in between the 2 hoses. My goal is to get a better MBC in the spring and try to get it to stick at 10#. Rawburt ran around 10-12# on his stock 2.5. I noticed that in the winter the boost guage sometimes reads at 0, until warmed up. Mine hits boost super easy so this gets scary when the motor is cold. There should be a threaded screw on it. Turn it in a little at a time and drive it. The first time I adjusted mine it hit 12#! From talking to Joey, about 11.5 should put us 2.5 guys at about 300 to the wheels! I think that is about as far as I would push it. Mine is stock too, but I don't ever dump the clutch and all my boost pulls are gradual and from a roll.

Rod
 
PHilly said:
x2 just run base boost for a while. I have to ask, why do you need a MBC when the car is tuned for the turbo. The ECU should control the boost, I would think.
Click to expand...


except out cars never came with a factory turbo so how would the pcm control boost :confused:

you use a mbc to up the boost so you can get more then what the spring in your wastegate is. like I have a 3# spring in my wastegate. lame right? well with the mbc I can crank it up, and I got it up to 10# of boost.

the tune is there so the pcm can control the larger injectors and the larger maf, etc that go into making sure it runs nice, safe and correctly.
 
ronssvt said:
im pretty sure there should be a screw to add/subtract boost, turning it usually a quarter turn should either add or subtract 1 pound of boost. get a picture of the boostcontroller and post it up here.
Click to expand...

Are you refering to the small set screw below to knob/dial type thing? If so, I was wondering about that, but I was not going to mess with it until I knew exactly what it was and what it did.

Rright now I just dont got WOT, even at 3/4 throttle its still at 7 PSI.

If I dont have to work this weekend then I will just take the MBC off. Do I just unlpug and cap off the vacuum lines? Or do I have to disconnect it from the Wastegate?
 
bhiggs89 said:
If I dont have to work this weekend then I will just take the MBC off. Do I just unlpug and cap off the vacuum lines? Or do I have to disconnect it from the Wastegate?
Click to expand...


depends on how its installed. mine is in line with the wastegate. definately do not leave that disconnected. since it is inline the lines will have to be connected when you remove it.
 
dude like I said just get a pic of hit that will help us determine what you can do with it, im pretty sure though the screw you are seeing is what is used to add or lower boost, the controller is a t-shape right? one end goes to the wastegate, the other to the blow off valve, and the other end has the knob/screw that adjust boost, or at least thats the way it should be.
 
BrApple said:
depends on how its installed. mine is in line with the wastegate. definately do not leave that disconnected. since it is inline the lines will have to be connected when you remove it.
Click to expand...

this is exactly right. most likely tho, u should be able to cap it off. post pix first or give us more info on how the BC is routed.
 
BAD SVT said:
this is exactly right. most likely tho, u should be able to cap it off. post pix first or give us more info on how the BC is routed.
Click to expand...


if the mbc is inline with the wategate then you don't just want to cap it off as then the wastegate would never actuate!

so really we need to see how its set up to be able to correctly determine how it should be removed and the hoses put back together.


ok. as you can see if the mbc is normally in line with the wategate from the boost source. you just need to remove it and then connect the two hoses that where connected to the mbc together.

c83d_1.JPG
 
Well looking at the diagram, it looks just like a valve to regulate vacuum. Why not take the valve off and blow air and carburator cleaner thru and see if that clears it up.
 
Kevinm said:
Well looking at the diagram, it looks just like a valve to regulate vacuum. Why not take the valve off and blow air and carburator cleaner thru and see if that clears it up.
Click to expand...


that is a random image. we do not know how his controller is set up. I highly doubt the lines are plugged up with anything.
 
ok, its set up like I have been talking about and like the image I posted. just remove the mbc and then connect the two lines that go to the mbc together so the wastegate will work. boost will be what ever the spring is in the wastegate. plus what ever extra it makes in the cold weather. I was seeing 1# more boost easily when the weather started cooling down getting intot he fall.
 
I did not say vacuum lines but clean the MBC valve itself. MBC's consist of two types of valves, ball and spring and the bleeder type. The ball and spring type utilizes the pressure against some preset spring pressure adjusted by the user to actuate the the desired pressure. Dirt in this location can make the ball stick or becomes restrictive. Also the ball since it rests in a brass seat, there could be a little corrsion not allowing the ball to move off it's seat. Under the bleeder type utilizes a needle type setup, the same thing holds true since the bleeder portion may be restricted by dirt! So bypassing should tell you if the rest of the components are good or not . If so then you need to look at the MBC itself. Cleaning sometimes does the trick.
 
ok yes teh bmc itself ... but again i don't see how its going to get junked up. the vacuum is referenced after the air filter ... also I would think that if it did somehow get junked up that it would keep it from closing all the way, not open when it should.
 
Well I had another issue with my Boost Controller. About a month ago, I noticed that the boost would not stop increasing, if I went WOT the boost would go was past 11 lbs, I dont know how much it would go to because I didnt really want to find out.

So after a week or so of driving, I took the boost controller out. Ever since I took it out, my boost levels have been right at 5 lbs. Before, when the boost controller was working, and all the way turned down, it would be at 7.5 lbs.

Why would taking the boost controller out cause it to decrease like that?

I have a friend that is pretty familiar with turbo'd cars, Eclipse GSX, and he thinks there could be a boost leak?

Any help would be appreciated. Im so used to 7.5-9 lbs, that 5 lbs feels really slow :blackeye:
 
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