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I’m still getting this intermittent clinging/vibrating sound coming from somewhere in the exhaust. I used the stethoscope on the turbo and I can faintly hear it, but it seems to get louder once I work down the downpipe from the turbo. It’s kind of a droning, clingy sound and isn’t always very obvious outside of the car, it will intermittently get louder though. But it’s kind of droning and def there.
Could a collapsed exhaust pipe of some kind make it sound like this? Or could it be the turbo? I know that there are no foreign objects in the turbo because I had it apart and installed it. could the bearing make that noise or the turbine or compressor wheel rubbing? I didn’t notice any play and it was spinning freely when it was out of the car. I also took the j boot off yesterday and spun it and didn’t hear anything. I’m kind of leaning towards the possibility of a collapsed pipe somewhere behind the turbo. I know that the downpipe attached the turbo is not collapsed, but wondering if somewhere in the crossover or the pipes that lead to the catalytic converter might be and making that clinging sound. Wondering also if this could be related to my lazy boost and restricting airflow. I didn’t have the sound before the swap so I’m a bit confused why a collapsed pipe would show up after the swap. But maybe now with the healthier turbo it’s showing itself?
lazy boost. I seem to max out at 5-6 psi in first gear and can finally achieve 11 to 12 psi at third gear
I haven’t crimped the wastegate line yet, but I did throw on a Lindsay racing boost enhancer today real quick and it actually reached close to Max boost in 1st gear. I didn’t push it real hard, but it seems very close to “normal”. I have since removed it until I get to the bottom of the actual issue.
What should I look out for here since I’m able to get close to Max boost with the boost enhancer? Can I still be looking at a potential collapsed pipe? Or is it something Electrical related? Knock sensor? What kind of test can I run here. But again I keep going back to that sound. Im thinking both of these things are related. I will say that before the turbo swap, I don’t think I was getting max boost in first gear, but it was definitely better than 5 to 6 psi. So similar’ish behavior but also no sound previous to the swap. Contemplating whether or not I need to tear this thing back down and do some inspection of the exhaust and turbo.
Surely you’re never going to get max boost in first gear even on a healthy car!
fwiw I think I can hit 15psi in 2nd with my probably knackered 1989 k26/8, but I have an old accuboost on it. I’ve never checked boost in 1st gear, there’s not enough time!
You mentioned a broken stud at the wastegate. If true then you most likely have a leak there. Would actually be surprised if you didn’t. I would start there.
Is the wastegate original, it might need new springs. You have to make sure you have a healthy wastegate. A tired one would definitely result in lazy boost.
Is your catalytic converter original? It might be clogged, that would definitely impact boost. The rattle might be broken honeycomb in the cat. Does it rattle when you go over bumps?
It’s difficult to troubleshoot a collapsed crossover without removing it and inspecting it. You might be able to get a borescope camera through the test port. You could also have cracked headers or crossover. Very common. You could try spraying soapy water over the headers to check for leaks when engine is cold. Cracks under the crossover heat shield will not be able to be seen.
Do you have stock muffler? I would consider a straight through muffler. My Magnaflow and high flow cat made a big difference in spool up for me.
I would start with checking for any possible leaks. Did you use new crush rings everywhere? You could take it to an exhaust shop and have them “listen” for any leaks.
As others have mentioned, I would test max boost in third gear.
Having a completely sealed exhaust is one of the most annoying things to achieve as a turbo owner.
Glassmuseum wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2026 9:38 pm
What should I look out for here since I’m able to get close to Max boost with the boost enhancer?
The Boost Enhancer takes the wastegate out of the picture--at least until the Enhancer's ball & spring open.
It's a good way to overcome a possibly lazy WG or some other issues 944m3 points out
If you get "popping" when you let off the throttle, you probably have exhaust leak(s). Then you can decide if improving your fuel economy is better than the cool sounds when you decelerate towards the red lights
For the rattle you might also check if the crossover is touching the downpipe. It’s a tight space there, especially happens with aftermarket exhaust. Might explain why the sounds goes down when warms up.
Thank you all. Yes @944m3 I did use new crush washers on the turbo connections. The cat is original but the muffler is a new one. The one that was on it when I bought it was practically dragging so I had to get a cheap Ansa for now.. Pretty sure the wastegate is also original. Attached a pic of the broken stud.
I think I’m headed towards a new wastegate and some exhaust bits and pieces. Does anyone run the Tial F38? I found one locally used in good shape for a deal and thinking about grabbing it. Any other recs? I know I would need an adapter for the Tial. How is the install? Also any recommendations on exhaust? I think I’d like to keep a cat so a high flow prob. I’ve had a look at Lindsey’s systems.
I ran the car again today @danmartinic and decided to keep the LBE on and I actually hit 12PSI in 3rd. It felt pretty nice! I will prob still remove it to investigate and try to nail down the issue. I also tried to locate the rattle again. Checked to see if the crossover was touching the downpipe and I didn’t see any evidence. I can hear the rattle louder under that car so hopefully that means I can rule out the turbo. Very concerned it’s the turbo. Guessing if the rattle was the turbo I wouldn’t be able to get full boost but who knows... I may try to take the 02 sensor out and see if can get a borescope camera down in the hole and also in the inspection port, that’s port is currently capped off with a lug nut.
Just in case it's the same thing and helpful, I was chasing a rattle in my exhaust before the cat for awhile, finally took it apart and all these little metal pieces fell out of the exhaust pipe. Turned out the end of the O2 sensor in the pipe had exploded and all the little pieces of it were tumbling around. Had several people tell me it wasn't uncommon, so might be worth your time to pull the O2 sensor to make sure it's intact.
The Tial is an awesome wastegate. There's a lot to read about it on the other forums. Install was one of the easier jobs I've done on the car and went pretty smoothly. For removal, I utilized the instructions that Lindsey Racing provides to support the installation of their wastegate system. Expect to snap every piece of exhaust hardware, so just stock up on new bolts and nuts beforehand. I bought the adapters and the wastegate as a package, but if you can get a deal on the wastegate then I'd go for that. You can run it single port, like the stock system, or dual port. I would recommend going single port at first and upgrade to dual port once you know all is well with the installation. Ask the seller which strength spring is inside, or you can take it apart and look. I think they are color coded.
chrischrischris wrote: Thu Jun 04, 2026 7:45 am
The Tial is an awesome wastegate. There's a lot to read about it on the other forums. Install was one of the easier jobs I've done on the car and went pretty smoothly. For removal, I utilized the instructions that Lindsey Racing provides to support the installation of their wastegate system. Expect to snap every piece of exhaust hardware, so just stock up on new bolts and nuts beforehand. I bought the adapters and the wastegate as a package, but if you can get a deal on the wastegate then I'd go for that. You can run it single port, like the stock system, or dual port. I would recommend going single port at first and upgrade to dual port once you know all is well with the installation. Ask the seller which strength spring is inside, or you can take it apart and look. I think they are color coded.
Thank you. I’ll look into it. What strength spring would be ideal for stock setup?
