Turbosmart FAQS
Here is a handy self-help guide to helping you with your Turbosmart install and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
Turbosmart recommends getting your products fitted and tuned by a qualified technician.
If you choose to fit and set the product up yourself, ensure you have all the necessary tools and technical knowledge required to perform this task.
General Questions
Yes, spare parts for many of our products are available under the product category “Spares and Accessories.” You’ll need to identify and select which products you need spare parts for (IE: Wastegate, Blow Off Valve) and then the available replacement parts will be listed.
Yes, all of our parts are covered by a one year warranty when purchased through one of our authorised vendors.
If you are experiencing a problem with your Turbosmart product, our first recommendation is always to reach out to the support team at your local office. In many cases, a product issue can be resolved without having a warranty inspection performed.
To pursue and process a warranty claim, please get in touch with the vendor/dealer that you purchased the part from and advise them that you’d like to start the process for a warranty inspection. The vendor will be able to generate a Return Authorisation (RA) number for you and also supply a blank warranty form. Complete the warranty form (including the RA number) and mail the item to be inspected for warranty, along with the completed form, to your local Turbosmart office. Upon inspection and confirmation of a warrantable defect, the Turbosmart office will repair or replace the unit and arrange shipment back to you.
Blow Off & Bypass Valves
Our “Dual Port” valves split the released compressed air, recirculating a portion of the air into the intake tract and removing the remaining air into the atmosphere. A “Supersonic” valve vents 100% of the compressed air charge into the atmosphere. A “Plumb Back” valve recirculates 100% of the close air charge into the intake tract.
All of our springs are rated based on the amount of engine vacuum required to open the valve with that particular spring installed. In order to select the right spring for your vehicle you should take into account the amount of engine vacuum generated at idle, the vacuum “dip/spike” on initial deceleration, and what style of valve you are using (Plumb Back, Dual Port, or Supersonic).
Most valves come pre-adjusted to the correct setting for your vehicle. The two possible extremes that may require adjustment are a valve that is too stiff for your application or a valve that is too soft.
If the valve is too stiff, your vehicle will generally exhibit some level, large or small, of compressor surge (also known as turbo flutter). This sound may accompany a delayed (and short in duration) release of the air charge from the valve, or it may be present with absolutely no opening of the valve at all. If these conditions are present, then the valve should be adjusted softer. In general, compressor surges can cause damage to the turbocharger and should be reduced or eliminated whenever possible.
If the valve is too soft, then your vehicle will generally suffer by having a valve that is open when it shouldn’t be (such as at idle) or from an extended air charge release (possibly in excess of 3 seconds). If either of these conditions occurs, then the valve should be adjusted harder.
Suppose the cap adjustment does not sufficiently correct an unwanted condition noted above. In that case, another spring will likely need to be selected for your application. It’s also important to be aware that although we advise against it, some turbo kit builders will design a kit using our valve to have a certain level of “acceptable” compressor surge. If you are concerned about an issue such as this, then the best course of action is to reach out to the team responsible for designing the turbo kit.
If the valve is too soft, then your vehicle will generally suffer from a valve that is open when it shouldn’t be (such as at idle) or from an extended air charge release (possibly in excess 3 seconds). If either of these conditions occur then the valve should be adjusted harder.
If the valve is too stiff, then your vehicle will generally exhibit some level, large or small, of compressor surge (also known as turbo flutter). This sound may accompany a delayed (and short in duration) release of the air charge from the valve, or it may be present with absolutely no opening of the valve at all. In general, compressor surge can cause damage to the turbocharger and should be reduced or eliminated whenever possible. If these conditions are present, then the valve should be adjusted softer.
Our valves are not rated by the amount of boost pressure that they can hold. A good rule of thumb is that if the hose supplying air into the top chamber of the valve is large enough to supply an adequate volume of air, then the valve itself should maintain a closed position, despite higher boost pressures. This is because the boost pressure being plumbed into the top valve chamber is intended to overcome the boost pressure in your charge pipe, keeping the valve closed.
A better determination of the type of valve needed would be to base the decision on the quantity of air being supplied to the engine. Engine displacement, boost pressure, and turbo size are all important factors to keep in mind when determining valve needs.
The most common cause of a valve leak under high boost driving is a leak in the hose supplying boost pressure to the valve. That boost pressure going into the valve is what keeps it closed, so if you have a leak on that supply side, or some sort of restriction, then it could lead to a valve that will open under high boost driving. This supply-side issue could be related to a problem with one of the hoses, a problem with the factory boost solenoid (if your vehicle has one), or a problem with the fitting which supplies air into the valve.
The first step would be to perform some basic inspections on the valve and try to establish what potential causes might exist (such as a leak or an incorrect spring). If the valve is a piston-type valve and has not been maintained (cleaned and lubed) in some time, then that should be done first. Depending on the conditions where you drive the vehicle, the valve should be maintained every 1-3 years to keep it working properly.
The next step would be to check for any potential leaks on the air supply side of the valve. Finally, the valve internals themselves should be checked for a potential leak/air loss. It’s important to be aware, that just as in a leak down test with an internal combustion engine, a small amount of air loss past the valve piston is normal and to be expected.
If you still need further assistance, then you should reach out to the support team at one of our 3 offices (Australia, UK, and USA). Before initiating this contact, gather as much info as possible about what the problem is, including what the conditions are when it happens (engine temp, vehicle speed, engine speed, etc…), as well as any other relevant info (including photos and videos if available). The more information you provide, the better our support staff will be able to assist you.
Yes, some of our valves are ONLY offered as universal parts (such as the Raceport), and many of the other valve types are offered in universal fit forms, in addition to our vehicle-specific versions.
Selecting the correct universal valve for your vehicle requires a baseline knowledge of your needs and intended air routing system. First, you need to identify the size of the valve that would be sufficient for the volume of air you will be discharged through the valve. Next, you need to determine if you plan on plumbing the air back into the intake tract, releasing it to the atmosphere, or a combination of the two. Some vehicles have limitations in this regard because of the air metering device being used to calculate the fuel supply to the engine. The final step in choosing the correct universal valve would be to identify which spring is supplied with the unit in its base form and to confirm that this spring is the best option for the amount of vacuum your vehicle generates.
Yes, we offer O-ring kits for the majority of our piston style valves. These O-ring kits are designed to make O-ring selection much simpler for valves that require maintenance to replace old and worn O-rings.
Most of our valves have individual components available which are intended to be replaced on a regular basis. This includes commonly worn O-rings, diaphragms, V-band clamps and flanges. These are all available in the “Spares and Accessories” portion of our website. Other items (such as valve pistons) are not available as replacement parts because they are generally precision measured to be used with a correctly sized valve bore.
• Check the vacuum hose for splits, cracks, loose connection, kinking or any obstruction – old or fatigued hose may collapse under vacuum causing an obstruction
• With the engine running remove the vacuum/pressure hose from the nipple in the cap of the BOV, there should a loud hissing sound. The engine should idle poorly, double-check by covering the end of the hose with your finger. If this does not occur, the hose could be blocked or crimped. Check the hose and replace it if necessary.
• Ensure that the vacuum/pressure source is not shared and that the vacuum source is directly from the inlet manifold
• Check the seal between the adapter and the Race Port – ensure that there is no gap between the BOV base and the weld flange
• Check the joint between the adapter and the intercooler pipe for leaking.
Some cars with sensitive Air-Flow Meters will not respond well to atmospheric Blow-Off Valve. Turbosmart recommends fitting a bypass-type BOV like the Plumb Back. Fitting a bypass-type BOV will eliminate the stalling problem.
External Wastegates
This is a complex question that should, ideally, be answered by the people building the exhaust portion of the turbocharger kit and the person doing the tuning on the vehicle. Factors that need to be considered include engine displacement, fuel type being used, available location of wastegate mounting (and position/angle), intended max RPM of the engine, number of turbochargers on the vehicle, number of wastegates being used, and the desired boost levels/range that the vehicle will operate in (High and low boost). All of these factors should be considered when selecting the correct wastegate size for the application.
There are many factors that could cause a vehicle to produce more boost than what the wastegate is set at. Common problems are a leak in the air supply line to the wastegate, an improperly sized wastegate for the application (usually too small), poor location/priority of the wastegate, or a stuck/seizing wastegate to list a few.
Although you can perform a “bench test” of a wastegate to confirm that it is cycling properly and not seized, this bench test will not offer accurate results in regards to the amount of air required to open the wastegate. It is important to keep in mind during this test that when the wastegate is actually run on the vehicle, there will be additional exhaust backpressure helping to force the wastegate open. Because of this, a 14 PSI wastegate may require 20+ PSI or air pressure to open during a bench test. The best way to confirm the proper operation of a wastegate is to run it on a vehicle.
Yes, fitting an external wastegate will require fabrication of a custom manifold and or modification to an exhaust manifold.
Any increase in boost pressure can cause the engine to run “LEAN”, resulting in possible engine damage.
Boost Control
Boost controllers increase the boost generated by the turbocharger above what the wastegate would usually allow with its designed spring pressure/rate. Additional features are designed into the electrical units we produce. However, the primary function is primarily to increase the boost level.
This complex question requires additional information about your intended use for the vehicle and the controller.
Mechanical boost controllers are simple to operate and extremely reliable, with little maintenance and tuning required.
Electronic controllers incorporate numerous additional safety and functional options that mechanical units do not. They also allow for significantly more advanced options for controlling multiple boost levels on a vehicle.
Electronic boost controllers have many benefits not found in manual controllers. Our electronic boost controllers have an Overboost Protection function which acts as a safety feature. This is to prevent, boost over your desired maximum.
They also can be used to activate an auxiliary device, such as a meth injection or a secondary fuel pump. Furthermore, they offer boost correction settings to help eliminate boost drop off at higher RPM (RPM input needed) and can be configured to read in multiple units (PSI, KPa, BAR). Lastly, they are also capable of recording the peak boost and RPM being measured by the unit.
The E-Boost Street and E-Boost 2 perform many of the same base functions, but some differences are. The E-Boost Street is capable of storing 2 boost settings which can easily be switched by using the gauge knob/button or by use of an external switch (not included). The E-Boost 2 can store 6 boost settings that can be switched by using the gauge face buttons or one of numerous other switching “logic”. These additional switching logics allow the E-Boost 2 to perform RPM-based boost mapping, time delay based mapping, boost by gear, and several other custom-configured boost control scenarios. The E-Boost street is rated to measure and read up to 40 PSI, whereas the E-Boost 2 can measure and read up to 60 PSI (we also offer the 120 PSI capable E-Boost HP).
This question is best directed to the person doing the install and configuration of the electronic boost controller. In many cases, the primary consideration in answering this question is which option will allow for a greater reduction in the length of vacuum hose to be used. For most engine configurations with two banks and two wastegates, using dual solenoids would be recommended to allow for the quickest response and operation of the wastegates.
This question is best directed to the person doing the system design and tuning on the vehicle. The intended boost range that you’d like to run on the vehicle and the spring pressure being used in the wastegate are key factors for this discussion.
Yes, we offer spare parts and accessories for our boost controllers. This includes mounting brackets, toggle switches, wire harnesses, and more. These are all available in the “Spares and Accessories” portion of our website.
Yes, we offer spare parts and accessories for our boost controllers. This includes mounting brackets, toggle switches, wire harnesses, and more. These are all available in the “Spares and Accessories” portion of our website.
(The following answers also apply to Dual and Single Stage Boost Controllers)
• Check that the boost controller is installed so that the arrow points toward the wastegate actuator.
• Check the joining hoses for splits, cracks or loose connection and are the correct size for the application.
• Check to see if the boost controller is blocked or contaminated with dirt or debris.
• Ensure that there is nothing but the boost controller in the hose between the pressure source and the wastegate actuator, ie tee pieces for boost gauge or to factory boost solenoid.
• Pressure test the wastegate actuator for leakage, the diaphragm or housing may be cracked or split.
• Check that the wastegate is operating correctly.
No, you won’t lose anything, but if you are worried, take 5-10 minutes and note down all your settings. it’ll be helpful if you do accidentally change something.
There is no “proper” way, just start with the basic hook up method as per the instructions and if you don’t get the desired effect, try the other hookup methods as outlined in the fitting instructions.
Fuel Pressure Regulators
While a fuel pressure regulator can be fitted relatively easily, Turbosmart recommends its FPRs are fitted and tuned by qualified technicians as an incorrect setting of fuel pressure may cause your engine to run lean with the potential for detonation.
Please Note: After fitting as FPR, Air-Fuel ratios must be checked.
Fuel Cut Defenders
The adjustment dials do not turn 360O, they start at 1 and finish at 10. Do not force them past these points as this will damage your FCD2