Ess 625 low boost issue

[craio11]

Recently i had purchased a 2011 m3 with a ess 625 kit all ready on the car which was supposed to have been professionally installed. I had the car dynoed

The numbers were much lower then expected. 450hp/305trq. So I started looking into the issue. The car will not make more then 5.6 psi in 4th gear which was the most I could get out of it.

updating: as i resolved my issues with solutions.
Improper routing of the belt.... still not sure how you do this and I am a bit mad at myself for not noticing it sooner. In hind sight I actually dont think the belt was slipping which is hard to believe considering everything.
Belt slip- More to just rule it out. Replaced belt with a 6pk2115 belt, new tensioner, replaced idlers. Note a '83-'91 TOYOTA CAMRY uses the same idler per the part#... if you are like me and in a hurry this may be helpful also the koyo part#PU355816RR9D
diverter valve leaking- replaced the oring and blader inside of the valve. Which can be had from superchargersonline.com or vortech. Mine was fold it over and had a hole so it was sealing some times and once fully expanded was leaking. I actually ended up replacing the valve itself with the new style max flow unit. Which is a much nicer unit imo.
boost leaks This ended up being the root cause. The manifold was not properly seated on the original install and wrecked the boots on the throttle bodies.

[BrewRifle]

Check every velocity stack for a leak. There's got to be one somewhere.

[craio11]

I have inspected them fairly closely I did not see any issues, I am going to look a bit harder tonight and use a real smoke machine. The improvement in psi from the belt and tensioner makes me feel better that I do not have more serious issue such as a bad/damaged charger.

It just boggling my mind why the boost is diminishing per gear. My thoughts are along the same lines as you, there has to be a leak. Possibly because of the longer time in the higher gears its more prevalent. Would a bad diverter valve/spring cause this issue?

[BrewRifle]

The diverter valve has been known to fail, resulting in lower psi, so it's not out of the equation.

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by craio11

I have inspected them fairly closely I did not see any issues, I am going to look a bit harder tonight and use a real smoke machine. The improvement in psi from the belt and tensioner makes me feel better that I do not have more serious issue such as a bad/damaged charger.

It just boggling my mind why the boost is diminishing per gear. My thoughts are along the same lines as you, there has to be a leak. Possibly because of the longer time in the higher gears its more prevalent. Would a bad diverter valve/spring cause this issue?

from the odd range in psi, my guess is your belt is slipping. especially that the tensioners and belt routing fixed some of the problem. the smoke test will help for sure, do you have the vacuum line connected correctly to the diverter valve? i was losing psi through there when mine wasn't connected correctly.

[BrewRifle]

Originally Posted by Patrón

from the odd range in psi, my guess is your belt is slipping. especially that the tensioners and belt routing fixed some of the problem. the smoke test will help for sure, do you have the vacuum line connected correctly to the diverter valve? i was losing psi through there when mine wasn't connected correctly.

I've got my vacuum line zip tied off at the diverter valve is that what you did to fix it?

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by BrewRifle

I've got my vacuum line zip tied off at the diverter valve is that what you did to fix it?

no sir, I didn't have mine connected to a correct vacuum line so the valve was open/losing boost. now that it's connected, i do have it zip tied. even if people dont' have a boost gauge connected to that line/diverter valve it must have a vacuum line connected to push a valve closed. it's just a thought since most leaks come from that diverter valve either through a leak or vacuum line not connected correctly (pinched line/no vacuum).

i'm still guessing belt slip. i do have more boost under 1st and 2nd but the range of boost should not vary like the OPs.

ps
an indicator of the valve not connected right is a loud fluttering sound from the diverter valve. i heard it on a video a friend took of me when I passed him under full load. it sounded like a turbo blow off valve. the next day I removed my manifold and corrected the vacuum line error.

[craio11]

I do have my boost gauge T ed into the line that goes to the diverter valve. I believe it to be correct as I spoke to the original owner and he said the car use to make 7 psi. If it is belt slip im not sure what else i could do to correct this. The belt is a 6pk2115 which is shorter then the original as i was hoping this would fix my issue. Unless the new belt is garbage also. I dont hear any flutter but the exhaust is loud enough where I dont know if i would. No one has ever mentioned hearing a flutter sound

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by craio11

I do have my boost gauge T ed into the line that goes to the diverter valve. I believe it to be correct as I spoke to the original owner and he said the car use to make 7 psi. If it is belt slip im not sure what else i could do to correct this. The belt is a 6pk2115 which is shorter then the original as i was hoping this would fix my issue. Unless the new belt is garbage also. I dont hear any flutter but the exhaust is loud enough where I dont know if i would. No one has ever mentioned hearing a flutter sound

Hopefully a smoke test shows a leak somewhere. What is your elevation, octane and ambient temps when tested the boost? What is your vacuum reading at idle and what rpm? Are you certain the water pump is working and moving water in the system? I've heard of wires or grounds causing the pump to not work. Hi INtake temps will retard everything.

[craio11]

Im at roughly 1200' for elevation, running 93 octane, and the ambiment has been in the mid 50's. I have a remote 5 gallon tank in the trunk I double checked that last night pump is pumping strong so i dont think iats are my issue.

For my vacuum at idle i want to say it was 13-14 around 800 rpms which seems low. but this is also off the top of my head so this might be something I need to double check. the car runs fine and idles fine so i never bothered to look but this would single I have a leak some where.

My main problem now is that i seem to have lots of potential small issues possibly going on.

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by craio11

Im at roughly 1200' for elevation, running 93 octane, and the ambiment has been in the mid 50's. I have a remote 5 gallon tank in the trunk I double checked that last night pump is pumping strong so i dont think iats are my issue.

For my vacuum at idle i want to say it was 13-14 around 800 rpms which seems low. but this is also off the top of my head so this might be something I need to double check. the car runs fine and idles fine so i never bothered to look but this would single I have a leak some where.

My main problem now is that i seem to have lots of potential small issues possibly going on.

good octane, decent elevation and good gas. i'm stumped. that's the vacuum range i have at the same rpms range. in cooler weather, my vacuum drops to high 12s to 13s.

[craio11]

Im going to try and take it back to the dyno, the power could be there and i dont realize. but you would think the butt dyno could feel 80-100 hp.

Im to the point where im just about to take everything off and re do the install.

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by craio11

Im going to try and take it back to the dyno, the power could be there and i dont realize. but you would think the butt dyno could feel 80-100 hp.

Im to the point where im just about to take everything off and re do the install.

if you can find someone to check the diverter valve and system for leaks, try that first. removing the manifold is a good idea and is not all that hard just remember the two sensors underneath the front of the manifold. my friend used a little bit of lubricant on the inside of the rubber couplers at the throttle boddies, that helped them slide down easier. maybe tap the top with a rubber mallet and a towel helps. good luck.

have you captured a video of the boost in 1st-3rd? how are you recording the boost readings?

[craio11]

hopefully it doesnt come to that but thanks for the advice. as for a video ill see if i can figure out a safe way to do that. Im just using the recall function on my p3 gauge to read peak boost.

Right now im leaning towards like you mentioned this current belt is garbage or the diverter valve spring is not able to hold boost for the longer period of time.

[craio11]

4th gear pull

3rd gear pull.

I was messing with the bypass valve tension screw. I don't seem to feel any resistance screwing it in. Also after messing with it my boost has seemed to gone back down

[craio11]

well i was able to locate the problem. The blader in the bypass valve was rolled up on itself and had a pin hole in it. So when it would close it was rolling over the pin hole and sealing it at idle. So it was passing a smoke test and was able to hold vacuum.

[Installsplus]

Seems like I also got some low numbers 511/335tq I also have a 625 kit at around 7.5 pounds. I had the car reflashed before dyno was done so not sure why I didn't see higher numbers. What's the average numbers on a 625 kit??

[Properstyle]

Originally Posted by Installsplus

Seems like I also got some low numbers 511/335tq I also have a 625 kit at around 7.5 pounds. I had the car reflashed before dyno was done so not sure why I didn't see higher numbers. What's the average numbers on a 625 kit??

depending on exhuast setup i've been seeing 520-540whp for a 625kit on pump gas

[Installsplus]

Originally Posted by Properstyle

depending on exhuast setup i've been seeing 520-540whp for a 625kit on pump gas

Current setup test pipes,akra slip on,stock x pipe. Hopefully an aftermarket x pipe will improve numbers.

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by Installsplus

Current setup test pipes,akra slip on,stock x pipe. Hopefully an aftermarket x pipe will improve numbers.

Do you know what other Ms are putting out on the same dyno? Either supercharged or n/a? Do you know what the temps were during the dyno? The temps and intake temps can kill a lot of horsepower. As well as fuel octane and spark plugs.

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by craio11

well i was able to locate the problem. The blader in the bypass valve was rolled up on itself and had a pin hole in it. So when it would close it was rolling over the pin hole and sealing it at idle. So it was passing a smoke test and was able to hold vacuum.

Did fixing that rubber piece help your boost/power?

[Installsplus]

Originally Posted by Patrón

Do you know what other Ms are putting out on the same dyno? Either supercharged or n/a? Do you know what the temps were during the dyno? The temps and intake temps can kill a lot of horsepower. As well as fuel octane and spark plugs.

Other m's with the same kit putting down 530 at the wheels. The only difference is he was running a x pipe on 94 octane