hey whats up, i recently installed a new motor in my car, 2.3 h.o motor. with eagle rods, wiseco pistons, new 086 head, block bored .020 over turbonetics 60 trim turbo, hks ssqv bov, 38 mm wastegate, blah blah blah. ok here is the problem, for a few weeks my car made boost no problem, no for some reason it (1-2 psi according to my boost gauge) at full throttle on the highway, and it sounds like a have an exhaust leak but i cant find anything underneath. i rechecked all of my clamps and vacuum lines, they all seem to be fine and my vacuum stays around 20hg at idle. i also did the modification for the pcv, the car barely makes any power, it sounds loud at idle but not rediculously loud. this may not be a lot of help as far as decriptions go, im just looking for some suggestions on things i can check before i go build a whole new exhaust, has anyone come across a similar situation. i also checked the turbo it has no shaft play and there is no smoke coming from the car. i dont hear the turbo spooling or either its just not as loud as it used to be, but i also dont hear the bov at all.


if it can't win a race it better win a show

Check exhaust manifold bolts or turbo to manifold bolts????
Also what brand of wastegate? spring could have broke...Just things to check
Gotta start somewhere

the brand of waste gate i think is called godspeed, i dont think its a namebrand one. it was one of the few parts i reused from the original turbo set up i had, it worked before so i didnt replace it, so your thinking that maybe it could be stuck open and not allowing it to build boost, i can check that, it would fit some of the symptoms, thanks for the input


if it can't win a race it better win a show

A hole in your exhaust wont make you loose boost. A leak in you exhaust mani to either the head or turbo could hinder boost. The waste gate being stuck open is a possibility. Also leaking charge pipes, intercooler, intake manifold gasket,or throttle body gasket could cause a drop in boost. Any potential vacuum leak could cause this.

ok i will pull all the charge pipes and check the couplers and clamps and reinstall they are easy enough to remove because of the way they are routed, i will pull both manifolds and check the gaskets and check all the vacuum lines on saturday, guys please keep the suggestions coming i have to figure out what the problem is. thanks.... also i will try to get a video up of the car running so you guys can here the noise its making


if it can't win a race it better win a show

any more ideas from anyone before i go digging tomorrow


if it can't win a race it better win a show

if the manifold is loose it can be loud and he can have boost leak from that. my buddys neon wasnt boosting because his manifold was loose. sounded like a tractor.

lol yeah im thinking that is the problem, i didnt get a chance to work on it this weekend but i will be tearing it down tomorrow, i did notice one of the bolts going from the manifold to the turbo was missing, so hopefully its something that simple, i really hoping its not any engine or turbo damage


if it can't win a race it better win a show

well you can run your car without a manifold without a internal problem, it will just be loud. and if your not creating boost then im guessing hthere isnt that much load on the turbo. you should be fine, just tighty it up under that hood and you should be straight.

ok so i finally had a chance to tear everything down and find the problems, the seal between the head and the manifold was perfect, but the manifold to turbo was leaking badly, i was actually missing two bolts, so i took the turbo and manifold off, i made sure both were perfectly flat, installed new gaskets, and i put studs thru the manifold since it originally came threaded for bolts, got it all snug, changed the plugs and oil, and took it out for a spin, and it was pulling around 11 psi, so im happy with that until i get it tuned again and shoot for 16-18psi, the one problem i need to fix first is i seem to be losing oil, it smokes just a little bit when im sitting still, any suggestions


if it can't win a race it better win a show

What oil feed restrictor if any are you running? Drain size? Where does your drain tap into? How long does it take to start smoking after you stop the car? Does it stop smokin when you start driving again?


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i am not using a restrictor at all, its a journal bearing and i was told only ball bearing turbos need a restrictor, it seems to smoke when i come to a stop after driving, but i have been noticing it only really smokes after getting on it a bit. i think it still smokes when im actually moving but its barely enough to be able to tell. i have the oil filter adapter and that is where my feed line comes from. the oil pan is tapped right below where the oil pan bolts to the block, its as high as it could be tapped in the oil pan.


if it can't win a race it better win a show

Where's this smoke coming from--exhaust or engine?

Keep in mind...even journal turbos only need the bare minimum of oil. You could very possibly be over-feeding it and pushing oil past the seals. What size is your oil drain line? Should be no smaller than 1/2"

According to Vince Morris via a vendor he works with, journal bearings don't need restrictors. This IMHO is a perfect example why, I ALWAYS have ran a restrictor. Throw one in and see if it stops smoking, IDK the oil pressure capabilites of whatever port youre using on the 2.3 but from what I read Journal bearing turbos cannot SAFELY handle more then 40 psi oil pressure. (some sites list as high as 60, some as low as 40, imo better safe then sorry)

So let us know what happens, and grats on finding the exhaust leak



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well i found an oil leak, that explained my oil loss, the car was smoking but the smoke was coming from under the car, my oil feed line for some strange reason had a hole in it and was squirting oil, when i would get on it im guessing the oil psi would go up and i noticed the oil was hitting the manifold and causing the smoke. i got a new oil feed line, and my return line is bigger than 1/2 in, i think its almost 3/4, but i could be wrong, but im wondering if it was just a faulty oil line, im using a block from an h.o motor, bored .020 over using the older style oil pump with the gear pressed onto the crank instead of the 95 oil pump. when i went to a local speed shop the guy there also told me not to use a restrictor so i guess it sounds like the jury is mixed on this topic


if it can't win a race it better win a show

I have used a restrictor on my ball bearing for 4 years now. no smoking issues ever.










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restrictor solved my problem, thanks

christian keim wrote:restrictor solved my problem, thanks

do you have a ball bearing turbo


if it can't win a race it better win a show