Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Hey folks. Be warned, this could be a long read.......

I have been avoiding putting this post up until I was completely sure about what was going on with my old girl. I will first fire off the spec:

1994(240hp)WRX
33500 Miles
SS Downpipe, Blitz Nur Spec R system running without Baffle
ITG Panel Filter
98 UK Gearbox&Rear Diff
Blitz Dump Valve
Helix Clutch
SUL and Millers Octane Booster since I bought her

She started off with the usual WRX gearbox&diff, but I soon found out that the Gearbox was knackered and was fighting against the rear diff. An RA/R box was transplanted in, but although this box was absolutely psychotic, it was completely impracticle. Not only that, but the Rear diff was now losing it's fight for life.
I took the quick fix and had a UK setup fitted as looking back,I was shocked into it by the RA box. My mistake. The UK box's ratio was quite tall compared to the Original WRX Box, which was perfect in hindsight. Anyways, getting on a bit.
Had A Helix Motorsport Clutch in April, still lots left.
She runs on Mobil 1 Motorsport since I have had her (April)
The Turbo produces spot on 11psi max sustained boost or 0.75Bar, never more and has done since the day that I got the guage installed (April).
ECU resets do nothing really for her.
For the last month, has been running Optimax+Millers

She appears to use no oil, the underside is bone dry and the Gearbox oil from the last transplant seems the same.

Here is what I have noticed......
She has been going extremely well since I got her and was going like schtink during the summer, but over the last 2 months, She has really been beginning to slow down down considerably.

Incedent 1:

Started with myself in 1 lane and a M3 behind me at about 80 on the A331. I had been concerned that she was seeming slower for a few weeks.Him in fifth, same here. Other lane opens up, so I pull over out of curtousy, but can can see that he want to go some. Both put our foot down and he leaves me for dead.

Incedent 2:

Pootling along the A331, when a Celica GT4 comes cruising up behind, with a driver looking playful. Dead road, So i decide to oblige, knowing that my old goat is slowing down, I drop to fourth and hammer it. He stays in fifth and still sits right behind me, possibly gaining! We hit traffic going into farnham and he pulls alongside me. After the usual complementing on the size of each others exhausts , he asks me how much boost I am running, I say 11, he says 14. He had such a smile on his face, he must think that all scoobies go like lada's now......

Incedent 3:

V Reg Golf GTI mit pratt strapped to mobile phone on the A331, undertaking/overtaking on a dual carriageway in front of me [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img][img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]. Eevery driver he bullies past lets me though, So I decide to put him in his place. I get up behind (normal distance) and amazingly, he gets out of the way, but floors it. So do I. Who do you think wins? That's right! The bog standard, rep mobile-tastic Golf GTI. To say I was narc'd was putting it mildly. I gave up at a smidgen above silly speed, he had gained 2 or more car lengths on me already. Gutted/Furious with my old girl.

Last Incedent:

Audi S4? I think, being driven be a plank on the 331 again. I filter in on my way home and am pootling along at 70, when this audi comes screeching up behind me. Again, open road and I obviously have not learnt my lesson, As I gun it. He sits right up my butt until we get to the end and he cuts across 2 lanes of traffic to go to guildford [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img].

I am now fed up and don't know what could be wrong with my baby.
I don't hammer this car by any means. I am quite happy with pootling about, but the noise from the Exhaust and Dump Valve can become quite addictive . I want the power back that she used to have, that's all.

I have only done 4500 miles since her so called purchase service by the garage that I got her from.

Normally I tend to run at -5psi boost when cruising, but more recently, she seems to need 0psi boost to cruise in general.

1 more bit of info. Upon hard cornering, or tight cornering at low speed, I get a lot of clicking from the front end. Have been meaning to get it looked at, but the people that I have spoken too have said not really to worry and in fairness to them, I have not had her put up on a ramp to see, yet....

Help, please?


Any ideas what she is playing at?

Sorry for the life story, but I believe that as much info, however irrelevant, can be useful.


Thanks guys,


Nick

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Sorry for the novel above........
Any ideas folks? Dead ferret in the the intake?? Any thoughts gratefully recieved.

Cheers,


Nick

gadge

SOUNDS LIKE TIME TO RUN INJECTOR CLEANER MAYBE ? ARE YOU USEING OPTIMAX? IF SO TRY A CHANGE BACK TO SUL

scoobs

Yo Nick how ya doin??

You need to find your self a little test strip of road. I have a little run in Basingstoke, where I test my car if I feel it is running slow. It's off a roundabout and there is a national speed limit sign about 200m down the dual carridge way. I know the max speed I can reach by the time I get to this sign. If I feel my car is running slow, I give it a bash. 99% of the time it was in my mind and low an behold the car is perfectly OK.

This don't help you I know, sounds like your car is definately under performing. If ever you are heading to B'stoke, email me first and I will tell you where my little run is, (it's on the ringroad and you dont'e have to drive silly speeds). You can then test your car and compare it to mine (you should beat my speed).

Scoobs

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

I think you need the "Link effect" best get one fitted to give your WRX the life she needs oh and a nice freeflowing exhaust to boot

Tony

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Thanks a lot for the replies so far:

Gadge, Injector cleaner? Do you mean the stuff that you used to dump into the petrol tank on fi/efi cars? I personally would be a little worried about this route, but you think that the injectors could be clogging up?

Scoobs, Hi matey. Cheers for the offer. I, like yourself, have little strips that I test the car on. The A331 is perfect for it IMO and I am on there every day. Some great slip road entries and rind-a-bites for speed testing when dead quite and long straights with good tarmac. She really is slowing down....

Tony, Boom,Boom, pun-tastic mate! Upgrading is always good and has to be done, really, but I want to find out if there is something sinister going on inside the engine or wherever, before I crank the power up a notch.
The last thing I would want to do is to blow the engine in someway, by taking an sick old girl and sticking a rocket up her bum! You get what I mean, right? Just want to make sure that the engine is happy, before I put more strain on her.
She never has problems with starting or misfiring, virtually never chuffs out anything vaguely like blue smoke on startup.
Freeflowing exhaust? I thought that mine was about as freeflowing as a beer-tap on a stag night! (See, I can do bad jokes too!)

Never found out what the price of a 'basic' Link setup is. Ideas?

1 Extra question. On my car, with it's pitiful (imo) 11psi boost, what can that turbo be cranked up to whilst remaining reliable, Ideas guys?


Thank you all very much for the responses so far!

Cheers,


Nick

scoobs

Nick

Not sure what turbo you have or if your internals are the same as my UK spec. However the UK spec is safe up to about 1.2bar. Any more than that and you risk melted pistons. I have been running between 1.15 and 1.2 bar of boost with my Unichip for near on 12,000 miles now and no problems at all, oh yes except this.

So much for the indestructable samco hoses :0

Have you had a check of the ECU codes to see if there is anything wrong?


Scoobs

Sith

No expert here, but a few thoughts. Air leaks in to the engine, oil in the solenoid (SP) (**** it who cares), boost leak, waste gate? (shrugs shoulders) Dump valve stuck partly open, duff knock sensor. Nearly forgot the MAF, Air mass meter.

Try giving Steve at Surrey Performance a ring.

I could be barking up completely the wrong tree(s). The last option is probably the best.

P.

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Yep, sith I too think that Steve is my best option, just know that he is very busy and didn't want to bother him with a 'random problem', that and the fact that money isn't quite as ample at the mo as I would like. I feel like too much of a numpty to check the codes........... , like instead of crossing the wires to do a reset, i just kill the power for an hour or so.....
Also a bit scared about what might I might find wrong with her now
Unfortunatly, I pretty well gave up on working on this car, when I found out just how difficult it was to change the spark plugs

Scoobs, that Samco went a bit pants didn't it[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]. What boost did your car run in standard form? What difference did you notice from the hike in boost? I think that I have the older, bigger, laggier turbo to you, methinks.

Thanks,


Nick.

scoobs

Nick

I think my car ran 0.9 standard. Raising the boost makes a huge difference. Major kick in the back. I now have a full magnex system inc downpipe and the two together is GREAT!!!

Checking for codes is easy, just join the two black plugs together under the dash (by the steering colum) and read off the code by looking at the check engine light flashes. There is a recent post on here somewhere, where there is a link to a site with all the codes. worth a try, only take 2 mins.

Scoobs

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, ok then, you twisted my arm. I think that I have the links for the codes. I will give it a go this weekend.

Cheers,

Nick

ptholt

from my VERY limited mechanical knowledge boost leak sounds likely if its running less boost than it used to at same revs/gear etc. Faulty boost solenoid thingy bob whatsit? (he said getting as technical as it gets).

Have you added that blitz dump valve recently or have you always had that?
Just that a lot of peeps (like mr lawson) that i've talked to about putting on a vent to atmosphere dump valve on (which im guessing the blitz is) talk me out of it as the cars don't really react well with it. Have known many people take them back off, specially on later cars, but a friend with a 94 wrx tried bailey and another make and couldnt get either to work as well as the standard unit.

If that is the case and you want a nice noise get a hks or blitz induction kit and that'll make some interesting noises.

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

I have had the BOV on their since April. She came with a Greddy Dump valve, but I didn't like the sound that it made at all, so thanks to Mr Lawson, I got hold of the Blitz one. Would be ashame if it was in any way related to that, as I love it. Don't pick up any traces of boost leak audibly that I know of. Unfortunatly, I don't think that it is going to be as simple as that, knowing my luck......

Cheers,


Nick.

ptholt

If its been runnin ok with the blitz on, no reason it shouldnt now to my mind, so cant be that.

I don't think it will be that drastic, but if your sayin that boost is lower at same revs than it used to be b4 its loosing it somewhere.........

Have you tried baked beans or mushy pies to increase back pressure and see if that makes things move any quicker?
(sorry we've reached my mechanical limits so have resorted to my normal level of conversation usually located around the gutter hehehe).

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Cheers, bigears! The boost pressure has actually not altered at all since april, when I had the guage fitted. Has alway been+still is max and sustained boost of 11PSI. Sorry if I have got things confused up above, or it could just be that I have typed a huge pile of gibberish above!
Like I always say, any advice gratefully recieved, thanks.

Cheers mate,


Nick

WREXY

Hi Nick,

This probably is not the cause of the problem but the Blitz BOV needs cleaning regularly. I have mine on my car and twice I've had to clean it in the 1 year that I've had it on. They get some moisture around the piston which causes them to stick.

So you have to pull it off, then remove the circlip on the bottom of the BOV, pull out the piston, (if stuck use an airgun to blow into the pipe to push the piston out), remove the spring and then spray some WD40 in the bore, the piston and the spring. Then clean with a rag only. Do noy use sand paper or anything that will take even the smallest of layers from the piston or the bore, Other wise the BOV will leak. Once cleaned, install it.

Cheers,

Wrexy.

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Another job for this weekend. Cheers dude.


Thanks,


Nick.

AlexM

Footlong,

Another common(ish) problem with MY94 WRXs is a faulty ECU. See if you can search for this - I think it is something to do with the ECU retarding ignition in error because it thinks it is seeing knock everywhere. Apparently the fault is internal to the ECU, not the knock sensor, and this may explain why performance has dropped off even though you are still getting the same boost.

See if you can locate another from a MY94/95 car to try temporarily.

Cheers,

Alex

[Edited by AlexM - 10/17/2001 9:56:10 AM]

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

Cheers Alex. Mr Lawson does not know it yet, but I think that I will be trying to acquire his services.....

Thanks,


Nick.

[Edited by Mr Footlong - 10/17/2001 12:37:07 PM]

DavidLewis

I haven't read all the details here so sorry if this has already been suggested.

Try Merv at Power Engineering. I know they dont get alot of good press on this BBS but Merv really does know his stuff. He will give you a Rolling Road tune for something like £120+Vat (better call him to be sure.) If there's anything faulty, he'll find it. Admittedly, Steve Lawson is the man, but on this one, Merv wins due to the use of the RR.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Hi Nick

Just a thought, but when did you last do a reset? I say this as if your car had a bad batch of fuel the ECU will retard the advance to suit. On the older cars it takes ages to adjust back up again, if at all. So even if the knock sensor saw poor fuel months ago it could still be affecting your performance. If this is the case all it will take is a reset (and a bad back getting to the connecters) as then the ECU will adjust itself to the current fuel sitting in your tank.

good luck

Justin

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

David, thanks for the info. I will hold onto it. Steve, however has done a hell of a lot for me since I had her and is my personally-nominated 'Scooby King', as well as being an all round top bloke. If he won't touch her with a bargepole, then I will look into PE.

Jay, I forgot to say that I did a reset at the weekend. No difference whatsoever unfortunatly


Thanks,


Nick