No Boost :(

[col666]

A couple of nights ago I went out in the car and noticed it was really sluggish, felt like there was no boost at all.

I had some local experts look at it and it turns out its running at 2 PSI!! Ticking over fine, no smoke or anything different than usual just really slow.

Fitted a new MAF sensor and checked airbox for any blockages but no success.

The next step would be taking the downpipe off and checking the turbo so I've booked it into the local dealers as I have an extended proven warranty on it, when I informed the dealers I had this they got really a***y and started demanding paperwork for the warranty! a real attitude problem in there the only reason I am going there as it is 2 mins from my house, and they cant look at it until friday!

Car is 55 plate Hawkeye STI with 25k and totally standard.....for sale soon!

Edited August 2, 2009 by Col 666

[scoobyseller555]

A couple of nights ago I went out in the car and noticed it was really sluggish, felt like there was no boost at all.

I had some local experts look at it and it turns out its running at 2 PSI!! Ticking over fine, no smoke or anything different than usual just really slow.

Fitted a new MAF sensor and checked airbox for any blockages but no success.

The next step would be taking the downpipe off and checking the turbo so I've booked it into the local dealers as I have an extended proven warranty on it, when I informed the dealers I had this they got really a***y and started demanding paperwork for the warranty! complete tossers with an attitude problem the only reason I am going there as it is 2 mins from my house, and they cant look at it until friday!

Car is 55 plate Hawkeye STI with 25k and totally standard.....for sale soon!

With your proven warranty comes roadside assist which in essence gets uplift from your house to the dealer of your choice within reason,and a courtesy car.Get them phoned.

for sale soon???give us a shout and we will buy it back.

Gav

[col666]

Hi Gav,

I called your place after booking it into Perth to see if you could get it looked at any quicker but I guess your busy too as the earliest was Thursday.

PM me with buy back options!

Cheers.

[colin_ross]

If you had a boost leak the car would overfuel like mad so I'd be looking for something like the wastegate being jammed open. The circlip can come off of the rod and leave you with no boost.

[frank c]

The circlip can come off of the rod and leave you with no boost.

This is the problem i had with my previous car.. the circlip had popped oof the actuator arm, hence , no boost.

[col666]

Latest update!

Car has been in the dealers all day, I called them at 3pm to find out what was happening and was told they dont know whats wrong with it! Road tested it and plugged the diagnostics machine in but no fault codes came up, this would have taken all of half an hour at most.

I passed the garage at 11am and the car was in the workshop with the bonnet up so god knows what they were doing the rest of the day. They asked me to leave the car with them and they MIGHT get a look at it tomorrow! Or I could take it home and bring it back next Thursday! a dealer recommending you to take a car away with a faulty engine? doesnt sound right to me.

Obviously friday afternoon and nobody giving a toss, god knows why I came back to the Subaru brand this is definately the last been nothing but bother.

Rant over!

[RA Dunk]

Latest update!

Car has been in the dealers all day, I called them at 3pm to find out what was happening and was told they dont know whats wrong with it! Road tested it and plugged the diagnostics machine in but no fault codes came up, this would have taken all of half an hour at most.

I passed the garage at 11am and the car was in the workshop with the bonnet up so god knows what they were doing the rest of the day. They asked me to leave the car with them and they MIGHT get a look at it tomorrow! Or I could take it home and bring it back next Thursday! a dealer recommending you to take a car away with a faulty engine? doesnt sound right to me.

Obviously friday afternoon and nobody giving a toss, god knows why I came back to the Subaru brand this is definately the last been nothing but bother.

Rant over!

you have probably been one of the unluckiest guys i know with a subaru Col

[gordi82]

Latest update!

Car has been in the dealers all day, I called them at 3pm to find out what was happening and was told they dont know whats wrong with it! Road tested it and plugged the diagnostics machine in but no fault codes came up, this would have taken all of half an hour at most.

I passed the garage at 11am and the car was in the workshop with the bonnet up so god knows what they were doing the rest of the day. They asked me to leave the car with them and they MIGHT get a look at it tomorrow! Or I could take it home and bring it back next Thursday! a dealer recommending you to take a car away with a faulty engine? doesnt sound right to me.

Obviously friday afternoon and nobody giving a toss, god knows why I came back to the Subaru brand this is definately the last been nothing but bother.

Rant over!

Dont think its an easy problem to find as you said to me your pals who have a garage & have tried everything but cant find anything either. Def has a major problem. 1day aint gonna fix it.

Any problems you can speak to me.

Cheers

Gordon

[Big 'D']

I know it would be odd for this to happen on a newer car like this but have the cats been checked, I saw symptoms very simmilar to this on a classic scoob not that long ago, the car would start, idle and run fine but had zero boost not even wastegate pressure, it turned out to be one of the cats had failed and was blocking the exhaust, there were no other obvious faults, it may be worth a look.

Cheers Iain

[gordi82]

If anyone has any ideas post them up the more options we get, the more I can pass to the mechanics

Every little helps

Gordon

Edited August 8, 2009 by gordi82

[Big 'D']

I would check the cats I know it would be odd for one to fail in such a young car but it would be well worth checking out and it gives the same symptoms as described.

Cheers Iain

[thewelsho]

you have probably been one of the unluckiest guys i know with a subaru Col

Ahem!

[thefastone]

Ha! Second unluckiest!

[col666]

Just had the dealers on the phone...

They still cant find whats wrong with the car and have contacted Subaru UK to see if they have any ideas!

and so it goes on...............................

Edited August 13, 2009 by Col 666

[johns]

It will no doubt turn out to be something very simple in the end. I hope you have a nice courtesy car in the meantime?

[col666]

It will no doubt turn out to be something very simple in the end. I hope you have a nice courtesy car in the meantime?

Nope! the Subaru used car warranty only provides £25 per day towards a hire car as long as the warranty claim is successful!! great eh?! In fairness after I was in today they tried to get me a car but the soonest was the 28th of August!!

It can only be something simple as the Cat and turbo seem fine.

[sparky_sj04]

I had a check engine light problem on my last blobeye. It threw up codes for things that were fine, and went to several different dealers several different times and nothing was found. Ended up in an auto electricians and they found an earth fault in a multi-plug.. but only because I'd had to go back to work and left the car with them for 4 weeks and they kept going back to it.. ended up over £400 for labour alone, and that was just the place that found the fault..

Not slagging the dealers at all, but sometimes these things can be simple but VERY hard to find. Even for people that really know what they are doing.

Good luck..

[col666]

4 weeks!! you have more patience than me, take it' it wasnt under warranty? My car has only done 25k miles but does sit around for weeks at a time so maybe waters got into something somewhere. Wouldnt be bothered too much if they gave me a decent courtesy car, i'm running around in a 3 cylinder Corsa! when you thrash it it sounds a bit like a V6 though..haha!

[Big 'D']

Just had the dealers on the phone...

They still cant find whats wrong with the car and have contacted Subaru UK to see if they have any ideas!

and so it goes on...............................

Hi fella,

You mentioned in your first thread that the turbo is making only 2 psi, there are only a few things that would cause this to occur,

1. A restriction in the intake (pre filter, resinator box) or post turbo (in the intercooler).

2. A restriction in the exhaust ie a collapsed CAT or Baffle

3. A knackered turbo (quite rare)

4. The wastegate actuator linkage not being connected or the wastegate plate has detached or partially broken preventing significant spool. (this would require the removal of the exhaust down pipe to prove the condition or attachment of the wastegate plate.

5. A very weak/broken wastegate actuator spring.

If all the above is ok the very minimum boost level you should see is a mechanically goverened (via the wastegate actuator) 0.5 BAR (7 to 8 psi).

Because your boost level is so low it would suggest that one of the above would be the cause, assuming that your engine is ok etc.

Cheers Iain

[terzo neil]

up pipe lambda broke and bits went thro exhaust turbine breaking blades thus no boost

[col666]

Thanks for the info,

The air intake etc has been checked with no problems,

Cat has been off and is fine turbo wheel is spinning so not jammed.

I am assuming wastegate has been checked. I think the engine is fine as its running normal i.e. tickover etc and pulls fine through the gears just without any turbo!

Hi fella,

You mentioned in your first thread that the turbo is making only 2 psi, there are only a few things that would cause this to occur,

1. A restriction in the intake (pre filter, resinator box) or post turbo (in the intercooler).

2. A restriction in the exhaust ie a collapsed CAT or Baffle

3. A knackered turbo (quite rare)

4. The wastegate actuator linkage not being connected or the wastegate plate has detached or partially broken preventing significant spool. (this would require the removal of the exhaust down pipe to prove the condition or attachment of the wastegate plate.

5. A very weak/broken wastegate actuator spring.

If all the above is ok the very minimum boost level you should see is a mechanically goverened (via the wastegate actuator) 0.5 BAR (7 to 8 psi).

Because your boost level is so low it would suggest that one of the above would be the cause, assuming that your engine is ok etc.

Cheers Iain

[sparky_sj04]

Trust me I was running out of patience with that one! At least 2 trips to Ayr, and at least 2 trips to Falkirk - where Charlie suggested that Cockburns auto electrics along the road would be the boys, and they were.. But even they were ready to give up. Luckily I was away in Nigeria (if that can be called lucky!!) and they persevered and succeeded eventually.

Mine wasn't a warranty job unfortunately! but it had only done about 28k miles. Had big alternator problems as well around the same time, nightmare!

Have you had the engine bay cleaned at all? It's a strange problem, but if it's only making 2 PSI boost then the turbo must be getting strangled somehow, or the wastegate/dump valve is stuck open. If the exhaust side is ok then the boost air HAS to be going somewhere!

[Big 'D']

It has got to be a physical restriction or a huge boost leak/stuck open dump valve like sparky mentioned, I would have thought that a boost leak of that magnitude would be very audible and noticable though, there is nothing I can think of electrically that would cause such a low boost output as the base turbo pressure is purely air pressure/mechanially controlled.

Will be very interested in the result of this one

Cheers Iain

[sparky_sj04]

The other problem is that with the car at a standstill in the workshop there is very little real load on the engine (therefore less boost) and any problems MAY not be so evident. A rolling road would be better for diagnosing.

But as Iain said, something that big would be obvious - and on a relatively young and un-modified car seems unlikely.. But you never know. and 2 psi boost (for all intents and purposes) = nothing!!

[scoobyseller555]

have had a few with ECU problems,i take it after plugging in the select monitor that the boost pressure registered is the same as you are quoting,cat collapse a few times and(i hate to say it) the 2.5 problem ring land,all of the knackered engines have had no power but have driven fine,have you noticed any 'blue puffs' on cold start.The symptoms sound exactly the same as the many 'piston problem' cars we have had and had to rebuild.

Gav