Turbosmart pops?

Abilor

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Mazdaspeed 3
So I have a couple of pops with my turbosmart, esp. when I lean on it and going 2 to 3. It's not bad, but hmm... I'm running hybrid, and I know the right answer is to go full recirc, but I like mys noizes. Will tightening the valve help?
 
idk much about the turbosmart but the pops are pretty much part of the territory when you run anything but full recirc, i get more and there alot louder now that im catless haha its fun sometimes.
 
You're going to get that any time you are running anything other than 100% full recirculated unless you have your ECU tuned to account for it.
 
They're small and infrequent. They won't hurt anything in the long with proper maintenance and good gas though, right? DaleNixon reminded me that it's a sign I'm running rich because of slightly off MAF...
 
well you wont have any seriouse long term effects except for your cats, running rich between shifts will cause your cats to fail prematurley...it dont really matter to me cause im catless anyway but thats up to you.
 
If you like the pops and other sounds, enjoy the hybrid.

I'm sure you're aware that although this may not hurt your engine, it is highly likely that performance is degraded. MAF readings are off, so performance will not be as good as recirc.
 
If you like the pops and other sounds, enjoy the hybrid.

I'm sure you're aware that although this may not hurt your engine, it is highly likely that performance is degraded. MAF readings are off, so performance will not be as good as recirc.

the only time the maf reading is off by running vta or 50 - 50 is when you blow off and the car runs rich for a split second then its back to normal.
 
I was always under the impression that the BOV is open anytime there is vacuum...so basically, any time you're not on boost. I could be way wrong though.
 
My cats are fail all the time.

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the only time the maf reading is off by running vta or 50 - 50 is when you blow off and the car runs rich for a split second then its back to normal.

And after that "split second" and while the ECU is correcting, what does the engine do with that overly rich fuel? What does that shot of super rich fuel do to engine performance, even though the MAF and ECU are adjusting a "split second" later?

Ever look at the spark plug electrodes on a turbo car running VTA with MAF? That might cause you to think again. Spark plugs are the silent witness as to what is happening in the combustion chamber. Just a thought.
 
And after that "split second" and while the ECU is correcting, what does the engine do with that overly rich fuel? What does that shot of super rich fuel do to engine performance, even though the MAF and ECU are adjusting a "split second" later?

Ever look at the spark plug electrodes on a turbo car running VTA with MAF? That might cause you to think again. Spark plugs are the silent witness as to what is happening in the combustion chamber. Just a thought.

look im no expert on this but i have been running VTA for like that last 40k miles with know ill effects (knock on wood) and my plugs are still fine at 60k granted i am changing them out soon but just for good measure not because there messed up, and i have switched back to recirc and the only difference i can tell as far as performance of the car is that it idles down slower between shifts.
 
the only time the maf reading is off by running vta or 50 - 50 is when you blow off and the car runs rich for a split second then its back to normal.

Again, I'm not sure this is true. The way I understand it, air is being released through the BPV anytime the car is in vacuum (any time it is out of boost). I may be wrong, but I always thought that the boost "closed" the BPV allowing boost to build, then once you let off the gas the vacuum allows the BPV to "open" again...but that it would also STAY OPEN until you were in the boost again. If this were the case the MAF reading would be off 90% of the time instead of just a few split seconds.

Just my thoughts on it.
 
well if you actually have a wideband/DH you can look at your afr's and mine are right where they should be execpt for when i shift so...
 
I'm actually going to set up and probably log my AFRs today at lunch, so we shall see.

I'm changing my plugs to iridium, colder plugs when my TMIC gets here, so we can have a look then too. As far as performance the car seems just fine, and sure as hell holds boost way above and beyond the stock BPV.

Again, I know it would be best to go full recirc, but I like my hybrid perf and sound.
 
Again, I'm not sure this is true. The way I understand it, air is being released through the BPV anytime the car is in vacuum (any time it is out of boost). I may be wrong, but I always thought that the boost "closed" the BPV allowing boost to build, then once you let off the gas the vacuum allows the BPV to "open" again...but that it would also STAY OPEN until you were in the boost again. If this were the case the MAF reading would be off 90% of the time instead of just a few split seconds.

Just my thoughts on it.

The BPV should be closed when the car is idleing. If it's open it will cause a rough idle and maybe even stalling if it is bad enough.

Think of it this way, if the valve is open at idle you are just circulating air around the turbo and none of that air is going to the engine.

If your valve is set up perfectly it would be closed at idle but if you go any more negative with the vacuum pressure it will open. This is what happens in-between shifts. To simplify what is happening, when the throttle plate closes causing a negative pressure spike (more negative than idle would be) the valve opens and releavies the pressure buildup at the turbo compressor.
 
I'm changing my plugs to iridium, colder plugs when my TMIC gets here, so we can have a look then too.

Consider going on-line to a spark plug manufacturer site or any independent sites dedicated to race engines and get the info you need to learn to "read" the plugs when you pull them.

Data logging is great for many tuning purposes and should not be discounted. It can save your butt and can help improve engine performance. But you can data log all day long and study the data till the cows come home and not learn as much about actual combustion chamber conditions as you can by visually examining the spark plugs if you know what you are looking for.

Ask any crew chief on a competitive professional drag racing crew.

Example: http://www.dragstuff.com/techarticles/reading-spark-plugs.html

Knowing a little about the "black art" of spark plug reading can be helpful. As pointed out at this source, subtle differences in plug appearance, even from one WOT run to the next can tell you a lot.
 

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