not boosting what it should

[boost_creep]

i have a s13 redtop.pretty much stock except for 3 inch exhuast,k&n high flow intake,hks bov,and a 12 lb actuator.i took the car out today and it was runnin fine for a while,then i noticed it wasnt pullin as hard.im only boostin 8-10,from the normal 12.ive heard that u shouldnt run more than 10 on the smic,but my clip came with a 12 lb actuator and a stock sidemount.whats that about?i checked all my vacuum lines,and checked all the charge pipes.nothin.the bov had a lil oil on it,could that be leakin psi?is my intercooler leakin?..is my turbo shot?(the turbo was mint when i put the motor in 5,000 miles ago)help me out guys.

[boost_creep]

bump: please help

[Luke]

Is your actuator adjustable? Does it hold boost at a certain psi or is it struggling to get to 10 psi? Temperature changes can contribute to the lower boost levels since it has been getting warm. It shouldn't be very drastic though.

[boost_creep]

thanks for the reply.it shoots right up to 9-10 and stays there.it used to go a little past 12 with the 3 inch exh,i guess.could the turbo outlet gasket blow out?

[Nicksemianiw]

Like luke said it is probaly the weather. When i took my car out in winter to get my manifold put on I hit 18 PSI LOL! So if you cant adjust you actuatior i think its time for you to buy a boost controler my firend. Oh and as far as there being a exhaust leak it wont affect the PSI i had a HUGE mainifold leak. Where the down pipe connected to the turbo outlet. My car still spooled to 12-13 psi but at about 4500-5000 RPM. The only way you could not be making the same boost amount it if there was a leak on your hot pipe or i/c piping. You might have broken the smic from running so much boost on it over a long time. If you do infact have a crack in a end tank it can be fixed very easyly if you got a welder and can do a decient weld then go for it! I am not sure if they are steel or alum. I think alum and in that case to have to tig weld it and thats not fun lol! Hope i helped

Nick

[boost_creep]

thanks.im leaning towards the hotpipe/bov,so im gonna replace the stock setup with a greddy hotpipe and bov.

[nismostate]

omg, get a mbc at least, its only 50$ for a joe p. it's not safe to run free like that. stock boost is 7 psi. 10 is fine and 12 is max with smic. your injectors are maxed out at 15 psi. are you sure your just not use to the pull? if you have any kind of leak in your intake system, it'll run like crap.

btw: where are you measuring the boost from? if it's measuring from the throttle body, then there's no leak. check your spark plugs.

[boost_creep]

why get a mbc?i have a 12 lb actuator.at least i think i do,cause ive been boostin 12 since i put the motor in and now im not.i ordered a greddy hotpipe and a type rs bov.hope this is where my leak was...ohh,and i have my gauge tee'd off the bov line,not at the manifold.should i have it off the mani?i heard to tee it off the fpr line,but i dont wanna tee off that.

[nismostate]

can you adjust the length of the actuator? if it's not adjustable, then it's stock. why don't you want to tee the boost gauge off of the fpr? that's what you are suppose to do. if you tee it off of the bov, you are not measuring how many psi that's actually going into the motor. going through all those pipings will have some pressure drop. no wonder it's still reading 12. you probably have a huge pressure drop after the bov.

[boost_creep]

the actuator is not adjustable.im beginning to think its stock and i had some crap in the line so it was overboosting.its wierd that it was dead on 12.but,i did move the boost gauge to the fpr like u said,and this is what im reading now:i used to read 20 at idle on the vacuum,now im reading 15-17.is this correct.i i was reading the 8-10 of boost now im dead at 7.i understand what u mean by loss of pressure,lol.but its still pullin the same.but damn,i wish i still had that 12 psi,i sure miss it.any suggestions?