91 GSX turbo not spooling??help?

Question

i have a 1991 Mitsubishi eclipse GSX....i dont think my turbo is spooling up or something......when i step on the gas and around 3500RPM(when my turbo is supposed to kick in) it starts to "bog" i have no clue whats wrong.....and when i step on the gas i cant hear my turbo spool nor my blow off valve....any ideas??????

Answer 1

You probably have one or more bad hydraulic valve lifters. That is a VERY common problem on those cars (in fact I had the very same problem on my own 1993 turbo Mitsubishi) What happens is the lifter tick gets so loud at about 3000-3500 RPM that the engine computer thinks there's massive detonation and your engine is about to self destruct. In order to protect the engine the computer pulls all the timing out and you hear the exhaust note change because the explosion of fuel and air is happening so late in the cycle that it's actually still going on when the exhaust valve opens.

Does the car make a ticking noise at idle when it is fully warmed up?

If you rev the car a little bit and hold it at a steady 1500-2000 RPM does the noise go away? If so we know that higher oil pressure partially cures the lifter tick, however the lifters are designed to take a LONG time to come down after they're pumped up. If they come down right away when oil pressure comes down and start to tick again, that means bad lifter.

If you have not changed the oil recently or if the problem started suddenly after an oil change change it again.

If you're still experiencing the same problem after an oil change then it's time for one or more new lifters.

Take it to a mechanic, or if you're mechanically inclined: With the engine off remove the valve cover, look to see if any of the lifters are collapsed. If so you'll have to start by replacing that one (or more). You can also rotate the engine by hand and watch to see which lifters collapse when the cam lobe opens the valve, any lifter that collapses is bad and must be replaced (see below). First you'll need to rotate the engine by hand to a point where the camshaft lobe is up and not putting pressure on the rocker that's resting on the collapsed lifter (there's a rubber plug in the driver side inner fender and 1/2" square opening in the harmonic balancer for you to insert a ratchet through the fender and into the balancer. Turn the motor over, make sure you always turn it in the same direction that it normally goes I'm pretty sure when looking at the balancer that you want to rotate it clockwise, but double check that by looking at your motor when it's running). If memory serves me (it's been about 2 years) you can compress the valve spring enough to get the rocker arm out, then its a simple matter of pulling out the lifter and dropping in a new one. Its a little hard to get the rocker arm back in but it can be done.

If the camshaft is in the way of getting the lifter out you're going to want to put it back together and take it to a mechanic.

I recommend using either genuine Mitsubishi valve cover gasket set and lifters (expen$ive!) or Victor Reinz Gaskets and SBi (NOT sbr, SBi) valve lifters. The Victor and SBi parts are not the cheapest ones out there, but in my experience (I've built about 15 of these engines) they are the only parts worth a damn besides the OE Mitsu Parts).

See the first link below (next to last paragraph) where I talk about this very thing.

Answer 2

That'll teach you to use cheap oil, for ya'!!! Probably, your turbo bearings are breaking down or you have an exhaust leak somewhere around the turbo. Remove your oil filler cap and examine the back of it as well as the parts of the engine you can see with the cap removed. If everything is discolored or coated with a brown cookie-like crust, then there is a good chance that your turbo is "coked" out. One way to tell this is to locate the pipe running from the turbo to the intake system so you can "feel" the blades on the pressure side of the turbo. If you can spin these blades by hand, then the bearings are probably still OK. If it resists turning, then do the following: Go to a Mercury boat store and buy a product called "power tune" Remove the oil feed pipe that goes to your turbo and insert the business end of the chemical into both sides of the juncture. If you've been using synthetic oil, you'll be in better shape. Anyway, when you flush the bearings with this product, most of the coking material will dissolve (it's amazing to watch) and the bearings will gradually loosen up. Continue this process until no more "****" comes out of the turbo and reattach the oil feed pipe. Spray the rest of the contents of the can directly into your crankcase (through your oil filler cap). Drive the car gently for two days so the cleaning chemical will warm up nicely and continue to clean your bearings. When you are satisfied that things are better, drain the engine oil and refill with Mobil One synthetic. Voila! You have saved yourself the expense of replacing the turbo!!! Good Luck!!

Answer 3

In the supermarket, near the seafood. It smells like squid. A turbo would have the unfortunate side effect of kicking in when leaned over, so if all you know how to do is go fast in a straight line, you are missing the point of owning a Gixxer to begin with.

Answer 4

Waste gate stuck closed no exhaust goning to the Turbo??