Newbie with 99' 9-3 se that's want more boost

[heath492]

Ok so I am really new to the Saab world and this is my first turbo. I have been reading everything I can to understand more about my car. Well I, just like everybody else, want more power. My car only boosts into the first 1/4 of the yellow. and no further. My friend "who is a mechanic" pulled a vacuum line from the wastegate to the intake and said drive it around the parking lot and see if it boosts further. Well of course it did. I hit the fuel cut off real quick. Lets just say I wasn't expecting it and now I have a bump on my forehead from the steering wheel. ... Well I put the vacuum line back on and he told me there is a way to adjust my boost to just before that level. So, I want to do that. But I don't know how... My questions are:

#1 I know I can adjust the APC, but I have now idea where it is in my car. Again 99' 9-3 se

#2 Having this set up to stop boost just before the the fuel cut off, a bad thing or not?


Thanks,


P.S. I am a DIY. I am mechanically inclined just never worked with any Turbos before. So your help would great... Also I love this site. There are a lot of very good topics and a lot of people that are willing to help other people out... Which is nice to see!!!!

[bkrell]

Heh, heh! Sounds like your friend bypassed your wastegate!

What you are wanting is an MBC (Manual Boost Controller) It bypasses the APC solenoid which computer uses to regulate boost and allows manual adjustment. do a search under MBC in this forum and you should get a ton of info. Luckily, with a 99 9-3, you have trionic 5, which is easier to use an mbc with.

The best bang for the buck, in my own experience, is adding the +A setup. Plenty on MBC+A, too.

In the long run, you'll want to stash some cash back for an ECU upgrade and perhaps some exhaust mods like a 3 inch downpipe. But the MBC will give you some giggles for now.

HOWEVER, what's the deal with your apc only surging 1/4 the way thru the yellow? Is that in every gear? This could be an issue that needs attention!

[ERP]

Originally Posted by heath492

P.S. I am a DIY. I am mechanically inclined just never worked with any Turbos before.

It's good you’re a DIY, you should like my site then. Pick up a MBC and you will get about 1/4 into the red on the boost gauge. Don't worry about being unfamiliar with turbos, I didn’t even know how they worked until I got my Saab.

http://www.lehigh.edu/~cak7/Saab.html

Eric

[DirtyGriffin]

Is your car a HOT model? My guess it would be because its a 9-3 SE.

[heath492]

I have this noise coming from the passenger side top of my engine that sounds almost like something grinding. I have no idea what it is. I thought it was the tention but the noise is to high for that. Can this be the timing chain?

[heath492]

I'll deff. get a MBC this weekend and try it out.

I read about the "HOT" model. How can I tell if my car is the 200hp model?

Yeah in every gear I get almost to half yellow boost and that's it does matter what gear I am in. Is that a problem? The car recently had an engine swap by a non-Saab dealership. He seemed to know what he was doing but i'm not convinced he did. See I bought the car with a blown engine. My good friend picked it up at an Auction for like $2500. The exterior and interior is in perfect shape. He recomended this mechanic so I used him. I have only had the car like 2 weeks. Is this something he could have not done correctly when he installed the new engine and what could it be?

[SPATL]

Unfortunately there is no tuning the APC in this car. That was a function of the older c900 cars. You could dive into the apc box and do a pod tweak for some added boost. This is not the case in this car.

To check if your car is a HOT: '99 HOT only came in the 5spd Se model in '99. 8th digit of the VIN is a "P" That is the best method of figuring out if it is actually a HOT.

Sounds like you just go the car eh? Beofre you go adding the extra power of a MBC, it would behoove you to get to know the car and do the intake mods to prepare the car for the extra power.

Consider the 3" duct mod or a cone filter setup
Port the TBTC
Use a low restriction air filter - K&N, JR or ITG
Use premium gas
Spark plugs - NGK BCPR 7es-11's gapped to .35 to .39
Use good motor oil - Mobil1 full synth, AMsoil, are good choices
Consider a high flow exhaust for the near future as well.

The MBC will get you some nice gains when the car is prepared properly.

The MBC+A is an advancement in MBC technology dealing with the problems that ball/spring mbc's have in the colder temps. It also allows you to move you boost pressure tap downstream of the IC to be able to sustain boost at higher rpms. So might be worth a read of the BB about that as well.

Most of the above is all good DIY stuff and ERP's site is a nice way t get you hands in there and get to know your car and the mods.

Goood luck

[bkrell]

Heath492,
Don't forget to make sure anything out of the ordinary is repaired before modding your car. Higher demands made on your car from modding it can really bring out any other problems you may have. Best to make sure everything is running smothly. That way, you get the most enjoyment from any modification you make. :wink:

[heath492]

Eric your site is great for ideas. Thanks guys for you help. I plan on having my car checked out and and thing that needs to be fixed, fixed and then plan on doing some major upgrades. I will post pics of before and after ASAP.

[bkrell]

Good luck! Don't forget the pics. :wink: