Glowing turbo and 3psi?
 

Just installed my Greddy. I tightened up the WG a bit to get rid of the rattle and it spools nice! However, I only het about 3 psi? Any tips?

After a little drag i pulled over and while the car was running i looked at the turbo.. It was glowing! Is it normal that the turbo glows under normal driving?

You really should get that check out...! ITS NOT NORMAL!

Are you sure the turbo is getting LUB?Oiled?

depends on how much you are retarding timming and overfueling it. the 3 psi could be a leak of some sort check the connections. glowing turbo is no problem tubro glowing and going ping ping ping screeech is bad

It's not uncommon for turbos to glow when pushed...but, at 3 PSI, it would seem something is not right.

Things sometimes get nearly as hot with too much fuel and not enough timing as they do with too little fuel and too much timing.

For the first part, I would suggest you aren't boosting only 3psi with a tightened wastegate rod (most likely not less than 5psi even without a tigthened rod). So I suggest your boost gauge is inaccurate.

A glowing turbo means EGTs are high, do a quick google search as what can cause high EGTs. Improper fueling & timing advance would be my first thought.

Plugged cat.

I am running vortec pressure regulator from the kit, and 6 degrees on the ignition. manybe i should make it 8 degrees and try? my a/f says stoich almost all the time under wot. and lean for a sec or two at about 4k rpm..

I would figure out the culprit in the 3psi issue and then move onto timing.

I have a brand new JR BOOST gauge.. can at be broken? :( By the way, i'm not having any cat. ;)

Are you using a wideband or narrowband for your air/fuel?

Reconfirm your timing. Double check you exhaust for some kind of blockage.

Well, that's not good.

What wideband are you using? :)



Retarding timing too much is one common factor that can result in a glowing-hot turbo.

I don't like cat either.

Well there's one of your problems...

In this thread https://www.miataturbo.net/forums/sh...?t=2995&page=2 you said there was no oil supply hole in your euro block. What did you end up doing? Have you made sure that your turbo is getting oil? I would imagine after a hard run with no oil your turbo would glow...

What octane fuel are you using? It sounds like your fuel/timing are off somewhere. Did you make sure to jump the ten and grd when you adjusted your timing?

I think the turbo would fail before a lack of oil caused the turbine to glow from friction.

Have you checked for a boost leak?

If the turbo had no oil it would have worn the brass journal bearings alot already and you would have massive shaft play which could lead to the wheels touching the housings which would be very notice able.
I say it's due to you running lean considering you're stoich even under boost.

I have only a narrowband.. :( oil is coming from the oil pressure sender.. I set the timing as described in the manual yes.. but i will look at the ignition today, and lower the boost.. and maybe check the mounting of the vortec?

My glowing turbo was due to a lack of fuel at 18 psi on a tiny turbo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhOSOAJqsdU

I thought that the link was pulling piles of timing because of knock?

today i sat the timing to 8 deg. slacked the wg as much i could without getting any slack and rattle.. now my pressure shows almost 3 psi. and my nb a/f meter stays stable at stoich at wot (about 2 leds from the green rich leds). however it glows when i pull over after draging through 1,2 and 3rd and if i stay wot up a hill in 4 or 5th with full boost.. I don't know what else to do.. :(

so one line under the 10° mark, correct.

if timing is good, then fuel is lean.

2 LED rich is like 13.8:1 AFR....you need more fuel.

https://www.miataturbo.net/braineack...nd/gaugenb.JPG

so 2 leds from the green field is lean.. :( what can i do? do you think it will help to get some 1.8 injectors? what else do i need? I am thinkin of getting the aem wide band kit that they sell at flyinmiata for 305 USD.. is that any good? sorry for all the questions.. just total noob in miata boosting and i want to keep my pistons in one piece.. ;)

what are you doing for fuel? stock greddy kit with FMU? or that silly black box?

and yeah, I fi converted the numbers correctly based off a stock o2 sensor, the output on a 20 LED narrowband gauge should be something like that; .8v to .20v is 14.7:1, which as tyou can tell is nowhere near linear, which is why narrowband gauges are very hard to tune off.

I have the vortec.. not the black box..

Well something is wrong check the fuel pressure pull the plugs and inspect them. If you are truly at 8 btdc it should not glow significantly at 3 psi. Also you should make better than 3 psi as well you might also still have a leak that is blowing off with pressure kinda like a whoopy cushion this would over work your turbo and cause the glowing and low pressure. Did you clock the turbo i had compressor leak that acted like that.

Yes, lots of stuff:

too much psi
not enough fuel
small turbo
tons of knock

if anything you should be rich at wastegate pressures....maybe you hooked it up wrong?

I checked the vortec, and it's mounted right.. what do you mean by clock the turbo? how can i easily check for boost leak?

You can get the Innovate or AEM for less than $300 shipped on this board via a couple members. Wideopentuning sells them cheaper than FM and offers great service. I personally have the AEM, it works great and is very easy to install. I recommend it. You can find his information in member discount area of the For sale section.

I paid $175 for my LC-1.

But I also nead a gauge? I only have a Jacson Racing narrow band now.... :(

you can use that gauge. Since the LC-1 has programable outputs, instead of the gauge displaying results like above.

You can display your AFR like this:
https://www.miataturbo.net/braineack...nd/gaugewb.jpg

Use the narrowband...you can just program the output for 0-1v

A digital gauge is only $7 (look at my site)...

FYI: I had glowing turbo and good A/F numbers, running 12.5 under boost and stoic in normal driving and turned out timing belt had slipped by 8-10 degrees retard!! Make sure your timing is happy and don't run stoic under boost :-) I also run the AEM UEGO wideband (a good wideband is critical not to mention cheaper than a new engine).

I just ordered 1.8 injectors from E-bay. Maybe that will do it?

No, that likely won't fix your problem, although it might help mask it...you should be able to run 5-6 PSI with the stock 1.6L injectors.

You have a problem that needs to be diagnosed and fixed before you just start randomly throwing parts at it.

BUT....having the 1.8L injectors isn't a bad idea. But like Brian said, you still need to find the cause.

Dude. Seriously. What Brian just said will save your motor. I mean, I just threw shit at my car too, and look where I am. A bad motor : /.

yes, i know, but I do not now what else it can be.. today i bought i new boost meter to verify that the old one is ok. at what boost can you expect a greddy to glow during hard driving?

Dont know if this has been stated yet, but the JR Boost gauge does not like to share a vacuum line. Mine read really low, then I ran a dedicated line from the intake manifold to the gauge and I got an instant 3psi increase over what it originally said.

Have you checked your system for boost leaks? If you have an air compressor and $15 you can make a tester from junk at Home Depot.

How?

However guys, I am not doubting your oppinions on the glowing, but in theese treads the glowing is normal...????
https://www.miataturbo.net/forums/sh...=glowing+turbo

https://www.miataturbo.net/forums/sh...=glowing+turbo

Here's how.

Dude, forget the glowing turbo for a second and focus on the 3psi.

New uppdate:
Yesterday I tried my new boost gauge. First i coupled it into the blue hose from the WG to the turbo. At max boost it was lying at about 0,4-0,5 bar (6-7 psi).
Then i mounted it on the vacum hose where mye Jackson Raising gauge is mounted (Betvween the intake and the little valve thing that is conected to the black canister that is for venting the gastank or so...) It shoved a max boost at 0,15 bar (2,5psi) and it popped up to about 5 psi when shifting at high rpm.

I can also say that when I am not at boost (when the gauge is about 12 psi vac) and I am diving at for example 40% throttle the needle is shaking.

Does this look like a leak?

yes i can only make 6 psi with my crossover blown off the intakes. damn worm clamps :rofl: check the system for leaks. With a leak that size you are working the shit out of your turbo to fill the void check all the connections. AIC, crossover, bov if you have one. the compressor connection, Or jpipe depending on how you are equiped. Also brake booster line PCV. etc. The is a simple problem focus on the simple fixes first. You know the car runs, you have verified the timming the turbo is working its ass off. But you stilll get no rewards. So where is all that work going heat and work energy dont just disapear or turn into matter. That would be relativley improbable :p

Please fix the leak before your turbine wheel explodes.

:crx: :hahano: way to get his attention :crx:

Ok... New update:
Now I have put pressure on the system to find leaks.
I blocked the pipe between the turbo and the crossover tube and filled compressed air through one of the wacum hoses on the intake. At first I had a leak between the throttlebody and the crossover pipe. That is fixed, but still I only get 3 psi.. :(

However, when I am shifting gear at full rpm the boost is for aprox. 1\2 sec (after I have released the clutch) at 5 psi and then drops to 3 again...

HELP....

Do you have a BOV?

Nope..

Compressor seal. On the turbo. did your leak test test the turbo itself.

No, but when I mounted an extra boost gauge on the blue hose on the WG i got about 6.5 psi... Does not that say that the turbo is doing it`s job??

Boost leak somewhere. If you are getting 6.5psi directly from the turbo, and only 3psi from the intake manifold you have a boost leak somewhere. The air HAS to be going somewhere and it isn't the intake manifold.

I'll agree to those saying the gauge should be on it's own port on the manifold. I don't know if it's the same for all manifolds but mine has a port on the back of the plenum that was for the automatic transmission. It was capped off. I'm using that. What is your vacuum reading? I sit about 20". I somewhat disagree to jwarriner telling you to worry about the 3psi. Yes it is a problem if your supposed to be at 6 but your already running lean at 3 so get that figured out first before you raise the boost (or fix that problem). If your car has the airflow meter, and you have a boost leak, that air is not going into the engine but the ECU assumes it is, measures it, and injects more fuel. In that case you'd be running rich. If your not building boost and running a bypass valve, and not running rich, then check your bypass valve. If it's leaking you'll loose boost without effecting the airflow meter and air/fuel numbers.
$.02

I am at about 22 in vac.

What do you mean bybypass valve?

Happy uppdate!
I replaced some vacum hoses and relocated the bosst gauge to a singke port on the inntake mani. Now i have adjusted the prassure down to 4.5- 5 psi. The AF meeter is still on the top end of the stoich range but that is the same value as I read before going greddy kit. The turbo is glowing sometimes after dooing hard runs upp hills and 100 mph. Just a small glow back at the ent of the turbo where the WG is... I think I can relax now....

glad to hear you got it sorted out.