Turbo Lag!!

[Tbone714]

Hey Fellas,
I finally got to replacing my broken tvg connector the other day(the one right in front of the Turbo), I disconnected the negative to reset the ecu and cleared my P1088 Cel, and when i connected the negative back up and took her for a test drive, i noticed that the turbo didn't "seem or feel" to be boosting but my boost levels looked perfectly normal. So i thought that maybe i just had to warm the ecu up a little bit, and i took it on the freeway, but still it felt like I was running on a plan-o four-banger with no boost (except for like at 5300 rpm). I've been driving it for the last 2 days hoping something would kick in, but no luck.

Just to avoid continuous questions:

I've already checked for pre and post Turbo leaks Twice, so in case I'm just totally missing something, I'm pretty sure its not a leak.

2002 Wrx Bugeye Wagon.

upgrades include:

Vf22 Turbo
APS fmic w/Cold air Turbo and intake.
Catless upipe and Downpipe.
Castles 3inch exhaust all the way back.
Greddy MAf
K&N Intake
Racing Radiator
Exeddy Stock replacement clutch


Any help would be much appreciated.

[Donkey]

What engine management do you have? Sometimes after a reset it takes alittle bit for your fuel trims to finally settle out. If your hitting target boost then I don't know what to tell you without you providing a datalog or some tangible source data besides a "feeling".

[Tbone714]

Your gonna kill me Donkey. No EM. But ive disconnected the negative before and cleared codes, and the car did just fine right after i connected everything up and drove it off. There's a couple things i can tell you tho, I recently had my clutched replaced about 3 weeks ago by a guy in town here that usually does pretty good work, but just yesterday i was getting ready to go to school, when i put my hand of the shifter and it flopped over! I couldn't get it to go in any gears, it was all just loosy goosy. So i called him and he said to bring and he would take a look at it as soon as possible. So i did and it turn's out one of the main bolts on the shift linkage mechanism, has completely slipped out of its nut (which he took the blame for) and caused this problem. so he double nutted it and checked all the tranny bolts and nuts for me, free of charge. When i got it home I lifted the hood and began to check for thing's on the back side of the engine that this guy might of "forgot to tighten or hookup" Sadly i found that my DP o2 sensor wasn't even connected, and my wasted gate solenoid was just flop-in around down by the 3-4 coil packs. So i connected it up, hoping to feel a difference but sadly there was nothing. Last thing. Id like to explain whats going on a little more thoroughly so you guys can help me the best you know how. The Turbo starts to spool right around 5100 revs and only spools until about 5700 and then cuts out. After it cuts out, it feels thee engine just doesn't really have "any more". And its prolly not good to push the Ej20 past 5700 revs without Turbo anyways.

Again, I will answer as many questions as i possibly can. So ask away. Thanks for your help in advance.

[brfatal]

Surely mistaken about not running any engine management.

[The_Buck]

Your gonna kill me Donkey. No EM...

What? theres a massive problem. and rear O2 sensors dont do much.

[Tbone714]

I meant after market Engine ManagementTEC, Hydra, Link, UTEC, e-Manage, Accessport, EcuTek, Deltadash, etc...) Of course I'm running an Em, but its bone stock as far as i know. Sorry for the confusion.

[Tbone714]

Also, it wasn't the "rear" o2 sensor, it was the 1st of the two closet to the turbo on the down-pipe.

[The_Buck]

u sure that was the O2? if it is the front O2 then that would throw a check engine light. and yes a stock em is a big time problem for you.

Vf22 Turbo
APS fmic w/Cold air Turbo and intake.
Catless upipe and Downpipe.
Castles 3inch exhaust all the way back.
Greddy MAf
K&N Intake
Racing Radiator

all that and a stock tune? thats a problem. get a dyno tune and you notice worlds difference in performance and not to mention you wouldnt be destroying your car. its detrimental to the engine life and to other parts by running parts like that without a tune for them.

[Tbone714]

Last thing. I took it to a buddy of mine this morning who owns a Subaru shop, and he said he thinks it's leaking from the turbo inlet that's connected to the end of the air intake. He took it for a hard test-drive and we saw that it peak boosted at about 7, but that's nothing compared to the 18 I was getting before. I couldn't hear any leaks, but could this be a possibility?

[The_Buck]

well look into if it does actually have a tune, but if there is a tear in the turbo inlet hose then yes that will throw off the air that the sensor reads and the actual air that makes it to the turbo.

[Tbone714]

Understood Buck. I prolly shouldn't even be driving it around but unfortunately this is the only car i have. And yes it was the Front o2. I was so used to seeing the constant TVG cel, that i had no clue that i was throwing a o2 cel. After I hooked the o2 back up to the harness, I checked my codes and sure enough, I had "low circuit o2 error". I just didn't know it, because the tvg cel is a content code that wont erase.

[94 scooby]

i have the same problem the car used to boost at 20 psi and now only boosts at 10 even when i turn up the booster it only goes to 10 psi

[The_Buck]

i replaced my front o2 about 3 weeks ago, it ran me about $300 installed. it sucks i kno. then the cel should be cleared. the rear is only around $70 so that kinda sucks. but your real problem is the tune. you need to get on that asap, and i wouldn't drive your car hard if i were you. i had the same problem and i got a dyno tune ($350 here) and i now spool up 1000 rpms faster and my car is safe to drive without continual unnecessary wear on my car. you should look into that for those kinds of parts. also if your inlet hose is torn that is another problem to address, a good one will likely be 300 plus install unless you can take apart the intake manifold yourself.

Another thing to consider is where you take your car. Subaru isn't a good place when your running aftermarket parts like these, they can not diagnose problems the same and install is never what they quote you. a shop that has a good name and works with parts like those would be a good thing for you to locate.

[xsnapshot]

i replaced my front o2 about 3 weeks ago, it ran me about $300 installed.

Ouch! I bought mine (new OEM) for 14x on the web, and installed it myself. I cant imagine a front O2 sensor install being anywhere near $160 of labor and i know Subaru gets the sensors probably as cheap or cheaper than i got it.

[The_Buck]

Ouch! I bought mine (new OEM) for 14x on the web, and installed it myself. I cant imagine a front O2 sensor install being anywhere near $160 of labor and i know Subaru gets the sensors probably as cheap or cheaper than i got it.

thats what it was. around 280- 300 at least. they charge around $100 an hour for labor, idk what the problem was but i was stuck with it. i was pissed.