fuel cutout - overboost? oil overfilled? Please help!
 

I have a MY98 UK Turbo (no mods as far as I know except for rear section of exhaust). It has been to a garage today for an oil change and a check over. When I went to pick it up, the garage told me they also had to replace the t-piece and part of the hose around the wastegate. Now for the problem: after about 4000 rpm in 3rd the fuel cutout is activated.

The chap at the garage has the opinion that the old t-piece was corroded and most likely leaking air, and therefore with the new t-piece and bits of hose a problem has been uncovered as the car is overboosting (causing the fuel cutout to operate). Their proposed solution is to fit a "bleed valve" - I presume some Dawes-like device. Btw, it's not a Subaru garage, and it's not a Subaru t-piece or hose that has been used.

After searching around on here for a while, I found these ideas had cropped up for other people with similar problems:
- dirty boost control solenoid
- missing restrictor in hose
- clogged restrictor or hose

I checked the oil level. It's overfilled a bit. I also checked the solenoid in test mode and it seems to be clicking away quite happily. No signs of oil when I removed the hoses from it either.

Where should the restrictor be? I can identify 4 hoses:
1) from t-piece to wastegate
2) from t-piece to boost control solenoid
3) from t-piece to a big hose going to the intercooler
4) from boost control solenoid to (I think) an air intake from the air box

Can anyone offer any more ideas about the fuel cutout? I will take it back to the garage tomorrow first thing to have the oil level sorted out, but I would like to be as clued up as possible about the fuel cutout issue that has now come about. Is it possible that by not using correct Subaru hoses and t-piece the garage has introduced the problem of overboosting?

sounds like they have removed the small brass restrictor whilst renewing the "t-piece"..................should be in the small pipe nearest the turbo...........

alyn - asperformance.com

Thanks Alyn. I was hoping that it should be in that pipe as it's one they changed and therefore potentially the easiest solution.

Went back to the garage first thing this morning, and sure enough they retrieved the small pipe from the bin and it's got the restrictor in it.

nice one.....................how many red faces were there????????

yes i had a same sort ov problm i changed all the piping 2 blue samco (not knowing about the brass restrictor) but with out that it didnt run over 0.5 bar ov boost i rung jap inno and thay told me about it so i fitted it back on and bingo back to 1.3 bar :)
not sure if that cud ov been ur overboost problm as mine was underboosting??
but WTF do i know im a builder lol.

Well, red faces and a bit of an argument in the end. Dropped it off in the morning and the chap there then was very apologetic and admitted that it was a bit of a f-up by them.

After having heard nothing from the garage all morning I gave them a call and spoke to the owner this time. I didn't hear what I expected - it won't be ready until tomorrow (parts ordered from Subaru won't arrive until tomorrow). And when I asked why he didn't call me - apparently he doesn't have time! When I asked if he thought what I paid was reasonable considering the problems and inconvenience, he got quite aggressive. And add to that the fact that he stated overfilling with oil "won't cause any problems".

WTF do you know billy? A lot more than this friendly garage owner, I have no doubt.

The car is now sat on my driveway, and I will be fitting the parts tomorrow. No way am I letting anyone that's been so rude to me work on my car.

Sad thing is I'm quite happy to do an oil/filter change myself (there's plenty of good and friendly advice for doing most things on here) and all this would have been avoided. Just needed a stamp in the book for when I sell it. (And this garage is supposed to be (independant) Porsche specialists, so I guessed it would be a reasonable alternative to paying for a main dealer to do it.)

lol
its a shame realy when u pay good money and thay dont have a clue what thay r doing,like u say ur best doing it urself (and again like u say ) the stamp is needed :(
what area r u from? theres a few good 1s up here (north)

I'm in Cambridgeshire. I took it somewhere that was recomended by someone on here for the previous service, but decided to go somewhere a bit closer this time as it should have just been oil/filter and inspection. Like you say, it's a shame. May have to write to the local paper about the garage that "doesn't have time to talk to it's customers"...

New pipes fitted, with restrictor (or "orifice" as it is in the Subaru parts list...). And all seems to be well now. Bit nervous going over 4000rpm in 3rd for the first time though!

Thanks for your help guys.

There is AFAIK 2 different set ups on the the waste gate control valve
a 2 pipe or a 3 pipe system .

On the three pipe to increase boost pressure you must increase the restrictor size as was done to TJG's with its removal ,and on the 2 pipe to increase boost pressure the restrictor size needs to be decreased hence the difference in between TJG,s and Billy's boost pressure when the restrictor was removed ,As a rule of thumb pre 97 MY are generally 3 pipe and post 97 My are 2 pipe however i have seen exceptions where valves and piping were changed by dealers to rectify the oil over boost problem