Bleed valves suck!

I have recently been trying to set up my boost and I realised my HKS EVC EZ that came with the car is no good because it leaks vacuum so I tried the 1 bar loop and i mangled a T peice cramming the pipes on and it boosted like crazy so I have resorted to an old manual boost controller I have.

The manual boost controller i have is a bleed valve type and it's, for the lack of a better word, shit! it's about as stable as an itallian taxi driver stuck behind two priets in a skoda

I tried to set it up to just under 1 bar and the best I can get out of it is getting it to spike at about 1 bar and then it backs off to about 0.8 maybe less as the revs increase, and wile I'm boosting the needle on the boost gauge seams to move back and forth about 0.1 of a bar. It's shit and I need to get myself a good electronic boost controller I reckon so I can get more precise accurate boost control but the damn things are expensive!

I like the sound of the apexi avcr how you can set boost different in each gear, that way I could back it off a bit in 1st so I don't blow the gear box to smithereens lol they at just a bit pricey

NEVER use a bleed valve    It will end in tears, Buy a Dawes devise of ebay for about £15 there like a bleed valve but a lot more stable & safe!

Best bet is a new electronic boost controller Or redo the 1bar mod... BIN THE BLEED VALVE NOW lol  

What makes you say it will end in tears mate? I it just because they are that unstable that the boost could up itself without warning? It is shit but like I say ive got it set up so it spikes just under a bar so it's not over boosting at all so it shouldn't caus any problems, it's just shit at controlling boost lol.

I just want some way of setting my boost tempererily for the RR day because I don't want to stick it on the rollers running hardly any boost or I'll be the one driving home with the wooden spoon

I would redo the 1 bar mod but I haven't got anything to T it to the intake pipe with

Don't worry about the wooden spoon mate..
Mine is completely standard at 0.7 bar.   

There just very unstable as the bleed off to atmhospere & and they can pop vac pipes off very easily,

Ive seen it all before where they have failed & people have over boosted & popped there headgasket or even worse!

Should be ok for the RR day, but I wouldn't reckomend hard driving on road with 1 :/

I'll be lucky if I get 0.6 bar without the bleed valve because my stock solenoid was playing up the last time i plumbed it in stock

The vac pipes shouldn't pop off Gaz because I have the pipes held on with jubilee clips, surely vac pipes popping off is more to do ith no securing them properly in the first place, that could happen with any boost controller. I know what your saying though mate they are shite! It does seem really unstable    I don't think ill be able to get a Dawes device in time for the RR day now

Like I say though I've set it up so it never goes over 1 bar even if I drive hard in 1st gear it dosent go over 1 bar but it backs off again once it hits 1 bar to about stock boost so it's not really doing it's job at all lol

Just watch out for big spikes in cold weather then mate, yeh if vac pipes are jubilee on then that shoud solve that issue.

& always check the locking nut is tight & dousnt work its way loose

Right I've just remembered I had a Dawes device I bought a while back but never used

Here it is



The reason I never used it is because when I came to fit it I noticed the ball bearing had actually started to rust and wouldn't move freely in the device so obviously wouldn't of been any good

Heres the ball bearing


Now here's the stroke of luck, one o the ball bearings from the gearbox me and Darren took to bits looks like its the exact same size

Here's the two bearings together


So it looks like I have another manual boost controller to play with.

One other bad thing about my bleed valve is it has NO locking nut    lol

The only problem is now I'm going to have to waste a ton of petrol setting it up lol

Hahaha that's mad you remembered you had 1 lol

Probably has a tension spring though !
To be honest most of the bleed valve issues was due to the idiots using it, by no means are they great but with basic common sense on fitting & keeping boost gain sensible they can & do work.
Decent electronic control is the way to go & prices are quite cheap these days.
AVCR is ok but find it too adjustable & to easily messed with if you not careful.
Greddy or Blitz have done some good EBC's with superb stepper motors.

Yeh AVCR is a nightmare to set up, mines not perfect but best I can get id at min

Ye the bleed valve did have a tension spring, I just tried to secure it with cable ties so it wasn't flopping about everywhere.

I'll fit this other manual boost controller later when I get the chance and hopefully it will be more stable than the bleed valve for the time being until I find a decent electronic boost controller for a good price.

I'm a bit weary of buying second hand though unless it's off someone I know because my HKS EVC EZ actually works fine but my car looses vacuum when it's connected up and I'm worried if I was to buy one off eBay or something I could end up with one that leaks vacuum like mine does

ive just put an hks evc in my parts section so take a looky see

that's not a dawes device btw that's just another cheapo bleed valve by looks of it.

it will be fine if its not going over a bar and tailing off to .8.
its only if your really upping the boost to above 1.2 bar you need a proper controller as theres obviously much greater chance for poor afr's which could blow the engine up in a short space of time, at a bar on stock ecu with good fuelling and ignition theres leeway for a bit of spiking in lower gears, with bigger turbos and more boost the leeway is far less.

I thought a Dawes device was a ball and spring type bob? It's different to the bleed valve I have because that just has a hole in it that you can open and close and the hole bleeds boost off were as this one you adjust the tension on the spring and it allows the ball bearing to move at the desired boost. It dosent actually bleed anything off if you look at it.

I'm not sure if it is a Dawes device or not but it looks like it works in the same way as the Dawes devices I have seen and it definately works differently to the bleed valve I have.

As long as it holds boost relatively stable it will be rate lol.

I'll take a look at your boost controller bob but I'll have to wait till after the RR day before I consider buying one due to lack of founds lol

Here's the eBay add for it

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Premium-Black-Manual-Boost-Controller-Fitting-Kit-NOT-A-BLEED-VALVE-LOOK-/131164298966?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1e8a005ed6

Which version of the HKS EVC do you have by the way bob?

yeah dawes have a ball bearing not a bleed valve the one in the pic is a dawes device



sorry bill only just saw the pic you put up, thatll teach me to read all the thread next time lol
yeah that's fine fella

not sure what one it is tbh as just has hks electronic valve controller written on it has 4 small buttons on left then the digital display
it deffo works and il give you a money back guarantee that its all working too

Yours is basically same principle but bit cheaper construction hence the rusty ball :-S

Yep the rusty ball was a big let down, good job I have a gearbox lying around in bits that I can pinch a ball bearing from.

Sounds like an HKS EVC IV bob. I'll let you know if and when I'm wanting it. It's my birthday on the 23rd so hopefully I can get someone to buy it me for my birthday

Exactly what causing your current issue, you say controller good so what at fault ?

It's just the bleed valve I was using mate, it wasn't very stable. I'm going to try another one like the one in the link I just posted to see if its any better.

I don't think their is actually a problem with the car because the boost is stable before I used the bleed valve

So why you using a bleed valve if current EBC is good ?
Is your current EBC stepper motor/solenoid faulty, missing or plumbed wrong ?