sr20det not up to spec

[Twinkie]

hey all. I got a totally stock sr20 with a KOYO radiator, and an aftermarket airfilter. I also have a stage 2, 6 puck sprung clutch. as far as those, its basically stock. Ive had my SR20 for about 6 months now (got it at about 50k miles). When i first got it, my car pulled super well for the first couple months. I LOVED IT!

I change my oil every 1500 miles. (because for somereason, oil gets black super quiK!) I ussually use Royal Purple 10w 30. i maintain it quite well. and ALWAYS use 91 octane or more. sometimes with some octane booster. I put in injector cleaners once in a while.

but i noticed that now, its not pulling like it used to. now, my engine is about 60k miles now or a little less. turbine lags and spools at 3500 rpm and when pulling past it, seems like the torque stays constant now and doesnt pull as well as it used to. :goyou:

so im wondering, would it be that my turbines are wearing off? or just an old engine? also, is it normal for my oil to turn black so quikly? is it normal for the stock t25 to start spolling and pulling at 3500 rpm? ive heard most people with sr20 t25 turbo spool at 2500rpm.

or is this just another case of false mental thought? the constant feel of repeated stock sr20 power might have cause me to be so used to the power that it feels slow now? perhaps, time to upgrade and gain more hp's??

( Ive got a turbo outlet, down pipe and a straight pipe here...and waiting for my HKS hi-power to come in a couple weeks...hope itll help. im thinking - What else would satisfy my needs for low budget? )

any of you have the same problem as me?

[JerkFaceJason]

depending on where you live you should try a thicker oil, 10w30 is like water to a 1100 degree turbo charger i run 15w40 in mine

Also your catback will make a huge difference for the high end

[Twinkie]

depending on where you live you should try a thicker oil, 10w30 is like water to a 1100 degree turbo charger i run 15w40 in mine

Also your catback will make a huge difference for the high end

I live in moderate temperature...Santa Clara / San Jose (south bay) California. normal climate. Would i really feel much of a difference using different weight oils?

[mrmephistopheles]

As far as oil goes, it's not about feel as it is protection.
Try testing your compression or checking your turbine out. An exhaust and/or intake will make a world of difference in turbo behavior and engine response.

[monkeyspeed]

check your timing...even though you may not have changed it, still check to make sure...my cas moves by itself and i have to reset timing at least once a week...

[evilimport]

check your timing...even though you may not have changed it, still check to make sure...my cas moves by itself and i have to reset timing at least once a week...
you have to reset the timing once a week?! Holy pain in the ass.

[The Hamsterball]

I have been told that these turbochargers wear out at around 60,000 miles...

It could be that. I guess you should check on that as somebody else suggested.

[sepulchral]

oil has detergents that clean the motor all oil goes black after the first 100miles, do compression test, change fuel filter, you could be leaning out like i did, check injectors, check Fuel pressure

[sxavior]

I don't know if this has anything to do with your performance issues but I would not use fuel injector cleaner. At least the kind that you pour in you gas tank because the cleaner is bad for your fuel pump. Just use some throttle body cleaner.

I second checking your fuel pressure.