Boost control solenoid DOA @ 1.5 months i think

[bringthenav]

Ok, so i began to lose turbo boost rather suddenly after doing not much more than 3-400km just lately.

Around 5000km in my $25 ebay BCS seems to have died an aftermarket death that u can expect from a cheap piece of sht part.

I came home off a freeway trip,
Noticing i had less boost in hot weather, heavy black brown smoke is back. Way too much smoke.

Boost.minimising over the day.
By time i got home lucky to make 12psi down from 21.

Now at about 3psi average, 5-8 maybe max, totally consistent with the Boost control solenoid i got had croaked early.

Heres the plan:
@Old.Tony ...
Gday mate, i will switch to a Tillix Valve. Trying what you do.

I actually hate boost control solenoids anyway, the way they decide when they're gonna give me boost on a busy freeway, i need boost on call to stay out of trouble...

Keen to switch to this setup this week!

Can u please provide me any links to threads of where to buy/price/how to fit.

I imagine it isnt hard at all.
I looked them up on ebay and Tillix doesn't come up, but Dawes Valve does.. am i right thinking thats the same thing?

I see they're about $150 for the kit.
I need to fit that in coming week to keep mobile. Will get a few spare bcs too & just keep in glovebox

Seeing how a bcs can be swapped in 5min why not just buy 10 of them lol.

But first foresmost, i want fit this Tillix (or Dawes?) Valve instead.

I think the boost curve would be much more suited to my application.

 

[Old.Tony]

Visit here: www.tillix.com.au

I've spoken to the guy, he knows his product and knows it works. There's detailed information on how to hook it up, I do suggest that - before you start - you take good photos of your existing setup and highlight the connection points so that if you want to go back to a BCS setup it's really easy.

One thing you'll NEED to do so that the Tillix valve works is tap into the turbocharger's output. I had the local mechanic do mine, by drilling into the hard pipe that the turbo outlet connects to (he had to use epoxy to give it a good seal). This part isn't needed for the BCS so if you want to switch back you'll need to block that off (a 50mm-long piece of vac hose that you've cured some good Sikaflex in one half will work well here).

Important note: if you do tap in close to where the hose clamp is, be sure to either route the vac line away from the hose clamp or tie the vac hose down. I didn't, and as a result vibration caused the hose clamp to wear a hole through the vac hose and my turbo started acting very oddly - I'd have what looked like normal boost, then it would overboost, then it would cause a false-limp mode, which only needed me to take my foot off the accelerator to fix - but late at night travelling to South Australia for the Supercars round it was quite an annoyance!

 

[bringthenav]

That's brilliant advice @Old.Tony and i can see that running this Tillix setup might be a way better solution than relying on a solenoid.

I'll purchase the kit & get a local mech to do the same.. showing him this post for their info.

I'll probably get them to hook up the Sikaflex tee vacuum blocked off at the same time.

That way i could be good to go to swap it back to Solenoid at any time, in which case as u backup plan...

Could u recommend a website for a real proper brand BCS... i imagine its Denso or Bosch.

I look forward to going this route & thanks for your passion and ingenuity!

 

[bringthenav]

If you can find time at all to post pics of both the tillix setup
& Of the blocked off tee vac for reference i would be grateful

 

[bringthenav]

That way with pics of where the mechanic exactly should fit the tillix, and where to fit the tee blocked piece

 

[Old.Tony]

I haven't made the blocked piece myself yet - the Tillix valve is still working, and got quite a few things on my plate - the Bathurst International is approaching as is Challenge Bathurst. While I know who's the pit chief for Challenge, there's been NO announcement as yet who's running Pit Lane and while I know I'm working in the lane, there's no boss and the real fear is that I'm the most senior person there - I've never been Chief for an event before (I've done track days, but they're easy, you just keep drinking coffee all day).

Making the piece is really easy, you don't really even need the silicon. Get a small cable tie, fold over about 15mm of the 50mm-long piece of vac hose and cable tie it to itself to form a kink that's held tight. All I was going to do for mine was pump a little silicon into one end of the 50mm-long piece and let it cure for as long as it took me to get sick of the Tillix valve (which at the moment I'm not and it's been in for a few years now).

I can see the advantage in a BCS over the Tillix valve: the ECU can be more forceful with boost levels, the Tillix valve can only react to how much boost can be used, whereas the ECU could spool up earlier. However, in my experience (3 BCS units later) the almost insignificant BCS superiority is easily outweighed by the fact that I bought just ONE Tillix valve many moons ago and it's still going without any issues (other than those I created myself, I've fixed the vac hose location now!).

As for sources of the BCS - Nissan brand their own unit, but I can't be sure that they're the actual manufacturer (I suspect that Denso are likely to be the actual supplier). The cheapest I can find the actual unit (part number 14956-EB70B) was around $50 on AliExpress - and on that site, there's no guarantee that it's actually a real Nissan part - although it does look pretty good in the pics and since nobody's ever faked a pic before, you can be confident you're buying something that at least looks close to a real one.

 

[bringthenav]

Top notch reply Tony.
I can see how much you love your Tillix Valve
I am so going to try.
If there is one thing that really grinds my gears its doing a fix on a vehicle that works only to have it fizzle on me just months or a year or less later.

I need permanent fixes.

The BCS i think even on alibaba, eBay etc while it says Denso i think they're all fake as. I will get the Tillix kit now & give that a whirl.

I would like that tee mod & about 3-5 bcs on hand for quick swaps, so that is the go. Chuck em in the glovebox ready for roadside 5min swapovers if needed.

I'll do some serious youtube/forum post research prior to hooking it up & then also probably do the easy?? vac block thing.. at least soon after fitting, if i find the way it boosts isnt to my liking.

In reality though, even if it takes a bit longer to spool on occasions, i rather that then having failing solenoids.

The solenoid both old & new would do that spooling up nice to 15 or so then decide to drop it to 10 when i actually need to keep that boost up on a freeway to maintain speeds to avoid other cars lane changing or trucks etc. I cant stand that it doesnt just hold boost like a petrol boost controller would & maintain the level of speed and boost.

Now i guess I'm off to Tillix.com to see the price & place the order.

Cool to hear u are involved in Bathurst by the way!
I really enjoyed that latest 5000.
There's so much different races abd categories to enjoy, it would be cool to be involved.

If u ever need a hand out there, i am interested & would be kind of excited to go out there ... Am located in Syd- Central coast area. Its not impossible i could get time & get involved in that scene. Cheers.

 

[bringthenav]

I've looked.
Think i will go the full $195 kit,
That includes the spool control rate valve... I definitely would like to be able to fine tune it

 

[bringthenav]

Sorry to write again..
I am about to order,
I see it says its for 127kw YD25 version, and not the later 140kw.

Mines a 2007 vsk Spain,
I don't actually know for certain the kw, but i think mine would be the earlier 127 right

 

[Old.Tony]

Sorry to write again..
I am about to order,
I see it says its for 127kw YD25 version, and not the later 140kw.

Mines a 2007 vsk Spain,
I don't actually know for certain the kw, but i think mine would be the earlier 127 right

The 2007 model is exactly the same as mine.

The 140kW cars had an electronic actuator so a vacuum valve won't work.

Bathurst is easy to get involved in. Visit the appropriate web site for the event. If you want to get involved in the marshalling side you'll need to visit motorsport.org.au/officials and become accredited (because marshals can have an impact on the result of a race). At Bathurst:

12 Hour: www.bathurst12hour.com.au
6 Hour: www.bathurst6hour.com.au
Any supercars event: www.supercars.com/race-and-event-officials
Bathurst International: bathurst.international/event-info/officials-volunteers/
Challenge: www.challengebathurst.com/officials-volunteers/

You'll notice that you don't NEED to have accreditation for all roles, there are also "event officials" who handle things like venue entry, access to certain areas, supply and more. There's also specialist areas of medical, fire and recovery (these people usually have accreditation as race officials and have real experience in these areas).

 

[bringthenav]

Thanks.
Plus for the info on Bathurst work.
I'll go ahead & order the kit.

If u get a chance sometime soon, can u please upload a couple pics of where u plumbed into the hotpipe etc, so i can see where ?

Cheers

 

[Old.Tony]

Inside the red circle is a black hole where the connection goes.

 

[bringthenav]

Well i installed it !
Ran off my boost guage spare T that i had set up few months ago,
Avoiding need for any drilling & welding on a hotpipe boost output.

The utes hauling after 1 test run.

Had to make cpl immediate adjustments to:

Needle valve, as on first drive round corner i had boost going up as high as 30 & spooling up ultra fast

*I turned down the needle (i think!) - a few turns counterclockwise from how it came from factory - assuming it was max open from factory
*I wound the boost up from completely closed a couple light full turns only & locked it off.

Another test.
Absolutely hauling ass,
boost guage spooling up a bit faster factory & reaching higher levels easier eg 15psi in 2nd, 3rd gear.

Reaching top of 22 max it seems,
And absolutely hauling ass,
Even ripping up hills ferociously,
Happy as i could probably leave it like it is, but i wont.

Reason being i cant really actually hear the turbo spool abd scream noise like i did before, since winding the needle valve (down!?) But when it reaches 20psi & above i can hear wgst i describe as that almost silent and quiet turbo high spooling sucking sound where u know its spinnin like mad but like what u might hear on a very well sealed turbo instead of that screaming sound. I also notice engine power totally keeping up with the turbo unlike I've ever seen before on this exact current setting.
Maybe exceeding the turbo power though just a little too much.

Tomorrow i will tweak with it more & adjust the Tillix Turbo boost up more,
Which i had wound all the way in (i think!) following the instructions before i hooked it up.
It said in manual it comes at max opened & to close it right up to give a reference point to start.

I notice zero oscillation or spike on my boost gauge afaik having the Tillix fitted off the guage tee, that they described could happen.
Seems good there.

I think i turn the Tillix up a bit more,
Leave the needle, see if i get more Turbo power at the same max Boost level that way.
Might need to wind that Tillix boost up to a certain level & maybe close the Needle Valve off a bit more to match that.

Hopefully that gets it just right
If not i will try shortening my approx 10cm boost input to the Tillix a cm at a time. See if it reduces that wild 30psi i was seeing.
They did mention something about progressively trimming it shorter & the performance is smoother and smoother on it.

If i keep seeing strange boost showing high & boosting but more engine than boost pushing me..

(Not that i am complaining !!
The utes never been so fast & aggressive..

i can see i will probably need to start experimenting with the spring inside the Tillix .. shortening it slowly that they mention reduces the overall boost if its too high.. which i was.

I def installed it correctly, inc vac facing the source etc etc.

It looks super snazzy & heres some happy snaps.
I think i will be HEAPS HAPPIER running this than the BCS & am excited that the Tillix Valve can pretty much never fail as its a manual valve.

 

[bringthenav]

Update:
I went up to the shops yest arvo,
Thinking i should probably tweak with the settings.

There was no need,
The truck absolutely goes well as it is, i fluked some great settings the 1st time.

I got slightly faster spool up than stock, terrific matched engine rpm reponse to it, and reaching higher and much better to drive levels of boost in all gears eg up to 5-10 quickly, 15 by time i change gears etc & with a max of 21, which can easily reach high in the rpms when i am really needing acceleration and torque. This thing is great.

Big thanks to Old Tony for the suggestion. Cheers mate.