I did not have any problems for 2 weeks. I went to an appointment running fine when I left there I had to give it a lot of throttle to getting going. When I got on the freeway it had no guts and no boost went up to almost 0 and no further. When I was pulling into driveway went to 20 vacuum noral is 16.5.
Next day it was fine when I went out but no boost on the way home. Today got up to 5 psi and it stumbled.
This did start on a day it was raining.
I am not getting CEL.
Going to dealer tomorrow.

 

Let me know what you find out. I'll be taking mine in later in the week.

 

Uh I was being sarcastic Captain Canuck when I responded to your original post regarding temperature and boost levels. Basically all I was saying is that I understand that cold temperatures effect boost levels, and this may have been the coldest January in my 5 years of living in MI, but when my guage reads 0psi and doesn't move above that I would have to think that it's not just the cooler temps. No hard feelings.

 

None taken! Didn't realize you were seeing 0 on the gauge which is a whole different problem.

Could be anything, any CEL's?

 

The dealer checked all connections and bolt tightness if the charge pipe TMAP was hitting the condensor and said everything was ok. I told the service advisor that I trouble getting going up ahill and had to use alot of throttle and to check that there was no log because there has not been any codes.
Two techs took it for a test drive one was the one that did the install and was impressed at that time the other has a turbo (not HHR) said everything was good.
On the way back while on the street it was ok but on the freeway no throttle response and just did not sound the same. When I try to go into passing gear it just stumbles like it is starving and wants to die back off a little and it jerks again.
Going to another dearler tomorrow.

 

Well, I went to my closest dealership and they would not do anything but run a scan and told me to go back to the install dealership but if they would not take care it come back and would take care of it.
Headed to the install dealership with some more of my ideas from what had happened the way there. I gave it full throttle and it worked fine about 1/10 mile tried again no boost. My thoughts were bad connections or sensor not seated. Waited at the dealership about 2.5 hours sitting outside I could see the SS going along the back street and back into the service department. The shop foreman told I right I had boost about 1/2 the time and it was scary fast that was progress yesterday the tech there was no problem. The shop foreman said they were going to go through the install step by stop.

Final diagnosis was that there was a non-GM code installed which I have no idea where it came from. It has been re-flashed and I will be picking it up tomorrow.

 

I figure this is as good a thread as any for my issue. I DO NOT have the stage 1 kit installed yet (spring, assuming it works with the AT brake fix) this issue is regarding the stock setup.

Now that the roads have cleared up the last couple weeks, I've been able to put the hammer down a bit more. Just noticed in the last week that the engine seems to be a fair bit louder under acceleration...not a "good" louder like exhasut, rather more that its being pushed/revving too hard.

Previously, I got a lot more turbocharger whine when accelerating rather then loud revving engine noise, now its half and half when going from say 35-40 MPH to 60-65.

In the 10 months, 10K KM's I've had it, I've only minorly taken an interest in the boost levels, because power was always there, smoothly and without issue.
But in the last couple weeks I've noticed that I am not getting the boost (I think ) I used to and the engine sometimes seems to struggle to get up there. Under decent accelration, where previous I would be getting pushed backj in the seat, I get the engine noise and then some ok boost, but sometimes if I keep my foot on, I lose boost or it hesitates.

Then, when coasting, it drops to -60KPA (damn Canadian guages, -60KPA=-17.7HG). Even with light accelration, it doesn't get back to 0 as I believe it used to, I have to push the gas a fair bit harder to get it to zero or above.

Again, without recalling exact details, I am pretty sure that in coasting I never had that much vacuum PSI/KPA/HG, and that, as a result, under normal touching of the gas, I would be well above 0, not struggling to get there.

When putting the foot down, I would usually get around 50-60 at most, again, with more engine noise then before, and the odd time I would get a jolt when the pressure suddenly drops/cuts out.

I will say this..Dec 31 I had my 2nd reflash of my ECM for the startup break issue. (I have an AT). I am thinking maybe that flash lowered my boost limits, because as I said, since then, its only been the last couple weeks at most that roads have been dry and clear enough for me to start putting the foot down more, and only since then have I noticed that something doesn't feel like it used to.

So is this the culprit? The fact that the ECM was modified in the last flash to give more vaccum pressure to the startup brake issue, but its carrying over into every speed driving, carrying more vacuum pressure all the time while coasting, thus making the engine have to work and rev harder under any sort of harder accleration, which is creating that noise and, and reducing the ability for proper boost?

Or is it the still chilly weather (although it was cold before the ECM flash and
I don't recall certainly having the engine noise) the issue.? The ECM "learning" my unaggresive driving pattern over the 6 weeks since the ECM flash?

Its now starting to bug me that I don't have the boost and power I thought I once had, and the car sounds far too noisey when in past the engine noise wasn't nearly as noticeable..the more I think, the more it may be the most recent ECM flash.

I have the brake fix coming any day now, which will ultimately need another reflash of the ECM...I will bring it up then to the dealer, but I just want to make sure I am not crazy with the noticing overrevving and lack of boost.

Now,I realize all of these reading vary on many circumstances, but does -18HG while coasting seem like a proper reading? How hard should the gas be pressed to get back to a 0 reading..enough to almost be able to pass someone or just a "maintaining speed" accleration? Should the engine sound like its revving to hard and thus be noisy at 8PSI when going from say 40MPH to 60MPH? Boost levels of 8 PSI max sound right?

Anyways, thanks for the ear, and let me know what you think my louder reving and seemingly less boost levels could in fact be...

 

Before the stage kit, I would see boost levels max out somewhere around 15 PSI give or take a couple PSI. Your levels seem really low. Idle was and is somewhere around -20PSI on the gauge.

 

When the kit is working I'm suprised how much pull I have over 80mph, I have an AT and when I put it in I and I'm doing 80 if I mat it I'll boost to 17psi and keep pulling thru 20psi+ next thing ya know i'm doing 100mph. Things great when it works right......still having some inconsistensy in boost levels. Sometimes boost will peg to 17-20psi and the power seems to lag.......? Hoping to get this sorted out some time soon, need to order a stock air filter to put back in place of the K&N, so when I take it back to the dealer they can't tell me I've voided my warranty.

 

T you shouldn't be getting this much inconsistency! Something is wrong. If you can get under the car take a look at the lower sensor in the charge tube and see if it's flat. If it has an angle to it, the tech did not modify the sensor properly. When it is sealed all is well, but it may leak under certain conditions, like when warm. This will give inconsistent boost.