themaskedunit

hi guys. i have an overboost issue with my 2001 bugeye wrx im hoping you could shed some light on. i have read up on the subject across various forums first before posting but could just do with a nod that im going in the right direction.

ok so the restrictor pill is in place. ive changed all the vacuum hoses and secured tightly to narrow out a leak. the boost solenoid (2 port) is reading at 34 ohms across the terminals and when 12v is applied it does click and return back on disconnection.

if i disconnect the controller out of the equation and connect the vac line directly from the compressor housing to the wastegate nipple (with the pill still in place) the car runs spot on and boost holds solid at about 0.5 bar so this confirms that the wastegate seems to be fine and that the BC is at fault yet it seems to work fine on the tests.

i was wondering if there could be any other issue for the fault (ie wiring fault or wiring control issue from the ecu) as it doesnt seem to be sticking or malfunctioning when tested?

any help would be appreciated. regards

brendy76

iTrader: (6)

Has it only just started doing this or is the car new to you?
Could be worth getting someone to log a few minutes running time.

themaskedunit

hi. the car is new to me (2 months old) but i dont remember it having this problem at first even though i drove it like a granny for a good few weeks. since i bought it ive fitted a boost gauge which ive tee'd off the front vac line next to the alternator, and had the stainless backbox at the rear changed for a bigger can. cant think what else could be the problem other than the BC but it checks out ok? theres not that much to the vac line system either so ive not missed anything as far as im aware

brendy76

iTrader: (6)

Are you sure the car hasnt been mapped/tweaked? someone local with a tactrix cable could spend 5 minutes on it and tell you straight away.

themaskedunit

im unsure. it had a performance exhaust cat back and a forge bov fitted but otherwise it was bog standard when i got it. it has down to scoobyworld in leicester for the cambelt and clutch to be done in the recent past so i wonder if its worth giving them a bell to find out if its been mapped?

Yardz

iTrader: (1)

when you say its over boosting what sort of readings are you getting and does it settle back to a solid reading at WOT?

themaskedunit

hi yardz. what caught my attention, is when I went out onto the local dual carriageway and hit the fuel cut going full chat down the ramp. I thought wtf/change pants and drove off boost then installed the boost gauge sharply after to check for overboost as ive dealt with it before on toyotas. seems to go to xxx psi so im lucky I didn't fubar the engine. this was a few weeks ago and everything has been fine since as ive been running around off boost with the controller out of the loop, however every time I think ive found the solution I go out for a VERY well monitored test drive and straight away its wanting to pull over 1.0 bar. from what im lead to believe reading up on it, the target boost is 0.8-0.9 bar? with the BC out of the loop the car drives spot on and on WOT the boost holds solid at approx 0.5 bar using just the wastegate control pressure (with no drops or spikes).

it seems odd that the controller has failed so shortly after ive bought it. a new controller is pretty cheap on fleabay (£20ish) so its not the end of the world but its funny that the controller passes the tests on inspection yet seemingly fails in action.

themaskedunit

you know what ive just thought.... is the controller on a 54 blobeye the same as on a bugeye? i can swap it with my mates for the time it takes to definately point out if it is the controller at fault.

Yardz

iTrader: (1)

i was about to say swap it out for another, they can get bunged up but usually that causes the reverse (underboost) but if the solenoid is stick wide open it wont do its job.

XDevil666

You got a boost controller on there? Manual or electric?

If so I'm guessing your hitting the ECU threshold

Personally I would remove the boost controller and get the car properly mapped and not using a bodge method which will no doubt be damaging and costing a shed load more in fuel

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Agreed. Remove the boost controller before you do anything else.

themaskedunit

sorry should make myself clearer - by bc i mean nothing other than the 2 port factory boost solenoid. ive had standalone boost controllers in the past such as the apexi and greddy but id never fit one of those bodge screw type jobs if thats what you mean plus the imprezas has no need for a standalone bc anyway. the oem solenoid is defo opening and closing which is why im lead to believe its a wiring issue as opposed to a faulty solenoid as it opens and shuts when 12v is applied to the 2 terminals.

JDM_Stig

iTrader: (3)

what is the performance exhaust ? turbo back ?