SR Boost Leak - Boosts but no power? - Video

[Pepperoni]

Hey guys,
Well I originally had a boost leak and I checked all the hoses and vacuum lines, and was almost positive that it was the turbo (because of some shaft play). I also had an idle problem...the car would die when i'd come to a stop. Anyway, it sounded like a really bad whining sound. After searching, I understood that it could be a gasket leak. So, I eventually get the whole turbo and exhaust manifold out (PITA!!!) and i take everything apart....the gaskets were perfectly fine. So I replaced the stock T25 with a working one, I change all the gaskets anyway, and I finally put everything back together. I finally test drive it again today, and I hear a similar screaming sound when i start boosting... but now if i listen well enough, I can hear a leak even before I start boosting, which sounds like it's coming from the wheel well...which is where the recirculation valve is. Im guessing the mass air leak is coming from there, because i've basically replaced everything else! So im pretty sure it has to be around the smic/recirc. valve.

My idle problem has been fixed now ever since i replaced the turbo/gaskets. The car no longer dies at a stop

I tried to show in the vid, but due to crappy quality, i dont think u can tell that the turbo boosts to 7psi just fine...but because of this leak, i dont feel anything. Feels like an N/A motor with extra noise.

Here's the video... it's about 2MB.
http://www.arachnetdesigns.com/boostleak.wmv

Anyone have any ideas? As you can probably tell....this is pretty annoying.

[TachyonS14]

Wow, that really is an odd sound. You've mostly likely checked this, but have you made sure all the pipes are really clamped down, and that they don't have any cracks? I would really inspect the side mount for leaks. Hope you fix the problem because not being able to boost when you have a new turbo must suck.

[Yoshi]

what RPM range are you in when you hear the sound?
Sounds like it comes on with the boost, but I couldn't tell from the vid what your feet are doing, nor the tach... I'm assuming it stops when you let off the throttle? if you go up to 7k or so, and let off slowly, does the whining pitch match the decelleration rate?

[Pepperoni]

hey guys thanks for the replies.

i fixed the problem after just feeling up on my car for a while hah- SMIC was leaking like hell, which is what i neglected to check before :duh:

Is there such thing as interchangable gaskets for the SMIC? I have another SMIC that i took the gaskets from and also added gasket maker... it seems to hold up. It's great having boost! I always thought I changed the gaskets when i first got the clip but i guess not.

And to answer Yoshi's question...yeah it started right when the turbo started to spool. And it would only get louder the higher RPM. Funny chicken sound though, but i was worried it was something else

Thanks

[ftrs13]

RONI, do you still get the sound at all? because I have KAT, and am having a similar problem, I just bypassed my sidemount because I thought that was the culprit, its a little better but not much, and I still get the same whining sound that you have.

[Pepperoni]

RONI, do you still get the sound at all? because I have KAT, and am having a similar problem, I just bypassed my sidemount because I thought that was the culprit, its a little better but not much, and I still get the same whining sound that you have.

no, it's fixed now!
try to get a friend to rev ur engine a few times while you try to locate where the sound is coming from. it should make the sound in neutral....at least mine did

[nismofeind]

good job what was actually wrong with it?

[Pepperoni]

I got another two gasket and filled up the openings with gasket maker making sure everything was put together tightly. Let it dry for 20 min and then i went on a test drive. Weeee NOW it feels turboed! I really thought I did this prior to putting in the motor, but I guess not. My first turbo was spitting out oil anyway, so it was good that I changed that out.