heel_touge

iTrader: (1)

I knew when i picked up the car there was a ****ty coupler on my LICP and it would need to be replaced.
over the past few months the car was boosting on the guage to its set PSI (23) but it felt like it was way down on power.
a week or so back, on my way into work, i'm merging on the highway and i hit (what i have researched to be) the boost cutoff. basically the car just jerked forward and blew off the pressure.
that following weekend I had an event and noticed when at throttle the car really wasn't going anywhere, yet the gauge still read the appropriate pressure. My friend took the car to get my camera and came back with a CEL : P0243 which is the wastegate actuator code.
we cleared it turned down the boost and went on with the day. no future problems (besides the lack of power).

this saturday i put it up on the rack to do a boost leak test and before i even got started i checked the coupler. sure enough, dry rotted through and there were two ruptures.
I couldn't find anything at local stores, so i Kentucky Chromed the coupler up and took it for a spin. Needless to say the car felt better than ever. So i came home and ordered a new silicon coupler which will should arrive sometime this week.

Im totally new to turbo land, but would a leak at the LICP throw a wastegate code like that? this was the coupler coming directly off of the turbo into the intercooler. (what is the correct terminology for that?)

I always thought that a boost leak would lose pressure or not build pressure, yet my car built and held the pressure, but i just wasn't getting power out of it. Whats the explanation for that? Is it safe to assume my turbo was working double time to keep it at this state?

I also found that there may be a slight exhaust leak at the flange for my down pipe, there is a bit of grey discoloration. Is that something that would throw the code?

would an exhaust leak at the flange make me lose any power? Is it detrimental to the function of the car and need a fix right away?

I'm just trying to figure out what my next steps are going to be, as this is a new platform(forced induction) and new make of vehicle for me and i have alot of learning to do.

thanks,
Mark