Need help, think it's the turbo?

[Swonderboy]

Hi i just bought a used 05 srt-4. It only has 25,000 k's on it. Prior to yesterday the car was fine... I was having trouble not spinning the wheels in 1,2 and sometimes 3.

Now... I have noticed a huge decrease in power. My turbo only goes upto about 10, and it emits this sound like rice on a drum...

Not sure what to do... not sure if it's covered under warrenty... I don't know if this is relateable, but also, my driverside exhaust is running so hot that it's actually melting part of the bumper. It's not like i have been abusing the car, the car has never run higher then 90 temp... any suggestions?

[Turbodog97]

Hello,
Everything you described sounds like a multitude of things. I wouldn't relate not being able to "spin the wheels" to anything. Whether or not you can chirp the tires when you shift means nothing.

Now, if you are only boosting 10psi then you probably have a boost leak somewhere. Check your pipes and clamps. There are three pipes and 5 clamps. Also check your vaccum lines to make sure none of them popped off too.

Exhaust wise...the exhaust runs weird on these cars since it's a 4 cylinder, so one tip will always have more comming out than the other. If it's melting your bumper I would just push the tip down off the bumper.

[Swonderboy]

"Now, if you are only boosting 10psi then you probably have a boost leak somewhere. Check your pipes and clamps. There are three pipes and 5 clamps. Also check your vaccum lines to make sure none of them popped off too."

I talked to the dealership today. Fortunately, the guy who had the car previously, was a good friend of the Service Rep. So he's totally aware of this car.

I'm going to bring the car in tommorrow, apparently it is under warrenty, from what I advised as the issues. But he thinks it's either a) the computer erased the stage 1 input, and reverted back to manufacturers default. or b) waste gate issue....

We will see...

Considering this is my first turbo. Is there anything i should be considering, to prolong the life of my turbo. I've herd things like "keep them running at idle for 3 mins, so the turbo can cool off..." not sure what else. And if the turbo is running hot, will that reflect on my temp gauge?

thanks

[Turbodog97]

Originally Posted by Swonderboy

"Now, if you are only boosting 10psi then you probably have a boost leak somewhere. Check your pipes and clamps. There are three pipes and 5 clamps. Also check your vaccum lines to make sure none of them popped off too."

I talked to the dealership today. Fortunately, the guy who had the car previously, was a good friend of the Service Rep. So he's totally aware of this car.

I'm going to bring the car in tommorrow, apparently it is under warrenty, from what I advised as the issues. But he thinks it's either a) the computer erased the stage 1 input, and reverted back to manufacturers default. or b) waste gate issue....

We will see...

Considering this is my first turbo. Is there anything i should be considering, to prolong the life of my turbo. I've herd things like "keep them running at idle for 3 mins, so the turbo can cool off..." not sure what else. And if the turbo is running hot, will that reflect on my temp gauge?

thanks

Hate to break it to you but dealer tech's are complete idiots. There is no way for the s1 computer to revert back to a stock mode. The wastegate spring can go bad after a while but you are talking about a lengthy period of time not 30k miles type of a thing. I would check your clamps on your pipes and check your vaccum lines. Also try resetting the computer, you can either unplug the negative terminal on the battery or pull the yellow fuse on the second row of the fusebox out(while the key is in the 2nd position), leave it out for 10 secs. and put it back in...and the computer is reset. Dealer tech's are turbo-stupid. They are not competent in the complexities of forced induction.

[blksrt4_2005]

you should get a catch can if your car dont have one already...you can get a ebay one for good price...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Oil-C...spagenameZWDVW

[Turbodog97]

You can also make one yourself using parts from say walmart and lowes. All you need is a catch can for an air compressor and some 3/8" tubing and you're done!

[Swonderboy]

I'm such a newbie at this... Apparently it was just a clamp, which blew apart as it was one of those cheapo adjustable ones. Bought a new one today... Cars running in fine forum. Hitting close to 20lbs of boost.

I do have a catch can... not sure if it's a home job or not though...

Also I found out about a few more of the mods done to this car...

Thanks...

[Turbodog97]

Glad to hear it's fixed...just next time don't be hesitant to take someone's advice from the forums...we've all been there. I would highly suggest replacing those adjustable "cheap" clamps with something called T-bolt clamps(because they won't loosen up over time).

[Swonderboy]

Thanks again...

What do you know about trying to maintain the life of my turbo... I have herd that after running the car hard, that i should allow the car to settle, for the turbo to cool down. Do I use the water temp gauge, as a reference point?

Maybe i should try and find a "Turbo for dummies book..." ha ha ha

And the t-clamp is what i used to replace the old one with as i tried a much stronger one that resembled the design of the cheap one that blew apart. In the end it became too frustrating to get the clamp back together, So I went back in, and looked at what else they had. What i noticed was that the other hoses are held on with tclamps too... just this one wasn't.???

And what a bitch it was to get at that bottom hose, without a hoist. Who knew the answer to my frustrations would only cost $6. haha