[Naen]

Have a situation....i was cruising around and played with the throttle...suddenly whe normal turbo "pssss" sound grew stronger, and i looked at my RPM, its dropping gradually while i was still pressing the gas...and when i opened the window to check...i tried going from 3000 RPM to 4000 RPM, the strong "pssss" sound started at 3500 RPM....my question is...did one of the turbo hoses broke and become to leak air or something??...the strong leaking sound came from the right side of the engine block....could it be the inlet pipes or oulet pipes???....can somebody help??!!

 

[Photo]

I'm no expert on this matter but I have been reading alot about the divertervalves being a weak point in the system. They are built with a rubber diaphram and are prone to failure. Because of this alot of people replace them with a piston based diverter valve such as a forge or bailey's. You may want to check to see if this may be your problem.

 

[Naen]

I've been thinking about the diverter valve....but a DV couldn't be the problem as the louder leaking hissing sound after 3500RPM comes from the right side of the engine block (from driver's point of view)...it sounds like a leak of preassure somewhere at the turbo connections...anyone else with their oppinions??

 

[paultakeda]

Check the piping to the intercooler, particularly the connections to the pancake pipe. The hose probably blew off and is hanging disconnected. This is not uncommon, but it's an easy enough fix.

 

[NJ Turbo]

Sometimes the hoses to/from the pancake pipe can become a little loose.
So under lower boost they don't leak, but under higher load and boost they do leak.
It will give a huge whoosh sound coming from the right front fender.
Pull off the right front wheel and check all the hose connections and clamps.

 

[Naen]

which one is the pancake pipe??...the one goes from intercooler to engine?? or from turbo to intercooler??

 

[paultakeda]

Turbo to intercooler piping has one section that squeezes between the engine and the wheel. That section of pipe is flattened, hence, pancake pipe.

 

[chefcape1]

which one is the pancake pipe??...the one goes from intercooler to engine?? or from turbo to intercooler??

turbo to intercooler, just take passenger side wheel and skirt off.

 

[John Koch]

Inner fender well liner..

turbo to intercooler, just take passenger side wheel and skirt off.

If you decide to remove the inner fender skirt for access to the turbo hose clamps and connections, get a new inner fender liner from the model NB that has vents cut out of the liner just behind the intercooler. This helps air flow thru and out of the IC area and can improve performance for just a bit of cash...JK

 

[noR]

Eh... Sure sounds like a leaky hose to me. Probably hard to find since it only does it when boosting.

Good luck, and I suggest you don't blip the throttle often like that. It just puts alot of strain on the turbo. But eh... have your fun.

 

[Naen]

i was thinking of getting Samco pipes for the turbo connections....does the samco add horsepower since some of the pipes are wider, and hopefully stronger??

 

[noR]

I think so. They're also smoother, which makes a huge difference. They also isolate heat, which is a +.

Hey don't think about driving it as is until you get the upgrade, post-turbo air is hot... damn hot. Could melt things if it's blowing on the wrong stuff. Find your leak.