Is my boost to high?

I've had my Talon Tsi for about a week now and I've noticed on the boost gauge that when I floor it the boost hits up to 17psi....there are no aftermarket parts on the car except some springs and struts. I have always heard of cars runnning 6-7psi daily driven, is my boost to high or is that just what Eagle Talon's run?

yea, that sounds, extremely high...but since you engine haseb't died yet its probley a faulty gauge...i could be wrong.

Does your bypass valve ever open ? You should hear a *whoosh* or *whiiish* sound when it rearches max boost. If you do no hear this when the gauge is reading higher than max boost rating for your turbo, either the gauge is faulty (and cheaper to fix), or your bypass valve could be faulty (which is not so cheap). Perhaps someone knows the RPM at which the Talon/Eclipse turbo is supposed to reach max boost and what that pressure level is? Knowing that would making diagnosis on your end easier.

burly....yea, when I floor it, I can hear the turbo spool and then "whoosh". I've also been getting horrible gas mileage since I've owned the car, so it seems like my boost is prolly just set to high, what do you think?

I would find out what max boost pressure is set at for stock 97 Tsi's and at what RPM max boost is obtained and then see if your bypass valve is opening up at that RPM. If it is, i would check the gauge (which I do not know how to do, since I have never owned a turbocharged car). If the valve is opening somewhere else in the RPM band, the chip and/or bypass valve may have been altered or the bypass valve could be functioning improperly. Hopefully one of these other turbo guys running around here will have some more detailed advice.

Until you have solved the overboost problem, be very careful while driving. Ideally, don't drive it at all, but that is probably not an option. So until you fix it, do not push the car hard, and use high octane gas (you should anyways).
I cannot stress this enough, if you hear any pinging or knocking coming from the engine while driving...LIFT OFF THE THROTTLE, then limp home. Any knocking could mean very bad things for the motor, avoid it at all costs.

This may be out of the scope of an amateur mechanic, you may want to have a professional do this. With that in mind, if you decide to proceed, do so with caution. It is possible to seriously damage your motor by altering parts of the turbo system. Keep in mind that my advice is in no way definitive, there are other things that could cause overboost, it is just my opinion that these are the most likely.

I have a very stong suspicion that the previous owner has tampered with the boost level. This is not uncommon for people to do to Talons.
At this point I will mention that it is likely some sort of malfunction (natural or intentional) having to do with the wastegate assembly. It is possible that the actuator signal line has been damaged or tampered with. It is possible that the actuator is malfunctioning. It is also possible that a boost controller has been added to the signal line. If this is the case I would bet that it is a cheap manual boost controller. Many manual boost controllers can be very difficult to spot if you don't know what you're looking for.

The first step will be to inspect the signal line for damage, or a boost controlling device. The signal line is a small diameter hose, attached to the wastegate actuator.
Damage may be difficult to spot, as it may be very small. If you find any damage, replace the signal line.
To look for a boost controller, be on the lookout for any sort of device that is Tee'd into the signal line and has an adjustable knob on it. If you find one, post back telling us so, and we will tell you where to go from there.

A manual boost controller may look something like this. http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/63345manualcontroller.jpg

I couldn't find a picture of a stock Talon actuator but it may look similar to this. http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/63345Wastegate.jpg

Sluttypatton....I looked under the hood a little more closey and found the manual boost controller, how would I go about adjusting the boost to a more safe range

It is my opinion that a mechanic should do this, since the potential damage is so great. I will tell you how it is done, so that you can decide what you want to do, but I think I should start this with a disclaimer, as it is possible to damage your vehicle doing this incorrectly:

Adjusting the boost level on a turbocharged engine can result in severe engine damage. It is dangerous to raise the boost to levels the engine is not meant to support. You accept any responsibility for damage resulting from doing so, or by following my advice. I take no responsibility for any damage or injuries resulting from these actions. Only follow my advice if you understand the possible danger, and agree that no legal action will be taken as a result of this advice or its reprecussions. I DO NOT GAURANTEE THE ACCURACY OF MY ADVICE. It's purpose is only to further inform you of the problem, and how it may be rectified.

Realize that done correctly there is no danger, but I just want to cover my bases in case you don't do it correctly. This is not very difficult, but given the possible damage that can result, you would be wise to be careful. Also, if you are not 100% sure you are able to do this, take it to a mechanic. Please be careful, I am not there so I may not be able to help you if you get into trouble. Lowering the boost level will generally decrease the power that the car makes; if you were to decrease it the stock level, you will make stock HP (all other things equal). Lowering it should also give you better fuel economy. Even if you decide not to lower the boost completely, it might be wise to lower it a bit...17 psi is a lot for a stock motor.

This is generally the way to adjust a manual boost controller:
Open the valve to raise the boost, close it to lower the boost. Increasing boost can be harmful to your motor, I will not cover how to do so safely at this point as it should only be done by mechanics with the knowledge to do so safely. Make sure the way you turn the knob is decreasing the boost level, I cannot stress enough how harmful overboosting your motor can be if done improperly. When adjusting boost with a manual boost controller, do it slowly, in small increments. Never make huge adjustments at a time. Close the valve a bit, then drive it and look at your gauge under wide open throttle to find out what your boost is at. You will have to actually drive it to see, just revving the engine in neutral won't work. Do this until you have turned the boost down to about 9 psi (at it's highest point), that is generally the stock setting on a Talon.
The key thing is to turn the boost down slowly, because there is no way to tell how much you have to turn the knob to get where you want with a manual boost controller. Make sure that the direction you are turning the knob is decreasing the boost level, rather than increasing it.

Also:
It is possible that the previous owner was using some sort of fuel enrichment. This is beyond what I can explain to you over the internet. If you lower the boost you may want to take the car to a mechanic to make sure you are not running rich. Running rich can damage your catalytic converter.

If you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer them. But I think you should consult a mechanic about this, and see what he advises.

sluttypatton...First off, thanks for the info you've provided. This car is quite an investment for me and I want to make sure everything is done correctly and safely.

As for adjusting the boost...Is turning the knob like tightening a bolt? "Lefty=Loosey" and "Righty=Tighty". If I am turning the knob to the left, am I going to be giving more boost? And Vice Versa?

And about the fuel enrichment, I am not sure. But the car came with an air/fuel ratio gauge which lets me know if my car is running rich or lean. So I think that should let me know if that problem were to arise.

Again, thanks for the help and information, I really appreciate it!

Good, I'm glad you have an A/F gauge. In that case, you can make sure you aren't running rich on your own.

The knob should be standard thread, but I can't say for certain. Assume that "righty tighty, lefty loosy" applies, but make sure by checking your boost gauge to find out if the boost has gone up or down. Loosening the knob should increase boost, and tightening it should decrease boost.

Another thing I just remembered, closing the valve all the way should return the boost level to stock. It should be impossible to lower the boost below the stock setting as long as the actuator is stock and unaltered. It might still be wise to do this slowly anyways, just to be on the safe side. But I am pretty sure that you will reach around 9 psi when the valve is completely closed.

I took the chance and adjusted the boost tonight. I turned the knob slightly to the right to tighten it an hopefully lower the boost. It's a good thing I only turned it a little because the psi moved up to 18-19psi. So I let off the gas immediately and pulled over to turn the knob the other way and after a few times of doing this, i'm down to 9-10 psi.

I really want to thank you for taking the time and effort to help me out so much, I prolly would have blown my motor if it wasn't for your help, thanks again

Good call on pulling over immediately! Those DSM's in their stock configuration have been known to go "KA-BOOM" at ~19psi of boost.

No problem, if you ever need any help with anything else feel free to ask. I'm glad that things worked out okay for you. Ditto on the good call pulling over, sorry I couldn't be more definative about which way to turn the knob.

Later, if you learn more about forced induction, you can have some fun playing with the boost level. But until then it's better to be safe and keep the boost low.

Also, if you run into more turbo related problems you should post in the Forced Induction (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1199) forum. Just about everybody there is a turbo nut.

Good job.