also you cant build past 8-10psi through the turbo inlet? wow...... you need to address that, i doubt your car runs 11's anymore with it like that. my brand new motor that i only let idle 2 times for 5minutes even holds 35psi and takes a good minute to drop to zero even with a odd oring leak in the tb that mil.spec is currently fixing. (not tb shaft seal).

 

I am not sure what you meant by saying you can eliminate leaks from the valve cover if you pressurize the UICP and engine. The engine is one of the places you can leak into the valve cover, so I wouldn't be eliminating that if my rings were leaking, a headgasket was bad or my valve stem seals were bad. My test varified that all those things were good, as when I pressurized there, I did not hear any valve cover leaking.

As far as the turbo being warm goes, I just got done boosting like 33psi and driving it about 5 miles so everything was warm. I will check for the smokescreen next time, but I think I would have noticed it by now, maybe it is too small of a leak still to cause that.

As far as still running 11s, I guarantee I can still run low 11s as I varify every time I get on it with my AEM logs and dyno math. Still pushing the same WHP I did when I ran these times, except I might be down 10-20hp on the top end, due to the boost tapering off 5psi instead of the normal 2-3psi I use to get. Like I said, I think it might be the turbo finally on its way out. The turbo now has 75k on it, with over 400 1/4 mile passes, several auto cross passes and 11 hill climb passes on it over the 4 and a half years it has been on the car. The Forced Performance lady said the ball bearings will last forever, I am not sure I believe that. I guess I can always send it to them and have them tell me if it's shot.

 

yes i understand when you pressurize the upper its still going to go into the motor through the intake manifold runners.

I doubt you have the smoke screen either or you would have already noticed it.. so you think even with that bad of a problem you can still run low 11's? i dont know.. either way 11.1 is awesome. what turbo you have?

can you hold more then 8-10 with the motor warm right after a pull? im willing to bet you can.

 

I am running a plain GT35R, AMS spec with the 5 bolt .63 a/r turbine housing.

I can build the boost past 8-10 with my compressor high enough, it will just leak very quickly out of the valve cover. I choose not to do high pressure boost leak checks, because I am paranoid of my tester becomming a leathal weapon Leave out the turbo and it leaks very slowly out of my injector seals. I should also note that my boost controller is hooked directly to my compressor housing, so leaving out the turbo also leaves out the boost controller, but that couldn't be causing my valve cover leak anyway. Right now my logs are saying I hold 33 psi out to around 7400rpm and then taper pretty rapidly down to 28psi by 8000rpm and hold it out till 8500rpm.

What's funny is when I was only holding 31-32psi, dropping to 29, I had a huge boost leak with my EGR vacuum line being disconnected. As soon as I fixed that vacuum line, I noticed my boost shoot up to 35psi, dropping to 30psi. When I cranked the controller down to bring my boost back down the same huge drop remained.

 

dont you smell fuel since the injectors are leaking? doesnt that concern you? rubber does tend to do wierd things in cold weather though. i guess it doesnt matter all that much about the turbo seal leaking as i thought it would, if youre still making almost the same power than id run it until you get the smoke screen.. its not like its going to hurt anything ( i wouldn't think)

 

damn id say you got your moneys worth out of that turbo than. I don't think the ball bearings would go bad either unless some kind of debris got in there or you starved them of oil.... the seals will go bad though. most people change the bearings though with the seals.. it only makes sense since its already apart.

 

I am fairly certain there is no way to replace just the seals unforntunately, which means an $800 center section is in my near future. I definitely feel the turbo has lasted long enough though.