turbo help... please?

[97LGT]

so, if you can't tell by username i drive a 97 Legacy GT
lately my turbo has been kindof messed up
maybe a little bit more than kindof...
so, you know the normal noise when the turbo starts to spool
(oh... just a to let you know, i'm not exactly the most educated person on the topic of automotive workings)
it doesn't make that noise anymore
i don't know what the average life expectancy for a stock turbo is, but mine doesn't seem to be doing so well
are there any quick fix options?
i can't make it to a subaru tech until after the holidays, and i don't have an OBDII scanner, so i'm pretty much out of luck?
sorry, last questions... what's the specific name of the stock turbo? how much does a new one cost? where can i buy a used one? and how hard is it to install it?
thanks in advance

[sheepdog]

Hmm, by mentioning the stock turbo, I'm guessing you aren't located in the USA. I'm not familiar with the exact turbo on that car, however just because its not making a noise anymore, doesnt neccessarily mean it's messed up. It could be several other things. Is the car showing any other symptoms other than the lack of noise? Any check engine lights?

Oh, and make and introduction post and post pics of your ride ;)

[97LGT]

oh... i'm located in the US
is there any particular reason that you would think i'm not?
sorry, like i said before, i'm not very good with cars (i'm still in high school)
the engine is pretty much perfect besides the lack of noise and power when the turbo is spooling
no check engine lights that i saw, but i'll be sure to check tomorrow
and i'll try and do an introduction post tomorrow as well
but how hard would it be to install a different turbo?

[sheepdog]

If you live in the US, and have a 97 LGT with no modifications, you don't have a turbo. Subaru did not offer a turbo legacy in the united states between 94 and 04. That's why I assumed you were overseas.

[d1giPhux]

You sure you got a turbo? I wish my LGT had a turbo!! AHH!

Sorry, that post was pretty much useless! :lol: :roll:

[Wiscon_Mark]

Sounds like you have a lack of turbo.

:lol:

[Superu264]

He said "its not making that noise anymore" though.

It was making some noise. Maybe you're better off the noise stopped? :lol:

[Plays_with_Toys]

^ Agreed. Probably had some kind of intake leak or something that caused that wind up noise. I know I get that from time to time, but it's definately not a turbo.

Just pop the hood, stick your head in, and you'll see its just a black tube running to the engine. No metallic snail for the legacys.

[d1giPhux]

I'd prolly be sad if i went from thinking my car had a turbo to no turbo :cry: ... wait, i AM sad.. because my car does NOT have a turbo. LOL oh well, i'd prolly get in more trouble if i did! :lol:

[DGKBape]

wow... that's a bummer
and just a little bit embarassing
i just assumed it had a turbo since it was gt and made that noise
what's in that black oval-shaped box that's located at the intake
i just assumed there was a turbo in there
so much for assuming...
but my car definitely isn't putting out as much power since that noise stopped
which i consider to be a bad thing

[Superu264]

Wait did you make another username?

My engine bay is different than yours, but isn't that your filter?

[97LGT]

yea, i made a username hella days ago, forgot it, and made a new one
but my web browser remembered it?
but there are two black boxes
i'm pretty sure the filter is all the way to the left over the wheel well
i found a picture of what it looks like (minus the damage)
but its the black box, all the way back in the center

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2006/12/MVC011-1.jpg

[Wiscon_Mark]

The black box is the Plenum box, it's designed to store a bit of air for better throttle response. Not quite like a turbo :lol:

[sheepdog]

yea sorry bud, theres no turbo :lol:

[blackgtbeauty]

haha i thought that was actually YOUR car at first, i thought you had a few more problems than a 'noise'.

Don't worry about the turbo thing, live and learn from your mistakes. I'll give you the Roger suggestion and that's grab a rag and some degreaser and start poking around cleaning the engine bay, pehaps grab a Haynes manual for you car and read up.

[97LGT]

bummer
what would happen if i scrapped the plenum box and installed a CAI
would that increased throttle response go away, or would the CAI make up for it?
sorry for all the questions
the thread got flipped around pretty fast
but i would like my car to be a tad faster
maybe not a tad... a lot... but i can't afford a swap

[Wiscon_Mark]

You're really not going to get much speed outta that car without a heavy N/A build.

[97LGT]

You're really not going to get much speed outta that car without a heavy N/A build.

please explain
okay, so i only want to put out around 200-225 if that's even possible
it would be nice to keep up with a new GTI
but i'm definitely going to buy a haynes manual and read up

[blackgtbeauty]

Unfortunatly man the most cost effective way to keep up with a new GTi IS to do a swap, and they run about $5 - $5.5k, and that's just the motor. As long as everything else is in good shape you'd be fine. Wouldn't hurt at all to do brakes though.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Uh...that's not going to happen without a swap or a crapload of money.

Heavy N/A build:

Intake, Exhaust, Cams, throttle body, engine management, flywheel (if you have a 5MT) heads, that kind of stuff...

BTW- if you have an automatic...forget it :lol:

[d1giPhux]

Just take some cars around the corners, and then they will need to keep up with you!

But really, here are some cheaper mods you can do :

CAI
Exhaust
Lightweight crank pulley (perrin is good)

Nice suspension setup
Nice rims / tires

And just keeping your car in good shape =]

[97LGT]

yea
i was thinking CAI, exhast (headers, muffler, highflow cat?), underdrive pulley
and i'm following the subiesport project car (they're doing the same car as mine)
so hopefully i'll get some ideas?

[blackgtbeauty]

yea
i was thinking CAI, exhast (headers, muffler, highflow cat?), underdrive pulley
and i'm following the subiesport project car (they're doing the same car as mine)
so hopefully i'll get some ideas?

Def. a good start, just be careful with the underdrive pulley. Do you have a heavy-hitting stereo? Neon anywhere?

As digi said, the Perrin lightweight is a good choice, as it's not underdriven at all.

[Huffer]

I'll give you the Roger suggestion and that's grab a rag and some degreaser and start poking around cleaning the engine bay, pehaps grab a Haynes manual for you car and read up.

:lol:

I'm impressed someone actually remembered that!
This is what I like about SL-i - someone makes a mistake (a huge one, really) and people aren't shooting bullets and flames everywhere.

[97LGT]

nope, no amps/subs and no neon
but if you get the perrin lightweight pulleys then you don't have to get new belts as well, right?

[shazapple]

Lightweight pulleys are the same diameter as stock, so you dont need new belts
Underdriven pulleys have a smaller diameter, so you would need new belts. They also turn the accessories such as the alternator slower, so you get less power (thats why we asked about a big stereo, that requires a lot of power)

[Plays_with_Toys]

For your LGT I would aim for a car that drives good and sounds good. You can improve pep (response) but not alot in the power. There was one guy on here running 6-7PSI in his custom turbo setup. You could probably turbo for $1200 if you spent a year gathering parts and picking up the right deals, but depending on the mileage of your car, you could grenade your engine pretty fast. BTW, Patrick Olsen over on nasioc, one of the definitive NA guru's in subaru land along with Matt Monson recently dyno'ed his NA 2.5 subaru. He was making 147 wheel horse power. And thats with quite a big build up. To put that in perspective, a WRX makes 180-190 whp. A stock 2.2 was recently dynoed on here at 95hp I believe. An intercooled turbo setup could probably be good for power levels close to a stock WRX, but you will want some good brakes and suspension to allow you to make use of that power.

As for the sound. It probably came from somewhere around your intake. Make sure both airboxes are sealed properly and check your air filter. Something is going on around there that probably caused the noise and the change of power.

As for taking out the plenum. It's been debated. Some people say they lose bottom end torque by switching to an intake setup. Some say it makes better power up top, some say no difference. Its really a butt dyno mod and a psyche mod.

[sheepdog]

Yea, to be obtaining the quickness you're wanting, you're going to need to start saving for a motor swap. There's tons of info in the swaps and conversions forum about it, and you can get a motor-only swap (if you have a manual transmission) for around 4k, depending on who does the work. That would be a wrx motor, and you'd be struggling to keep up with that GTi. STi motors or other builds cost more dollars. Also, suspension is a neccessary upgrade.

In addition to the Haynes manual, just start poking around old threads here on SLi. You'll be suprised how much you can learn simply by looking around and using the search button.

[Huffer]

Its really a butt dyno mod and a psyche mod.

Intakes also usually make it easier to access some of the stuff at the rear of the block, because of the lack of plastic resonator boxes. ;)
That's the only reason I would get rid of mine.

[bakergtt]

You could just buy my car if you want and then you would kill the GTI...lol

Just a joke guys I am not selling my car :razz:

[GrassyKnoll]

I've had good experience with the Unorthodox Racing pulleys.

Here's what I have to say about underdrive:

I have underdrive so to compensate for my added stereo equipment I got an Optima Redcap battery and a 2 Fraud Capacitor for the stereo stuff. After that, I have had minimum problems with lack of power.

However I will add, I used to have HIDs in the car. With the HIDs everything was fine, but now that the stock lights have been swapped back in, I do get slight dimming. If you need the power, I'd recommend stock diameter.

The underdrive actually made a noticable difference though. I don't have a HUGE number of performance modifications done but the legacy is definately running a good amount faster than stock.

[Reason]

I'll give you the Roger suggestion and that's grab a rag and some degreaser and start poking around cleaning the engine bay, pehaps grab a Haynes manual for you car and read up.

:lol:

I'm impressed someone actually remembered that!
This is what I like about SL-i - someone makes a mistake (a huge one, really) and people aren't shooting bullets and flames everywhere.

Flamming doesnt do any of us any good. Kind of sad though, I havent banned anyone in awhile :lol:

As for your HP I have a short ram intake, perrin pulley and full exhaust ( minus highflow cat) and I dynoed at 118 wheel hp.

[Wiscon_Mark]

You could ban some user with zero posts to make yourself feel better :lol:

[Reason]

Oh where oh where did my turbo go, oh where oh where could it beeeeee... :lol: I had to

[d1giPhux]

^ BANNED! :lol:



*hides*

[Reason]

^ BANNED! :lol:



*hides*

:smt098