HELP: making less power than stock w/ turbo

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First off...i just want to say it feels so good to be back...thanks alot guys..

now here goes nothing...

98 prelude w/ f-max kit
at 5 psi intercooled w/ stock exhaust
0 retard and tuned the mf2 a little
i can't figure out why i am making such ****ty numbers...i checked timing,exhuast blockage, leaks, and even did a compression check...
cyl 1: 187
cyl 2: 195
cyl 3: 185
cyl 4: 182

and notice my power starts to fall off kind of early

and....i have a 7 psi spring in my wastgate (deltagate) and i am only reading 5psi... i checked all of the couplings and vac lines...all are tight and good

NOTE: my first run was 144whp btw,...this run was tuned

http://www.geocities.com/stickupman2000/

goodairfuel2.jpg was the final run

i am thinking that my stock exhaust is the problem...but would it rob me of like 30-40whp???

[johnyquest]

LOL yes your stock exhuast is raping you. Try open downpipe first off. Secondly, I've read your thread 15 times. Go make a manual boost controller and run 10lbs. 5lbs of boost is really weak, and at 5lbs the restriction the turbo adds to your exhaust can easily be felt as a loss of power since your running such low boost. I know it works on the greddy kit, 5.5lbs blah blah- but turn it up. A million people run 10lbs, and to tell you the truth the f-max kit (that comes with the mf2) runs 10lbs stock too. Turn up your boost, and you will be happy. 5lbs is just stupid low boost. Turbo's aren't meant to boost 5lbs.

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ha.ha.ha...

i sure hope it is my exhuast...

yeah man i'm just trying to get all the info i can...

i am going to be building my bottom up this spring...
probably going to go with benson sleeves..due to leaving the open water jackets for superior cooling......w/ stock 87mm bore

and a side order of forged goodies to go along w/ that..
i just want to make sure everything is alright before that...
cause i would be pretty pissed off if i did all the work and only made 250whp off 15psi on a h22...know what i mean...

[flip1199]

looks like your having the same prob i had. Regap your plugs to .028 and try again

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they are gapped at .030 right now...do you think that .002 with make a +20whp difference???

and how did you solve your problem???

[flip1199]

well lookin at your graph it seems that right when you hit full boost the power dies. That was the case with me. Turned i i had a missfire. So i bought new plugs and gapped them to .025 and didn't feel the miss anymore.

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well,
i never felt a missfire before...can you describe what it would feel like...also,

i pulled my ngk's out the other day and i noticed that the middle's of all 4 plugs have a split ...going about halfway down...

and i don't remember if they came like that...could this be a sign of misfire???or a sign that .030 is too close of a gap???

[grocgetr]

Originally posted by johnyquest
LOL yes your stock exhuast is raping you. Try open downpipe first off. Secondly, I've read your thread 15 times. Go make a manual boost controller and run 10lbs. 5lbs of boost is really weak, and at 5lbs the restriction the turbo adds to your exhaust can easily be felt as a loss of power since your running such low boost. I know it works on the greddy kit, 5.5lbs blah blah- but turn it up. A million people run 10lbs, and to tell you the truth the f-max kit (that comes with the mf2) runs 10lbs stock too. Turn up your boost, and you will be happy. 5lbs is just stupid low boost. Turbo's aren't meant to boost 5lbs.

granted this is an sr20 but.... my buddy started with a stock sr20 running about 9lb stock... he got a power fc and commander. after tuning he went from 200wph to 220wph and from 9lbs of boost to 6.5 you dont not necessarily need more boost.... especially if you have stock internals.