How do I make / buy / use / troubleshoot a boost leak tester? [merged]

[Turbo Monk3y]

All boost leak tester threads are combined here.

i read somewhere maybe the Vfaq about making or buying a boost leak tester of some sort but never found it.... the reason being my acceleration seems slower than normal and all ive done to my stock car so far is take out the air box put on a K&N filter and cut the dump tube i have my boost guage sitting in a box not hooked up yet. and since those 2 mods it when i go wot on the car i can hear the turbo spool up and it sounds nice but i can also hear a sound as my rpm increases the SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sound does too. the sound comes from the same area as the BOV i think maybe i got a #@%#@%#@%#@% stock bov and it cant handle over 11-13 psi??? Then i shift and it makes the nice BOV sound WHOOOOSHHHH... but my car seems to be a little slower.. any ideas before i go check every tube clamp and tube????

 

[biddybengbeng]

a leak tester is easy and cheap, you'll see a LOT of use with it, and it's a great investment. it seems like every time i test my car there's a new leak... just some pinhole leak somewhere... get a 6" piece of 2" radiator hose, and get a plumbing cap at home depot. pop a tire stem through the middle, a dremel is nice, but a drill will work. put it all together, and it cost me under 10 bucks...

 

[biddybengbeng]

i don't know if you're in kansas city often, but i have an extra 6" of radiator hose that fits the turbo inlet perfectly(at least on 1st gens, not sure about t-25... are they the same size?).

 

[irn__man]

I made the boost tester described in the VFAQ, with a air compressor set @ 15-20 psi.

works great

iron

 

[97GSTURBO]

I'm sure it is your BOV that is causing the prob if you're still completely stock... Get an aftermarket or 1G BOV and you'll like the power difference and you won't hear that DAM leak anymore... Unless you've got a leak somewhere else. Good luck!

L8R

 

[Turbo Monk3y]

i went through the VFAQ again and found the part about the boost leak tester. the question i have is where do i hook up the boost leak tester at? the wording in the vfaq is confusing and it mentions somthing about hooking it up to the turbo inlet..... or something like that.. i think they are talking about the intake part of the turbo ... but im not sure i dont want to pressurize something that is going to cause damage to the engine ....... if someone gave me better wording or a picture that would be greatly appreciated. thx

 

[candela]

compressor housing....where the intake goes.....turbo inlet.....etc

 

[ASZRAEL1266]

I am trying to find the faq I saw awhile ago on how to make a leak tester. I found one but its not the one I saw awhile ago. The one I saw told you how to mod a bike pump to test your system. Does any one know how to make that one. I am only getting 7 psi. I put the car in 3rd to do a 3rd get pull and the boost goes up to 5 psi by like 5k or so them by 6k it is up to 7-8psi I have no C.E lights on or anything. Can some one please help me?

 

[97GSTURBO]

Is this what you're looking for?
http://www.vfaq.com/mods/ICtester.html

 

[ASZRAEL1266]

I found that one. There was a diffrent one where you get a bike pump that has a psi gauge on it. You cut the hose and put on a T thing i think and then some other things and you hook it up to your car and pump it up and it tests the car like that one does. Thanks for the help. I am still trying to find the other one

 

[airbrat]

I was checking out the VFAQ and was wondering if there is another way to perform a leak test besides whats listed at that site?

this is the current link to the leak tester
http://www.vfaq.com/mods/ICtester.html

Has anyone else done it differently?

Also if I were to follow these exact directions would the diameter measurements apply to my T25 or does it apply to a larger turbo?

If were to put this together would it also fit on my buddies 16G? Is the turbo inlet size totally different from a 16G and T25?

 

[dave99gst]

i made mine when i had a t25 - and it still works on my b16g.. t25 has that little rubber spacer ring that goes around the inlet. make it fit over that and it will fit a b16g

 

[airbrat]

I see, so the original design was made to fit a T25 to begin with?

 

[1991gs-t]

Ive looked in the FAQ...the only thing i found was the intake leak tester...I was thinking that if i could pressurise the whole system it would be much better and i can find my leak...

Thanks

 

[terrible]

Well i think i found the instructons on how to make mine at www.vfaq.com or it might have been www.plymouthlaser.com I don't remember.

One thing of note, don't try to use a bike tire pump or anything like that. I did and you'll just sweat your ass off pumping

 

[turboholic]

-Here's how I do it, depend on your turbo size, get an coupler and an end cap to cap off the turbo inlet. disconnect the brake booster hose on the booster's side, hook it to a pump or a compressor, start to pressurize the system.

 

[Defiant]

If using a compressor, turn the pressure down to about 20psi. Easy to make for anyone that knows which end of a screwdriver to drill holes with:

http://www.vfaq.com/mods/ICtester.html

http://www.stealth316.com/2-pressuretester.htm

 

[husterka]

I have built the boost leak tester and it works great when I hook it to the turbo (as in the VFAQ) and then I cap off my upper I/C pipe at the throttle body elbow. I hold 20psi all day long.

However, when I reconnect the I/C pipe to the throttle body elbow and re-test, I can't even hold 1psi!!! When I am driving my boost will hold at 13psi and slowly drop to 10psi as I reach redline (normal with T25).

Am I doing something wrong with the test??? Do I need to have the engine turned to close the intake or exhaust valves or something?

When my car is idling I can hear an "air rushing" sound coming from near the throttle body. I sprayed TB cleaner on the outside of the throttle body (if it sucks in it should cause the idle to slow) but I can't find where it is leaking. I think this may just be from the ISC allowing the excess air to vent to maintain proper idle.

When I bought my intake from Dejon tool, it didn't come with the two nipples for the return hoses as on the original snorkel intake. I have just tied them out of the way and they are venting to atmosphere now. It does have the BOV return port and I am recycling my BOV (not venting).

Mods:
Dejon tool intake
Greddy upper and lower I/C pipes
Greddy Type-S

 

[turboholic]

Originally posted by husterka
When I bought my intake from Dejon tool, it didn't come with the two nipples for the return hoses as on the original snorkel intake. I have just tied them out of the way and they are venting to atmosphere now.

-If that's the intake pipe from the air filter to the turbo, then on of those vented hose go to the intake manifold, the nible is on the runner, you have a vacuum leak.

 

[husterka]

That's correct, it is the pipe from the air filter to the turbo. I think that one of the hoses comes from the BCS and the other comes from the valve cover (I have put a filter on the valve cover and removed the hose).

Can anybody back up turboholic's post? If he is correct, can I just cap the hose off or do I need to get a new intake that has the proper nipples or is there another solution???

 

[ECLIPSE4x4]

There shold actually be 3.

One for the BCS, one for the charcole canister, and one for the valve cover.

You don't need them hooked up but I had to only becasue I have emossions testing. I have also heard the venting the valve cover to atm, will not allow you to get propper fuel trims in some cases.

 

[husterka]

That's what I thought they were for.... Thanks!

Anyway, back to my main question... Has anybody ever had the same problem that I have (see my original post)? It is driving me nuts and sometimes my car acts funny when it gets cold (hesitates upon take off when shifting from 1st to 2nd (Automatic) then pulls like there is no tomorrow. I think that a boost leak may be causing this and it seals itself as the engine temp comes up. Any ideas???

So am I doing the test wrong or do you think I have a problem???

 

[frontdriver]

Could be your intake manifold to head gasket, injector seals.

 

[turboholic]

Originally posted by husterka
When I bought my intake from Dejon tool, it didn't come with the two nipples for the return hoses as on the original snorkel intake. I have just tied them out of the way and they are venting to atmosphere now.

-I was refering to this hose, below the #3 injector harness, it gose to the intake pipe along with the hose coming out of the passenger side of the valve cover.

 

[justin0469]

hey would anyone be willing to make me a boost leak tester for some $$? IM me at justin0469 or email me at [email protected] i know its easy to make but i dont have the tools and absolutely no time to make one. thanks.