Did a boost leak test

[TreyDaBurna]

And its like my engine wont take in more than like 12 psi then it bleeds down extremely fast i hear it coming out the valve cover so i plugged it with my thumb(probably was stupid) then a little oil came out the fill cap...i cant really find any other leaks but my car damn sure isnt as fast as it used to be...what else should i look for?

 

[ENICKB]

What exactly did you plug with your thumb? If you have a hole in your valve cover that you can plug with your finger, I would say that is your problem...

Also, remember there should be no leaks at all. Double check your spark plug gaps, to be at .32 for stock boost, and 20+psi start at .27 and work your way down until you dont have spark blowout. 30psi should be maybe .20 or less.

Make sure your plug wires arent busted. Have your car reach operating temp and look under the hood while its dark out, and if she sparks up so much purple it looks like a christmas tree, then you know to get new ngk wires.

Triple check for boost leaks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, if your valve cover is leaking that bad, maybe you need new valve cover gaskets. Check your spark plugs for oil, that may be your culprit. Also, I've never heard of oil coming out of the oil cap on a head in a boost leak test. There shouldnt be that much oil in the head.

 

[Dsmkauai]

You mean you plug the breather hose coming of the valve cover, because it leaks out the air while you do a boost leak test right? When doing a blt you need to get all the valves closed which is like 14 teeth past tdc I think. But you can plug that hose and do a test to say 15-20psi, you should quickly find the leak. Also use soapy water in a spray bottle and spray around all couplers and throttle body to find hard to find leaks.

 

[clipto]

So you did a boost leak test and only held 12psi? Did you do the boost leak tester from off the turbo inlet? Majority of boost leaks are the jpipe if you have one, the intercooler pipes, and the bov. The throttle body u sally always leaks so I rule that out, plus it should never really cause to much loose in pressure. So make sure all those things are sealed and the coupler t bolt clamps are tight. Also worse come to worse your intercooler end tanks could be cracked and leaking out of there too. Just keep feeling and listen for air leaks. Make sure your compressor can pump out enough air to pressure the system and make sure no leak at the boost leak tester.

 

[ENICKB]

Connect your boost leak tester to the Intake mouth of the turbocharger. If its a 16g I beleive thats 2.5" Add 20psi of air, and it should hold it, with 1-2psi of leaking every 10+ seconds... Lets just say it should leak very very slowly through the crankcase. It shouldnt leak much through the valve cover. Some leaking is to be expected though, but NOT much. I would not clog up the breather unless you want to ensure failing a valve cover gasket in one place or another.

 

[Dsmkauai]

Plugging the breather won't make your valve cover leak. If it leaks that easy than that's a problem and should be fixed. O.p. can you clarify what you mean? And if all the air comes rushing out that hose during the Blt then that's also a problem which is why it's important to get all the intake valves closed which is 40* btdc.

 

[miguelmcv]

Make sure you plug the PCV hose, if your pcv is bad and you do the leak test with it installed, you will have a lot of pressure inside the valve cover.

To narrow the leak, start from the intake manifold.

Make a leak test at the throttle body elbow and see what happens, if you are loosing pressure, then look for the leak, once you fix the leak, then go ahead and do another leak after the turbo, and do the last one at the inlet of the turbo, this way, you will find the leak, BUT PLEASE, even being a very tiny leak, fix it before doing another test, other wise, you will have a hard time finding the leak.

Remember, when doing a boost leak at the turbo inlet, it will leak a little bit of pressure to the crank case, the turbo seals will block the air once it starts working, but when is not working, it will not seal right, so you will hear a little bit of air passing the turbo seals.

Let us know what you find.

 

[ENICKB]

Plugging the breather won't make your valve cover leak. If it leaks that easy than that's a problem and should be fixed. O.p. can you clarify what you mean? And if all the air comes rushing out that hose during the Blt then that's also a problem which is why it's important to get all the valves closed the best you can.

Depending on the condition of the PCV valve, I have seen/heard valve cover gaskets fail, on cold engines with 25psi. Both had sealed catch cans. Either way, I hope you track down your leaks. Remember to open and close your throttle body while doing the BLT to see if its your throttle body shaft seals, which love to leak.

 

[Dsmkauai]

Ya I can see at 25psi that happening, which is why I only suggested 15-20psi.

 

[TreyDaBurna]

how do i find that area where all the valves are closed...and yes that breather that comes off the vc and goes to the intake to the turbo is what i plugged

Blue is what i plugged red is where oil leaked from...the actual cap

pcv is probably FUBAR looks like the dealer i got it from put jb weld on the vc right there ..post a pic when i get off work

 

[Dsmkauai]

Why isn't the bov recirculated on that stock maf? You need to fix that bro. Also for the oil cap either get a new rubber seal for it. Or take the rubber seal out clean everything up really good and apply a bead of gray rtv then put seal back. Has fixed that problem area for me more than once.

 

[TreyDaBurna]

I thought bov recirculation was an option

 

[PrimerPLus]

Trey, I have same exact issue right now. It leaks out of the valve cover through the breather hose. I did a leak down test as well and it seems I have bad piston rings. There is air coming from dip stick, and oil fill cap.

I am not saying you have bad piston rings but it is possible.
Rule out your pcv valve though. Unscrew it from the valve cover but leave it hooked to the hose. Do the BLT and if there is air coming from the PCV valve then that could be your issue. If it dont leak....well I would do a Leak Down Test.
My thread on similar issue

 

[TreyDaBurna]

Soon as I unplugged that breather all the pressure came down...ill do a blt tonight then post the result....probably do a video too

Ok i got hella air coming from the dipstick tube...pumped in 15 then let off and put my ear to the tube...plus when the dipstick is in i can hear oil bubbling....now far as getting all the valves closed im not sure of but thats what i have for now...looks like bad rings

 

[miguelmcv]

Did you ever read my post (#7).

I bet you did the test before the turbo.

If you did the test before the turbo, air will pass through the turbo seals to the crankcase, When this happens, the air will hit the oil in the oil pan and will produce the bubbling sound.

Do a Boost Leak after the turbo and you will rule down your problem.

 

[TreyDaBurna]

Ok to do a blt after the turbo where do I attach the tester

Oh my bad...my tb elbow has a hole in it from what I would assume to be the previous owners boost gauge...so I'll have to figure a way to plug it before I try the test again

 

[PrimerPLus]

I got a 2g tb elbow ill sale you cheap if you interested. PM if you need.

 

[miguelmcv]

Ok to do a blt after the turbo where do I attach the tester

Oh my bad...my tb elbow has a hole in it from what I would assume to be the previous owners boost gauge...so I'll have to figure a way to plug it before I try the test again

If the hole is threaded, I assume is a 1/8, Just go to the hardware and get a 1/8 plug and add some weld on, thread locker or thread sealer and you should be OK.

After you do that, do the boost leak on the throttle body elbow, make sure you are good there, if your rings are good and you have no leaks at the Intake Manifold, it should hold pressure really good.

Tell us what you find.

 

[TreyDaBurna]

i had a plug in there then my car started acting crazy so i took it out.....just me bein paranoid i guess

 

[99ECLIPSEGSXDSM]

I thought bov recirculation was an option

Nope. With the stock maf it reads the air going through the entire intake system. When your building boost it reads all the air then the bov goes off and the ecu still thinks all the air you just vta is still in the system which it's not cause your not recirculating. Not a good thing.

 

[TreyDaBurna]

so i need a recirculation tube? or just find a hose that will fit

 

[WES_393]

Yeah, but I would recommend Spa Hose.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...er/442537-hd-spa-hose-recirculation-tube.html

I also recently discovered that Ace Hardware carries a slightly larger size, so I'd try finding it there first. But any hose that can handle the heat will work fine.

 

[TreyDaBurna]

Thanks Wes thats my to do for the wknd...as well as plug this elbow and see if i can find a way to mount my FMIC without the bar

 

[miliman13]

READ THIS!!!! Hey Bud hope i can help..

* 1 Removed the inter-cooler pipe from your throttle body and plug the end of the pipe with a 2.5'' PVC pipe or what ever size your pipes are.

*2 attach your tester to your turbo and check for leaks in your charge piping first !!
resolve all of those leaks first. test at 5 then 10 then 20 and don't pass 30 as most couplings aren't rated for higher.

*3 Now relocate your tester to the throttle body """since you know there aren't any other leaks before the throttle body""" BEFORE TEST REMOVE YOUR OIL FILL CAP!!
it's been known to put stress on your Crank Bearings "don't worry about air escaping through there''.

*4 on the intake manifold block/ zip tie all hoses . get a new valve cover/gasket if needed. seal block of everything..

*5 if still leaking Fast Removed your intake manifold. use New Intake gasket and slap plenty of GREY gasket Sealant .

*6 If by now you still have leaks "hopefully Small and slow leaks"" Get a Cigar/Black and mild and puff on it . then blow plenty of smoke through ONE of your intake vacuum lines , put your finger over the line or tie it. And wait for the trail of smoke to snake it's way out , hopefully identified your leak DON'T USE CIGARETTES AS THE SMOKE IS BLUE NOT WHITE, HARDER TO SPOT. (CHEAP AND EASY SMOKE TEST )

***** There is a high chance that you may also be leaking from your Throttle body , the stock O- rings suck. and this is a notorious common thing on dsm's

If so it's fairly easy to rebuild the throttle your self. and it will cost you less than 5 dollars 'compared to the 110.00 dollars shops charge/plus core for the similar repair. Google it if it come down to it..

take it piece by piece when doing your leaks to isolate them.

hear are pictures of the examples above in my last leak test. i had to rebuild my throttle. ******* look at the throttle spring you can see the white smoke********* and use the clamps like i have as they work better and wont tear into the rubber like the other clamps do...