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I have been having some delay problems only happening in boost just recently. The turbo sounds as if it's spooling but does not react to the boost until about 2 seconds later, then throws me in the seat.

This problem seems to be coupled with the recent smoke I have been seeing. The smoke comes from under the turbo/intake/passenger side manifold. I think that this is due to a bad valve cover gasket.

At the same time I had to replace my charcoal canister because mine shattered from a wreck. I was unable to find the turbo canister so used a non-turbo canister and blocked off the lines from the intake resonator and purge valve. This is where I think my lag is coming from.

I'm unsure about all of my assertions but would a valve cover gasket create such a large delay in power? Or could it be a combination of the canister and gasket. A new canister is $130 and I haven't found one at a junk yard, so I'd like to be completely sure.

Guess everyone is as stumped as I am.

Is the smoke black? Maybe you're running super-retardedly rich for a few seconds. Got anything attached to any sensor signal wires? Know if your O2 sensor is OK? Got a boost gauge? If so, what's the boost doing while you're smoking?

Edit: nevermind - you said the smoke was coming from the other side of the engine, didn't you?

free5ty1e wrote:Is the smoke black? Maybe you're running super-retardedly rich for a few seconds. Got anything attached to any sensor signal wires? Know if your O2 sensor is OK? Got a boost gauge? If so, what's the boost doing while you're smoking?

Edit: nevermind - you said the smoke was coming from the other side of the engine, didn't you?

The car smokes even while I let it sit at idle. It continues to smoke.

I honestly cannot tell the color of smoke, it is so thin by the time it gets up to the engine bay that it LOOKS white. Meaning I spilled some coolant on something that heats up. That would make sense because I just changed my radiator. Why would it make it lag though? It all started lagging as soon as I replaced the radiator.

That's wierd. Does sound like coolant, but I can't see the connection with the problem you described. Unless, I don't know, your headgasket just coincidentally happened to start leaking and you're trying to combust coolant...?

Got me. No idea.

I'm going to do a compression test this weekend to see if the HG has any relavance in this.

Anyone else have any other suggestions?

A valve cover leak/valve cover gasket leak should not cause a boost related lag. Unless it is pouring oil out, which I really doubt it is. It is normal on Subies this old to have gaskets fail, it is due to the high heat over time.

Either way, you should fix your oil leaks, to stop the oil burnoff you are having.

Bheinen74 wrote:A valve cover leak/valve cover gasket leak should not cause a boost related lag. Unless it is pouring oil out, which I really doubt it is. It is normal on Subies this old to have gaskets fail, it is due to the high heat over time.

Either way, you should fix your oil leaks, to stop the oil burnoff you are having.

I am still unsure what color the smoke is, but it looks white. It looks so shallow by the time it gets to visible lighting that it just looks clear, almost white.

I did a compression test this weekend when I got to use my friends extension but forgot to hold the TB open. All my results were below 120psi, so I need to do it again to determine anything just yet.

Your compression test results will be the same with the TB open or closed; I know they always tell you to hold it wide open but it never has made a difference either way for me.

just let the engine crank about 5 or 6 revolutions total, then check it.
You do have the plugs out of all 4 cylinders, right?

free5ty1e wrote:Your compression test results will be the same with the TB open or closed; I know they always tell you to hold it wide open but it never has made a difference either way for me.

Well if that's the case, I have a 2 blown head gaskets. I was hoping that the TB valve being open would yield me higher numbers (since I didn't open it the first time) but if you guys are saying that it doesn't make a difference, then that's some shit for me.

All plugs and injector clips were out/off, yes.

I'm still going to try it again this weekend, since all of the results were below 120psi.

how long did you crank on it? You have to crank it long enough for it to build pressure- the first revolution or too is free spin, until compression builds, then you can tell when it gets alittle slower, then you can check the PSI.

I bet you didn't crank it quite long enough.

What were the numbers? The absolute value is often a lot less important than how even they are. Stuff like altitude and gauge calibration affect the numbers' absolute values.

Bheinen74 wrote:how long did you crank on it? You have to crank it long enough for it to build pressure- the first revolution or too is free spin, until compression builds, then you can tell when it gets alittle slower, then you can check the PSI.

I bet you didn't crank it quite long enough.

At first I cranked it 6 or so times. When I noticed it was sitting at 119psi, I went to crank it again for another 6. Didn't budge.

There was nothing that I didn't do by the book, except to hold the TB open, which I really hope gets me in the 170psi range. Or if it doesn't, I know I have a blown headgasket or two.

vrg3 wrote:What were the numbers? The absolute value is often a lot less important than how even they are. Stuff like altitude and gauge calibration affect the numbers' absolute values.

Cyl 1 - 119psi
Cyl 2 - 118psi
Cyl 3 - 120psi
Cyl 4 - Time didn't permit

I'm up in CO if that makes a difference.

That seems just fine to me...

hmm. might be the high altitude, don't know how that effects things. Maybe the guage is reading like 25 psi low or something. got another guage? good luck

vrg3 wrote:That seems just fine to me...

Yeah, the numbers are grouped pretty good together. I still am having problems though.

hmm. might be the high altitude, don't know how that effects things. Maybe the guage is reading like 25 psi low or something. got another guage? good luck

I guess I could try another gauge, I just bought this gauge but who knows... maybe it is bad?

i think you need to fix your charcol canaster and un plug that line you pluged and get a turbo canaster.

NICO I WRX U wrote:i think you need to fix your charcol canaster and un plug that line you pluged and get a turbo canaster.

On the way! I forgot about that. I ordered that on Wednesday, $130 is a damn rip-off.

its a dame rip off but i think your problems are going to be going away, smooth sailing now.

my fingers are crossed for you good luck i bet my money on it.