I'm trying to get the utec to work as a boost controller and am using the gm boost solenoid. With the greddy tt and external wastegates which port on the solenoid do you use to hook to the top port on the wastegates. I've tried a port on each side and for some reason my boost gauge isn't working correctly now. I have a defi boost gauge and the solenoid is tied into the same line as the boost gauge. If I give the car a little gas the needle on the gauge starts shaking like the solenoid is regulating the wrong line but I've tried the solenoid both ways and it still does it. It's also not regulating boost as I hit boost cut first time I took it out. It's set up on close loop with 50 in every cell except 0% load.

 

pm audible mayhem he'll let you know whats up. he hooked up mine

 

do you have a pick of the GM solenoid? how many ports does it have? 3? (in, out, and vent)?

the side ports of your wastegates should be hooke dup directly to manifold pressure (having nothing to do with the BCS.)

assuming it is a 3 port, check it this way.......with the bcs disconnected, you should be able to blow through 2 of the ports. it will be somewhat restricted, though. these 2 ports are the "out" and the "vent". the port that you can't blow through will be the "in." now that you know which is the in port, you need to hook up the bcs o 12V and GND. this will activate the solenoid. Once activated, blow through the "in" port, and where the air comes out will be the "out" port. so, now you know which port does what!

finally, run a vacuum line from the "in" port to a good, clean boost/vacuum source (intake plenum); run a vacuum line from the "out" port into a "T" fitting and then run lines to the top ports of your wastegates. leave the "vent" port on the BCS open to atmosphere.

the vent is there to vent pressure on the top port line. if you have a top port line that has no vent, there will be too much pressure in the top portion of the wastagate housing with the bcs off), that will not allow you too open up the wastegates. when first driving the car as it warms up, you may not notice it, but as the car gets hotter, the air trapped in the sealed top port lines have no where to vent the excess pressure. thus, your wastegate isn't going to be able to open up when it needs to. this is probably why you were overboosting.

you probably had the lines at the bcs hooked up backwards. it is an easy and common mistake.

btw, using a value of "50" in closed loop gives me a boost setting of about 9.5 - 9.7 psi.

 

I have the rest of the vacuum lines all correct and I have the power wire to the battery and ground to the utec. ill take the solenoid and try to check the ports. the vent port has to be the one that had the little filter on it I imagine. I tried the other two ports both ways and get a similar reaction both times where its interfering with my boost gauge so my boost gauge isn't reading correctly. the only reason I put 50 in all of the columns is because that's what the utec manual said to start with, I am only going for 6-6.5 psi for now. thanks for all your help, I am writing from my phone so excuse the punctuation.

 

the fluttering boost gauge may be something else. I have been chasing a throttle gremlin recently. when my car is hot (from sitting in a parking lot all day) the throttle acts up, not responding to input. I can see my boost/vacuum gauge jumping around. once I have been driving for about 5-10 minutes, all is fine. it is also fine when the car is cool (first thing in the morning out of the garage.) it doesn't have anything to do with engine temps either, it seems.

 

the car is driving fine, it seems to be cause by the boost solenoid, I have boost cut set at 7 psi right now and I hit the boost cut because of the boost gauge not reading the right pressure. I hooked my laptop up and the utec map sensor is reading correctly.

 

try lowering your boost values in the boost tuning also. if your car is like mine, "50" will definately take you well past 7!
40 or 43 was around 8psi for me. so, go lower....like 30.

I started with my values really low, but I had somehow put in an 80 at one spot in the map. all of a sudden, when I hit that spot, I was thrust NASTY-like into my seat, and then I hit the boost cut! I went back and checked...I hit 12+ psi in 3rd gear. it was awesome. makes you want to build your motor!!!!

 

well I've already got the pistons and rods and plan on building this winter but I'd like to keep this engine in one piece for now. I'll try to mess with this solenoid and boost controller function in a bit. I also can't get my wideband to read on the mps uteclogger. I am using a serial to usb converter that i got from radio shack, it will sometimes work for 10 seconds or so then it quits working.

 

ok just checked the ports like you described, according to your instructions the in port is the one that had the little filter on it and the out was the other port on the same side. Going to see how it does now.

 

that could be because the GM solenoid is setup to run onto factory turbos that use actuators. on an actuator setup, you don't have a top port and a side port, like on an external wastegate. the bcs would be used to restrict the boost signal going to the actuator in a factory setup.

let me know how it turns out!

 

screen shots of boost map for fun please =)

 

hrmm well didn't fix the boost gauge issue. If i'm on decel with car in gear the boost gauge reads like -20 psi or below like it should but as soon as I cruise or barely give it gas the needle on the boost gauge just shakes from between -3 to -7 psi. It didn't do this before the solenoid was installed, it ran great on wastegate spring. I made sure the port I couldn't blow through went to the manifold then with the solenoid hooked to power and ground when I blew in the manifold port the port that the air came out I hooked to the top port of the wastegates. I previously had a greddy emanage and e-01 and the car ran find off of that boost controller. My boost map is now just 25's everywhere on the map to redline except the 0% load column, I don't really know what I'm supposed to put.

 

I am using closed loop boost control.

my 0-50% are set to 0. when you enter a value of "0", the utec will change the vlaue to read "ecu".

60-100% are set to 52........you should put what ever value you need in the 60-100% columns, though.

 

why don't you want the same number in the lower percent load columns? Still trying to understand the best way to set this thing up. I believe you can also just hit the letter "e" to change it to ecu. Could me having numbers in the lower load columns be what's messing up my boost gauge?

 

I'm not an expert and as a matter of fact I'm also interested on this topic. My boost map also doesnt start until 60% to 100% and I always thought that this is because I have a 4.5 WS spring and below 60% I'll be running on my WS.

 

i see, I just thought I had read somewhere to change the whole map but guess I'm wrong. So I suppose I'll try changing the map. Maybe since I have a number in the low load columns the solenoid is fluctuating and affecting my boost gauge. But that doesn't seem to make sense either since shouldn't the solenoid not be activating until it is needed?

 

with values in the load load columns, the bcs will be clicking away even when not needed.

i chose to only have values at 60% on up so that I only hit wastegate pressure below half throttle .

 

thinking about your boost gauge issue..........what else is hooked up the same vacuum line as your boost gauge?

for all my vacuum lines, I tapped the upper plenum with a -6AN fitting and then ran a -6 line to a vacuum manifold. at the vacuum manifold, I run dedicated lined to each accessory.....UTEC MAP sensor, boost gauge, FPR, wastegates/BCS.

 

you don't want to know! lol, I've been trying to find a vacuum manifold or am considering trying to make one if I could find a block of aluminum or something. I have all tee'd off of the plenum , wastegates,bov,map sensor,boost gauge sensor, FPR, and boost solenoid. Nothing else seems to be affected but the boost gauge is what it is tee'd right by the solenoid.

 

If you want to make one, the easiest thing is to use a length of fuel rail extrusion. I made out of it, and then drileld and tapped the vacuumports on it. the fuel rail will cost you about $10 for a foot, and then you'll need the proper drill bits, taps, and a tap handle......

in all, it is cheaper to buy a vacuum manifold. I endd up buy one later because I liked this one better tha the one I made.

here's where I tapped the plenum for a dedicated vacuum source.



here's the vacuum manifold: