MadGrip

thx for the reply mate and hope you manage to sell it

I'm trying to get some history on the car and have just been informed it had a superchip fitted aswell as a VTA D/V and the bleed valve.

will try your link..thx

[Edited by MadGrip - 8/1/2003 9:36:46 AM]

MadGrip

theres no boost gauge..

think i need someone with a bit more knowledge than me (most people) to take a look

wont spoil your post any longer, but where would i be able to find the chip thats supposedly been fitted and do they have serial numbers.. maybe this way superchips mite have a record of it

[Edited by MadGrip - 8/1/2003 9:39:03 AM]

MadGrip

spoke to super chips and they dont keep any info on specific cars, he did say though that when a chip is fitted to a WRX then a blled valve is fitted aswell at the same time.

they passed me on to a guy in Leeds , local to me but wasnt very convinced with him
and you were right in your previous response thatthe boost isnt very smooth

[Edited by MadGrip - 8/1/2003 10:38:35 AM]

NutterKam

Your best course of action without taking the engine apart to see if it's about to blow up is to get yourself a boost gauge. These can vary in price massively from 25 quid right upto 200 quid! The cheapest would be one made by TIM. Some people are a bit snobbish about them and they used to be a bit crap (flutterring readings) but current ones are ok although not much to look at. Nomad Racing do some very good ones at reasonable price. www.nomadracing.co.uk

For the sake of making sure you're running safe boost I would just get one and plug it in. Don't worry about the illumination and mounting since that can be taken care of afterward. On top of the engine you'll see the intake manifold - spidery four leg thing sitting on top. On the top of this you'll see a number of small pipes coming off from it. One of these will feed into the dump valve (the thing bolted onto the intercooler bottom right). You can tee this off and feed the pipe into the cabin via one of the holes in the bulkhead (there should be one somewhere near the turbo). Obviously, you'll have to jiggle around to find the pipe from the inside. Make sure though that you don't run the pipe too close to the turbo or it'll just melt! Once you found the pipe shove it into the boost gauge. This will give you a reading of the pressure at the manifold. Drive the car and check boost pressure in all gears when you stomp it.

If Superchips fitted the bleed valve then the chances are it'll probably be running at a safe-ish pressure. On a standard turbo and without custom re-mapping of the ecu you don't really want to be running more than 1 bar or 14psi.

The most cost effective way to make yourself a cheap and reliable boost control system is to buy a pressure relief valve. These are about £18 from RS Electronics www.rswww.com Then check out the articles which are in one of my replies above. It will show you how to connect everything up. This system bypasses the factory boost solenoid (boost control) so whatever pipes are not required you can just blank off and tie-wrap safely away. Alternatively, you could buy a Dawes device but at £50 I don't think they're very good VFM. They used to be when they were cheaper but, as I mentioned before, you can build your own boost controller which would be much better for not much more money. The Dawes device is basically a pressure relief valve with a small hole drilled in at the relief end to act as a bleed. This helps to even out boost on part throttle. It uses a ball spring arrangement. The characteristics of this type of boost control can be found if you do a search for Dawes on the forum. Basically, you'll get rock steady boost but more importantly the boost will rocket to the set pressure - ie boost comes on very rapidly, much faster than standard. This happens because below the set pressure the valve is shut and the wastegate doesn't see any pressure so stays shut. However, the down side is that part throttle boost can very aggressive (makes normal driving uncomfortable) which is why there is a small bleed hole in the Dawes. The size of this hole is quite important and its effect is very different from turbo to turbo. That is the reason why you'd be much better of getting yourself a pressure relief valve and combining it with your bleed valve to provide you a much advanced version of the Dawes device. Since you've got the bleed valve already it'll only cost you another 18 quid + some hoses. To go one step further is to put a one-way check valve (see the articles). This arrangement will ensure you have a consitent, reliable and accurate boost control system far better than the standard solenoid setup.

Anyway, sorry to drone on. Get a gauge first!!

[Edited by NutterKam - 8/1/2003 11:16:22 AM]

NutterKam

Bleed valve.

Cheap and nasty way of increasing boost pressure but good addition if you've got a Dawes and want more refinement on part throttle boost.

Not much else to say really except £15 offers + postage.




[Edited by NutterKam - 7/31/2003 2:31:43 PM]

[Edited by NutterKam - 7/31/2003 2:32:01 PM]

NutterKam

At last - got the darned pic to work!!

NutterKam

How about a tenner then?

MadGrip

Hmm wondered what this thing was.. i just bought my first scooby a 2001 bugeye WRX and found this little thing under there..

is it worth leaving or should i remove it..??

sorry to spoil your post

NutterKam

It really depends if it's just being used to as a cheap way to raise the boost pressure. They're not really that bad if used with care and moderation in the peak boost level. However, the peak boost pressure can vary due to changing atmospheric conditions. You'll also find that it wont hold a steady boost.

If a bleed valve (or pressure regulator) is used in conjunction with a Dawes device or similar (basically a pressure relief valve) then you can attain some very steady and extremely responsive boost throughout all the gears and the entire rev range. Check this link for more info:

http://autospeed.com/A_0670/P_1/article.html

and

http://autospeed.com/C_articles/A_0685/P_1/article.html

You should be able to build this lot for about 80 quid. Hope it helps. Don't suppose you want another bleed valve do you??!

NutterKam

Be wary - does it have a boost gauge?? If not, worry! Superchips will have raised the fuel cut boost limit and also without a boost gauge there's no way of telling how much pressure you're boosting because of the bleed valve.

NutterKam

Just phone Superchips and quote the reg number to see if they have anything on record. The ecu should be in the passenger footwell. Where abouts are you? If you post for some inspection help on the forum you should get some good response and take it to someone who's in the know - eg. John Banks. They may be able to diagnose problems or potential problems for you. I don't want to scare you but it's a really bad idea to increase the boost without an accurate gauge - chances are it's been wound right up so don't be blatting it around anywahere until you're sure your boost levels are safe. Too much boost is the most common factor of blown up engines. You're not spoiling the thread at all - keeps activity going so it doesn't disappear into the void too quickly...

MadGrip

thx.. think i'll print all that stuff..I just opened the metal box in the passenger footwell and it has a small black plastic box that says superchips ECU Remap connected to it

NutterKam

If you want a boost gauge I've got a Trust Greddy boost gauge which came out of my old car. It's the older mechanical type (ie. not electronic which needs a pressure transducer). I found it OK but their current gauges are much much better. This one does flutter a little bit. Illumination is green and centre spindle illuminates either red or white (can't remember). Although it's Trust Greddy (ie expensive) it's quite old but functions perfectly. Only after £25 if you're interested.

NutterKam

There's not much you can do with the Superchips except write down all the numbers on it. To be safe you could un-plumb the bleed valve for now. This will just resote it back to factory boost levels - safe. Obviously, try to fnd out what you can from the previous owner.

MadGrip

yeh..been trying that but previous owner has left the country .I bought it from a dealer he sold it to. Even though the dealer told me it was standard apart from a Forge VTA D/V and a magnex BB.. just makes me wonder what else has been done to it.


Bttt