When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I’d love to do Road Atlanta! VIR too. My wife and I been watching the IMSA and Ferrari challenge races that were held there this year. Looks like a good MINI track. A couple of heavy braking zones too. I think the pads will work well for you there.
Vir Grand is great in the mini or VIR South but full course has some really long straight so you're going to be giving a lot of point buys you need a lot of horsepower for VIR I probably won't run my mini there anymore I have a 135i just for that track and those long straits it gets a little frustrating catching up to all the other cars in the corners but then they won't give me a point by. All the rest of the tracks around here I'll run the mini
Scott - That is a great overhead shot of your car. A very unusual perspective! Looking forward to your review.
MrBlah - VIR full sounds a lot like WGI. A real HP track, so I’d be right at home with my left arm hanging out the widow. But VIR is an iconic track that deserves a visit some day, even in a MINI...
I have been chasing a boost leak since June. Pretty much every weekend that I hit the track, by the end of the first day I have boost issues. Specifically, not enough boost. Initially, this was attributed to a bad diverter valve. Once that was replaced, wastegate adjustments had to be made to hit the target of 22.5 psi. That was a temporary fix and the low boost issue surfaced again. The entire system was pressure tested, the direct port WMI was removed, improved, and reinstalled to ensure it was not the source of the "leak". All hose clamps were removed and replaced with t-bolts. The DV was replaced with a new Forge DV. The Forge was replaced with a new OEM DV. I spent countless hours wrenching and troubleshooting. I thought I had it fixed and well, not even a half a day into the Road Atlanta weekend and low boost is back.
Turns out that the wastegate flap is not closing completely. Obviously, this is the one thing I didn't test, and really is the first thing I should have looked at. That is 100% on me. I don't claim to be a turbo expert, so when I was told (by the tuner) to add preload to the wastegate to correct the low boost issue, I did as instructed. I'm pretty sure this actually made the problem worse or at the very least covered up the real problem. So now I have to sort this out. I can replace it with a new hotside, or I can toss on a JCW turbo and move on to a different car. I see no sense in replacing this with another part that will fail so quickly. All and all, I have less than 8,000 miles and six track days on the new "upgraded" turbo. Since it has been failing since the first track day, I don't think the track is the issue. I'm hoping that this is a one off defect and not a common failure. Another clue that something was not right: this turbo bas hitting 27 psi right out of the box. I set the wastegate to the correct setting (151mm +/-2) prior to installation and nearly blew a motor. I adjusted it out to meet 22.5 and have had to make constant adjustments in to maintain 22.5. All of this was reported as it happened to the tuner and I just followed instructions. I guess I was a little slow .
Well, THAT sucks. I would get in touch with Mario and see if there is any warranty on the turbo... Is it loose in the housing, or is the actuator just not pulling it closed enough?
Well, THAT sucks. I would get in touch with Mario and see if there is any warranty on the turbo... Is it loose in the housing, or is the actuator just not pulling it closed enough?
The actuator cannot close it. I removed the wastegate actuator and the flap still will not close completely. It's not excessively loose and the actuator functions as it should. I think the arm that links the actuator rod to the flap is bent.
Mario and I have been in contact about it. Anytime there is a turbo or tune related issue I go straight to him before messing with anything. He was pretty busy yesterday, so we'll see what he says today. Initially he said this was common with track use. I'm having a hard time believing that. Besides, the issue has been present from day 1. I just didn't recognize what was going on. In my experience he's always been really stand up guy, so I'll give him time to do what he needs to do. I believe that he will have a solution. I'm not blaming him or anyone, at this point I think it was just a defect.
Curious about it working ok in the morning and then fails later in the day. Is that, once it fails, it stays bad? You say the arm between the actuator rod and valve may be bent. Maybe the arm can’t take the load to overcome that amount of boost and bends permanently after a few repeated cycles? Maybe needs a stronger arm? Just a wild guess from not having seen anything
Hope it is an easy fix. Hate to lose you to the BMW crowd
Maybe when everything gets nice and hot from running track, something is getting torqued from expansion? But, if it still won't close when cold, something ain't right...
The heat may have something to do with this and maybe a touch of misalignment that causes a little bending. There also seems to be a time factor. I have seen where the stock sway bar end links will bend over time after the installation of a bigger bar. So it seems like it takes a few cycles of bending before it beds permanently. Doesn’t happen to everyone, so those may not have the condition to cause the bending in the first place. Maybe with the heat, the metal of that arm gets a bit weaker which allows it to take on a permanent bend after some cycles?
Once it stops hitting the target boost level, that's it. It won't hit that level again unless an adjustment is made. The WG adjustment has always been the last thing I'll try. Usually I just accept it and look for obvious leaks at the track. I don't actually adjust the WG until I am back home and certain that everything else (except for the flat apparently ) has been looked at.
My best guess is that the "new" turbo was actually a rebuilt turbo and the hot-side or the WG was already in need of replacement. Something that was probably over looked during the rebuild maybe? I was under the impression that it was new (for what I paid, it should have been) but there were little things that didn't seem right. The BorgWarner data plate was faded, the WG actuator had mismatched retaining nuts on the rod and the diagram housing. And the DV had mismatched bolts. Maybe I'm over analyzing it, but part of my job title is "analyst" .
@Eddie07S I'm not real keen to jump ship, and I'll certainly never part with my R53. However, it is really tempting to turn the R56 into a SPEC E30. Though that will probably bring all sorts of new problems at least the community and knowledge base for common problems and fixes is huge.
This is under full vacuum and the flap is still not fully seated. You can see where the adjustment nuts are, that's a ton of preload.
I don't think the heat did this. ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
That arm seems to stout and unlikely to be bent But, could the shaft that the arm connects to be bending or something inside of that be bending? Or is some just worn out? “Valves” of this kind really don’t like being just cracked opened and will wear fast with high velocity air or fluids going through them.
With the constant re-adjusting, is there any chance the WG actuator diaphragm is failing? WG itself is always suspect, so many different ways for it to fail, but this problem seems different. Hard to believe the arm is bending, even with the heat of a track day. Then there's all the preload shown above. If the unit is truly not a new unit, who knows how much (ab)use the original unit received. This diaphragm unit shouldn't be too difficult to change, and definitely a lot less expensive. Most of us have seen diaphragm failures on the turbo's DV, why not the WG actuator's diaphragm too?
With the constant re-adjusting, is there any chance the WG actuator diaphragm is failing? WG itself is always suspect, so many different ways for it to fail, but this problem seems different. Hard to believe the arm is bending, even with the heat of a track day. Then there's all the preload shown above. If the unit is truly not a new unit, who knows how much (ab)use the original unit received. This diaphragm unit shouldn't be too difficult to change, and definitely a lot less expensive. Most of us have seen diaphragm failures on the turbo's DV, why not the WG actuator's diaphragm too?
Whatever the cause, I hope you find it soon ---
Thanks. I'm pulling the turbo now and sending it back. He said he'd like to take a look at it and get it sorted out. Hopefully we'll be operational again in a week or so.
Good point on the WG actuator diaphragm. If the internal wastegate is going to be a failure point, I may have to consider an external wastegate. Too bad I sold that Cortex EBC lol.
I agree that a bent arm sounds over the top. I was digging through some old photos and found a side by side on the new turbo and my stock turbo. The arms are very different, the stock turbo is quite a bit shorter.
do you data log on the track? Curious what engine, oil and iat temp you start to see the boost issue at
A real data logger in on the to-do list. For now I have to settle for remembering a ballpark of what the temps were at certain times. Luckily at RA I had a GoPro for a few sessions and I can clearly read the oil temp, water temp, IAT, and AFR on the video. The water injection keeps the car running cool even under full load.
The boost issue tends to be constant regardless of temperature. Once it crosses the threshold and starts to bleed pressure the only way to fix it is to add preload. I never adjust at the track, I wait until I get home and have time and space to troubleshoot.
Anyway, turbo is out and will be shipped back tomorrow for inspection/repair. I'm really interested to hear what the diagnosis is.
Last edited by scotty_r56s; Apr 15, 2021 at 06:30 PM.
Thanks. I'm pulling the turbo now and sending it back. He said he'd like to take a look at it and get it sorted out. Hopefully we'll be operational again in a week or so.
Good point on the WG actuator diaphragm. If the internal wastegate is going to be a failure point, I may have to consider an external wastegate. Too bad I sold that Cortex EBC lol.
I agree that a bent arm sounds over the top. I was digging through some old photos and found a side by side on the new turbo and my stock turbo. The arms are very different, the stock turbo is quite a bit shorter.
That longer arm is putting about double the force on the WG internals. It may be over loading something.
My plan is a complete AiM system (smartycam, dash logger, etc) at some point in 2021. It's one of those things that is not super high on the list, but it's there.
For now, the build is as complete as it needs to be. Brake ducting and some minor adjustments to the seating position and a proper 2.5" or 3" exhaust will happen over the next few weeks. I shipped the turbo back today, and a new one should be shipping to me sometime this afternoon. I'm taking this opportunity to replace the oil filter housing gasket. I don't have any leaks, but I do have a new gasket on hand. Seems like a good idea.
But VIR is an iconic track that deserves a visit some day, even in a MINI... 
