hey guys im new to turbo cars so my knowledge is very limited. I ve been reading quite a lot but when it comes to work on my car is kinda hard at least for me. I installeda boost gauge yesterday and it seems a little off since its reading 15-16 at vacumm and i read it is supposed to read 20 right? Also i did not see any lightbulb in the boost gauge is purchased so my gauge has no light [&o]how can i fix that?

2. How do i do a boost test i have no clue? Is there a booost test kit i can purchase? please help

 

okayyy buddayy.....read this very carefully because im taking the time to type it because i cant find the link to the 'how to:'
so here we go

I will type first what the how to said to use...then i will type what i used as a replacement...my pressure tester works great by the way

Parts needed to build your pressure tester:

4 inch long piece of 2.5" O.D. (outside diameter) hose. they suggest radiator hose...i couldnt find any hose anywhere that size what so ever....so i went to auto zone....in auto zones air intake section they have a couple/reducer...it goes from like 3" to 2.5"...its perfect!!! fits right on the turbo inlet...

1.5" I.D. (inside diameter) PVC end cap you can buy this at lowes or home depot....i cant remember if i had to buy a bigger size for the coupler i used....just take the coupler inside and see which PVC pipe end cap will best plug the bigger hole on the hose...the smaller side of the hose will be connected to your turbo inlet...

2 band clamps that will fit around the 2.5" hose...or fit around your coupler...one clamp to tighten the coupler to the PVC end cap (placed inside the coupler) and the other clamp is to tighten the coupler to the turbo inlet once placed on....

MOST IMPORTANT PIECE....they suggest a valve stem...like from a tire...you can get these at auto zone as well...I used a brass valve fitting/connector for a air compressor....I drilled and tapped a hole in the end of the PVC cap....you screw the fitting in real tight (must be air tight)...then my fitting can plug straight up to my air compressor and throw the tester on the turbo inlet and you can shoot air through your motor....


I wish i had pictures bro but im gonna try to give you a visual of how it works....your air intake whether it be stock or not must come off...and you must gain access to the turbo inlet (im guessing you know what a turbo inlet looks like) Once the air intake is gone you can attach your tester you built onto the turbo inlet....tighten it down (remember everything must be air tight)...hook it up to your air compressor...or if you used the valve stem idea hook it up to a bike pump or tank of air for like a tire lol....now when you release air from any of those you force it through the motor....

Why whats the point????

well with the motor turned off and your forcing air through it you can listen and hear where you will be leaking boost....some guys say you can use soapy water to find boost leaks cuz they will bubble up and they dont all make sound....you fix all these leaks until you hear nothing and you have no boost leaks....or at least no major boost leaks...

i wouldnt recommend shooting more than 25 psi through the motor because you wont be boosting that high ever....the more pressure you shoot through the more likely you are to cause yourself another boost leak....

good luck and hit us back with any questions....sorry i didnt have pics....if anybody has the link to the pressure tester please post it so this guy can see the pics and get a better visual on how to build the pressure tester....its really quite simple...good luck

 

dude thank you very much. but i do have a few more questions since no pictures were shown [&o]. What is a coupler? Ifi do find a leakwith the buble soap why should i do, tight the hoses more of buy a new hoses?

 

yes, tighten if its around where the hose connects, or replace the hose if needed. a coupler just takes it from one size to another, maybe look at the wastewater piping in your house, likely when it comes down from the sink or whatever its only about 2" but your actual sewage piping is likley around 4"... so youll see a coupler at some point that makes the 2" fit sealed into the 4"

 

What was your old boost gauge reading? Did ya make sure the 2 vacumme lines coming to the back of the gauge are nice and secure? And a coupler is anything that connects 1 line (pipe) to another and you can get a coupling thats the same size on both sides, what hes talking about is a reducing coupling.

 

2 vacumm lines? I believe my gauge has only one line that goes from the gauge to the stock vacumm line connector? am i right?

 

basically it reads 0 when the ignition is on, and when i start the car on at idle it reads 16-17 around that. Im gonna buy a leak tester at this website to check if i have a boost leak.

http://www.boostpro.net/

 

Oh wait im lieing to you your right it has 1 vac line and as far as you no haveing a light working on the gauge.
The gauge has 3 wires and a vacuum port. red wire is power, green wire is illumination, and black is ground. It is an electronic sender BUILT INTO the gauge, so you just tie it straight into the factory vacuum line under the dash.

Your factory bulb harness takes care of your illumination and ground, but you do need to run a 12v ignition source to the gauge to power it up.

As far a leak checking im doing mine right now all you need is a peice of 2-1/4 radiator hose you buy at nappa get half a foot then go get a pvc end cap sized at 1.5" I.D. (inside diameter) aka 1 1/2 inches get 2 hose clamps big enought to fit around hose and a tire valve stem and walla. total cost 25 bucks. put end cap inside radiator hose use hose clamp and clamp it down drill hole into end of pvc cap thread in tire stem. disconect where intake meets turbo attach your leak detector right to turbo clamp other hose clamp to pipe and turbo (i removed my battery so i had more room to work with) Then plug then line comeing of the right side of the valve cover (make up air line) i used a sharpi fit perfectly in line lol. also use another sharpi to plug the other line that connects to your airintake pipe. Then pump air into your new leak detector and listen so far I have found leaks on my hotside pipe right where it meets the intercooler the clamp was loose and you could hear the air coming out and on my cold side pipe. Also i have found a leak on my waste gate but unsure on how to fix it. My vacume sits between 16-17 cold 18- 19 warm before i started tightening stuff up. We shall see what im at now

 

thats the problem when i bought the car it came with a electronic boost gauge, and i could not read it at all so i bought a autometer boost gauge on ebay for 50 bucks it reads vacum and boost (30psi) it came with 3 wires one is the vacumm wire, black wire (ground) and a white wire which i used for the power. As u see it did not come with any other wire for the light. Why shall i do?

 

dont no what to tell ya on that 1 other then buy a new gauge that you can verify has all 3 wires maybe some 1 else on here might have a answer for ya though sorry man[&o]