Troubleshooting boost loss

[SuperPete]

Well, here is my boost story
2014 SHO, 26K miles
Gearhead tuned, sparks, 3bar, 170F
Gearhead intercooler
PPE Catted Downpipes
K&N Filter.

Until sometime 2 weeks ago, not sure where I lost it, I was on 19PSI max boost, quick and happy
recently last week I noticed I am not pulling as hard, started to monitor my boost, and I am only getting 14PSI max, mostly 12-13

I went under the car checked C clips on waistgate - all good
Checked all the hoses under the hood, vacuum lines, all in place and great shape, tighten all the clamps, great shape, nothing loos, I can blow in to intake pipe as hard as I can, hear no air escaping nowhere, nothing super obvious.
Took long pipe with blow off valves out, inspected it all good, checked BOV membrane - good.

Now I am down to boost controller solenoid, order me new one, waiting, sometime next week.

Recorded, 1-3 gear pull, see link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aD_MhTZr8yeWwFU-4gRqNDBOLnQJP7Lt/view?usp=sharing

Any ideas?

 

[High on Ethanol]

Have you datalogged and asked Matt? It could all be perfectly normal operations depending on fuel/temps/other conditions.

 

[ridered74]

Check your OAR. If it is not at -.96 the tune dials back the boost.

 

[stripSHO]

Check your OAR. If it is not at -.96 the tune dials back the boost.

-0.615 OAR in the log. I'd start by running the tank out and trying some different gas.

 

[SuperPete]

Ok, maybe winter gas is messing with me, but I fill up on same station every time religiously,
SUNOCO gas, official nascar fuel, top tier stuff.

Well, I guess next fillip somewhere else, or maybe spike with gallon of E85?

 

[FiveLeeter918]

Add 2 gallons of e85 and log again

 

[SuperPete]

Ok, so I added one bottle of HEET to half of tank of fuel, drove around 15 miles, number did not change, still -.61
I am not sure if heat will change that or I actually need E85, I did not make to E85 station, I will try tomorrow it's little ways from me

 

[ridered74]

Put your car in manual mode, and monitor knock live on your tuning device. Get going about 50 mph and put the car in 6th gear. Helps if you are on an incline, accelerate slowly (maybe a third pedal) and watch knock and hold the acceleration rate until you get to -4 and hold it there for a second or two. Your OAR should immediately jump about .2, should be able to get back to -.96 doing that once or twice.

If it does not move at all, it's probably your gas. My OAR only changed a few times this summer from -.96, and I pretty much filled up at the same gas station 90% of the time. Not sure why it dropped the times that it did, but once it was all the way down to 0 before I caught it. Every single time I did the above process, it went back to -.96 and stayed there for the entire rest of the tank of gas.

 

[SuperPete]

Put your car in manual mode, and monitor knock live on your tuning device. Get going about 50 mph and put the car in 6th gear. Helps if you are on an incline, accelerate slowly (maybe a third pedal) and watch knock and hold the acceleration rate until you get to -4 and hold it there for a second or two. Your OAR should immediately jump about .2, should be able to get back to -.96 doing that once or twice.

If it does not move at all, it's probably your gas. My OAR only changed a few times this summer from -.96, and I pretty much filled up at the same gas station 90% of the time. Not sure why it dropped the times that it did, but once it was all the way down to 0 before I caught it. Every single time I did the above process, it went back to -.96 and stayed there for the entire rest of the tank of gas.

Copy that, will do tomorrow.
Found my log from months ago when I was running nice and fast, OAR on that log was at -.73
Ill try to do what you sad, will report tomorrow.

Thank you

 

[FiveLeeter918]

weren't running too fast if OAR was -0.73 on the AO tune.

HEET is methanol not an octane booster. 2 gallons of E85 then try again.

 

[SuperPete]

Put your car in manual mode, and monitor knock live on your tuning device. Get going about 50 mph and put the car in 6th gear. Helps if you are on an incline, accelerate slowly (maybe a third pedal) and watch knock and hold the acceleration rate until you get to -4 and hold it there for a second or two. Your OAR should immediately jump about .2, should be able to get back to -.96 doing that once or twice.

If it does not move at all, it's probably your gas. My OAR only changed a few times this summer from -.96, and I pretty much filled up at the same gas station 90% of the time. Not sure why it dropped the times that it did, but once it was all the way down to 0 before I caught it. Every single time I did the above process, it went back to -.96 and stayed there for the entire rest of the tank of gas.

Did that, like 5 runs, could not get all the way down to -4, did few -2 passes and got my OAR to -.78, boost now at 16, few more toys tomorrow and I will refill in a day or two with some E85

 

[ridered74]

Did that, like 5 runs, could not get all the way down to -4, did few -2 passes and got my OAR to -.78, boost now at 16, few more toys tomorrow and I will refill in a day or two with some E85

It's hard to do on a flat road, much easier on a long slightly inclined road. You may have been giving it a little too much gas. There's a trick to it, but it works great for getting your OAR back once you figure it out.

 

[SuperPete]

I was going up the light hill by my house, about half mile incline, I went back and forth like 5 time, LOL
Practice makes it perfect,
I wish there you can reset it in software somehow.

 

[diego d]

maybe you need a new waste-gate solenoid, that was my issue at least.

 

[FiveLeeter918]

Easiest way to tell if there is physically a leak is to look at TIP and TIP desired during a pull. You should be within 10 kpa of desired throttle inlet pressure. If you are, the tune is causing the drop (boost reduction for non optimal fueling). If you are 15-20 kpa low, you have a leak or a wastegate issue.

 

[SuperPete]

UPDATE:
On the way to was I was able to drop it down to -.96, THANKS to ridered74!!!
Seems like I have my boost back, I will try to record log today but we are promised few inches of snow by noon, so log maybe out of the question
BUT as soon as I can, I will record and post it here

FOR EVERYONE WHO IS TROUBLESHOOTING BOOST ISSUE
Please, refer to post, read up, it helped me, it can help you.
First, always check your hoses, connections and clamps, I found two factory plastic clamps that where leaking air, I took pipes out, covered one end with my hand and blew in to the other end and it was whistling like a B, cut factory clamps off and put metal clamps on, did the trick!
Always check vacuum lines, refill with good 93 gas with two gallons of E85

Good luck!

 

[FiveLeeter918]

glad you got it squared away!

 

[ridered74]

UPDATE:
On the way to was I was able to drop it down to -.96, THANKS to ridered74!!!
Seems like I have my boost back, I will try to record log today but we are promised few inches of snow by noon, so log maybe out of the question
BUT as soon as I can, I will record and post it here

FOR EVERYONE WHO IS TROUBLESHOOTING BOOST ISSUE
Please, refer to post, read up, it helped me, it can help you.
First, always check your hoses, connections and clamps, I found two factory plastic clamps that where leaking air, I took pipes out, covered one end with my hand and blew in to the other end and it was whistling like a B, cut factory clamps off and put metal clamps on, did the trick!
Always check vacuum lines, refill with good 93 gas with two gallons of E85

Good luck!

Love to take credit, but someone on facebook posted that a while ago and I just stole it. I didn't even check my OAR regularly until I noticed one of my first track logs my OAR was at .64, still ran a 12.4.

 

[SuperPete]

I am giving you credit on this forum for this OAR HACK, LOL
WE will call it rider OAR hack from now on!

I can't believe such a small thing has effect on boost, loss of 5-6PSI over all, WOW it's huge

 

[High on Ethanol]

The benefits of the AO tune.