I don't know if this has happened to anyone else, but it happened to me...
On my original 91 tune, running an sr40 @ 1bar I made 286whp. Lately I've noticed my car feels really sluggish, and for some reason I just had a feeling that something was wrong with my car.

I talked to my tuner and he told me he'd throw my car on the dyno and hook up the wideband to check my AFR since I was so worried. The results.....245whp My car ran almost dangerously lean. He almost backed off the throttle and that pull, but the car wasn't detonating.

What we couldn't figure out was why it was running so lean until we started looking under the hood. I took a flashlight and started looking around the compressor housing of the turbine and sure enough there was a puncture in the inlet hose about .5 inches long.

How did it rip? Well, it looks like there was a little bit of oil around that hose, not a lot, just a wee bit. I'm guessing that the oil softened up the weak rubber that SOA uses for that part. Combine that with the fact that the hose probably conracts and expands so much when on WOT and then getting off the throttle. I'm guessing that's what caused the rip.

So now I am a firm believer in silicone hosing. Although that Samco Inlet hose is going to tear my wallet a new butthole.

Anyways, just thought I'd let you guys know about this. If something similar ever happens it could be the same problem.

I replaced my a year ago. My car engine used to ping and loss of power on very long trip. Since the inlet hose was replaced, no more ping and a small improvement in performance.

This is a known issue with the stock inlet hose. Most people replace it with Perrin/Samco unit before it has a chance to tear open.

Calvin

This is a known issue with the stock inlet hose. Most people replace it with Perrin/Samco unit before it has a chance to tear open.

Calvin

It's good to know most people already do this :D For those that haven't take my experience as a reminder! :furious:

thanks for the heads up.. I am still running the stock one on my car.. Haven't changed it out for the silicone one since I am considering changing to a rotated turbo setup..

You mean the Y-pipe right? Cause I blew a hole in one running like 23 lbs of boost. I know it was stupid, but I had some race gas and we out being stupid. But it flat out blew a hole of about 3 inches wide. All the air was going out of it and my car would run. I thought I blew the motor up til a freind noticed the y-pipe. I have an fp18g.

I guess this could go into Proven Power Bragging...

Wouldn't a leak on the pressure side of the turbo piping make it run rich instead of lean?

its a leak in the inlet tube leading to the compressor, resulting in air not passing over the MAF, causing a lean condition. It is this tube: http://fastwrx.com/samsilinpip.html

its a leak in the inlet tube leading to the compressor, resulting in air not passing over the MAF, causing a lean condition. It is this tube: http://fastwrx.com/samsilinpip.html

Exactly, it's amazing how such a small little rip can cost me 40whp and about $350. Oh well. I guess I should just be thankful I didn't detonate to high hell and blow a hole through a piston or something.

Yep, that hose is CRUCIAL to have sealed up. We often run a test to make sure it is sealed as sometimes the leak is in a place you can not readily see.

Well thanks for this, I now have a reason to get a turbo inlet hose someday..

Yep, that hose is CRUCIAL to have sealed up. We often run a test to make sure it is sealed as sometimes the leak is in a place you can not readily see.
how do you run the test??

I had issues with mine. I had a TXS stage IV plus front mount. I could run faster than 14.00 at 101 MPH. I changed over to the AVO inlet hose I bought from a friend. Without changing anything else, I ran 12.8 at 108 at the same track. 7 MPH is alot!

Needless to say my inlet hose was totally fubared from underneath. There was a 2 inch tear from when I put MY VF-22 on.

god uses a simple pressure testing system...

remove your intake filter and pressurize your system with an air compressor... any good tuner will do this prior to dynoing... to ensure your setup is free of little errors that cause tuning nightmares....

especially with front mount intercooler setups... there is a lot more room for error and leaks...

pressurizing the system allows you to see where any air may be leaking out of... for me... it was completely in a unexpected place... where the blow-by hose connects to the heads... the hose i was using was fairly lose and when i changed out fuel injectors, i forgot to use the clamp when i put the blow by hose back on... substantial leak of boosted air coming right out of that spot...


try a silicone coupler, and end cap of pvc pipe with an inner diameter that fits the coupler... get a tire vavle stem, drill out a hole in the end-cap pvc and fit the valve stem appropriately... that's your pressure testing device... simply couple it to your intake and pressurize with air compressor....

one thing to keep in mind... pressurizing the preturbo intake section is subjecting the section to pressure, which it never really sees in a real life situation (the only part that every truly is pressurized is post-turbo intake sections)... but it helps to show if there are any tears or leaks in the turbo inlet hose... a very small amount of leaking air at any of the blow by lines that connect to the inlet hose is acceptable, cuz that a lot more pressure going at them than they will be exposed to by the suction of the turbo (path of least resistance is through the intake filter)... but avoid as much leak as possible in the intake sections that are post-turbo.... cuz that's where you want to hold ALL pressure in tact... pre turbo you just want to make sure there are not wide-open paths for air to intake other than at the air filter... a very slight leak under high pressure (from the air compressor) where the blow by lines connect to the inlet hose will not leak under the suction of the turbo through an open air filter... since the suction certainly does not come close to matching the psi of pressure that an air compressor can supply to a closed system (it becomes a closed system once you put the coupler/pvc cap into place for testing).

hope that clarifies.

need to do this... I never realized that it was this big of a deal. My car doesn't seem to have any problems running the stock one, but better safe than sorry.

my wrx stage 4 blew up because of a tear in the turbo inlet hose. the clamp was tighten too much and made a tear on the bottom on the inlet. i ran my car on an open track day during 3, 20 minute sessions and finally broke on the last session. det. on #3 cylinder.

always check that hose if you ever swap turbos. it can be an expensive lesson! :mad:

i have to have this checked

holy crap I have to check mines, I've been throwing lean codes left and right. tried 02 replacement, fuel pump, fuel filter, and still no sign of fixing it. I will check in to it first thing tomorrow. Also one last question P0171 Is a lean code in bank one, is that the left side or the car that has the issue?

or u coat everything with soap/water solution and watch for bubbles. :D

god uses a simple pressure testing system...

remove your intake filter and pressurize your system with an air compressor... any good tuner will do this prior to dynoing... to ensure your setup is free of little errors that cause tuning nightmares....

especially with front mount intercooler setups... there is a lot more room for error and leaks...

pressurizing the system allows you to see where any air may be leaking out of... for me... it was completely in a unexpected place... where the blow-by hose connects to the heads... the hose i was using was fairly lose and when i changed out fuel injectors, i forgot to use the clamp when i put the blow by hose back on... substantial leak of boosted air coming right out of that spot...


try a silicone coupler, and end cap of pvc pipe with an inner diameter that fits the coupler... get a tire vavle stem, drill out a hole in the end-cap pvc and fit the valve stem appropriately... that's your pressure testing device... simply couple it to your intake and pressurize with air compressor....

one thing to keep in mind... pressurizing the preturbo intake section is subjecting the section to pressure, which it never really sees in a real life situation (the only part that every truly is pressurized is post-turbo intake sections)... but it helps to show if there are any tears or leaks in the turbo inlet hose... a very small amount of leaking air at any of the blow by lines that connect to the inlet hose is acceptable, cuz that a lot more pressure going at them than they will be exposed to by the suction of the turbo (path of least resistance is through the intake filter)... but avoid as much leak as possible in the intake sections that are post-turbo.... cuz that's where you want to hold ALL pressure in tact... pre turbo you just want to make sure there are not wide-open paths for air to intake other than at the air filter... a very slight leak under high pressure (from the air compressor) where the blow by lines connect to the inlet hose will not leak under the suction of the turbo through an open air filter... since the suction certainly does not come close to matching the psi of pressure that an air compressor can supply to a closed system (it becomes a closed system once you put the coupler/pvc cap into place for testing).

hope that clarifies.

or u coat everything with soap/water solution and watch for bubbles. :D
Won't work on the inlet hose because this hose sees vacume and never boost (the soap would get sucked in and NOT make bubbles). I too have had mine tear. :mad:

Can't you spray brake cleaner around there and if the idle goes up you know you have a leak?

did you not have an egt sensor?

having lean conditions would have yielded dangeriously high egt's.

but good looking out...im going to check myself of a little tear. but my egt's tell me im not running lean.

poor man's intake leak tester:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7597462&postcount=2
hth
ken

had problems with my 03 wrx and a vf34. never ran right and i didnt know it till it was time to take out the turbo to get rid of the car. when the turbo came out i could fit 2 fingers in the hole with out touching any sides. wish i had 1 more run with a new turbo inlet.

holy crap I have to check mines, I've been throwing lean codes left and right. tried 02 replacement, fuel pump, fuel filter, and still no sign of fixing it. I will check in to it first thing tomorrow. Also one last question P0171 Is a lean code in bank one, is that the left side or the car that has the issue?
P0171 is def a leak after the MAF before the turbo..Had one for a couple of weeks myself :D Big Hole in the Inlet hose.

Second page but oh well...

I ripped mine installing my 34. Perrin though confusing to install went in and is working good knock on wood. Brittle rubber ripped when I applied the screwdriver. Oops :)

How much harder is it to get the perrin hose onto an 18-20G than a normal hose?
Is it easier?

How much harder is it to get the perrin hose onto an 18-20G than a normal hose?
Is it easier?

I got it onto my APS SR40 fine.

yeah I have popped my Y hose Im now going to get the inlet hose all so