Boost problems
 

For some reason my 95 wrx ra is only boosting up to 6 or 7 psi max. Sometimes if I floor it in 5th it will shoot up to about 13psi as it should be. Its as if somthing is sticking. I tried cleaning the boost solenoid with brake cleaner but that didnt work and Ive now even tried a second hand solenoid which still only boosts to 6 or 7psi. I was certain it was the solenoid because when I dissconnect the actuator hose from the solenoid the boost goes off the clock! Could this be an ecu problem? Any advice would be much appriciated as Im pulling my hair out over this one. Thanks

Had same probs, cleaned out solenoid and replaced all the boost/vacuum hoses. There are plenty of threads answering this problem shouldnt take you long to find the solution :)

Ive spent the last couple of hours doing searches through old threads and there seems to be no real answer to it. I might book it into the garage.:brickwall

might be limp home mode id cheak for error codes and maybe do a re set to start. disconecting actuator will send boost up as no air is being charged to it, so boost solinoid cant be blocked if air is getting to it when connected as it would overboost so something is telling solinoid to let air through to actuator early for some reason. might even be a dose of crap fuel ive had that before had to run full tank off as soon as freash 97 went it it was back to normal

I had the same happen to me, crap fuel, causing it to limp, annoying, as before i filled it up with vpower which cured the problem i had done all the mechanical things first to no avail!

OK, remove all vacuum/boost pipes,(including the one to your boost gauge) 1 by 1 if you have too, check them for cracks/splits, blow through them to ensure they are clear and use brake cleaner through them, check the pipe that comes from the very bottom of the solenoid, there should be a brass restrictor in there about an inch in from the solenoid end, i can see mine.
You can test the solenoid by connecting the 2 green wires under the dash and turning on the ignition, the solenoid should click continuously :)

Thanks for the feedback guys. I always fill it up with bp ultimate so the fuel should be ok. Connected the two green plugs and the solenoid clicks as it should. Im gona check the brass restrictor and vacuum pipes tomorrow.

BP NOT recommended :eek:

BP ??

Shell for V-Power instead!

Havnt got any shell garages round my way. Its bp or esso.

Well I checked all the vacuum pipes for leaks and cant find any. Also checked the brass restricter was in the bottom hose and that it was clear. I think Im gona get a diagnostics check next.:wonder:

bp ultimate is the biggest pile of piss ever. my scoob ran like crap on it, engine knock was going crazy on it. I can only get bp or esso where I am, so only use super unleaded 97ron from esso the scoob runs sweet on it

Yeah, run mine on esso sul97 when needed, runs fine, but always keep a drop of nf in the boot to pep it up! :thumb:

You could take her out for a run tomorrow and use up your BPiss and find a Shell, put some vpower in and see!?! :idea: Be cheaper than diognostic session ;)

yeah could do mate but the nearist shell garage is about 50 miles away. Im gona try the esso stuff next.

do the basics first before you hand out cash for a diagnostics.

1. try different fuel brand not bp stuff
2. do a ecu reset after youve fill up with different brand
3. check all boost hoses, might be a small leak or hole
4. check your spark plugs, this caused problems on mine
5. might not be related but do the maf test, unplug it while its ticking over, it should stall the engine
6. when was the last time your fuel filter was done

100 miles round!!!!!! :eek: I thorght i was struggling with a 50 mile round trip but it just a good excuse to go for a blast really :cool:

Where abouts are you?? Just out of interest ;)

I live in bideford, north devon mate. So how do you do an ecu reset?

BP ultimate is absolutely rubbish in my car, get on vpower!

Esso sul is 10 times better than ultimate in my ipinion.

Well I'l giv it a go but be highly suprised if it cures the problem. That would just be to easy wouldnt it!

That was exactly what i thought when a friend told me to try it, (after trying all the other stuff!), and it did solve it!