I installed some Helix i/c pipes recently and afterwards I could tell something was off. I took it to the dyno last night and my thoughts were confirmed. My HP numbers were about the same, however, my TQ dropped from 355 to 330. After thinking about it for a night, I’ve narrowed the problem. It’s got to be one of the following:

1. Boost leak.
2. New intercooler pipes are too big and the stock turbo is no longer efficiently pushing the air through it.
3. My JDM MR BOV isn’t holding enough boost and it’s leaking out (boost leak).

Also odd is that when I’m WOT in 3rd, the gauge says I’m making less psi than when I’m WOT in 4th. 3rd also seems to hold boost better. In 4th the psi drops significantly.

The reason I suspect a boost leak is that I was trouble shooting with 101 octane and a few times had the boost turned up to 29 psi. In 4th gear the boost drops from 29 down to like 21-22 as the revs climbed.

If I'm not mistaken, there can only be so many places the boost can be leaking from. It has to be from one of the i/c fittings, right? Would tightening them all down resolve leaking? Where else can the boost leak from because I didn't change anything else except for the pipes.

Can one of you guys help me with this?

 

Sounds like a boost leak, so common sense says do a leak test.

 

Well, yeah - of course it sounds like a boost leak. If I knew how to do the leak test, I wouldn't have posted my dilemma. I saw some how-to's on making your own testing system, but it might as well been written in Chinese for all I understood.

This is why I want to know places where the boost can escape. I figured I'd just go and double check all the areas in question.

 

Going about it blindly, the only thing you can do is tighten all the IC clamps and check vaccum hoses. If you have added any mods such as a MBC make sure you zip tie the connections.

 

Are you using regular hose clamps or T-bolt clamps? I had a bad boost leak when I was using regular hose clamps and i switched them all to t-bolt clamps and i havent had a boost leak in over 5k miles.

 

I do have a boost controller and it was zip tied, but I recently mounted it to a bracket. The hose is tighter now, but it definitely looks okay still... I think.

I think I'm going to take it to a shop and have them dx and fix the issue for me. I'm really curious now if anyone else has had any problems with the Helix intercooler pipe kit while still using the stock 9.8 turbo. Perhaps the turbo is just running out of breath because the pipes are bigger. Perhaps I need a bigger turbo to push more CFM.

Ugh... ain't fixing stuff just a hoot?

 

For what its worth I had the LPI U/LICP kit which is basically the same as the Helix and found that I had over tightened one of the t-bots and crushed a portion of the pipe. I ended up adding another clamp to the joint and it helped but still leaked. Last weekend I went back to the stock UICP and cranked the crap out of all joints and problem solved. For what the UICP is worth, id just assume keep it stock and know I dont have any leaks. To me its worth losing the ~3whp that the UICP gives, especially those which are made to retain the factory battery.

 

Hi,

The 60mm Helix IC pipe is prefect for any stock size turbo. You should double check if all the silicon hoses are secure over the pipes. The max pressure lost I ever saw on my 03 Evo was about .3-.5 psi. However, the response is much better with the hard pipes.

Thanks,
Tom