Couple new items (here's the last thread dealing with this subject):
1) Video as promised, 8.375 meg clip of my '96s boost characteristics (thanks Lawrence Wang for hosting video)
BTW - I have no ideo what the pinging noise is around 1,500 & 4,000 rpm in the third gear pull. Initially I thought it was knock but none of the other runs (~10 minutes of WOT accelerations) make this noise. Trevor, does this sound like the knocking you once experienced in your '96?
2) I need to back all the published numbers off by 1 psi, the VDO gage reads 1psig under no boost conditions (see pic), so my cars boost peaks at ~13 psi.
3) There are positively no leaks in my vacuum lines leading to or from the wastegate solenoid. However, I'm a little confused by the third check in the following diagnostic chart.
I don't get vacuum to bleed off at a warm idle unless I give the throttle a small blip. I have an extra wastegate solenoid but it's from a first gen car (my '92), can I swap this into my '96 just to check it out on this test? Jeff Lucius or anyone familiar with CAPS, is there a difference between the '92 & '96 wastegate solenoids (I'm not sure if they alone are responsible for the supposed 12psi vs 9psi change).
4) Lastly, the service manual gives no limit to how far our cars can boost under a spike condition but do state that all year cars ('91 - '99) should level out (stabilized) at between 2.9 - 8.7 psi (couple pages into section 11 of Service Manual). My car stabilizes at ~6.5 psi (7.5 psi before correcting the gage reading).
I still believe my car's boost characteristic is normal. My offer still stands, I'll video anyone's 1st or 2nd gen car (must be stock) boost curve if you are willing to come over to my place in Westland, MI. It only takes a minute to temporarily install the boost gage and take some video from the back seat.
1) Video as promised, 8.375 meg clip of my '96s boost characteristics (thanks Lawrence Wang for hosting video)
BTW - I have no ideo what the pinging noise is around 1,500 & 4,000 rpm in the third gear pull. Initially I thought it was knock but none of the other runs (~10 minutes of WOT accelerations) make this noise. Trevor, does this sound like the knocking you once experienced in your '96?
2) I need to back all the published numbers off by 1 psi, the VDO gage reads 1psig under no boost conditions (see pic), so my cars boost peaks at ~13 psi.

3) There are positively no leaks in my vacuum lines leading to or from the wastegate solenoid. However, I'm a little confused by the third check in the following diagnostic chart.
I don't get vacuum to bleed off at a warm idle unless I give the throttle a small blip. I have an extra wastegate solenoid but it's from a first gen car (my '92), can I swap this into my '96 just to check it out on this test? Jeff Lucius or anyone familiar with CAPS, is there a difference between the '92 & '96 wastegate solenoids (I'm not sure if they alone are responsible for the supposed 12psi vs 9psi change).
4) Lastly, the service manual gives no limit to how far our cars can boost under a spike condition but do state that all year cars ('91 - '99) should level out (stabilized) at between 2.9 - 8.7 psi (couple pages into section 11 of Service Manual). My car stabilizes at ~6.5 psi (7.5 psi before correcting the gage reading).
I still believe my car's boost characteristic is normal. My offer still stands, I'll video anyone's 1st or 2nd gen car (must be stock) boost curve if you are willing to come over to my place in Westland, MI. It only takes a minute to temporarily install the boost gage and take some video from the back seat.