I need help with my Boost Leak!

Okay.This is my first shot at buying a modified car. I'll list the mods below, but here's whats been happening. Lately over the past week or so under hard acceleration, sometimes instead of a constant build of boost, I heard a slight airy 'chatter or flutter' when I get into boost. SO instead of a constant whoooooooooSH! (the end was the BOV ha) it's been more of a whooooOoooOoooOoSH! It's a very fast flutter too. Be honestly it did really affect the acceleration that much so I ignored it. But then yesterday upon hard accleration it fluttered like normal but then at about 5k rpms the car like immediatly lost all boost (and jerked a little) and the CEL came on. But it's not like a vacc hose just popped off because that after the incident you'd expect to heard a huge airy leak and not be able to build any pressure at all. But it does this build up of pressure to like 5k rpms, then just like almost a 'boom' or immediate pressure loss. I am certain it is turbo related but where? I checked all the hoses for leaks, but nothing! The mod's that could affect it : Grimmspeed Electronic Boost Solenoid, GFB Hybrid BOV, Aftermarket FMIC. Could something maybe be wastegate related? Any thoughts would help.

What code is it ?

 

drive easy to the auto parts store and have them check the code for free.

Okay i will do that now and see what they say!

pre turbo air leak causing overboost and lean condition. would be my guess

Wastegate flutter? Can you hear it in the exhaust noise?

pre turbo air leak causing overboost and lean condition. would be my guess

 

^This

 

And retighten all intake hoses from filter to turbo, and I/C to intake manifold.

okay so I went to autozone today and ran the code. they said it was a MAF code which they said what usually came up with a turbo related problem. anyway on my way home however the car seemed to hold boost a little better than it did yesterday. the turbo still spools chattery tho... im not sure if this is related at all, but yesterday is way absolutely pouring rain here and today it's dry as a bone... first real rainstorm i took it out in... but even if the slick conditions caused the leak, why is the turbo spooling and seeming to lose a tiny bit of air like 4 times a second? im usually pretty car savvy as this is my 4th subaru but im stumped.

clean the maf sensor? check for airbox leaks? boost leak test?

Are you able to Datalog?

the car has an aftermarket intake that sucks air from the wheel well (not a cold air one tho) and i cleaned the MAF like 2 days ago

and the code was MAF high input... P0103

might need to be replaced

how would that affect the way the turbo spools though?

it's directly related to fueling which can cause drivability hesitations. im not sure of really any other reason you'd get a maf specific code, and it being the only code you get. sounds like a sensor error.

http://www.obd-codes.com/p0103

 

Yes it will cause problems if it's defective.

My guess is the noise is just wastegate flutter. Had plenty of that at stage2 with my stock turbo. Don't hear any with my bigger turbo. The noise was amplified with my aftermarket intake as well.

 

The sudden loss in power sounds like you've tripped the boost limit and the engine falls flat on its face. Your last update indicating that it happened in the pouring rain sounds like an issue I chased for weeks in wet conditions. I would get MAF related CEL codes under heavy acceleration, but only in the wet. Turns out the filter on my AEM intake was getting wet. Theory is that the water hits the MAF wire, cools it down, and screws with the amount of air the ECU thinks the engine is pulling in.

 

Once I knew what was happening, it still took a while to correct. The AEM filter was not getting wet from large puddles and water directly splashing into the wheel well. Turns out it was water coming in through the grill, hitting the intake hard pipe, and trickling down to the filter. I fixed it by modifying a plastic funnel to fit over the hard pipe and create an umbrella of sorts over the top of the filter. Now any water that hits the hard pipe, flows down and over the filter element, not onto it. I have not had a single CEL in wet conditions since installing the funnel mod, including a track day with deep standing water on one of the straights.

a funked up maf sensor, whether broken or dirty, will also cause ECU correlation to MAP to be haywire, the ecu may see it as overboost even if it really isnt. MAF and MAP communicate with each other too

okay someone else thinks that the MAF could have gotten wet... i might just replace the intake with the stock airbox.

That would be the best option first.

okay someone else thinks that the MAF could have gotten wet... i might just replace the intake with the stock airbox.

What intake is installed in the car now?

sounds like an aem

does the code keep coming back? or only when its wet out?

it's fixed! wet MAF! looks like im dumping my old intake!

:golfclap: