Some background: Bought my MSP about a month ago. It came with a TurboHoses SMIC and hardpipes, and a Forge BPV, as well as Greddy Cat-Back exhaust; it has the stock Cats (which was essential for me). I added an AEM CAI (so I could pass CA smog). It also has a boost gauge, which was critical in knowing what the turbo was doing.
It literally did not make any more power in boost than in vaccum, I even posted on this forum Help 7-8 psi boost and no power When I bought it, it ran pretty crappy, it would even occasionally stall if you stab the clutch and take your foot off the gas. Turns out it had a bad WGA, replacing that fixed the stalling. I check all the vacuum lines, and actuators to make sure there were no vacuum leaks. The vacuum was 22 in and steady (another good reason a boost gauge is helpful). But when I would transition into boost it would literally not gain ANY power and would start bogging down and even buck. The boost would hold rock steady at 8 psi and it literally would make more power if I back it off and dropped out of boost which is just crazy. Another interesting note: when it was cold it pulls great, and is a blast to drive, after a few minutes, when it reaches temperature it again starts to bog down when you push it into boost. That made me suspect that it wasnt plugs ignition etc. (Note: I put a scan tool on it and notice that when hot it would pull advance way back even into the -6 to -10 degree range when it was hot, and only to a few degrees when cold.. so I figured that could be an issue).
So my plan of action was to get the ECU flashed to see if that made a difference and then figured Id likely end up getting a SSAFC since all the feedback I got was that the ECU reflash probably wouldnt solve the problem. Well I can gladly report Problem Solved! There is now a nice smooth delivery of power as I transition from vacuum to boost with (virtually) no flat spots; and it pulls strong. Before the reflash I was literally embarrassed to give my friend a test drive it was running so crappy . no longer it is a totally different car. Im not saying that I will not eventually get a SSAFC, as I am a tweaker after all, and it is probably still running rich but the difference is AMAZING. I went from having to back off the throttle to keep it out of boost to yeah-ha! now this is more like it!!
Im not saying that if your MSP runs like crap that an ECU reflash will fix it (there are plenty of other things that could be causing problems). But, if youve checked everything out and you are at your wits end and it still runs like crap . Then I highly recommend getting the ECU reflashed if you havent already done so. Oh yeah and they did charge me $100 for the reflash. But it was probably the best $100 Ive ever spent as far as performance/drivability.
Just thought I would pass on my experience in case it helps out anyone in the same situation.
It literally did not make any more power in boost than in vaccum, I even posted on this forum Help 7-8 psi boost and no power When I bought it, it ran pretty crappy, it would even occasionally stall if you stab the clutch and take your foot off the gas. Turns out it had a bad WGA, replacing that fixed the stalling. I check all the vacuum lines, and actuators to make sure there were no vacuum leaks. The vacuum was 22 in and steady (another good reason a boost gauge is helpful). But when I would transition into boost it would literally not gain ANY power and would start bogging down and even buck. The boost would hold rock steady at 8 psi and it literally would make more power if I back it off and dropped out of boost which is just crazy. Another interesting note: when it was cold it pulls great, and is a blast to drive, after a few minutes, when it reaches temperature it again starts to bog down when you push it into boost. That made me suspect that it wasnt plugs ignition etc. (Note: I put a scan tool on it and notice that when hot it would pull advance way back even into the -6 to -10 degree range when it was hot, and only to a few degrees when cold.. so I figured that could be an issue).
So my plan of action was to get the ECU flashed to see if that made a difference and then figured Id likely end up getting a SSAFC since all the feedback I got was that the ECU reflash probably wouldnt solve the problem. Well I can gladly report Problem Solved! There is now a nice smooth delivery of power as I transition from vacuum to boost with (virtually) no flat spots; and it pulls strong. Before the reflash I was literally embarrassed to give my friend a test drive it was running so crappy . no longer it is a totally different car. Im not saying that I will not eventually get a SSAFC, as I am a tweaker after all, and it is probably still running rich but the difference is AMAZING. I went from having to back off the throttle to keep it out of boost to yeah-ha! now this is more like it!!
Im not saying that if your MSP runs like crap that an ECU reflash will fix it (there are plenty of other things that could be causing problems). But, if youve checked everything out and you are at your wits end and it still runs like crap . Then I highly recommend getting the ECU reflashed if you havent already done so. Oh yeah and they did charge me $100 for the reflash. But it was probably the best $100 Ive ever spent as far as performance/drivability.
Just thought I would pass on my experience in case it helps out anyone in the same situation.
