i just got a 1988 dodge daytona pacifica. it has the 4 cyclinder with factory turbo that doesn't seem to work

Question

it has a boost gauge inside the car.. i'm not sure how a turbo gauge works.
the car runs great. one side of the guage reads vac. and the other side reads boost with 0 in the middle. when i'm driving the needle is usually somewhere in the vac. side. if i really get on the trottle sometimes i can get to about 3-4 on the boost side. it guage reads all the way to 15. i just figured it should get more boost than that..
can someone please explain how the turbo works, what is the differance between vac. and boost. and could there be something wrong with the turbo and that's why i can only get little to no boost???

it is a factory turbo!!

Answer 1

Vacuum while cruising down the road is normal although the 3-4 psi sounds low. I think they'd max out at 7-8 psi. Sounds like a problem with the wastegate on the turbo. There's a rod connected to a vacuum motor with a hose leading to it. I'd check the hose for damage and make sure the rod operates back and forth.

Answer 2

1. Believe the guage-they rarely fail.

2. Check your airfilter-it may be dirty/blocked.

3 Ditto exhaust system.

4 Any high pitched noises, particularly just after shutdown-a decending pitched whine is desired.

5 A shutdown timer is a MUST! It'll need at LEAST 5 min. If not working/fitted, suspect bearing/seal failure on turbo. Turbo seals, ex side, are expensive and frail-and will often cause seizure when they go. Look for smoke/wet oil deposits in tail pipe. Turbos work best at high engine speeds AND loads, they don't do much at less than 1/2 throttle on many engines. 3lbs sounds too low for all that money. Is it factory fitted?, not all motors should be turbo'd.