Volvo V70 T5 SE Boost dropping problem

[lukeous]

Hi all

Just recently installed a turbosmart boost controller set up to run 12psi which is fine in 1st and 2nd holds boost well and comes on boost nicely then in 3rd once you get to around 3500rpm it drops down to 8psi and then stays there any ideas could it be because of the standard map.

Sorry not too sure what it could be or know the ins or outs of the volvo & its my first boosted car but do understand the basics

cheers

[jdavis]

Ecu is probably detecting an air leak, your boost controller. Is engine management light on?

[lukeous]

hi no engine light pops on its like when your on full thottle for long periods of time

cheers

[M-R-P]

could be a number of things. how have you fitted the boost controller?
mine's running a bleed valve and boosting over 16 psi with no issues

[lukeous]

fitted in-between the wastegate actuator and ecu controller solenoid the reason i got the manual boost controller was to stop boost spiking wasnt sure a bleed valve would do damage but i duno (im sooo confused by it) :(

cheers

[M-R-P]

sounds like the controller isn't set up right.
what was it boosting to before you fitted the turbosmart?

[stribo]

Could be a weak actuator.

[lukeous]

i dont know what it was running before but can take it off and check tomorow cause it had a bleed valve before and was spiking so i went over to a manual boost controller which stoped the spiking and come on boost better and holds better until you leave 2nd then it all goes to pot lol

[M-R-P]

maybe the tcv, might be worth bypassing it. leave the electrical connection attached but put the vac pipes directly to the mbc

[lukeous]

ok cheers will give that a go tomorow and let you know

cheers man!

[lukeous]

hi again just been under the bonnet just had a look at the boost controller to see what vac i need to plug on and at the minute its on the yellow one so do i change it to the red one or the blue one all have a little colour band round them cheers

[M-R-P]

There's 3 on the tcv - the compressor pipe connected to the metal port on the tcv and the actuator pipe connected at 90 degrees both need to go to the mbc. the 3rd pipe just needs folding-over and cable-tying to stop it drawing unmetered air.

[lukeous]

sweet gonna go do it now and cheers was that third one i was unsure off (fingers crossed!)

[M-R-P]

That's what forums are for.

Just be careful to start with. Set the MBC to 10 psi to make sure it's all working before you go turning anything up.

[lukeous]

right done that seemed to be better after 3 runs up and down the road then it started again :( ive taken some picys to show what ive done just uploading now to photobucket

[lukeous]

if you have any ideas of what it could be or how to fix it probally the easyest way to solve it instead of having to keep coming back on dont wana be a pain in the ass :(

[M-R-P]

You're not being a pain, this is what forums are all about :)

Next step would be to check for split/loose hoses (the big ones) as prolonged boost appears to be causing a loss. If short bursts are mainly ok then I think you have a leak somewhere.

Lets have a look at the photos and see if there's anything visible.

[lukeous]

sorry about the pics misses has my phone so having to use a OLD! Camera right this is what ive done so far

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq137/starletNA/SDC11456.jpg (http://s441.photobucket.com/user/starletNA/media/SDC11456.jpg.html)

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq137/starletNA/SDC11461.jpg (http://s441.photobucket.com/user/starletNA/media/SDC11461.jpg.html)

[M-R-P]

That looks ok.

What are you using to measure boost levels?

[M-R-P]

Also, as Stribo said, the actuator might be weak, allowing it to creep under prolonged boost.

Do you get a high pitched ring/whistle noise when the boost starts to drop?

[lukeous]

boost gauge inside the car the blue hosing on the picture is leading to that but you can even feel it when it drops boost :( espically when i was racing a leon cupra r and only just pulled away in 3rd :( duno the brand of the gauge but tryed my mates apex gauge in there and that was saying the same thing :(

[lukeous]

erm its hard to tell cause its mainly in third so going quite fast then so get wind noise but i havent noticed it all i seem to get is normal turbo spinning noise while on boost but havent noticed a difference when boost drops but not been listening for that :( so not sure on that one

[M-R-P]

Does the gauge sit at 0 with the engine off?

If it's not calibrated correctly, when it shows you 12 psi, it could actually be 18 and the car would possible be trying to defend itself by retarding the throttle.

The reason I asked about the whining noise is if it's running lean with too much boost, it'll make a screaming/ringing noise (often hard to hear over the other sounds) and this'll also cause the car to retard the throttle.

I'm still thinking actuator or boost leak tho.

grab the rod on the actuator and see how tight it is. If you can move it with both hands but not with one, it's roughly ok but if it moves easily, it needs adjusting.

The wastegate on these cars have a habit of sticking sometimes but I doubt it's that causing the problem.

[lukeous]

narr sits on 0 when engine off and stupid question is the atchuator arm the one right next to the intercooler pipe which runs over the top of the engine but at the back and am i trying to move it side to side or like push and pull

cheers

[lukeous]

ahhh i can pull it with one hand quite easily problem solve????

[lukeous]

can move it atleast half a inch with one hand before it starts to stiffen up

[M-R-P]

ahhh i can pull it with one hand quite easily problem solve????

Bingo!

Right...

First put all the vac pipes back where they belong, ditch the MBC, refit the standard TCV.
Take the heat shield off the turbo (I hope you're tall as it's a pig to get off) you won't be able to take it out of the engine bay so just slide it to the O/S, minding the Lambda cable. You'll see where the actuator rod connects to the wastegate arm. Pull the little pin out and pop the actuator rod off the arm.
Soak the eyelet with WD or similar, wind the lock nut right up the rod and now wind the eyelet in until you have to pull it 3mm or so to get it back on the actuator arm. use a paperclip to replace the now knackered pin you just removed, refit the heat shield and go for a drive. Check your boosting to about 10psi and report back ;)

[lukeous]

yea im 6ft 2 lol and it needs to be running 10psi on standard with no boost controller ect

[M-R-P]

yea im 6ft 2 lol and it needs to be running 10psi on standard with no boost controller ect

Yep - 10 psi.

I'm also 6'2" and it's still a pain lol.

Good luck ;)

[lukeous]

right all done running 10psi one the atchuator can go more on the adjustment what you recommend?

[M-R-P]

Excellent!

Leave the actuator as it is and just fit the MBC. Remember, these cars can get funny when you turn the boost up so no more than 16psi.

[jdavis]

Great advice there Martin

[jdavis]

In fact, reading this has just made me go out abd check my actuator. Can move it quite easy, probably say an inch before it stiffens up. Does this need adjustin? If so how do I get the heat shield off? Just had a look down back and there appears to be some sort of water pipe attached to it.

[V70 Graham]

Great advice there Martin

He's more than just a pretty face our Martin :uglyhamme

[960kg]

Bingo!

Right...

First put all the vac pipes back where they belong, ditch the MBC, refit the standard TCV.
Take the heat shield off the turbo (I hope you're tall as it's a pig to get off) you won't be able to take it out of the engine bay so just slide it to the O/S, minding the Lambda cable. You'll see where the actuator rod connects to the wastegate arm. Pull the little pin out and pop the actuator rod off the arm.
Soak the eyelet with WD or similar, wind the lock nut right up the rod and now wind the eyelet in until you have to pull it 3mm or so to get it back on the actuator arm. use a paperclip to replace the now knackered pin you just removed, refit the heat shield and go for a drive. Check your boosting to about 10psi and report back ;)


Not being finicky ,just trying to save the OP from ruining his actuator diaphragm......You don`t take the rod off the pin until you have loosened the locknut!!!....on assembly do the locknut up last when back on the pin!!!



Also the basic psi should be adjusted before attempting an MBC as the turbo will kick in to much at the wrong revs.

[M-R-P]

In fact, reading this has just made me go out abd check my actuator. Can move it quite easy, probably say an inch before it stiffens up. Does this need adjustin? If so how do I get the heat shield off? Just had a look down back and there appears to be some sort of water pipe attached to it.
the upper bolt does look like there's a coolant pipe attached but it isn't, remove that bolt and there's another about 2" over and 3" down.

Not being finicky ,just trying to save the OP from ruining his actuator diaphragm......You don`t take the rod off the pin until you have loosened the locknut!!!....on assembly do the locknut up last when back on the pin!!!



Also the basic psi should be adjusted before attempting an MBC as the turbo will kick in to much at the wrong revs.

I was merely offering a quick fix to the op's problem, more accurate setup can be achieved with suitable specialist tools of course. as a faultfinding exorcise and easy solution, it's not too shabby :)

[960kg]

Not being finicky , but no good having a "quick fix" if the OP has broken the actuator diaphragm so that then he can`t adjust it!!

One has to be carefull advising how to do things correctly.....

[M-R-P]

Not being finicky , but no good having a "quick fix" if the OP has broken the actuator diaphragm so that then he can`t adjust it!!

One has to be carefull advising how to do things correctly.....
well maybe you should give it a go instead of appearing every few days to correct my posts.
not once have I seen a pic of your car, read about your modifications or repairs or even your future plans for your car. I only recently found out you had a 960 ffs.
I told the guy to do it that way as that's how it's worked for me. hell, I've even twisted the actuator rod with no ill effects (yes I've pressure tested it) so if your time on the forum involves something other than stalking me, trying to belittle me or my threads then I suggest you go do it sunshine because you're really getting on my tits at the moment.

[stribo]

Is it popcorn time?

[jdavis]

How on earth are you supposed to get to the rear bolt for the heatshield. Managed to get a spanner on it but couldn't budge it. Ended up srlippibg off and dropped spanner onto engine tray underneath. A few expletives later I gave up.

[960kg]

Now, now then ...don`t get out your pram!

I know how you feel about some other jerk finding fault with your post as others do that to me such as your self from time to time!!

As for "stalking you" i think you had better get out a bit and get a life...

I was merely trying to avoid the OP doing £200 worth of damage to his actuator, you should be thanking me not hindering me as if he did damage it because you gave the incorrect information he may be asking for you to cough up.......

I am not a Chav in any shape or form and keep my own personal V70 T5 to myself but seeing as you are interested in it here are a couple of pics. for you to pick holes in and slag it off if you like...

It has the stronger B5234T3 engine with 240bhp as standard but it has an HLM304 remap together with other engine mods.....suspension mods are 40mm lower all round with Bisteins and 302mm Brakes and is fairly quick and does it with dignity and no rowdy noises.......does that satisfy you?...my 960 i owned some 5yrs ago!


http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm230/48kg/97V70T5Remapped_zpsbbfe6c6e.jpg (http://s297.photobucket.com/user/48kg/media/97V70T5Remapped_zpsbbfe6c6e.jpg.html)

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm230/48kg/97T5_zpsbd753b4d.jpg (http://s297.photobucket.com/user/48kg/media/97T5_zpsbd753b4d.jpg.html)

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm230/48kg/002_zpsdc789546.jpg (http://s297.photobucket.com/user/48kg/media/002_zpsdc789546.jpg.html)

[graemewelch]

is it that time of month for some of us

[V70 Graham]

I'm with stribo.....salted or sweet mate ?

[stribo]

I'm feeling in a sweet mood. ;)

[M-R-P]

nice motor, why would I slag it off? you've clearly kept it very well.

if I cause any kind of damage to someone's car, indirectly or otherwise, not that it happens, I put it right regardless of cost.

be honest though, your recent posts have just been picking holes in mine. in fact I don't think I've seen a single post from you complimenting another member's efforts, just spouting off with tedious and often patronising little trinkets of info that may or may not have any use or relevance to the thread.
we all fulfill some kind of role within the forum, how about fulfilling yours at somebody else for a change?

[M-R-P]

How on earth are you supposed to get to the rear bolt for the heatshield. Managed to get a spanner on it but couldn't budge it. Ended up srlippibg off and dropped spanner onto engine tray underneath. A few expletives later I gave up.

try it with the engine a little warm (not hot, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself lol) use a good quality ring spanner too.

long arms are also useful when dealing with things in and around the turbo area.

[lukeous]

well that surprised me when i come back on & to be fair i found it quite easy and found MRP's information very helpful. Also to be fair if i would of broke it i would of classed it as my fault cause i was doing it just took my time with it and wound it in a couple at a time and then took it for a spin and its running 14psi with the mbc and never ran better comes on boost nicely and holds boost.

just about to fit my new rear springs and front grooved discs and pads later on today.

Cheers MRP & Anyone else who had a input before it went all bitchey :) LOL!

[M-R-P]

Sorry your thread descended into chaos for a bit there mate, this sort of thing doesn't happen often and I know it doesn't look good to a new member when people are squabbling on one of their first threads.

Glad to see the car is up and running now. Have you checked the PCV system as it's always a good call when you first take on a T5. Failure to spot a blocked PCV can lead to rather large garage bills... :(

[lukeous]

pcv????

[M-R-P]

Sitting comfortably?

The PCV is the Positive Crankcase Ventilation system.
It's known to block on these engines and the resulting pressure in the block can rupture the RMS (rear main seal - crank seal) Repairing the RMS requires removing the gearbox, clutch and flywheel and often the clutch will need replacing as a result of oil ingress.

To check the pcv (this is the easy bit) go for a drive and get the engine up to normal temperature. Pull over and with the engine running, pull the dipstick out. If you see puffs of white smoke then the PCV is blocked and should be dealt with asap.

There's a particular part of the PCV on the 200-2004 cars that is most likely to block and is simple, if awkward, to sort.

[lukeous]

ideal yea sounds similar to like what went wrong in the mises mum & dads mpv as it pissed all its oil all over the flywheel and clutch costing them £900 sorry not been on much had a leak in the powersteering where the feed joins to the pump and it was tracking underneath and all down the block to the bottom so was hard to find fixed it but theres still something appearing on the sump so dont know whether i have a oil leak or its just excess making its way down ahhhhhh got the rear springs and new discs fitted now tho :)

[M-R-P]

Cool. The cap on the PS tank is known to leak after a few years. The main places for an oil leak is the turbo oil return pipe, dipstick tube seal and between the block and gearbox (you don't want that one - RMS) Otherwise, it's probably just leftover oil from the PS.

[T5REU]

grab the rod on the actuator and see how tight it is. If you can move it with both hands but not with one, it's roughly ok but if it moves easily, it needs adjusting.

The wastegate on these cars have a habit of sticking sometimes but I doubt it's that causing the problem.[/QUOTE]
When u say move do u mean push all the way back with both hands? I can move my rod slightly with one hand. It pushes in slightly against the spring. Would u say I have too much movement. I have a similar problem i my stage 2.some times in 3 gear, from cold I get full on boost then after about 30 minutes of driving it backs off to 10psi. I've now install a fmic but not driven it yet to see if this fixes the issue. Was thinking it was the tempature. Motorway driving g is always running standard boost for some reason never goes over 10psi.

[T5REU]

Is there an actuator replacement part on ebay for a 16t and 19t? When I had my map done at shark they couldn't get any higher figures than 250bhp on my 01 s60t5. Ben told me to get the actuator replaced then come back for a set up. Got a old second d hand one off Tim Williams and was a massive difference boosting from 10psi to 10psi settling back to 14psi.but after a few months I don't seem to be getting above 10psi in 3rd gear or above once the car has been driven for a while. Just street driving not race track.

[M-R-P]

You need to pull the rod away from the actuator, if it moves with both hands but not with one then it's roughly there (depending on the strength of the individual).
the weak actuator problem would normally be there from cold and possible accentuated when hot but I doubt there'd be much difference. If you're loosing boost when hot, I'd be looking for weak boost pipes or even a cracked turbo/manifold or even just the ecu playing silly buggers

[lukeous]

could heat soak be a problem on the top intercooler pipe mine runs over the top and gets red hot cant be good for bhp. The leak is on the left so no way near the gearbox which is good, its near the dip stick but dont know where cause the inlet is in the way fingers crossed that it was the ps leak!

[M-R-P]

AITs drop once you're moving so heat soak isn't an issue at all for road use mate.

[partsforvolvos.com]

How on earth are you supposed to get to the rear bolt for the heatshield. Managed to get a spanner on it but couldn't budge it. Ended up srlippibg off and dropped spanner onto engine tray underneath. A few expletives later I gave up.

the amount of repeated heat/cooldown in the manifold area it is probably jammed solid - if you idle the car to 1/4 temp if might crack off more easily but be careful of burns !

[jdavis]

the amount of repeated heat/cooldown in the manifold area it is probably jammed solid - if you idle the car to 1/4 temp if might crack off more easily but be careful of burns !

Just seen this, Thanks.
Ended up doing it from underneath, loads easier to get access to it and could get my small 1/4" ratchet on it.

Mine was slack, tightened it up about 3 turns and pulls loads better now. can feel a real difference!

[M-R-P]

Just seen this, Thanks.
Ended up doing it from underneath, loads easier to get access to it and could get my small 1/4" ratchet on it.

Mine was slack, tightened it up about 3 turns and pulls loads better now. can feel a real difference!

Happy days :D