Turbo Honda not making boost...WTF??

[christdeyoung]

Not quite sure on that one...I drove around for a few months before I found out the restrictor was still installed!
Car is put away for the winter....frustration won this time.

[christdeyoung]

Ok, so the Honda is out of storage. Wastegate has been swapped (new springs) with one of my brand new ones for the GTR build. STILL WILL NOT MAKE FULL BOOST.
There are NO charge piping leaks...the car works excellent with the 10 psi spring in it (reads about 8 psi), and when you throw the second spring for 16 psi, it will not boost above 11...no matter how fast it spools, it stops dead at 11 (the wastegate only just starting to open at this point). If I hold it at 11 for a second, the motor will cut out (feels like ignition cut). AFR looks fine leading up to the cut out.
It started doing this one day after the charge piping came apart, and I put it back together a different way (a bit less restrictive). Turbo works fine up to 11 psi, no smoke, no end play, spins freely, doesn't leak oil.
If anyone can solve this mystery, I'll mail them a ******* cookie.

[lalex]

what kind of ecu are you running ??? maybe there's a boost cut ??? my aem make that...

[christdeyoung]

Its an ECtuned p06. It DOES have a boost cut, but it's set for like 15 psi....the boost gauge doesn't even flicker when it cuts out, so I'm in serious doubt of a boost spike.

[falcon]

Are you running pressure to both ports on the wastegate?

Are you running a boost controller?

If neither... hook both up (one line is pressure to "hold" the gate shut until peak boost). Get a cheap mechanical boost controller and wind it up.

[christdeyoung]

No boost controller...just turbo outlet pressure under the diaphragm.
I shouldn't have to keep the wastegate forced closed with pressure...the car worked great for a long time just the way it is.
I'm thinking somehow the turbo is fukked....not making boost past a certain pressure. Doesn't make much sense though.

[falcon]

Have you inspected your wheel? You may have sucked something up.

Try a boost controller.

[christdeyoung]

Yeah, next on the to do list is remove the compressor casing, then the exhaust side. I now expect the turbo to be the cause of all of this.
I don't want to put a whole lot more money into this thing at this point in time, (having just installed new sleeves/pistons) so I'll likely replace it (GT35 I believe) with HX30, or possibly 35.

[christdeyoung]

So, I tried removing the exhaust casing, but couldn't get it to slide off the cartridge, so I just peered in with a light to look at the blades, and they all looked fine. Removed the compressor casing, and same thing....the blades look fine. There's about .010 of shaft play (measured with a feeler gauge between the impeller and the casing), which should be within spec, and there's zero coking inside the oil drain gallery.
What now?