Boost Leak??

[michaeli]

Hi Guys...

I think I may have a boost leak, on my boost gauge it says around 0.4 bar as standard, is this normal??

I also seem to have less power at higher revs when in reality I should have more?? That is to say it feels like it has less power at higher revs, can't say for sure...

What are the characteristics of a boost leak and how the hell do you find one??

Thanks in advance...

Mike

[bradc]

The characteristics of a boost leak are basically as you described, a loss in power and boost.

Lots of people talk about the factory recirc blow off causing problems, and that is probably the first thing I would look at. You also might want to inspect the condition of all of the pipes leading from the turbos to intercooler, and then back up to the throttle body.

[Kieran]

I remember that Polabear had issues a boost leak on that car Mike? I think the dumpvalve hoses had been butchered a bit?? There's a post by sean about it on here somewhere - Might be worth a look?

[colVR4]

The recirc/dump valve is definately one of the first places to look. I fitted a new replacement recirc valve after I experienced some loss in power and I think that it cured the problem. I cannot tell for sure because I was using a carp (sp) boost gauge from fleabay. My new boost gauge from Halfrauds shows 0.6-0.7 boost with the new valve fitted.

The mitsi valve has a known problem with leaking through the diaphram and is actaully designed to leak as a safety feature. It is a relatively inexpenisve mod that may fix your problem, especially on an older VR4 where the problem may be more pronounced.