Quick question on how a solenoid works. When im putting air through the COM side on my apexi solenoid should it always be coming back out the NO side, or the top port of the solenoid. I tested this and with the cars ignition on or off when I put air through it it's always being vented out of the top port (NO). I don't think it's supposed to work like this which makes me beleive my solenoid has gone bad. Does this sound right or can anyone test this?

 

Com = Communication port
NO = Normally Open
NC = Normally Closed

So when it's at rest (no current being applied) it should flow from Com to NO. When 12v is applied, it flows from COM to NC. Your boost controller will modulate the 12v to various duty cycles to control boost.

 

Yea with power on I blow some air through it and it just goes from COM to NO and nothing comes out of NC. Im assuming something is wrong with it then. Or maybe it's not getting power anymore. May take it off and bench test it.

 

If you don't hear the solenoid clicking (operating) it will behave as you have described. I rarely see boost control solenoids fail. Most of the time there is just confusion over how it should behave under certain conditions.

Bench test the solenoid by putting power and ground to it. You should hear it click. The NC port will open and the NO port will close. The COM port is always open. This is how 3-way solenoid valves work. The stock emissions 3 port solenoids and sequential turbo solenoid work the same way except they were not duty controlled.

 

Should there be a continuous clicking on a bench test or just a one time click?

 

Just FYI I checked the F/B setting on my AVCR and they are all at 9. Will try lowering this to see if I can hit target boost. Anyone else ever see them at all 9's or am I just over thinking this? Might be teh reason im not hitting target boost instead of it being a wastegate/solenoid problem. Also I can hear my wastegate opening around .4 bar. Bad spring in the wastegate maybe?