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This maybe a stupid question but how can you tell if the waste gate is working right? My friend has a slow single over head honda and he beat me racing the other day. I was so frustrated we swapped cars and low and behold I beat my car in his honda. Nothing special with the honda just intake and exhaust. He said he pushes around 140hp. I just don't feel like my car is pulling hard enough. I have a 91 ej22t mug mod and thats about it. Am I stupid or should I still be getting more HP?

Depends on how fast the honda is. If its a CRX pushing "140hp" then it should be pretty fast, if its an accord, then you should be beating it. If the only mod you have is the mug then it should be right around stock times, meaning around 16 flat. Not very fast. You should get a boost gauge, if it makes no boost, then the wastegate is stuck open, wastegates usually stick closed though...

You lost me man. I have beat hatch back hondas before it feels like my car is getting slower. I have a 01 WRX IC I am going to put in there but I have to find a cheap guage and MBC first. If I rev the engine up and watch the waste gate should I see it actuate?

If it sticks CLOSED, the car will pull mad timing and cut fuel as boost pressure exceeds 13psi. If it spools slowly, or not at all, the wastegate is stuck open due to some problem.

Stock turbo Legacy's aren't fast by any stretch of the imagination. Powerful and wonderfully flexible, but acceleration is not their forte'.

I can feel it pulling in first at about 2500rpms and in second it pulls a little higher and then I can feel it jumping around a little.

Definitely get a boost gauge. Based on your description since you can feel the turbo spooling then its probably not a wastegate problem. If its been a while since you replaced the air filter/plugs/wires/etc. maybe you could try that.

What do you mean you feel it pulling at about 2500rpm's, then in 2nd it pulls a little higher?

You can only rev to 2500RPM's in 1st gear?

And jumping around? Clarify that, if you can. Thanks!

In first gear I can feel the boost kick in and then it levels. In second gear it starts to spool up a little high rpms and I think around 4500 to 5000rpms the car feels like it losses boost and then come back. On and off like a light switch.

You should seafoam the intake, and see if that helps. Just sounds like hesitation to me. Seafoam, plugs, wires, air filter, oil change, the usual tune up stuff. Do that, and you'll probably fix it right up.

I've (according to the owner of the other car I didn't know I was racing) beaten a 1993 Accord with intake & exhaust without a turbo at all. I remember the stock turbo I drove feeling little faster than my Legacy with it's original engine. You must have something causing a timing issue or similar.

Steve

I took a 5th gen civic coupe once... In my auto station wagon. I also took an early 90's accord in my auto nonturbo wagon, with 4 people in it.

I'd reccomend air filter, plugs, wires, perhaps a fuel filter, that's what my car's getting for christmas.

Thanks for the info guys. I know something is wrong because my roommate has a acura GSR and I can keep up with him until the tpo end of third gear so I am sure some thing was messed up.

If you can keep up with a GSR, then that "slow civic" is faster than you think.

A GSR should beat you up top, those things are no slouches. DOHC and 7500RPM goes a long way to help the top end.

irishsetter wrote:In first gear I can feel the boost kick in and then it levels. In second gear it starts to spool up a little high rpms and I think around 4500 to 5000rpms the car feels like it losses boost and then come back. On and off like a light switch.

Sounds like the car is pulling timing. What octane gas do you put in your car? It'd better be the highest octane you can find. Is the car auto or manual? One thing you might want to do is just go out to the highway and peg the car in 2nd or 3rd gear and keep it there for a while, get some of that nasty carbon out of your cylinders.

And you are correct about the car falling on its face and leveling off at high rpms. Its because of the restrictive factory downpipe. Get that replaced and your engine will spin freely to redline. In second gear with more load, it sounds like you are detonating or your knock sensor is going off. You might want to replace your knock sensor with the updated part. The part number can be found in the "Stuff You Need To Know" section.

Thank you for the post I will try to check out these issues. My car is a 5mt and I have already suspected my knock sensor becuase is is the old kind with the grey harness. Just for giggles if I tune up my subi and get 2.25" turbo back and put on the WRX IC that I got for the low $50 and I geuss a MBC, what kind of HP could I expect?

The WRX IC takes some work to install. It's worth it to some, not to most. I was going to do this, but decided I'd rather not mutilate my firewall, and just take advantage of my other options (fmic). That said, I don't see many WRX guys making much more than 200whp with the stock IC. Most upgrade the IC as the first mod. If you are looking for lots of HP, skip the middle man and consider other options. If you just want something quick, without worrying about breaking shit, then that IC is fine if you want to go to the trouble installing it.

That's my stance on the WRX IC, but to answer your question:

At 16psi on the VF11, with the SAAB 900 TMIC setup, a 3" catless turboback with a true divorced wastegate, I was probably only putting out like 190ish-whp.

You can probably expect a little less than that.

Wow that sucks. I was looking for more. I have already fitted the fire wall for the IC but have ran into other fabrication problems. You are very right it is a task to install this IC but I was hoping for better results with my prejected setup. To reach over 200whp what do you think is a good setup? A all together different engine? Maybe an ej25?

16G it up. That'll do 200+ no problem.

For how long will my hold ej22t hand it?

Indefinitely... EJ22G is very stout

Old 2.0 WRXs used to have the TD05 from the factory.

Steve

That's where mine came from! A 94 WRX Sedan, then rebuild and worked by Possum Bourne.

The EJ22T is quite a stout motor.

As long as you think about what you're doing before you do it and keep it well maintained, it's pretty hard to break these engines.



On a completely unrelated note, While in Australia, I got an Autoart 1:18 scale 1998 WRC Rally Australia car like the one that was driven by Possum Bourne. It even has his name on the windows.

That thing is sweet. Though for $160 AUD, it had better be.

i met him twice nice guy, was in cardrona the day he died went down south to see him race