Venge is out of commision (UPDATED 2/18/11)

So..... BTR has taken a toll of the Venge for sure

As most of you know I blew my upper rad hose on BTR. Well I fixed it, drove it home the next day, and have not drivin her since. I decided I wanted to take the Venge to Miles City for Pauls wedding this past weekend so I went and changed the oil and fixed my radio fuse that I blew on the way home from Redlodge and fired her up to take her for a little test drive. First thing I notice is that my boost gauge and oil pressure gauges are not working right.

The boost gauge does it's normal startup sweep but when the car is started and running, the needle just points straight down and doesn't move.
The oil pressure gauge just shoots straight up to as high as it will go and stays there. (I have prosport gauges w/o any peak settings)

Second thing that's nice and obvious even without the boost gauge is the lack of boost... I step on the throttle in 2nd and it starts to pull a little bit and the turbo starts to spool but I can tell that I never hit boost and it just seems to bog out. First thing I think of is boost leak so I did a quick test with some water and dishsoap on all the intercooler piping but didn't see any bubbles. I also checked the intercooler itself for cracks.

Third and worst of all things I noticed when it was idling as I checked for boost leaks I could see a slight plum of white smoke coming from behind the car and sure enough there's just a little bit coming out of the muffler while it's just sitting there........

Everything worked fine on the Sunday after BTR on my way home. I was hittin boost up the pass and the gauges were all reading fine. I don't remember paying much attention after Redlodge because that's when we had heard about the tornado touching down pretty close to our house and were in a rush to get home and check on our puppy. But I do remember that it didn't quite feel like I was hitting boost after I fueled up in Redlodge but like I said I didn't think much of it.

My only hypothesis is that somehow all the coolant that blew everywhere under my hood managed to hurt some wiring for the gauges and possibly my supplementry injector controller (that would explain no boost cause there would be no fuel).

Discuss

I think you are right about the gauges and possibly your injector controller, the wiring got wet and probably corroded. My Prosports did it to me once and prosport replaced the cables for me as they were supposed to be sealed. Except mine were going all sorts of wonky.. but occasionally would just point at the max, or just point straight down.

most people blame white smoke on coolant/water, it can also be a fueling issue (yes they dont always blow black smoke).

Get a multi meter and start checking things out. Start with visual inspections and then start checking continuity and voltages.

I believe white smoke can also come from lean misfires, so a lack of fuel would explain that IF your injector controller crapped out.... but idle is not a boost condition so I am less likley to think that is the issue. did the car overheat? Do you have an aftermarket temp gauge or do you just rely on the factory. If the factory gauge began t move there is a good chance you have damage. The factory gauges have such poor sensitivity, by the time they begin to show a change its usually too late.

b1r - TS wrote:

did the car overheat? Do you have an aftermarket temp gauge or do you just rely on the factory.

I did start to overheat on the way up the pass and I had to pull over and dump 3/4 of a gallon of water in to replace what had boiled up out of the overflow tank.

And unfortunantly I only have a stock temp gauge that I now think doesn't work at all. I remember that when I started to overheat the only way we knew it was because we could smell antifreeze. The gauge just BARELY moved above normal.

I have since added a water temp gauge to my list of needed gauges, even though I fear it may be too late

Well as far as your gauges go, I would still recommend the same.

For the engine and turbo, I would check for shaft play and then compression test your block. Hope all turns out well for you.

Thanks for the ideas guys. I'm going to be busy with things around the house for a week or two so I won't be able to start tinkering for a while.

When I do, the first thing I want to get done is check all the wiring for the gauges and the injector unit. Then do a compression test and if I have to, hunt down the boost leak.

In the mean time I'm going to get the clutch fixed on my chopper and start rollin it around now that it's nice out

Well I had a few minutes of downtime today to check out the Venge a little. I plugged the laptop in and the 034 controller is working properly so that's not my boost problem That and the smoke out of my exhaust is worrying me now. Here's a couple vids....