2002 wrx turbo surge while idling

[mike5176]

hey i have a 2002 wrx wagon with about 103k miles,i have been gone all summer working and roommates have been driving and "taking care of the pm's" got back the other day i noticed it was having a turbo surge while idling and seems to be running sluggish, any thoughts? local subaru mechanic didnt have suggestions other than tear it apart and trouble shoot piece by piece, it also has loud clicking could these be related?

[SD_GR]

hey i have a 2002 wrx wagon with about 103k miles,i have been gone all summer working and roommates have been driving and "taking care of the pm's" got back the other day

I don't know what any of this means, sorry.

i noticed it was having a turbo surge while idling

Please define surge at idle.

any thoughts?

No, sorry, I can't follow. The clicking could be related but I don't know to what, since I can't understand what you're describing.

[mike5176]

sorry, well while the car is idling the rpms seem to stay the same but the turbo gauge reads between -.07 and -.08,

[SD_GR]

That is vacuum, not boost. The turbo generates boost, not vacuum.

Did the mechanic propose to tear it apart and trouble shoot piece by piece in response to the (slight) fluctuation in vacuum at idle, the clicking, the sluggish running, or something else?

What is the most boost you have observed?

[mike5176]

sorry took me so long to get back. but i had to get the 105k maintenance done and when i did the mechanic said he would look over everything. he didnt see anything. and seemed to run better for about 5 miles. now the turbo surge is significantly worse

[Rambo]

This is NOT "turbo surge". You're reading vacuum, as you should at idle. The engine is sucking in air, the turbo isn't even spooled...

What is the peak boost (positive PSI) that you read when you are in third gear, foot to the floor?

[mike5176]

3rd gear to the floor it reads +.04 MPa

[UEDan]

Theres something definitely wrong with your turbo system. Commonly, a missing restrictor pill.
Does your turbo system look like this:

If everything checks LOOKS fine. Check the wastegate hose. At that age I wouldn't be surprised if there were cracks. Mine had a big one.

[mike5176]

ya thats the same one

[mike5176]

stupid question what am i look for when you say restriction pill

[UEDan]

Nonono, we know thats what you're supposed to have but at .04 MPa boost, your turbo running wastegate pressure.

Normal boost is .1 MPa. Check the line with the T-fitting outward, check that there are no cracks and that line 1 has a restrictor pill. You can feel it when squeezing the hose.

Restrictor pill:
Restrictor pill

[Rambo]

What mechanic did the 105,000 mile service? Was it a Subaru dealer? If so, I'd take it back right away. They should know better. If not, I'd find one. It will be hard to troubleshoot this without a lot more data (like pulling logs), or at the minimum detailed pictures of the engine bay showing the boost control circuit.

What mods do you have? All this information is need to help source the issue.

[mike5176]

no i took to the local mechanic specialized to work on subarus. i would have gone to the dealer but its a 4 hour drive to anchorage, i bought the car used the only mods are ses turbo back exhaust. koyorad radiator, compustar autostart/security/turbo timer system, and in interior and audio mods

[Rambo]

Hmm, definitely post pics of the boost control circuit then. Is the car tuned for the turbo-back exhaust? Bugeyes "can" run TBEs on the factory tune, but it would be good to know if the car has a tune on it regardless.

[mike5176]

well i went throught and replaced the line from the wastegate actuator to the t and from the to the solenoid, but they did not have clamps, do they need them? after this the car was running alot better, but it would only boost up the about +.06,Attachment 108699 is this the boost control circuit? not really sure what im looking for