I have one of two problems and am looking for a little feedback. Lately my car (stock engine/boost etc.) hasn't seemed quite as quick as I remember it was when I bought it a year ago. It’s an X-50 and consistently reads .8 bar and occasionally shows .9 briefly.

I'm wondering if there's any way that I may not actually be making the boost that the readings indicate?

If that's not possible, then the other "problem" could be that I'm just getting used to the power, which I swore could never happen when I bought the car. Might be time to look into a flash sooner than I thought!

Thoughts?

 

i had a similar experience in my unflashed x50 and when my fuel pump was replaced along with fuel filters i immediately noticed a more responsive and quicker car. i filed it under "forgot what i may have been missing" too. i'm convinced that this lousy gas we are forced to run clogs the system over time in barely perceptible ways.

 

I would do a boost leak test from the turbos (there is a DIY if you search) to be sure you are not losing any volume. Also can try and unhook the battery for 10 minutes to reset the ECU. And if still an issue, disconnect the MAF and see if that makes a difference.

 

Unfortunately power is a drug, over time you become used to it. That's why we chase bigger and better mods all the time However there is always the chance your not getting full boost. When did you last check/test your DV's. My stock 996 from the day I picked it up from the OPC just didn't seem as quick as the demonstrator I test drove. The boost was also a tad low IMO. So after reading a post on here about leaking DV's, I insisted my OPC check the DV. They were adamant that it was not necessary. To there astonishment the L/H OEM DV was leaking. They replace it and the car has back that extra sparkle. Since then my car has gone through the modding mill and atm has PARR racing DV's
If you haven't already done so , I would advise changing the stock DV's for some good aftermarket ones.

 

never had one, hope i never do.. but aren't boost leaks a lot less subtle than a feeling of less power than once before? i always thought boost leaks were recognizable as a serious loss of power, or not boosting to max. not just: "my car seemed faster once".

 

Not necessarily. I had a vac line off and only way I noticed was I could hear a hissing noise. I found it during a leak test. No codes or lack of pressure on the gauge.

Small leaks may not throw a code or drop pressure, but could cause power loss due to less air volume, IMO.

 

Also what Raineycd says is good advice both on leak testing which will also test your dV's but also and just as importantly , by disconnecting the battery, you reset the adaption values back to the factory base line. This means if the car has been pulling timing in the past , for what ever reason, it will be reset to the nominal baseline setting. You might have had some bad fuel or hot IAT's and the DME pulled timing. The problem with these cars is the timing is pulled instantly but can take a very long time to return. disconnecting the battery instantly resets all; the DME parameters.

 

Your boost gauge seems accurate because the numbers you're seeing are perfectly inline with x50 cars. If you live in a hot climate then this would be one reason. Hot air significantly sucks power compared to cooler denser air.

 

I have a non-X50 996tt and it came with gemballa flash, gemballa exhaust, evoms intake and dvs. I thought all flashed cars should show 1.0 bar but my car shows 0.8-0.9 tops. Only when i disconnect the battery it goes to 1.0-1.1 during the first run, then it is back to 0.8-0.9.

What could that be? If i had a boost leak I guess I would not be able to reach 1.0-1.1 after reset am I right?

Why would it go down to 0.8-0.9?

Most of the time it hits 0.9 around 4 k rpms and then tapers down to 0.8 all the way tp redline.

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Those are some good ieas that I'll have my shop look at next time I have the car in there.

 

Any ideas?

 

Well, one idea is the flash detects an anomalous engine condition under hard acceleration (detonation?) and to protect the engine limits boost (among other things like perhaps limits ignition advance).

One suggestion would be to contact the maker of the flash and ask it why you are seeing what you are seeing.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

What octane are you using, and what was the flash set for? A quick test...Add 2 gal of toluene to a tank. I run both my turbo charged cars with it always for more octane and it's a great knock preventative. It will not hurt your car in any way. Safe for the cats too. Try it. Can get some at Ace or just about any paint supply co. DO NOT use Xylene. Does not mix as well with gas.