HKS BOV Help!!

[skallen]

I bought an HKS BOV from a fellow member (ZOOMZOOMDUDE I believe his name was) and am having difficulty bolting it up. I can't seem to get the vacuum hose to fit over the stock part of the car. Any help with that would be super. It fits the BOV fine. Also there is a fitting installed on the other end of the BOV I am assuming for recirculation. However, the fitting looks to be only about an inch and a quarter so the stock hose is miles too big. Although I want it VTA anyways I was wondering how do you take that fitting off? The VTA sound is pretty quiet with that on. Also, I have a CEL from this. Is this normal??? The car seems to run fine. I'm just worried about that vacuum line coming off. I've got it ghettoed on there but it won't last forever. Please help...I am new to tubos and BOVS LOL

 

[79535]

Go to an auto parts store, buy new vacuum/washer fluid tubing. Install on car. Vacuum line issue fixed.

As for the recirc fitting, it should be the same diameter as the stock BPV to inlet hose. To run VTA, you simply need to block the port going to the turbo inlet. In most HKS SSQV kits, you get the BOV, the blow off fitting (pictured here), a recirc fitting (pictured here), a conversion fitting to hold the BOV to bolt to stock flange, a C clip to hold the BOV to that flange and a gasket to seal the conversion fitting to the cold pipe.

Anyways, if the BOV recirculation fitting is the wrong size, contact Ken at PG. He seems to have a line on anything you would need.


Also, please don't tell me you are running the "oversized" BPV to inlet hose on a fitting that is too small. It will leak causing you to admit unmetered air into your engine causing all sorts of issues.

Also, running VTA may cause engine codes as well. When I ran VTA, I threw a random misfire code from being pig rich.

I've been up all night, and I think this post makes sense. It would help if you posted pictures of how you have everything setup right now.

 

[MSMS3]

Although I want it VTA anyways I was wondering how do you take that fitting off? The VTA sound is pretty quiet with that on. Also, I have a CEL from this. Is this normal??? The car seems to run fine. I'm just worried about that vacuum line coming off. I've got it ghettoed on there but it won't last forever. Please help...I am new to tubos and BOVS LOL

Big mistake to run VTA on a MAF sensor ECU controlled engine. Car does not run just fine in VTA, no matter how it seems. If you doubt this just get a cheap stop watch and check your acceleration times with stock BPV and with your valve running VTA.

Valves set up for VTA run even more pig rich in that mode than already the case. There are lots of threads and a BOV "sticky" here I recommend you read and that you try to overcome the false notion that there is anything wrong with the stock BPV or that many of them leak. That's just a poor excuse to buy another valve, usually because the owner wants a different sound or is attracted to VTA for reason that continue to completely baffle me. All that's fine, but VTA is not good for this engine, will rob you of performance and could contribute to additional fuel wash down of the cylinder walls, contamination of oil and the obvious drivability issues.

If you are determined to run a BOV, please, please hook up the recirc hose so that the already metered air which has already been matched with fuel that is being shot by the injectors into the cylinders. That fuel expects to have the corresponding air that will be farted outside the engine instead of being burned with the fuel to make the engine run smoothly and produce maximum power.

Please read the threads and BOV sticky, and run your engine recirc like it needs with whatever valve you use.

I'm running 13.4 quarters at 106 on the stock BPV with over 30,000 miles on this car and can do 40-120 mph rolls in 12.5 seconds with mods below on stock tune and stock BPV. Unless you can get a boost gauge and prove that your stock valve is not holding boost, you will not improve performance with another valve and will loose performance if you run VTA.

Just one opinion.

 

[skallen]

Go to an auto parts store, buy new vacuum/washer fluid tubing. Install on car. Vacuum line issue fixed.

As for the recirc fitting, it should be the same diameter as the stock BPV to inlet hose. To run VTA, you simply need to block the port going to the turbo inlet. In most HKS SSQV kits, you get the BOV, the blow off fitting (pictured here), a recirc fitting (pictured here), a conversion fitting to hold the BOV to bolt to stock flange, a C clip to hold the BOV to that flange and a gasket to seal the conversion fitting to the cold pipe.

Anyways, if the BOV recirculation fitting is the wrong size, contact Ken at PG. He seems to have a line on anything you would need.


Also, please don't tell me you are running the "oversized" BPV to inlet hose on a fitting that is too small. It will leak causing you to admit unmetered air into your engine causing all sorts of issues.

Also, running VTA may cause engine codes as well. When I ran VTA, I threw a random misfire code from being pig rich.

I've been up all night, and I think this post makes sense. It would help if you posted pictures of how you have everything setup right now.

I never actually used the stock recirc. hose. Due to it being quite larger than the recirc. fitting on my HKS. I never got any other fittings with my BOV cause I bought it used. All I got was the valve it self with the recirc. fitting already installed and some vacuum hose which is to small to fit on the engine, but fits the BOV just fine. So I should just take the stock recirc. hose off and just plug the hose???

 

[skallen]

Big mistake to run VTA on a MAF sensor ECU controlled engine. Car does not run just fine in VTA, no matter how it seems. If you doubt this just get a cheap stop watch and check your acceleration times with stock BPV and with your valve running VTA.

Valves set up for VTA run even more pig rich in that mode than already the case. There are lots of threads and a BOV "sticky" here I recommend you read and that you try to overcome the false notion that there is anything wrong with the stock BPV or that many of them leak. That's just a poor excuse to buy another valve, usually because the owner wants a different sound or is attracted to VTA for reason that continue to completely baffle me. All that's fine, but VTA is not good for this engine, will rob you of performance and could contribute to additional fuel wash down of the cylinder walls, contamination of oil and the obvious drivability issues.

If you are determined to run a BOV, please, please hook up the recirc hose so that the already metered air which has already been matched with fuel that is being shot by the injectors into the cylinders. That fuel expects to have the corresponding air that will be farted outside the engine instead of being burned with the fuel to make the engine run smoothly and produce maximum power.

Please read the threads and BOV sticky, and run your engine recirc like it needs with whatever valve you use.

I'm running 13.4 quarters at 106 on the stock BPV with over 30,000 miles on this car and can do 40-120 mph rolls in 12.5 seconds with mods below on stock tune and stock BPV. Unless you can get a boost gauge and prove that your stock valve is not holding boost, you will not improve performance with another valve and will loose performance if you run VTA.

Just one opinion.

Actually ever since I installed the HKS with VTA, my car is MUCH quicker. I could never roast the tires in 3rd gear, but now I do it constantly. However I do get pressure bleed off around 5000RPM. I can actually hear it letting go BEFORE I lift the throttle. I was just saying that the car doesn't run any differently than before (other than being considerably quicker). I complained to Mazda about my loss of power issues and a CEL. Thay said it was a faulty purge solenoid and that would fix the power problems. It didn't. But as soon as I put on that HKS, it's like a new car. I don't know if I want to change it now. However, I will take it to my mechanic, tell him to install everything correctly and let me know if VTA will harm my car. I see and hear lots of other people driving with them, so they can't be that bad. How do I get that recirculation fitting off?? Does it unscrew or what??

 

[skallen]

Perhaps I actually had a faulty BPV??? I never even thought of that scenario. Other than installing it back on my car, is there a way to find out if I have a "bad" stock BPV?

 

[NCZ13]

the way i got my ssqv to fit was to rotat the stock recirc line 180 degrees, cut off 1/2 inch on the valve side, and fit it on. Fits just fine, runs just fine. Holds boost just fine.

My stocker wasnt leaking, i just enjoy the sound my ssqv makes.

 

[79535]

To change the recirc fitting out, you undo the allan head screws on that side of the valve (i don't recall if you need to undo them all, or just every second one). The cap will come loose and you can then replace the fitting.

The HKS uses a smaller ID hose for vacuum. I T'd the stock vacuum line (larger ID) and then sent smaller hose to my BOV and boost gauge. If you do this, just make sure that you zip tie everything down tight.

If you want to run VTA, you must plug the port, or the hose feeding the turbo inlet pipe or you will be sucking in unmetered air which will piss off your ECU.

The HKS kits include a rubber plug (cap) that will seal off the inlet port right at the TIP.

Again, if you want these parts that were included with it new, I would contact one of the forum vendors (Ken at PG, etc) as I'm sure they can hook you up.

 

[MSMS3]

To OP: I humbly submit that your car is not "much quicker" running VTA. Whether you can break your tires loose in third gear is full of so many variables depending on road traction, weather, temps, humdity, how our protective ECU happens to be reacting to all its input that day, etc. And yes the quickness of release and recovery of boost is a factor, but that does not mean more power.

I also humbly submit that there is test data suggesting that aftermarket BPV's in general may release quicker which makes the car seem more lively after a gear change and build boost quicker, but only in the lower gears. Once in third, in the same test, the stock BPV held boost at a higher level that the model it was being compared to, the Forge.

The HKS may release even quicker because it has a much larger volume flow capacity (way larger than our engine needs), but this does not indicate an improved performance.

Here's a quote from a member of this forum and another one (which has the word "speed" in its name). This member has vast experience in modding this engine to very high levels and over time and a lot of experience racing various platforms for many years. I think he is dead on right on this issue. His quote:

"My results prove to me that the OEM BPV is the BEST for PERFORMANCE and price(free?), but doesn't stick closed long enough at throttle close to make the big whoosh sounds so many seem to want..."

"I'm running (over 2 years & 20k miles) a highly bolted car with my own ECU tune first via Xede piggyback EMS and more recently via ATR ECU reflash and the OEM BPV (still) works perfectly at 20+psi. I've run several aftermarket BPVs and NONE work as well as the stock BPV. In fact, I think the cheezy aftermarket BPVs may be a contributor to early turbo seal failures(smoking...) due to the shock of the pressure spikes at throttle close when shifting at high boost levels. The big pressure hit bounces the compressor wheel against the thrust bearing which MAY contribute to the oil leakage into the intake manifold/intercooler, etc." Fordza 1.

My final humble suggestion:

Before assuming that the stock valve is leaking, invest in two simple inexpensive tools and get familiar with their use.

1. An inexpensive stop watch. Objective measurement of performance is very eye opening. When we think we are making more power, it is often due to our senses (butt dyno) or tires breaking loose due to a boost spike from an aggressive BPV or BOV setting), when the actual timer tells a much different story. Don't try to solve your problems with 0-60 times because there are way too many variables and the ECU holds power back in the first two gears. Measure 60-100 or even 60-105 times before and after each change you make and have a good sense of what those numbers should mean when temperatures change, as they will vary.

2. An inexpensive manual combined vacuum/boost gauge. This will tell you a lot about many aspects of engine performance, including the presence of vacuum line leaks (including the one to your BPV or BOV), as well as what your engine is actually doing when under boost at various operating conditions and whether it is spiking, whether it holds boost properly or or whether there is boost creep. Typically you want to see vacuum at idle of -22 inches of mercury and under boost you want to see quick build under WOT up to 15-16 psi and hold to about 5,800 rpm. After that your engine's throttle plate will begin closing and boost will taper on the stock tune. Your ECU may not let you see full boost depending on the conditions it "sees" at various times, and this is completely independent of what BPV or BOV you might be running.

Chances are very good that your mechanic is not going to be nearly as knowledgeable about the MS3 as the experienced members of this forum, especially on the question of whether running VTA on a MAF sensor car with our peculiar ECU's mapping and with very high pressure direct fuel injection. It is very easy to mess up air to fuel ratio in this setting and VTA is a very good way to do just that, IMHO. VTA on some other platform means absolutely nothing when applied to this engine.

 

[79535]

I'm surprised someone is still taking the time to fight this argument lol. It has been around forever and thats just on Mazda forums.

 

[skallen]

Thanks for the insight...Maybe it was all in my head..Me WANTING to see a power gain..I dunno.. Either way, I will have to rectify the recirc issue... Thanks guys!!