Hey guys 1st post got my 04 srt4 the other day but now i got some questions.
1) my boost gauge never goes above 0 only vac which makes me wonder if my turbo is even working lol. when im driving it sounds likeair is leaking out of somewherebut i have no idea i have zero knowledge on this stuff lol. also it seems to be guzzling gas like crazy but i dont see gas leaking anywhere...
thanks for the help

 

Check for a boost leak.......

Dusty

 

is there any way of checking for it without a tester?

 

No thats the only way to test for it.

 

well just to update you guys i took it for a spin to see if i was going crazy and im not, on top of the the CEl came on when i started it. i dont see how a leak can give me 0 boost must be a pretty big leak... like i cant even get 1psi out of it im thinking it may be something else lol someone helppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp pppppppp
idles a -20

 

to answer this, just search, there is a how-to on putting together a tester. pretty much your going to remove your intake from the turbo inlet. out of pvc pipe youll make a 'cap' with two clamps, a short piece of pipe and an end cap. fix the cap onto the piece of pipe, drill a hole to put in a schrader valve on the end cap (must be sealed air tight). then you clamp what you made onto the turbo inlet. you use an air tank/compressor to pressurize the system and search for a leak. like i said though, there is a how-to with the sizes and measurements of what youll need from home depot to make one.

 

What is the code the car is throwing? Are you still under warranty? Maybe its best the dealer look at this car. One of your hoses may in fact be off, but it could be a million and one other things too.

 

Well, guzzling gas like crazy sounds about right. These cars really aren't that great on gas unless you upshift at 3500 RPM every time LOL. Do you know how much mileage you are getting? I average 200 miles to a tank. It's not likely that it's leaking. If it were you would smell it and/or see it.

As for the "air leaking" sound, are you sure it's not turbo spool (whistling sound) you are hearing? A whistling sound is normal and it can be quite loud if you have a cold air intake. Does it have a CAI or the stock airbox?

If it sounds like the car is "breathing heavy", check the connection of the air inlet hose to the turbocharger and make sure the hose is fully intact. When I had the stock air box my air inlet hose ruptured and it was making this kind of sound. If the car has a Short Ram or Cold Air intake, make sure it is properly connected and clamped at the turbo and with no open spots (like the hole where you insert the air inlet temp sensor - or whatever sensor that is) and properly filtered.

As for the boost gauge only showing VAC and not boost, the gauge may be broken, or somehow mis-calibrated. I've heard of plenty of cases of that, especially where the car was modded and boosting over 20 PSI. So the big questions are: Do you hear the turbo spool up at all? Does it feel like it is boosting? Do you hear it blow off ("psshhhh" sound) when you let off the gas as you drive? Does the car feel slow?

Is the car completely stock? I'm guessing there have probably been some mods to the WGA (wastegate actuator) and/or ECU among other things. If there are no mods now, it may have been modded by the previous owner and then returned to stock when they sold it. I've heard from a few people who traded theirs in at a dealership that they made them remove all mods and put the car back to stock form. They may have done this and screwed something up. Who did you buy the car from? If it was a dealer I would bring it back and give 'em hell.

Other than that you should check for a boost leak, as mentioned above. Also check the hose that hooks up to the gauge, it could be damaged, although being you are showing VAC it would be unusual if that were the problem.

Sorry if these things seem really simple but you did say you had zero knowledge of this stuff. Maybe if you have a friend who is more experienced with turbo cars (or SRT-4s better yet) have them drive it and see what they think.

 

Does the car still pull strong ? ... what does the gauge read when the car is turned off?

 

if you're showing 0 boost it's probably either a busted gauge or one of your ic pipes popped off.