For those not keeping score at home:
The Entire Story, this is going to take a while!
I have had a 180 amp alternator in my car for over a year befroe the turbo install so I know that wasn't hurting things alone.
After installing the Turbo I noticed the cars idle wasn't very good but it was managale. Originaly the car boosted to 6 PSI. THe next day only 5 and the next only 3.
Through several weeks of troubleshooting I eventual found, with Corky guarenteeing me what the problem was the whole time and he was absolutely correct, that one of the I/C pipes wan't on well at all.
I fixed that problem and had no more for a while but I did notice the car was boosting to 7.5 PSI then!
In a few weeks idle began to worsen to the point that if I had to emergancy brake the car would stall. To be honest i have almost been killed several times becuase of it! The car would die on the highway if I put my foot on the clutch and held it nad would stumble badly if I came to a stop even slowly. I tried adjusting the idle but I ended up moving the throttle body butterflies, oops then the I did turn up the idle which helped the car not stall but it still drooped to 0 RPM.
With some suggestions from Corky Fm and other I contiued testing and evetualy thought it was the IAC valve. I tested it by pulling of the clip with the car idleing and found that the cars idle did not stumble as it cshould. I took it appart made sure it was cool and slapped it back on and reset the computer. After doing so the car would not idle above 50 RPM and I had to hold my foot on the gas for 5 minutes continuosly before it would idle.
A week later, I was on a cruise, I again removed the IAC and the MAf, cleaned them both and agian reinstalled them along with a computer reset. This time after the install the car idled fine and if I pulled the IAC clip the car would stall as it should. Unfortunitly after a short drive all the old problems were back.
Then i went to the dealer ship. To shorten this story greatly, they said the ECU was not giving the IAC a gound signal and they replaced the ECU. It didn't help a bit. One the way home after the first vist my clutch was slipping like crazy but i only did it for 2 days and its been fine since.
Being at my wits end and about to accept a trade in of only $10K for the car just to stop the head ache, i took one last shot at it 3 nights ago. i remembered linuxRacer mentioning that he had idle problems and O2 sensor issues and it had turned out he had loosed a nut on the down pipe. The dealership had found several codes in my car. One was that there was no signal from the O2 sensor and the other was no signal from the IAC. Only the O2 sensor triggered a CEL.
I looked at my down pipe and sure then s*** I had lost the lower nut off one of the studs at the turbo to down pipe connection. I resecured it and then reset the computer and the car was better then ever!!! Minus ofcoarse that the waste gate is malfunctioning and boosting to over 9 PSI!! that night I noticed my Fuel pressure guage said 40 PSI after I turned off the car so i thought maybe the car is flooding itself when going to idle. Bu if I start the car and just idle it will stay at 33 PSI of fuel.
After a day the problems started to return but the nuts are all still tight as I can make them. I turned down the Boost to 6 PSI but it can still get to 8 PSI with time.
Today even the slowing to idle problem is back if the lights are on.
I have to check the down pipe connection again tonight!
The Entire Story, this is going to take a while!
I have had a 180 amp alternator in my car for over a year befroe the turbo install so I know that wasn't hurting things alone.
After installing the Turbo I noticed the cars idle wasn't very good but it was managale. Originaly the car boosted to 6 PSI. THe next day only 5 and the next only 3.
Through several weeks of troubleshooting I eventual found, with Corky guarenteeing me what the problem was the whole time and he was absolutely correct, that one of the I/C pipes wan't on well at all.
I fixed that problem and had no more for a while but I did notice the car was boosting to 7.5 PSI then!
In a few weeks idle began to worsen to the point that if I had to emergancy brake the car would stall. To be honest i have almost been killed several times becuase of it! The car would die on the highway if I put my foot on the clutch and held it nad would stumble badly if I came to a stop even slowly. I tried adjusting the idle but I ended up moving the throttle body butterflies, oops then the I did turn up the idle which helped the car not stall but it still drooped to 0 RPM.
With some suggestions from Corky Fm and other I contiued testing and evetualy thought it was the IAC valve. I tested it by pulling of the clip with the car idleing and found that the cars idle did not stumble as it cshould. I took it appart made sure it was cool and slapped it back on and reset the computer. After doing so the car would not idle above 50 RPM and I had to hold my foot on the gas for 5 minutes continuosly before it would idle.
A week later, I was on a cruise, I again removed the IAC and the MAf, cleaned them both and agian reinstalled them along with a computer reset. This time after the install the car idled fine and if I pulled the IAC clip the car would stall as it should. Unfortunitly after a short drive all the old problems were back.
Then i went to the dealer ship. To shorten this story greatly, they said the ECU was not giving the IAC a gound signal and they replaced the ECU. It didn't help a bit. One the way home after the first vist my clutch was slipping like crazy but i only did it for 2 days and its been fine since.
Being at my wits end and about to accept a trade in of only $10K for the car just to stop the head ache, i took one last shot at it 3 nights ago. i remembered linuxRacer mentioning that he had idle problems and O2 sensor issues and it had turned out he had loosed a nut on the down pipe. The dealership had found several codes in my car. One was that there was no signal from the O2 sensor and the other was no signal from the IAC. Only the O2 sensor triggered a CEL.
I looked at my down pipe and sure then s*** I had lost the lower nut off one of the studs at the turbo to down pipe connection. I resecured it and then reset the computer and the car was better then ever!!! Minus ofcoarse that the waste gate is malfunctioning and boosting to over 9 PSI!! that night I noticed my Fuel pressure guage said 40 PSI after I turned off the car so i thought maybe the car is flooding itself when going to idle. Bu if I start the car and just idle it will stay at 33 PSI of fuel.
After a day the problems started to return but the nuts are all still tight as I can make them. I turned down the Boost to 6 PSI but it can still get to 8 PSI with time.
Today even the slowing to idle problem is back if the lights are on.
I have to check the down pipe connection again tonight!
