car wont make boost

[get_up_mark]

after doing a boost leak test i found there is very small boost leak some were neer that carbon canister in the back of the intake but it is very minor and should not limit me to only building 2lbs of boost. this leads me to believe that the wastegate is not functioning. i have a tial "style" wastegate but i changed to a genuine tial spring which was slightly different (shorter and skinnier than original) but seemed to go in smooth. it was set for 7lbs i think it has somehting to do with the spring so now im going to hook up my greddy profec b and attemp to raise the boost that way. but is there anyother things i should check for that could be the answer to my problem.

[Craving4Boost]

i hope your not reffering to the SSA wastegate which i had and it looks very much like the Tial wastegate....it caused my motor to boost to 20psi resulting in damage....i should had just invested in a tial wastegate in the first place..it works great with no worries

[get_up_mark]

its xs power wastegate and im not running those bango lock washer set up. i just have regular nipples in it. what happened to your wastegate to run 20lbs so i can beware

[Craving4Boost]

i have no idea lol....i had 8psi spring...no vacuum leaks...but it just kept boosting and boosting...i suggest you borrow a spring of diff psi from someone else and see if it changes

[get_up_mark]

maybe i will. i do have another spring lying around.

[get_up_mark]

found out why my car wont make boost. my wastegate is open all the time hence all the air is by passing the turbo and going into my downpipe. iv made up my mind and am going with a genuine tial 38mm wastegate. also i havean exhaust manifold leak on the 2, 3, and 4 exhaust portswhich is very bad. what kind of gasket should be used? is everyone running stock nissan (1 peice)? i bought felpro and it came it 4 peices and basically desintegrated. i cant wait till actually experiance my carwith boost becuase 2 lbs wasnt cutting it.

[Craving4Boost]

are you sure it isnt cause of the leaks in the exhaust manifold?? push the piston in the wastegate with your hands...if its stiff and heavy than there shouldnt be a reason why its left open....better yet...hook up an air compressor and see when does it open

[get_up_mark]

yeah we hooked up the compressor when we did the boost leak test. my boost gauge went up to nine lbs. but that that shouldnt have anything to do with the wastegate becuase the air is forced in threw the intake of the turbo. when the exhuast gasses from my manifold to make my turbine spin most of them pass through the wastegate and go into the dp and much less is going threw the turbine housing causing only 2 lbs of boost. iv seen cars with only 3 bolts holding on their manifold and still be able to boost 20lbs. i think its because the spring i put in my wastegate was not the same diameter or length causing the piston to not close all the way. correct me if im wrong. all i know is im getting a real tial wastegate.

[C-Kwik]

I'm going to post here rather than your new thread. It makes it a lot easier to follow so we know what has been discussed already.

I think craviong boost was telling you to hook up a compressor directly to the wastegate signal port. Use a pressure regulator and starting at a couple psi, slowly raise the pressure. You should see the wastegate open as you near the wastegate's set boost level.

Looking at your prior post about the gaskets, regardless of brand name, make sure they are graphite impregnated or a metal gasket(copper or multilayered steel). Nissan's OEM gasket is graphite impregnated with a perforated steel backing. This should be the minimum. And Nissan's gasket is also 4 pieces(DOHC KA motors).

I'd eliminate the exhaust leak first before exploring other areas. Troubleshooting any problem is a methodical approach of eliminating possibilities in a controlled manner. Leaving a leak in place may make it more difficult to find. Not to mention, gasket leaks will become bigger as they continue to leak. Usually, it eill result in blowing out a portion of the gasket. I've seen enough wastegate gaskets fail to know this first hand. Each one started when the wastegate started to become loose, and eventually ended up with much of the graphite in the area of the leak being completey blown out. These kinds of gaskets are only durable when they are leak free.

[Craving4Boost]

yes that is what i meant

mark - to find out for sure...unhook your vacuum source going into the wastegate...the wastegate should not open at all causing your turbo to boost to its max.....obviously you would let off at around 8psi or whatever you want but if that does happen...then its your wastegate...if it still does not boost...it must be your exhaust manifold leak.....this is also considering the fact you dont have a VACUUM leak

[Craving4Boost]

also...a exhaust leak is very obvious...its not a soft hissing sound like a vacuum leak would be. an exhaust leak is loud

[get_up_mark]

thanks i understand how to test the wastegate now. yeah my exhaust leak is obvious becuase my car sounds like a mac truck and carbon is all over the side of my motor and valve cover. the gasket is hanging out and there is no possibly way to reseal it like this. but the bolts were rather loose so i tightened them alot and it seemed to help with the leak but its still bad. i took my car out and hit almost 5 lbs of boost on a pull but usually only made 2 or 3lbs. the car is too loud to even hear the turbo spool so i need to replace that gasket and maybe use lockin bolts on the mani and do the wastegate test and/or buy the real tial. yesterday i disconected my wastegate line to my compressor housing to enable my turbo to run infiniti boost and still only made 2 lbs. does that mean my waste gate is malfunctioning?

[Craving4Boost]

no it must be an exhaust leak then....are you sure its coming from your manifold? is there a hole somewhere or is it at the flange? if its on the manifold itself then weld that baby up.....

at least your boosting some and your car is still running though...take your time and figure it out

[WDRacing]

Had my wastegate flange crack and fall off with the Tial attached....lol. Pretty friggin loud is an understatement. Fix your exhaust leak and get back to boosting.

[C-Kwik]

I wouldn't rule out the wastegate just yet. After the many times my wastegate came loose, I could stil boost to max boost, but just ended up spooling slower(along with a loud and obnoxious noise). If you are having some problems with the wastegate opening prematurely or allowing air to bypass before you hit boost threshold, then disconnecting the wastegate line probably won't help anyways.

Fix the exhaust leak. Try it again. If that doesn't help then it may be the wastegate. You'll likely have to remove the wastegate to replace the gaskets anyways, so it would be a good time to test that as well.

[get_up_mark]

thanks i just got the felpro gaskets this time but what can i do to make sure that the bolts holding my mani to motor and mani to turbo dont come loose again? once its on the car its dificult to tighten them again.

[WDRacing]

Swing by autozone and tell them you need some lock tight for high heat area's. They'll have what you're looking for. I have used nail polish as a last resort. I also use metal self locking nuts. They cost a tad more but I use them for everything.

WD