So during my motor swap, it was discovered why I had a history of hitting target boost one run and falling horribly short on the next. Here is the Helix uppipe that was in the car since 04: All looks normal until you give it a little tug... I was amazed that with this, I was still able to hit the 15psi mark (sometimes). I guess I should do a review of the pipe and give it good marks up till the 5 year point :unamused:
I already bought a new one and I have no idea who I originally bought the Helix part through. I think it's one of those smile and move on moments unfortunately.
lol n00b? How does one easily tell that the uppipe weld has failed with out the big hassle of pulling it out? Tune should happen as soon as i can get an appointment and am sure we found the source of the coolant leak. The PEAK coolant didn't show up so well with a blacklight so I may add a few drops of UV dye if it becomes an issue.
I went with the GrimmSpeed Ceramic Coated Up Pipe (GRM 003002). It didn't have an EGT bung like the Helix but it did have a flex joint and got rave reviews for the welds and overall long term use. I pinged a few people on iwsti.com who had it and got good feedback. One guy had used his for years in an 04 STi that got rallied on gravel so I figured this one should hold up a little better, especially since I won't be snow rallying my car for the foreseeable future.
I bet there are quite a few people running around with fubar'd uppipes. Because the way they are held in place and their location it really can be hard to see if the weld has broken. This is the second one I have seen in person but have heard of many others.
My engine was drinking a quart of oil every 20 or 30 miles and my intake was coated in oil. Cylinder 4 had crap all over the heads and even more burned on goodness on the piston itself. It looks like the rings went south and the compression and leak down test pointed towards that before the engine was pulled. It was, as they say, le dead.
cast iron, I believe? alex, it's kind of wedged in there between the exhaust manifold and weight of the turbo/down pipe. there probably wasn't much movement, hence his ability to make 15# sometimes
I got the 2.6 built shortblock out of Doug's 08 time attack car Lucy. It's overkill for what I'm currently throwing at it but it means I'll have less to worry about when I get the bug again and upgrade my turbo (again) :wiggle: