I want to continue this for anybody interested in the progress.

JR and I will do any customer service issues through emails.

I still welcome any comments or suggestions.

 

Know the Boss is takin care of you, but any other questions feel free to ask me as well!

 

I barely had any time today, but I installed the boost controller. Nobody was every able to tell me how it worked, so I took it apart...

The line that runs to the top of the WG goes through the boost controller.

Obviously, there is a spring in the boost controller pushing down on a diaphragm. As boost passes through the boost controller to the top of the WG, it also tries to slam the boost controller shut by pushing up on the spring.

So, when turned fully counter clockwise, the spring barely has any pressure on the diaphragm, so it may only take 2 psi to shut the boost controller.

When turned fully clockwise, there is a lot of pressure on the spring, so it takes 10 psi to shut the boost controller... therefore allowing that much pressure through to the top of the WG.

 

Found this real quick for ya....Thought it was worded nicely....

"A wastegate is a valve that regulates the boost in our cars. It does this by opening at a preset setting and allows exhaust gas to bypass the turbo out to the atmosphere (either through a muffler or directly out.). This keeps the turbo from spinning faster, therefore keeping the boost at the preset setting.

Speaking strictly of external wastegates, most, maybe all, wastegates, electronically controlled or manually controlled have a mechanical spring in them. When you install a 1bar boost spring in the wastegate, the turbo will not produce anything more than 1 bar of boost. Since it is a mechanical device, as the pressure on the spring increases, it begins to open the wastegate, so by about .5bar, the wastegate is starting to open even though it has not yet reached full 1 bar boost. This causes some degree of inefficency as the boost does not build as fast as it could by keeping the wastegate closed until 1bar. Additionally, a manual wastegate, although set with a 1 bar boost spring, may tend to fall off in the upper gears and may only allow .8 or .9bar.

An electronically controlled wastegate, uses engine vaccuum/boost pressure to assist the spring tension and keep the wastegate closed until its preset setting. Take the above example of 1bar. An electronic controller can usually handle about 150% of the spring rate, so if you install a .7bar boost spring, the controller can be set to control from .7bar up to about 1.05bar of boost. Once the electronic controller senses 1bar, it will release the spring and the wastegate will open and it will regulate it exactly at 1bar assuming it was programmed properly. You can also usually change the setting on the fly. If for instance, you wanted less boost while driving in the rain, you could set it to .7bar with the touch of a button"

 

Thanks, Chris!

Anything customer service related, I'll send you a PM... and you can do the same to me!

 

Good info!

The part about the mechanical spring opening early is something I think the boost controller will take care of. I may be wrong, but I'll now have pressure on top of the WG until the boost controller removes it. That will have to help hold the spring in the WG shut until the desired setting.

Also, hooking up the side of the WG to a pressure source before the throttle plate may make a change as well.

Tomorrow is my last day of work before a weeks vacation! Hopefully I'll be able to sneak in some "turbo time"...

 

I'm hoping everything works for you Tom. I know Granatelli will take care of you.

 

Thanks!

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Some pics of where I mounted the Boost Controller:

Attachment 36912 Attachment 36913

I replaced the hose at the fuel pressure regulator and got rid of the TEE. The boost controller and WG now get all the signals from pre-throttle plate.

It's only adjustable from 0-10psi (and not 0-25psi), so even if someone turns it all the way up at a car show on me, I should still be safe.

 

So how does it run with the BC?!?

 

I was waiting for this!

I'll have to wait until after work tomorrow for the test drive.

 

"I was waiting for this!

I'll have to wait until after work tomorrow for the test drive."

 

Nice job of mounting the BC, its hardly noticeable and it looks professionally installed and neat and clean Tom. You do good work dude!

It will be interesting to hear of the results.

 

You let people touch your car?

 

I would glue it to the 10psi by the way

 

Not on purpose! But there are times at car shows where you're away from the car.

I could see having a 0-25psi boost controller and somebody changing it without me knowing.

 

Lol I don't think it would be ideal to glue the controller. 89Trooper, that's smart to have a max. of just 10 psi. I've seen quite a few cars that have gotten messed with for whatever reason at car shows.

 

Thanks! Yeah, it was a pretty convenient location for the BC. Plus, it was close to the WG and the compressor housing, so the lines are as short as possible.

I had a 6200 MSD rev limiter pill stolen at a car show once... luckily I noticed before I missed a 2-3 shift!

 

No time at all when I got home from work today.

And I won't have time tomorrow, either. My sister is flying in from Boston.

Sorry for the long drawn out wait! I want to see the outcome, too. Hopefully this weekend, I'll get the car on the road and start dialing up the boost.

 

Tom,

Any updates with the kit?

 

The newest thing I did was change where the boost signal comes from for the WG. I had it after the throttle plate, but everything says to hook it up before the throttle plate (GMS's instructions, the WG instructions, and the boost controller's instructions).

This caused the vacuum leak through the WG and must be a big deal since the WG and BC instructions say things like VERY IMPORTANT, and MUST hook before the throttle plate. Why this is so important, I have no idea. Is it just so the WG doesn't get damaged as Tial said could happen? Does it have an effect on spooling because the way I had it caused the WG's spring to open prematurely?

Since my sister is in town, my family has a bunch of stuff planned. When I do sneak in some time, the first thing I'm going to check is whether or not the plastic baggie get's sucked into the WG's dump.

For those who didn't see it, here's what was happening with only the side of the WG hooked up to a boost source after the throttle plate:



That shouldn't happen and I'll post a video of the results with the way it's hooked up now.

Then I'll take it for a ride and see how the boost comes in.