intercooler boost leak? (2.1TD)

[nipper76]

hiya peeps.
im convinced that im loosing power somewhere, mainly because i thought these cars flew (2.1TD) and i seem to have trouble loosing 1litre girly saxos and the like.

ive replaced the gasket on the cam cover, and the 4 O rings on the plastic inlet thingy. looked over the pipes but cant see anything obvious.

What is the simplest way of finding a boost leak? nothing you can put into the engine is their? how amazing would it be to have some coloured smoke to pin point your problem lol

and how can i test the intercooler? to see if its that?

many thanks for your help.

[nipper76]

sorry to be rude but just wanted to budge this back up in hope that someone may help?

[Captain Jack]

Why do you think you're loosing boost? Is it not as fast as it used to be or....?

[nipper76]

well, like i say, everyone says these are like rockets, but mine sure aint, she is good on a long run up, but it takes a run up.
as a few years ago, i crashed it, only front end damage, but they replaced the intercooler + rad as they were BENT.
now i wonder if the intercooler was from the right vehicle or it had a hole in it when they put it on. as it was taken from anouther scrap vehicle.
i can help but feel that im SURE it was better quicker than it used to be.
its like its FULL of LAG.
its not as responsive.
and thats the only thing i can think of, other that getting a Diagnostic check, but just wanted to check various things off the list, beofr i start spending.
cheers peeps

[Captain Jack]

Hm, well they are not slow things - they should be slightly quicker than their HDI 110bhp counterpart. I think if you had a big hole in the intercooler you'd see quite a noticeable performance drop and a lot of black smoke out of the back. Stick it on a computer and see if any error codes come up.

[nipper76]

oh well.... i guess it will have to be done lol.
that wont show boost leak will it?
hopefully it will find something useful.

many thanks, and ill keep you posted, when its done

[mjb]

What is the simplest way of finding a boost leak? nothing you can put into the engine is their? how amazing would it be to have some coloured smoke to pin point your problem lol

They sell smoke sticks in newsagents and supermarkets. about £5.80 for a pack of 20...

Other than that, you can get a bottle of spray stuff (window cleaner, kicken cleaner, etc), wash it out and fill it with water. It'll produce a fine mist and let you see if air's escaping anywhere.

Using either of the above works best in the dark with a powerful torch/lamp

[Welly]

My system was pressure tested to 5 PSi with a smoke testing kit last week! it's a fancy bit of kit garages can get to test hoses, fuel lines etc. and it shoves a dense smoke in there making it really easy to spot leaks (like a gaping hole in my i/c hose ).

[nipper76]

My system was pressure tested to 5 PSi with a smoke testing kit last week! it's a fancy bit of kit garages can get to test hoses, fuel lines etc. and it shoves a dense smoke in there making it really easy to spot leaks (like a gaping hole in my i/c hose

Really...?

Sounds interesting, didnt know you could do that? ill have to look into it.

what did it cost? and was it a main dealer?

many thanks

[nipper76]

anyone have any clues on the intercooler pressure test?