[Nick Walls]

so i got a solstice gxp out of a flood. car was in really good shape with only a few minor electric problems. The motor ran great and strong for the first few months of owning it, but now i have a turbo issue. For some reason the turbo only kicks in half of the time, the other half it acts as if it doesnt have a turbo. When revving it, the turbo usually kicks in but sometimes it doesnt. While driving, its a flip of the coin if the turbo is going to kick in, not work at all, or start to work then quit while boosting. any possible ideas of whats wrong? thanks

 

[Nick Walls]

i really doubt this has much to do with it, but i think the car might be about due for an oil change.

 

[Treeman]

Is there a Check Engine Light (CEL)? Coming out of a flood, my first guess is electronics, which could mean a new ECU.

 

[WickedMike]

If the car has the GMPP tune it may just be corroded connection my car acted that way until I removed the connectors and soldered the wires. Good Luck

 

[GS Stage 1]

Even if you don't have a CEL, there may be stored incident codes in the ECM. Get the code history read and report back. There are way to many possibilities without more information, especially where the car was a flood victim.

The ECM could be throwing you into "Limp Mode Lite" because it is reading a sensor discrepancy. This can happen and result in a "Silent Code", meaning no CEL on the dash.

 

[The_Ghost]

I'm gonna go one worse then everyone here. Have you had the turbo piping off to look at the turbo? If not, maybe the bearings are caked with junk or rusted because of the water. These cars sit several months after the flood damage.... Just a thought.

** Hopefully you had ALL of the fluids changed when you bought it!!!!!!! If not, it could VERY WELL be the oil.... If you didn't have them all changed with it being "flood damaged", do it immediately! Even though a lot of it is "sealed", water can still find it's way in! And DON'T EVER use any oil other then synthetic or you WILL destroy your turbo!!!!! I have a friend that is an engineer for GM and one of their "techs" used conventional oil in a brand new Regal....it lasted 500 miles after the oil change...

Do you see boost on the DIC (Digital Info Center)? Let's start there. If the boost is fluctuating on the DIC, then we can go from there....

 

[red one]

jmo
turbo don't start and stop they turn all the time and I don't think they have any computer connections The turbo must be stopping from some kind of rust or corrosion

 

[GS Stage 1]

Pretty sure he is referring to boost command, not if the turbo is actually turning. He has intermittent boost command for some reason. He needs to read the codes to get a direction for diagnostics.

 

[lil goat]

If the fuel pump has issue's it commands the computer to not enter boost so as not to create a lean condition, had it happen to me under warranty, when mine went it was done never allowed the turbo to spool up again until the new fuel pump was installed, we have an electronic waste gate basically it opens and stays that way so the turbo can't build pressure, if this fails may show the same symptoms.

 

[zzzybil]

let us know what fixes it

change the oil whether needs it or not...ALWAYS USE SYNTHETIC

good... possibly you'll need someone to take the turbo apart - clean it......maybe that'll do the trick
idk good luck figuring it out -
my experience has been its usually the simple things get overlooked while dreading the gloom n doom scenario......:grouphug:

 

[Crisis]

It *could* be anything. But maybe you will get lucky.
I've had the symptoms you describe three times on my 07.

First time at around 35000 miles, "Wastegate Controller valve" or similar name replaced under warranty. I don't recall if the name was Boost, Turbo, Wastegate - it was something like that and did eventually throw a code.

Second time around 42000 miles, similar initial symptoms, followed a few days into it with a really nasty metal on metal growl at low speed. Complete new turbo replaced under warranty.

Third time at 48000 miles, but out of warranty for time. Thought I'd look for a part number on the wastegate controller since I knew the turbo was OK and I couldn't find the part in a diagram. The part in question is a small black sensor on the front lower part of the turbo inlet. Two vacuum hoses on the top and one plastic covered wiring harness connector (small with two wires) leading to the front of the vehicle. As I was checking it I realized the connector plug (which hangs vertically) was about 1/4 inch out of the sensor. Push up, clear code, no problems for a day or two. Repeat for rest of week as I was busy at work. When I looked at the plug, the retaining clip was partially broken off. Not sure if it happened at the dealer or was always that way (may not have needed the first sensor?). Employed two zip ties and it has been trouble free for the last 20K miles.

Hopefully it's just the sensor or connector and not a turbo problem.
Good luck.