Right,
I have just tried her again and although there is no smoke from the exhaust, there is a lot of carbon, soot etc being chucked out. Does that mean anything? I have tried to check the sparks but my sparkplug remover socket is too big to get into the cam cover. grrrr.
astraboy.

Last night I took the Cossie out and I discovered I had a problem...
When I lightly go for it and it comes on boost, It feels like there is boost for one second, then no boost, then boost, then no boost. All the time the car is juddering moderatly. The boost gauge just sits at 5 psi or so and it doesent waver, but the car jolts horribly.

Strangely enough when I really nail it and take it up to 15psi, there is not a problem. Is goes up to the redline with no hesitation.

The weirdest thing is the noise. It sounds like an Impreza with a noticable burble on idle and even worse on boost.

For information, It has 67K on the clock, and has a Stage 1 chip from Interpro running 273bhp @15psi boost and is running a K&N cone filter, Full Stainless Magnex exhaust and Bailey Piston Dump Valve.

Please Help! We were going to do a track day at Castle Coombe on the 11th but If its sick I will have to take the astra and that means no arse out stuff on the track.
Regards,
astraboy.

I'm sure i've heard of something called the RS Owners Club BBS.............. http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/wink.gif

This could be ANYTHING mate. The fact that it does make 15psi, would count out the actuator being fugged. It sounds like a sensor or electrical problem mate. If it sounds like a crock, is it fireing on all 4 cylinders correctly???

Check your sparks are clean etc.
Check the actual spark itself.
Check the main Loom connections.
Check ECU connections.

Failing that, your gonna have to get an auto electriction on the job.

Regards,
Shaun.

we keep on saying it...
FORD= Fix Or Repair Daily http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/biggrin.gif

sorry , couldnt resist http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/smile.gif

To check the spark just start the car and pull the plug leads off one at a time. The car should drop onto three cylinders as each lead is pulled off the plug. If you pull a lead off and the engine note DOESNT change then youve a problem with the spark related to that lead.

It sounds like the cars overfuelling for some reason. It may well be that youve a problem with one cylinder when its running a low load as if that cylinders not sparking then the unburnt fuel will get chucked through the system to appear out the exhaust as black/grey smoke.

You may well have a plug lead braking down. If you isolate a problem with one lead then just swap it for another and see if the problem also swaps cylinders. Thatll tell you if its the lead itself at fault.

Does the car make the strange noise ALL the time or just under light load? Does it clear up when you run at 15psi?

If the car continues with the problem and you fail to trace its cause then get the car into a garage ASAP. My Cossys been acting a little strangely for a couple of moths now, back firing on gear changes and throwing BIIIIG flames out on the over run. Its been getting progressivl worse until the other day when the engine started making a funny hollow knocking noise.

I pulled all the belts off to check the alternator, power steering pully, water pump, cam belt tensioner, took the cam cover off and removed both cams http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/eek.gif but couldnt for the life of me trace the fault. I eventually found that the bottom carnk pully was very loose, meaning it was rattling about on the crank and sending the timing haywire http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/eek.gif Imagine if it had fallen off at 6000rpm http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/frown.gif

Anyway, the point is dont ignore the noise as you maybe racking up the cost of the repair bill by not getting it fixed immidiately.

Bren

Cheers for the advice chaps, There are two specialists near me. MAD and Power Engineering. Which would you reccomend?
astraboy.