Ark's City Goblin #187 (2008 SS/TC donor)

JBINTX

Goblin Guru
Sounds like a leak. Smoke test time. Ross had a good procedure I think.
I will try to get some video of the boost gauge under accel tonight.
 

Ross

Goblin Guru
That boost gauge sounds like it is similar to my SC boost gauge, but I only get 12PSI max.
I'm curious of the other turbo owner's experiences.

Vacuum leak testing video.
 

JBINTX

Goblin Guru
Jeremy, you are still on stock tune, correct? And, are you certain of that? In HP Tuners, it is highly adjustable / limitable.

You got HP Tuners? If so, do some live data logging and post here. Plenty of other smart guys may uncover something with all that data.

We both have '09 turbos. I have an upgraded tune so I get a little more boost. :)

Here are three clips from just a few minutes ago. I apologize for the UN-steady hand. I really do NOT suggest anyone drive a Goblin one handed and video with the other. Just a DIY disclaimer....

I was about 80%-90% into the throttle. And sorry, rev limiter comes fast in first gear when you are concentrating on videoing instead of driving the car. ;)

Not real scientific, but a data point for you to compare. Only did first and second gears.



 
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Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Thanks for the videos, it does appear I have an issue. I don't remember capping off the evap sensor on the front of the engine, where a few guys have removed the sensor and installed a plate. Could that be it?

'08 TC, should be the stock tune but I don't know for sure. No HP Tuners yet, I conceded to my wife after she declared NOT ONE MORE DOLLAR INTO THIS CAR, THIS YEAR!
 

Towerdog

Goblin Guru
So it's time to ask the question I've had on my mind since my first street drive. I suspect something is wrong ... my mind tells me, maybe a vacuum leak, but I don't know enough about turbos and engines and whatnot to say for sure.

My boost gauge, under light or no acceleration at all, reads between 20 and 30 VAC. In moderate acceleration, it reads between 5-10 VAC. Only during heavy acceleration, does it ever get into the positive PSI range (5-10 under heavy acceleration, until I approach red line, where I've seen it spike to 20 PSI once or twice). Is this normal?

My engine idles perfectly. It revs up in RPM's perfectly, it doesn't backfire, and it seems to have plenty of power. But without having driven or ridden in another Goblin, I can't say for sure. I know the car can make you feel like your teeth got knocked out of your mouth (my wife's description), but my mind keeps wandering back to the boost gauge.

School me!
Sounds exactly what my 07 SC does.....
 

Briann1177

Goblin Guru
Dumb question, but are you sure you're driving it hard enough? Also, do you have any engine codes? Acceleration is a very subjective term, but I would say that my boost gauge reads 5-10 PSI under what I would consider as "moderate" acceleration. If I completely floor the accelerator at 3,000 RPM, my boost gauge reads at least 15 PSI steady all the way to redline. Boost isn't really based on RPM meaning you shouldn't see any spikes when you approach redline.

As far as the evap solenoid on your manifold, that won't cause a problem unless it's stuck open. I believe it's only open under vacuum to draw fuel vapors out of the canister and into the intake to be used for combustion. With the entire evap system being deleted, the ECM shouldn't ever command that solenoid to open. It's easy to tell by just sticking your finger over the line and seeing if it sucks. There is no need to remove it completely and cap it off with a custom plug unless you're going for a clean look.
 

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
I believe I'm driving it hard enough. I can't say for sure. It would be splendid to ride in or drive another SS/TC Goblin to gauge, but alas.

I have 3 engine codes, two are evap-related and the other seems irrelevant. I don't remember what they are, but I'll refresh my memory and post them later.

I rolled my ankle pretty bad at work yesterday so I'm trying to stay off of it. I'm afraid Goblin work will have to wait until tomorrow at the very least. :rolleyes:
 

Briann1177

Goblin Guru
When you take it out, floor it and see what the gauge reads. If you're only getting 5-10 PSI pedal to the metal, then you have a problem.

As an IT guy, I'm scratching my head on how another IT guy could possibly roll their ankle at work. Do you mean you rolled over it with your chair? :)
 

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
We have a huge project going on in our warehouse right now and I was moving printers around yesterday. I was removing the carcass of an old HP 8100 (a big, heavy machine) and I could not see where I was stepping. Since I am diabetic and have neuropathy in both my feet, as a rule I need to watch my step because I can't detect my foot position through feel like most people. I planted my foot on a chunk of wood broken off of a pallet and the rest is history. Fortunately, the HP 8100 was already dead before it hit the floor.

Here's the codes I'm getting. As I understand it, P0449 and P0452 aren't a problem since we've removed the evap system, and P0036 seems irrelevant, but I may be wrong.

Screenshot_20210626-101709_BlueDriver.jpg
 

JBINTX

Goblin Guru
Any other builders close to you with HpTuners? I think a deeper dive into the computer will be needed to ascertain if and what issues exist.
 

Waterdriver

Goblin Guru
So it's time to ask the question I've had on my mind since my first street drive. I suspect something is wrong ... my mind tells me, maybe a vacuum leak, but I don't know enough about turbos and engines and whatnot to say for sure.

My boost gauge, under light or no acceleration at all, reads between 20 and 30 VAC. In moderate acceleration, it reads between 5-10 VAC. Only during heavy acceleration, does it ever get into the positive PSI range (5-10 under heavy acceleration, until I approach red line, where I've seen it spike to 20 PSI once or twice). Is this normal?

My engine idles perfectly. It revs up in RPM's perfectly, it doesn't backfire, and it seems to have plenty of power. But without having driven or ridden in another Goblin, I can't say for sure. I know the car can make you feel like your teeth got knocked out of your mouth (my wife's description), but my mind keeps wandering back to the boost gauge.

School me!
This sounds normal. Boost pressure will correspond to load and RPM. A first gear pull, with the short gearing is a light load.
Do a pull in 2nd or 3rd gear, start around 2-3k and roll hard to the throttle and capture peak boost. You should see the boost pressure your set up for then. Unless you actually do have a leak.
My dad and I had built our family van with a carburated turbo kit in the early 80's. (EFI was in its early stages then)
With a manual boost controller it was set for about 22psi. 1st gear pulled 7-10psi, but when it hit second gear, straight to 22psi . Pressure would then start to taper down as the RPM's climbed since the engine was beginning to out consume the airflow of the turbo.
Man that street/strip TH400 shifted hard from 1-2. Much better than the TH350, that let go from the 1-2 shift. Of course it let go when I was driving it.
 

Brett

Well-Known Member
I've moved a few 8100's in my life. Those things are heavy. Should be a two person lift ;)

Hope the ankle gets better and you get the boost issue figured out.
 

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Thanks for all the replies, guys ... as helpful as ever! I won't be driving the car until my ankle is better, but I'll observe some more then.
 

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
My ankle is a bit better so I got the Goblin out yesterday for a brief drive.

The output of my boost gauge is definitely not the same as what I saw in JB's videos, but it's very similar to (though less than) what Briann1177 described in his post above. I'm not going to sweat it too hard, as I have no engine codes and the performance seems to be there when called upon. I do have a couple things to look at, next time I have the engine cover off, though.

Thanks for the input guys, as always!
 

Ark :D

Goblin Guru
Just gave my daughter her first ride (against her will, she was at a sleepover and I picked her up in the Goblin). Her own words: "It's too loud and it's a big Meh."

Guess that'll be her first and last ride.
 

ccannx

Goblin Guru
My 11 year old son has no interest in driving. He wants a nice quite ride that he can play on his tablet uninterrupted. I believe his generation will be riding around in Self Driving Ubers for transportation. Unfortunately we may be that last generation that can appreciate the work and engineering it takes to create a such a machine by hand.

SkyNet will be global by august the A.I. will run it all !! :)
 
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