ok so i put on a FMIC and ive been banging my head against the walls at trying to make over 15psi. the hoses-pipe connections from the turbo to the intercooler keep blowing off. ive searched all over here and vwvortex looking at peoples setups and it just looks like everyones silicone connectors are just held in place with a pipe clamp and they have no problems.

i have the nice clamps, not worm drive type, they are wider with a nut/bolt to tighten it, and even these blow off. i did see someone recomended to run 2.25" turbo>IC and then 2.5" IC>TB, however i just went with 2.5" through out to keep options open for a larger turbo later.

ive tried silicone'ing them on, let it dry for 24 hours. this helped for a little while. then i tried putting some "friction tape" which is rubberized cloth tape from 3M. its extremely sticky. this works up until about 18psi but still blows off.

im using 2.5" aluminum piping and silicone connectors. i even tried cutting small grooves in the aluminum to give it some more grip. what would be ideal is to flare the ends but i dont know how to do that. i just dont want it to blow off at full throttle and have the turbo overspeed/loose oil pressure and explode. if nothing works il try and fabricate some one piece steel pipes and get them welded up somewhere. thanks for any tips.

 

T clips?

If they don't work, figure out a way to create a lip on the piping where the hose connects. Know what I mean?
You'll go into limp mode if your turbo overboosts too much.

 

I was having the same problem... I know its the biggest pain in the rear... I have a 2.5'' ic piping on my k03 also... Every time id go to push about 15 it would blow .. You just have to be aggresive with making sure the pipes are tight... I also have t clamps and even when you think you are done tightening just give it one more turn for security... Ive looked into using some epoxy on the couplers people sometime use when running high boost to ensure they dont slip but i didnt get around to it... if you do try this though let me know how it goes... but once i got them really snug they havent given me a problem since... o dear lord baby jesus dont let me jinx myself... haha

 

You have the same problem everyone does. Luckily for you, I found a simple way to fix this problem

Since the compressor inlet hose is 2", you're going to want a steel straightpipe acting as a flexor to make sure the rubber hose doesn't bend in on itself and pop off from your IC piping. Given my hotside piping is 2.25", I opted for a 2.25" to 1.75" steel straightpipe.

The 1.75" end goes as far as it can into the compressir inlet hose, with the 2.25" end sticking out towards your IC piping (I used a sharpie and marked where the 1.75" part ended, then cut it down to size), then using a 2.25" to 2" reducer and a couple clamps, I managed to secure the IC piping to the makeshift flexor. Make sure you clamp down your reducer, and with two differently-sized clamps. The 1.75" end got it's own clamp, too. Right off the reducer, I put a 2" clamp down on the stock compressor inlet hose to ensure that all ends were secure.

EDIT: Since you have 2.5" piping, you have a couple of options here. If you can't find the proper piping, just grab a piece of 2.5" to 2.25", then grab a 2.25" to 1.75", and cut down the 2.25" on both pipes by a significant amount (but still leave some), and have a shop weld it for you. They should do it for free, if not a couple bucks. Now you have a 2.5" to 1.75" piece that you can use how I mentioned above. The most important thing is to get the right reducers/clamps, because they make or break how well things hold.

 

Super glue the stupid things on. Worked on my buddies B5 with a RaceTec FMIC. Good luck getting them back off though.

 

Or take the pipes to a welding shop and ask them to weld a simple bead around the lip of each end of each pipe that will be connected with the silicone connectors. Put them back in the car, slide the connectors onto the pipes, and clamp them BEHIND the bead. Get them tight and there's no way for the clamp to slide off over the bead. You won't leak this way - done it successfully on cars pushing upward of 28psi.

 

not overboost, but when there suddenly is no pressure against the compresser side of the turbo i dont want it to spool up out of control to 200k+ rpms

and yea i was thinking on how to create a lip on the ends, not exactly sure how. i got the day off tomorow maybe il spend some time in the workshop making a jig to hold the pipe while i somehow flare the ends.

i was thinking superglue or epoxy or something, but if it ever blew off there would be no way to get the residue off, or if i ever did have to disassemble it, that would be a bitch.

@leifer- im not exactly sure what your describing though i am intrigued with your idea. could you snap a quick picture possibly? im not having a problem with the compressor inlet or outlet. the hose is staying on there with no problem the turbo has some groves and a lip to keep it in place. my problem is in the custom piping i cut up. its just polished aluminum and nothing to keep the silicone connectors from sliding off.

i just finished putting friction tape on the rest of the joints. this stuff seems to work very well. and i tightened everything until my arms hurt so hopefuly it will hold. we will see on the drive home shortly heh.

i just hate driving at night hoping nothing blows off, its not fun being on the side of the road in pitch black for 10 minuits while i tighten everything back up. thanks for the replies, if i find something that works il take some pics.

edit:
thats a very good idea, if tightening the crap out of it doesnt work il be doing that this weekend.

 

Ghost,

That rubber hose (compressor inlet hose), right off the turbo underneath the car, is what feeds your DV, as well as your intercooler. Is that what is not staying on your FMIC piping? Or are you talking about the different pipes in your kit not holding securely?

If it's the pipes you used, you're going to have to get them bead-welded for sure. No doubt about it, and no way around it.

 

yea its the pipes in the whole assembly i made, not the one coming directly from the turbo, but various other connections down the line. i didnt know it was standard practice to have a bead welded on, but il see if i can find someone to do that for me. thanks.

also my DV is relocated to right before the throttle body, im very pleased on how that turned out il post some pics of that setup later.