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The patient is a 2000 9-3 SE with the HOT engine. 241K miles. Well maintained, generally runs well. But....
The car in general has plenty of poke in 1st and 2nd. When I stand on the gas it accelerates hard and the torque steer is definitely there. The boost gauge gets half to most of the way to the bottom of the red. I think it is getting full power here, although the boost gauge is not really showing it.
In 3rd it accelerates OK, but only rarely will the boost gauge go to the red. When it does boost to the red there is definitely more power, it's just not there every time. It just doesn't feel like a turbo Saab in 3rd gear---you know what I mean!
In 4th and 5th it will rarely show full boost, even under load on a long hill. And more importantly, it is NOT getting full power in 4th and 5th. It just doesn't feel right.
The flavor of gas doesn't seem to matter.
When I asked my indy, who has not done a diagnosis, he thinks it could be the MAF, noting they have seen the same problem on other 2000 or later 9-3s and it has been the MAF. I have pulled the MAF and it seems clean, but I know that's nothing to really go by. I am going to swap the known good MAF from my wife's 9-5 into the 9-3 as a test. Is there another way to test the MAF?
I had a small leak at the hooter valve so I replaced that, but the main problem continues. The vacuum hoses are all connected and in good condition, and the wastegate seems to operate correctly.
I put a couple hundred miles on it, with a lot of hills, deliberately driving it harder, and was able to get it to show full boost, even in 4th. I was basically doing adaptation runs, and that helped, but now it's back to middle boost. Makes me wonder if it is a fault in the ECU.
This is my elder daughter's car and while it generally drives just fine, it's definitely not boosting the way it should. It's very noticeable on hills, and she lives in Vermont where big long hills are the norm.
I need suggestions and ideas!
TIA!
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