Before I call HKS, I figured I would post here because maybe someone has used this controller before and ran against this problem. A little searching didn't turn up very much but maybe no one has asked.

I have a GT4088R, Tial 44MM wastegate and HKS EVC VI controller. Previously for two years I ran on the 0.9 bar wastegate spring and always made 13 PSI. Now I want a little more so I installed the EVC but I can't actually make it increase my boost.

The unit is showing no errors yet when I turn it to 16 PSI I still get right around 13. I've tried adjusting the offsets as described in the manual, verified all my lines are correct and checked that the wastegate type is set to poppet. If I crank the offset to 199 (the highest it will go) I see a marginal increase in boost of around .5 PSI or so.

I'm running on the theory that I have a defective unit. Maybe though, I just missed something obvious?

Any thoughts?

 

Aaron,

I run both the version V (FB) and the version VI (FD) I have had multiple failures of the solenoid unit and it ends up with exacly the symptoms you describe, boost will ramp up like there is no boost controller only the spring pressure, maybe a little over like an addiitonal .5 PSI or so at best.

chances are you got a deffective one.

kenn

 

OK, now a really dumb question. Anyone have a phone number for HKS? I found a 310 area code number on their website but it does not look like a tech support number. I could swear that the EVC came with an orange piece of paper with a North America 1-800 tech support number but now I can't find it! Anyone? A few forum and Google searches have not turned up anything.

 

I got a brand new EVC 6 myself so I'll check the box and let you know.

 

call the 310 number thats the area code for where they are located..on a side question is all the other readings right and accurate ie speed and what not?

 

I think I'll have to give the 310 number a try since I can't find that orange paper. I have all the other stuff that came with the controller except it. Go figure...

Yes, all the other readings are accurate. I didn't connect up the speed input, instead I chose RPM and TPS. Whether I will use any of these things I don't know.

 

Sorry for the delayed response Aaron I looked through all my stuff and I thought I remembered seeing the orange paper also but looking through all my stuff the only papers I have are the Instruction manuals in Engrish and Nippon a blue paper for installation in english and a white one in Japanese as well as a small booklet. I looked through the owners manuals and I could not find a 1-800 number.

 

On a side not I had been thinking about doing this for awhile lets see if it will prolong the solenoid lifespan.

 

think this will help?

 

I'll have to call the 310 number then. I just keep forgetting to do it when I get home as I don't want to make a long distance call from the office.

The wrapping should help but be sure you don't plug the vent hole on the bottom. I made a little aluminum module for my solenoid/stepper that mounts near the front of the car and also converts it to AN style fittings while housing the little plastic filters.

Those filters and the lack of NPT ports on the stepper are a major issue for me. A $600 boost controller should not have semi-plastic nipples...

 

I noticed the vent holes on the face of the unit and those I left open but where are the ones on the bottom?

I am also surprised that these boost controllers don't come with solenoids that had for example threaded pipe fittings so you could do what you want barbed fittings, an, or like they have now. I mean even a standard MAC valve has those

 

I'm so sick of HK$ parts. They cost more than the competition and have worse support. the only thing they make that's worth the money is the Twin Power.

 

I have not called HKS yet...I will soon when I get a chance.

I did have a thought though. When I initially set up the unit, I set the base boost to the wastegate spring value (and what I have always observed on the gauge) of 13 PSI. The boost reading on the controller has not quite hit 13 PSI. It is generally between 12.4 and 12.8. Could it be that the controller won't actually activate unless it sees boost at the base number?

I've been meaning to test this but have not had the opportunity. Thoughts?

 

Last night I called HKS around 5PM and was directed to an answering machine with a message that said the tech support department was "temporarily closed". I left my name, number and issue without much hope of being called back. At 7:30PM I was quite surprised to receive a call from HKS! Unfortunately I was outside at the time and just go to my phone as they were finished leaving a message. Calling back immediately, I spoke to a very helpful chick that confirmed my suspicion.

It seems that the "Maximum standard boost" setting is critical to the operation of the controller. If the controller does not see boost hit that setting, it will not activate. Thus, it seems my issue is caused by the 13 PSI setting I put in for maximum standard boost because after the controller install my car makes slightly less at 12.4 - 12.8. The instruction manual specifies that in the initial setup, this value is the maximum boost the car made without the controller. For me, that was exactly wastegate spring pressure at 13 PSI. What the manual is unclear about is that the car may make less boost after the controller is installed and that this setting is basically the "turn on" point for the controller. The website FAQ is slightly more clear, but still does not say "If this pressure is not reached, the controller will not activate".

I have not tried altering this setting yet as it's only been 12 hours since I talked to HKS and I try not to make changes to the car during the week. I'm hoping for some play time this weekend. Also, HKS mentioned that the low boost setting on the controller should be at least a few PSI from spring pressure. She said that 2 PSI is about the smallest difference that should be set. I'm a little annoyed about that since I was hoping to run 13 PSI at my low boost setting and whatever pressure at my high boost setting that results in 500 RWHP. At 13 PSI, the car puts down about 420 to the wheels and is plenty fast enough for daily driving. I guess the controller can always just be turned off, though.

I'm very impressed by HKS. I've never had any tech support department call me back before, especially long distance. The chick I talked to knew her stuff and was able to instantly confirm my suspicions regarding the maximum standard boost setting. That I guess is the difference when you pay for a high end product.

 

weird... i've never talked to a female aftermarket car part tech support person. I've talked to Apex'i before and they're pretty cool to talk to. Greddy is ok, and AEM is the worst. They really talk down to you.

Aaron, can't you control boost off your Microtech? Isn't there an open-loop map of boost control solenoid duty cycle vs rpm that you could use?

 

I have to admit that I was at first a bit surprised that he woman was answering my questions. I think my surprise showed in my voice a little. Now all the girls are going to say "Typical man...." but this is indeed the first time a female has ever answered technical questions when I have called an aftermarket tech line. It's not my fault that the women typically are receptionists while the men are tech support people.

As for the Microtech, I think you are confusing it with a more versatile ECU (which is almost every other ECU). The Microtech is a bare bones EMS which is not capable of things like boost control. I think the newer ones have it as an option but the LT8s has been all but abandoned by Microtech even though they have been promising us software updates for years. However, even with it's faults, it is a rock solid ECU and few people ever have problems with Microtechs.

 

 

Success! Yesterday afternoon I finally got around to trying out the controller. I had been busy until this point with other projects.

I performed an "All Reset" on the controller as the only time that the maximum standard boost setting is available is during the initial setup. I set the maximum standard boost at 12.3 PSI, left the gain at zero and then set the boost "A" setting to 14 PSI. A WOT run showed that the car was now drowning in fuel while struggling to make 14 PSI. A few more passes and less fuel in the map and the controller was now holding 14 PSI (though sometimes 13.8 or 14.1) steadily.

I then set boost "B" level to 16 PSI and after pulling a bunch of fuel from the 16 PSI bins on the map, I had 16 PSI. Actually, It started out at 16 PSI exactly but after a few runs it was only making 15 PSI. I had to turn the offset up to 110% in order to get 16 PSI back. Looks like the controller tries to learn the boost curve?

The moral of the story is: Make sure to set the maximum standard boost setting to a value just below what the car makes on the wastegate spring after the EVC is installed.

Oh, and a GT4088R is more fun at 16 PSI then it is at 12/13. Now I have traction problems in 4th though.

 

The service tech's at HKS are even better than you said. A couple of years ago, a thug stole things out of my car, including my EVC controller. The wiring was ripped out at the soldered connections. Some good police work recovered the controller but I had no idea which of the 4 wires went to which terminal. The techs had no wiring diagram for the internals but they pulled a new one off the shelf, disassembled it, and told me which wire went where. That is service.

 

hmmm, im runing the evc6 and its worked great for me?

 

That is service. I have had people ask me why I didn't just purchase a Chinese made "dial a boost" and the appropriate answer can be found in this thread. When you get a callback (long distance) from a vendor, that is why we should be supporting companies like HKS.

It didn't work un-great for me. Now that my initial setup mistake is corrected, the controller is working as intended.

 

now.. i have a lagy turbo on my fd and was curious.. could i put the base pressure setting lower then the wastegate spring pressure? would that decrease spool? all the boost controller is looking for is positive pressure right? so even if i set it to 5 psi shouldnt it work?

 

Should work fine. But it might cause boost spikes unless you spend some time adjusting the gains. Of course if the lag isn't caused by the wastegate cracking open, it won't make a difference.

 

thank you .
i really do like this boost controller its just finicky, i can see why people gave hks boost controllers a bad name but i still think there top quality ebcs. the newest one is definatley the easiest to work with though.