Boost Leak Advice - '23 Si

[Ddd101]

'23 Si with 24k miles. Stock other then Acuity shifter bushings I installed a year ago.

I noticed about two weeks ago that my car felt down on power and I heard some buzzing around 3k rpm. Switched to the boost gauge and it was not showing any boost through any of the gears. It was only showing vacuum and when I got higher in the rev range it might hit 0 psi with the occasional flicker at 1 or 2 psi. No CEL, no stored codes. Drives totally fine other than the lack of turbo. Unplugged the battery, checked for any loose hoses or sensors/connectors around the intake/turbo. Nothing obvious and no change

I took it to a local dealer. They said they checked it out and it was fine. Picked it up and the concern was identical. Had to go for a test drive with the advisor to point it out and he did not understand how turbos work and assured me the gauge is not supposed to go over 0 psi. Spoke with the service manager who advised me to "keep an eye on it" or leave it for 2 weeks for them to diagnose further. Helpful.

I decided to check the clamps on the intercooler resonator since they're somewhat accessible and they did tighten a bit and it seems to have improved things a bit. Now it builds some boost in higher gears, but 1st and 2nd is non existent and the higher gears it seems to fade once it builds. If I accelerate slowly towards 6k it will build up to around 5-8 psi then drop to 0 while accelerating. It seems to only properly build if I accelerate quickly, which I don't want to do in this condition.

I found another dealer and explained the situation and left it with them for a few days. They also said it's fine and it's basically my imagination. Clearly the dealers are backed up and not wanting to diagnose a vehicle with no CEL on. I don't believe the car was lifted or looked at other then a test drive with a scan tool attached.

I feel like there is a leak in the charge system or the waste gate is stuck open somehow. Would this be the logical places to investigate? I plan on removing the bumper this weekend and double checking all of the connections around the intercooler but I'm not sure what to do beyond that. Dealers keep gaslighting me and the next option is to just drop it off for a few weeks and hope they actually investigate it, or pay for a shop to actually do it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I've been losing my mind on this lately and I have a large commute once a week I need to make for work. I've driven this car for 10k miles and know how it should feel. Something has changed for sure.

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[Stanleywinthrop]

I hope you don't live in the middle of nowhere, because you are probably going to need to take it to a 3rd and maybe even a 4th dealer.

It never ceases to amaze me how dealerships can employ people who have no idea how cars work.

 

[Robdog2232]

I mean, good excuse to buy a bigger turbo

 

[Fanatic]

I mean, good excuse to buy a bigger turbo

Bigger turbo is always a plus it seems. Just make sure there's not heavy turbo lag and adverse effects. : )

 

[SGPkaz]

'23 Si with 24k miles. Stock other then Acuity shifter bushings I installed a year ago.

I noticed about two weeks ago that my car felt down on power and I heard some buzzing around 3k rpm. Switched to the boost gauge and it was not showing any boost through any of the gears. It was only showing vacuum and when I got higher in the rev range it might hit 0 psi with the occasional flicker at 1 or 2 psi. No CEL, no stored codes. Drives totally fine other than the lack of turbo. Unplugged the battery, checked for any loose hoses or sensors/connectors around the intake/turbo. Nothing obvious and no change

I took it to a local dealer. They said they checked it out and it was fine. Picked it up and the concern was identical. Had to go for a test drive with the advisor to point it out and he did not understand how turbos work and assured me the gauge is not supposed to go over 0 psi. Spoke with the service manager who advised me to "keep an eye on it" or leave it for 2 weeks for them to diagnose further. Helpful.

I decided to check the clamps on the intercooler resonator since they're somewhat accessible and they did tighten a bit and it seems to have improved things a bit. Now it builds some boost in higher gears, but 1st and 2nd is non existent and the higher gears it seems to fade once it builds. If I accelerate slowly towards 6k it will build up to around 5-8 psi then drop to 0 while accelerating. It seems to only properly build if I accelerate quickly, which I don't want to do in this condition.

I found another dealer and explained the situation and left it with them for a few days. They also said it's fine and it's basically my imagination. Clearly the dealers are backed up and not wanting to diagnose a vehicle with no CEL on. I don't believe the car was lifted or looked at other then a test drive with a scan tool attached.

I feel like there is a leak in the charge system or the waste gate is stuck open somehow. Would this be the logical places to investigate? I plan on removing the bumper this weekend and double checking all of the connections around the intercooler but I'm not sure what to do beyond that. Dealers keep gaslighting me and the next option is to just drop it off for a few weeks and hope they actually investigate it, or pay for a shop to actually do it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I've been losing my mind on this lately and I have a large commute once a week I need to make for work. I've driven this car for 10k miles and know how it should feel. Something has changed for sure.

Following.

Unbelievable that your dealer is that useless. Ask for their master tech and get out on a drive with him.

If you do have to go to another shop, take the bill to the dealer and claim under warranty.

Do you hear any hissing?

 

[Ddd101]

Following.

Unbelievable that your dealer is that useless. Ask for their master tech and get out on a drive with him.

If you do have to go to another shop, take the bill to the dealer and claim under warranty.

Do you hear any hissing?

Haha yup, crazy experiences. Might resort to an actual shop if I can't get a third one to diagnose it. I used to be a service advisor at a dealer for a decade so I'm somewhat familiar with the process of warranty work. I get things are busy nowadays and master/A techs are stretched thin.

A service manager giving me all shrugs is just absurd though. I shouldn't have to explain the difference between vacuum and boost to him when he asked why I thought there was an issue.

Nope, no hissing that I can hear.

 

[Johaw]

Haha yup, crazy experiences. Might resort to an actual shop if I can't get a third one to diagnose it. I used to be a service advisor at a dealer for a decade so I'm somewhat familiar with the process of warranty work. I get things are busy nowadays and master/A techs are stretched thin.

A service manager giving me all shrugs is just absurd though. I shouldn't have to explain the difference between vacuum and boost to him when he asked why I thought there was an issue.

Nope, no hissing that I can hear.

What part of New England are you in? if your a bit south of Boston there is a shop i used to go to they do great work on all types of cars.

 

[PNEUMA]

The service departments are brushing you off. They know how turbochargers work (or they shouldn’t be working in the service dept). I would not leave my car at a dealership for several weeks while they do nothing, and certainly they can make an appointment for you so that it might be tied up for a day, not weeks.
If you cannot diagnose it yourself this weekend, I would go to a trusted/recommended shop and schedule with them.
My opinion: if you cannot find a boost leak in clamps or hoses, I would disconnect the wastegate controller and go for a short spin around the block. You should know immediately if the WG or controller is the issue (ie open state). After that, I wonder if your Turbo bearing could be on the way out? That could explain some sporadic spooling.

 

[Ddd101]

The service departments are brushing you off. They know how turbochargers work (or they shouldn’t be working in the service dept). I would not leave my car at a dealership for several weeks while they do nothing, and certainly they can make an appointment for you so that it might be tied up for a day, not weeks.
If you cannot diagnose it yourself this weekend, I would go to a trusted/recommended shop and schedule with them.
My opinion: if you cannot find a boost leak in clamps or hoses, I would disconnect the wastegate controller and go for a short spin around the block. You should know immediately if the WG or controller is the issue (ie open state). After that, I wonder if your Turbo bearing could be on the way out? That could explain some sporadic spooling.

So I got the bumper off today actually. All the connections for the intercooler and charge pipes seem tight. Reseated a few and double checked the torque on the Intercooler itself. I don't think there's a leak in that system.

I did unplug the connector for the waste gate module. Performs about the same and I can hear the air coming out of the waste gate. If unplugged should that be stuck open or closed?

Thanks for the help!!

 

[PNEUMA]

I wouldn’t think you would hear air escaping via the WG when the module was disconnected. Something seems amiss right there.

 

[Ddd101]

Makes sense. Take 3 at the dealership next Monday. Physically going on a test drive with the service manager and master tech to point it out. Thanks for everyone's help!!

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