Hi:

I finally got around to installing a boost guage and I am only getting 12 lbs peak. I compared this to others and it seems low. I have a 15% pulley, ABD Monster MINI intake, GIAC ECU reflash, and I did the VGS Mod. The car runs great, really smooth, and pulls pretty hard. The gauge I installed was the Autometer and I used DarkMiniCooperS's guage mount idea (thanks BTW). Anyone have any ideas what may be the problem? Also, I have a 1.8T Jetta GLI that uses a diverter valve. There are several billet aluminum after market valves that are superior to the stock diverter valve, so are there after market options for the bypass valve in the MCS? Since all posts are better with pics, here's the two rides.

Thanks

Wes

 

12 seems pretty low maybe the gauge is not working right. Or you might have a crease in the line or a leak which i think would give lower readings. That would be the easiest fix. I measure about 16-17 psi on a warm day here in FL. Stock was about 11 and with those mods you should definantly gain more than 1 psi.

 

Maybe the bypass valve is screwy. Detroit Tuned sells a replacement unit. Nice GLI also, I have an 03.

 

If the car is running strong - then the guage or line is suspect. You should be running 14.5 lbs of boost w/ the 15 pulley.

 

http://www.detroittuned.com/products...20050219173947

Give us a call.

Chad
Detroit Tuned

 

Well I went out and pulled the guage and redid all the connections. Took it for a test run and I'm still boosting at 12 psi with an idle of 15 vac. I really hope it is the guage because I would be a little bummed if all the mods I have done are just boosting at 12 psi. Overall the car does run great, pulls hard, and is very smooth. Makes me wish that I didn't have the guage, ignorance is bliss

 

hmmm, could be the bypass valve. You say you redid the connection, did you check and make sure there was no crimps in the line and that the fitting on the gauge was tight?

 

Hi:

Thanks for the input. Yes I did. The connection to the guage has teflon tape on the threads and I tightened it with wrenches. I followed the line and there are no kinks that I can see. Is there a way to tell if I have a faulty bypass valve or is it something I will have to switch out to tell. I have done the VGS mod and my guage is installed per this diagram (thanks to Andy at Ross Tech):



If the guage is set up and installed properly I'm afraid that I have a serious problem. Any help is appreciated.

 

I bet the set screw on your BPV needs adjsutment. Not to hard a job. You can do it yourself, or get the reworked unit from Detroit Tuned. If you want to do it yourself, see this thread

and for those of you that haven't been around that long, this is a very good history lesson in the earlier days of discovery. The stuff about wiretieing the BPV and the later RyePhix II are burried in there somewhere....

Matt

 

Thanks Dr:

From reading this forum I have concluded that by tying the bypass closed and checking my boost level, it should tell me if the bypass is faulty if my boost increases. Is that correct? I don't want to invest in a replacement if it is not the problem. I checked into the DT valve and it seems good, but the price at $125 seems extreme. I got a billet aluminum diverter for my 1.8T for $80 and the DT bypass seems to be a plastic modified OEM valve. For those that have upgraded their bypass valve is it worth it?

 

but improper adjustment. There's a set screw that is used to set what closed is on the BP valve. On mine (02) this was way out of whack. I think it's pretty hard to get to this to adjust it without taking it off. If this is your problem, the valve itself is fine, and it won't increase boost by holding it shut. That would work for problems with the diaphram mechanism.

Matt

ps, welcome to the world of Mini parts prices.

 

that the adjustment screw may be preventing the bypass valve from closing all the way which is reducing the amount of boost?

 

Exactly

 

Is this just an earlier MINI thing, or is this something that plagues all models?

 

can answer that better than I can. They've done many many more valves than me (I've just done two). But it was an issue for early cars. Some had issues, some didn't. Mine needed both the set screw adjusted as well as the screws for the butterfly.

Some cars had a valve that needed no work at all. Go figure!

But it's free to check (not counting time) and is consistant with low boost, so it's worth a try.... I'm not sure what else could be the problem.

Matt

 

Thanks all for the input. I haven't had the time to get to the adjustment, but I'll be sure to put up the results. Hopefully that is the cause.

 

there is no way to tell if you have a good BPV unless you take it off. if you have no problem with the way your car is, don't try to fix it. but if you getting low boost, this could be your problem. out of all the BPV's that i have seen, every one is miss-adjusted some how. i have seen big gaps, i have seen butterfly's off to one side, i have even seen one on a customers car crack at the butterfly so it would hold the valve open. so new or used, it doesn't matter, they all could use some adjusting, but that doesn't mean they need adjusting. i have found on an average, that most car will see about 1 more PSI of boost. but i have also seen 2 to 3 on cars that are really bad. when we rebuild the BPV's here we buy them in large batches and do runs of them. we readjust each butterfly for opening and it is centered. we check this with light, sound, and feel (after you have done a few of them you just get the feel). we them add our custom made spring to each valve. our spring prevents any Yo-Yo you car has, and keeps you under boost more often and soon than the stop BPV. This is a must have item for anyone that wants the most performance out of there car. the sooner you can make boost the sooner you will get the power that the SC is making. the same idea behind a 19% pulley, more boost sooner, but the new BVP is perfectly safe and the dealer will never know it is there.

also as a side note: we try to always use new valves because of issues you can get with used parts. who wants to pay 125 for a used unit that has been cleaned up a bit and fixed. plus the seals are some times not so good, ect. ect., but when we change them out here, the customer normally leaves them. i use them for spare parts or demo, but rebuild a few for local customers on a budget. i normally do not have too many in stock, if at all, so i never let NAM know. but right now we do have three used ones in stock, if you would like to give it a try, give us a call. the first three people to call could have the option to try them out and give there feedback on them as a much lower price.

we have been very happy with this product, and have sold close to 100 now, all over the USA, Canad, Puerto Rico, and over seas. with only a few phone questions, never a return or unhappy customer. each phone call we get we revise the directions a bit more so that every customer gets the high level we expect from our parts.