| ID: 1352 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: ECU Question: Wiz, I have a late phase 1 car, it has a watercooled turbo, an anti-perc fan, phase 1 headertank and rad hoses and the ecu is above the turbo. My question is whether the ecu I have is a phase 1 or 2 as the rest of my engine is a bit of both? I believe that the phase 2 one is better with a higher rev limit, so would it be any benift getting a phase 2 ecu fitted if it is not one already? Cheers, P.S I have e-mailed a few of the main tuners w.r.t fitting an imprezza engine, but none have got back to me. Could you reccomend any one to advice me on the possibility of the conversion. Answer: There is no rev limit on the GTT but the phase 2 ignition module has a better advance curve for a fraction more torque. If you look at the module it will have a number phase 1 is Renix 208 and phase 2 is Renix 209. |
| ID: 1353 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Still poor boost!! Question: I have checked all pipes, intercooler, everything, can't seem to find a leak, I have also noticed I can't hear my airfilter sucking much, no ""whoosh"" noise on boost, also when I let off the accelerator from full throttle, the boost guage flicks round to 1 bar then back to zero, but it's still running 0.5bar, I also tried removing one of the pipes to the actuator but to no effect, still 0.5bar, what else could it be?? Answer: This is a wild shot in the dark................... Try removing the carb elbow and see if the carb is blocked by the internal seal from the intercooler. I have seen this happen once before. |
| ID: 1354 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: carb jets? Question: hi wiz,i wonder if u can shed some light on the carb jets+air corrector ting that everyone goes on about! i have run fives for a few years now and hav always run at about 18 psi and the only fuelling mod i have made on all these cars is to remove the jet at the front of the carb and very carefully put a 1.3 mm drill bit through it as the standard hole is 1.2,clean and fit back,bearing in mind this is such an easy thing to do + requires no parts,and i have never hand on heart ,(touch wood) melted any pistons or blown a gasket! please could u tell me wot in your opinion the correct jets are and air correcter ting for running 18-21 psi? cheers jay! Answer: A 130 main jet is about right for 18psi you may need a 135 for 21psi though. The air corrector is worth changing if your car goes lean at the top end. You won't know this is happening unless you blow up or have the car rolling roaded. It also allows you to run a smaller main jet for economy and use the size of the air corrector to adjust the fuel when on higher boost. |
| ID: 1355 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: intercooler Question: dear wizard how is the intercooler fixed to the car mine is just held there by the air pipes there is nothing holding it at the bottom please can u help cheers Answer: The intercooler sits in a bracket with two small round rubber mounts. It is held in place by the shape of the air ducting and a rubber strap. |
| ID: 1356 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: click click fireGRRRRRRRRDDDD Question: wiz, need a bit of help here, when i try to start my car from cold it takes a while, but after its started the motor grinds, now at first i thought it was me, but now i'm not sure, as i know how to start the car, the starting circuit is fine and the fuel pump is working, it takes a few turns the crank the engine as well, the only thing i can think of is the plugs, it has ngk r plugs, how often do these have to be changed, the engine is fairly modded (165bhp) cheers luke Answer: Decent plugs should last 20k miles but most recommend 12k miles. Your noise after starting could be down to a lazy starter motor not disengaging fast enough. |
| ID: 1357 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Poor lighting Question: Wizard, The light on my 5 is really dim, they work fine but just dim,i've put new uprated bulbs in ,not much difference,so i pulled the headlights off for closer look and the only thing that i saw that the inside of head lamp was very dirty,whats the best stuff to use to clean it as you can't get any cloths etc in there,cheers wiz. Answer: You could try something like costic soda and water and just soak it but i have never bothered and just bought new lights! |
| ID: 1358 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: re overboosting Question: Thanks wiz the actuator feeds were the wrong way round...both the d/v and turbo are working fine,just one more small question though,the previous owners been rewiring!!! I'm sure i already no the answer but i shall ask the audience just to be safe,which way should the fan spin? cheers again Answer: I can't think off the top of my head which direction it spins (most car fans usually go clockwise) but if it going the wrong way then it will be trying to push air back through the radiator rather than dragging it towards the engine. |
| ID: 1359 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Standard blower Question: Can I run 21psi on the standard blower ? Answer: Yes but it won't last very long at all! Best to stick to 16-18psi |
| ID: 1360 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Slipping clutch Question: What is the max boost the standard clutch can cope with before it starts slipping ? Answer: It all depends on the torque the clutch has to cope with. Boost is irrelvent. I would say about 160 bhp and similar torque would do a standard clutch in no time. Just get the uprated volvo clutch as it will cope with 200 bhp easy. |
| ID: 1361 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: re fan direction Question: Wiz i'v looked at the fan again and when i switch it on it is drawing air from the rad. I've fitted a seperate switch as it's been running hot while in traffic etc..when it's switched on it seems to make no differance...it just get hotter...the fans seems running anti-clockwise as you look at it from the N/S door and is pushing quite a lot of air onto the engine. I'll be changing the t-stat at the weekend but does this sound normal? ps when it's on a run the gauge is showing the temp at about a third as soon as it hits traffic it rises and then falls when i get it to around 45 and so on and so...do you have any tips please Answer: As the temp drops on the run i would guess that the radiator is blocked or the water pump is worn as it sounds like the coolant isn't circulating properly in traffic and the fan creates the only airflow at low speed or at idle. Try flushing the rad out in the opposite direction to flow ie water in at bottom hose as this will push any crud out rather than forcing it further into the radiator. |
| ID: 1362 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: high boost, no power! Question: HI wiz my 5 has had a boost kit fitted ( bigger jet & a in car kit) ive set it at 1 bar, and it reaches it ok, but it seems slow at accelerating, could it be a fuel problem, cos i had it tinkered with due to poor starting after it was fitted, or could it still be air leak even though it is reaching 1 bar (it will even go up to 1.5 but still seems slow!) please help cos well lane charge a fortune!!!! Answer: If you are getting the boost on the gauge but no power then i would have to suggest that you have a boost leak below where the boost is measured from. I assume you are reading at the carb top. So it could be a split pipe below the carb top, a split dump valve diaphram, the ""O"" ring under the elbow leaking or maybe even a manifold gasket leak. |
| ID: 1363 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Ram Air Question: Just a Quick one mate,At the moment i have a piperX cone air filter on, do you think i would get any benifit/performance increase from fitting a Ram air induction kit as i have the chance of getting one cheap? Thanx mate Answer: Not really but the ram might help if you use it on its own for max power ie on a rolling road but it will not really be much better on the road. |
| ID: 1364 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: CARB JETS 2 Question: the jet at the front of the carb is that the main jet?and where is the air corrector situated? cheers wiz jay! Answer: Yes its the main jet. The air corrector is the jet you can see down the bore of the carb if you remove the carb elbow. |
| ID: 1365 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Alcohol..... Question: Hello o wise 1..... how can it be that i'm so addicted to this alcohol thing??? if i set up water injection can i blow meself sum neat J D into the carb....... ? IF not me got a mate who cud get sum absinthe which shud add a few extra bhp ;-) Just let mi know if ya wants sum to accompany that pipe u're smokin ta ta Answer: Ah young Steevio, How nice of you to offer me a snifter to go with my pipe. I wouldn't waste good J.D in the carb and to use absinthe would be a sin! I think you need an intrevenous supply of alcohol rather than injection. I hear vodka is good for that. (Black label is best!) Toodle pip! |
| ID: 1366 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: 17 Question: I've got 17's with the carisma kit but i want it even lower and as im gonna be puttin 18's on soon i thought i would hack the arches to pieces once again, so what tips would u advise to give me some more space to play with!! Cheers mate P.S. i've made new mounts for the rear bumper so they are miles out the way of the tyres and what do you think the best offset to go for is on 18's Answer: I would speak to Jamie at Carisma about this as he is one of only a few people to do this on a 5. I believe that you need to remove metal from the rear trailing arms as the tyres hit there. It will also raise your car rather than lower it due to the larger rolling radius of the 18's. |
| ID: 1367 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Flat Battery Question: Hey there Wizz! Hope you can help! I have had a battery discharge itself within 4 weeks (twice in 2 months) and prior to that which resulted in us changing the starter motor and alternator. We are getting a read out of 13.5 - should this be more. We cannot work out what is discharging the battery so quickly. I only have the clock and head unit/cd changer working off it when the engine is off. However, the car does take quite a long time to fire (up to 10 turns before it fires) more often than not. Could this be our problem? Or could it be anything else? Please help as I'm afraid to take it out now case it doesn't start. A list of things to check would be nice, then we can rule out the ones we've already checked. Answer: I would suspect that either your new alternator is not kicking out enough ampage to fully charge the battery after you have used all that power starting it, or that the battery is not getting fully charged due to it being too big for the car. (Is it uprated or standard size?) 13.5 volts is normal and should be fine. What you need to do is take the positive lead off of the battery and put a multimeter in between the terminal on the battery and the clamp on the lead. With the multimeter set to amps you will get a reading of the ampage being drained from the battery all the time. You will be suprised how short a time a battery will last with a head unit and clock connected. This is made worse if you have an alarm or active immobiliser as well. |
| ID: 1368 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: mirror mirror Question: wiz, some bastid has broke my offside wing mirror glass, i know that euro car parts sell the glass for 3.75 which is fairly alright, but i wanna know how to change the mirror, i hear its a bugger, looks like a solid unit any advice will help cheers luke Answer: You can either stick the new glass over the old one or pick off the broken bits and stick it to the backing. The first is a lot easier as the mirror will not want to be removed from the backing due to the glue used. You could try thinners or a glue solvent but it may damage the paintwork if you are not carefull. |
| ID: 1369 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: BOOST GAUGE Question: If my car is set up for 21psi max should I read this boost from the top of the carb or from the base where the ecu pipe is ? Answer: Its up to you where you take the reading from. The ignition module vaccuum pipe reading is what the engine will actually see but the turbo itself will be producing more than that due to intercooler and carb losses so be careful if your turbo is rated at 25psi or less. Also the carb top reading is boost only whereas the vaccuum line shows depression and boost. |
| ID: 1370 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Identifying Turbos Question: Being the Wizard you can tell me!!! How can I identify what model a Garrett Turbo housings are from looking at it externally? Cheers!!! Answer: You can't! If there are no serial plates etc then the only indications are size and A/R. ie. 0.35 A/R turbine housing is a standard T2 |
| ID: 1371 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Dash lights. Question: Hi Wizz, Just a quickie. I have got a Sony Minidisc head unit which is for the new golfs. Blue and red lights. I love this color scheme and would lik eto have it for the dash and instrument panels. Are the see through parts of the heater dials coloured or is it the bulbs which are coloured green and orange for the dash. Can I then just replace the bulbs with the right color bulbs. PS. My previous dim dash was due to the dimmer switch which I thought 5's didnt have. Some mothers do have em. thanks and keep up the good work. Few beers owed to you. Answer: The bulbs are plain white it is the surrounds that are coloured. You may be able to get some effect by changing the bulbs but you will have to change the surrounds to clear to get the full effect. |
| ID: 1372 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: bulkhead? Question: Hi, in one of my recent questions you mentioned a bulkhead. Is this the part were the battery sits? Because the smell of petrol comes through the car when the boost is up and i've noticed a small silicon tube sitting in the part were the battery sits! Answer: You are right it is the wall of the car between the engine and passenger compartments. I expect the smell is due to the fumes coming in through the heather blower. Just route the pipe to the engine side and all should be fine. |
| ID: 1373 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: jets Question: hi wiz could you tell me what main jet and air corrector jet i need to use for running about 25 psi. Also what else do i need over a standard car to run this boost pressure as well as a bigger turbo. cheers. Answer: I cannot give you a deffinate jetting but i would suggest something like a 145-150 main and 90-100 air corrector. You will probably need an uprated intercooler, fuel pump, headgasket, maybe Group A carb, possibly head/manifold flowing. |
| ID: 1374 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Daft question, probably. Question: Wizard, I just got some 15"" wheels, they are TSW Imola, 15x7 35mm offset and 195/45 tyres. As you can see, I went with recommended sizes. Now I have never fitted Alloy wheels before and am a little confused with these steel rings that came with the wheels. I am pretty sure that they are suppose to go in side the wheel and on the axle for support, but it makes my life very hard fitting the wheels. Have I got it right? And, do you know an easy way to get them on? It seems to me that if it's this hard to get on, how hard will it be to change if I need to swap a wheel later? Cheers, Jon. Answer: Put a smear of copperslip or a similar anti siezing compound on the rings before you fit them. They are there to ensure the centre section of the wheel is supported and not just the wheel nut holes. |
| ID: 1375 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: intercooler ID Question: hi wiz could you tell me what a standard intercooler is made of?...and maybe what it should look like. ta pete Answer: A standard intercooler is an alloy core with plastic end caps. |
| ID: 1376 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Standard blower 2 Question: Hi wiz, Thanks for all your help so far! You said I could run 21psi max on the standard turbo even though it wouldn`t last very long but do you mean 21psi at the turbo itself or 21psi as in what the engine is getting ( boost reading taken from the ecu pipe ) Cheers Daniel Paul Answer: Well Sparkie is said to have seen 28psi from a standard turbo so it is only a rough guide anyway! |
| ID: 1377 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: even more power! Question: i want a stupidly quick car!!! since cracking a liner in november i have changed a few things. low compression pistons,the head was reconditioned like new, in car boost, new samco hoses ,uprated head gasket, double sized intercooler, uprated fuel pump, twin dump valves, i am getting a group A carb fitted soon and i know it badly needs an uprated turbo. it is runnung on 15 psi and i am getting 184 bhp. wot else would u reccomend to get more power? thanks Answer: I would say a modified head and cam. |
| ID: 1378 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Still crap boost! Question: I checked under the carb top and could see no problem, I have checked everything! help!!!! Answer: Have you tried physically removing, cleaning checking and replacing each pipe in turn as this is what is sometimes needed to find a leak. |
| ID: 1379 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: Running in period Question: Wiz,Recently i cracked a liner on my 5 engine and i've just replaced the hole lot. My 5 was running 15psi is this too high for a new engine if so should i run it with no boost but for how many miles?cheers wiz Answer: I would run it at almost no boost for a couple of hundred miles and then build up the boost gradually every couple of hundred miles. |
| ID: 1380 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: creeping idle!! Question: Hi wiz I have recently noticed that my car has started to idle about 300-400 revs faster sometimes. Most the time its fine, but sometimes it increases. If the car is in gear and I release the clutch a bit, the idle returns back to normal?? Any Ideas?? Cheers!! :) Answer: I expect that the return spring on the throttle is going soft or the return movement is impeeded by something. |
| ID: 1381 | Date: Archive | Member: Archive | Wizard: Archive |
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Subject: fan going the wrong way Question: the heater fan when switched on sucks not blows why is this and how can i fix it Answer: I would suggest that someone has swopped the wires on the switch at some point. Try reversing them. |