Suprising acceleration?

[B1GHAM]

ok so today, like any other I drove my car up to my roommates job (thats not really important lol) and I was with my friend. We both noticed the car seemed quicker than normal... nothin CRAZY but it definately pulled harder. Ive read a few threads about the WGA malfunctioning and causing spikes in boost.

Heres the problem. I havent modded the car at all since I purchased it so I dont have a boost gauge so theres no REAL way to tell while Im driving as of now. My question is : is there anything I can check or do to see if thats the issue? I noticed just by driving that the turbo spooled SLIGHTLY quicker than normal...

Im going to go out and try to recreate the issue. This is the only car Ive ever owned where the car being quicker is an issue lol

Any thoughts are aprreciated!

Sean

 

[jflo]

just buy a boost gauge...really that's the only way to tell

 

[4doors&atrunk]

well, i just went through something similar
but my car was MUCH, MUCH quicker
after taking it to mazda, they verified the turbo was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced
pretty much nothing i did, just the BOOST was NOT being regulated thus i was running FULL BOOST for a few days

NOT sure what your issue is but...becareful!

 

[yashooa]

Happened to me about 3 yrs ago with just a few thousand miles on my car.
I would hit 16PSI before the ECU cut the motor. Boost cut basically saved my ass on several occassions.

 

[B1GHAM]

WOW thanks for the quick replys....

Im gonna take it out now and see if I notice a huge difference...

Theres no way by checking/looking at the WGA to see if its the issue? =(

Thanks for the quick input...

(Please dont let it be the turbo (nervous) )

Sean

 

[smo0f]

well the only way to truely find out for free is to keep driving the way it is. when you finally get a hole in the block, which could be very soon, then yes, your wga was mulfunctioning and you over boosted. the other thing you can do, and i know this is a bit unorthodox, but you can get it checked out asap before anything happens. i know i know, crazy idea, but that's just me.

 

[Blake]

when the car warms up listen for a squeel, or a high pitched note, means the diaphram is bad.

 

[jflo]

you can't really look at the wastegate and "see" if it's malfunctioning. most of it is internal to the turbo. just drive more carefully and don't test this situation out. it's better to know than to find out the hard way

 

[B1GHAM]

well the only way to truely find out for free is to keep driving the way it is. when you finally get a hole in the block, which could be very soon, then yes, your wga was mulfunctioning and you over boosted. the other thing you can do, and i know this is a bit unorthodox, but you can get it checked out asap before anything happens. i know i know, crazy idea, but that's just me.

[sarcasm ]Really? I never thought about actually getting it checked out... That IS crazy but I just might do that..[/sarcasm ]

lol I'm taking it in for its 60k soon anyway (cause I dont want to replace the timing belt myself) but Im asking now because I have niether the cash nor the time for atleast this week to take it in. Its always free to get everyones input from here ..

After letting her thoroughly warm up and doing a quick testrun, I couldnt recreate the situation. Its getting colder around here (its about 10-15 degrees colder this week than last) so Im guessing it was because the car wasnt completely warmed up+cold weather that caused the slight (and not HUGE) increase in acceleration. In either case Ill have them take a look at it when I bring it in for service and Ill jack it up tommorow to check visually for anything outstandingly noticable.

thank you guys for the input,

Sean

 

[Bu11dogg2]

Guys, seriously...

Its the cooler denser air that comes in the fall..

 

[Mutmatt]

i agree... especialy on a stock ic!!! think about it guys... do you remember the beast of a car the MSP feels on the stock ic and some cold air compaired to 80-90 it is like 55-65

Guys, seriously...

Its the cooler denser air that comes in the fall..

 

[msp35]

You can either blow into the WGA vaccuum line or pull a vaccuum through it. It should hold pressure either way.

 

[Blake]

the cooler denser air would be the best bet
During winter times stock boost is awesome.

 

[Pyr0TeK]

the cooler denser air would be the best bet
During winter times stock boost is awesome.

...yeah and fuel CUT!

Dood... seriously, get a damn boost gauge for crying out loud. That's like riding around without a gas gauge hoping you don't run out and just stopping every so often to fill up. (yupnope)

 

[jmv]

You can either blow into the WGA vaccuum line or pull a vaccuum through it. It should hold pressure either way.

wait so if you blow into the WGA vacuum line and the air doesn't go anywhere, then your WGA is okay??

I'm having some problems with my car (not extra boost), but someone suggested it might be the WGA but i don't know if theres a way to check.

 

[Drumfreak]

Happened to me about 3 yrs ago with just a few thousand miles on my car.
I would hit 16PSI before the ECU cut the motor. Boost cut basically saved my ass on several occassions.

My IC pipes blowing apart several times has saved my block. And fuel cut at around 13 to 14 lbs. helps too. I had a big spike because of a bad WGA.

 

[B1GHAM]

...yeah and fuel CUT!

Dood... seriously, get a damn boost gauge for crying out loud. That's like riding around without a gas gauge hoping you don't run out and just stopping every so often to fill up. (yupnope)

I plan on getting a boost gauge.... keep in mind I JUST purchased the car, and absolutely nothing is done to it (well except the previous owner's version of an SRI). I plan on picking up a boost gauge as one of my first mods but its not going to be for a littlebit... Im changing jobs and I dont have money to play around with atm. its coming! I already have a good Idea of mods Im going to purchase, etc.

Thank you all,
Sean

 

[msp35]

wait so if you blow into the WGA vacuum line and the air doesn't go anywhere, then your WGA is okay??

I'm having some problems with my car (not extra boost), but someone suggested it might be the WGA but i don't know if theres a way to check.

Yeah, I blew in my old one with poor results. Then I used the ATP WGA and no air came out. I assume that is one way to tell if it's bad. It should also hold a vaccuum so either way you wanna test, go ahead.

 

[jmv]

Yeah, I blew in my old one with poor results. Then I used the ATP WGA and no air came out. I assume that is one way to tell if it's bad. It should also hold a vaccuum so either way you wanna test, go ahead.

well, when i blow into mine it lets air out. I don't have the traditional 'malfunctioning wga' symptoms of boosting really high, but it might explain my stalling a 'leak-like' issues. How much was your ATP wga, and where did you get it from??

 

[MSP608]

ahh this is the third thread in a row im responding to about this. replace your vac lines. the stock stuff is crap and cracks very easily, and small enough you cant simply feel it or see it too well. get some nice aftermarket stuff. had my lines go bad on me during an autox. i all of a sudden got mucho torque in 2nd gear comin out of a turn. my ebc start beepin like crazy hitting the warning level. i spiked 16 psi and prolly woulda gone higher if it hadnt hit fuel cut. so yea, yay for silicone lines