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????

 

[L2RTSiAWD]

If you don't know how much PSI it's putting out that's a bad thing.

 

[96TSi_Chris]

If you don't know how much PSI it's putting out that's a bad thing.

If you have a buddy w/ you, you can just watch the boost gauge right?

 

[SpoolnTsi]

If you have a buddy w/ you, you can just watch the boost gauge right?

Yep

 

[Gigaah]

You could buy a pressure gauge and work it into the tester design..or becarefull and have someone watch the boost gauge I guess like you said.

 

[blackeclipse]

What if you have no boost gauge to know how much pressure there is. Is there anyway to still do it?

 

[LandoAWD]

What if you have no boost gauge to know how much pressure there is. Is there anyway to still do it?

You should have a boost gauge.

 

[blackeclipse]

All i have right now is the stock one which isn't exactly accurate. Will it work or what do I do?

 

[SpoolnTsi]

All i have right now is the stock one which isn't exactly accurate. Will it work or what do I do?

Then you do what Gigaah said

You could buy a pressure gauge and work it into the tester design..or becarefull and have someone watch the boost gauge I guess like you said.

 

[steve]

If you don't have a compressor then buying one of those air storage tanks at WallyMart or where ever might be a good investment. You can fill it up at the gas station and put a pressure regulator on the output. That will work for pressure testing and you can keep your tires properly inflated.

Steve

 

[Gigaah]

I can only assume you have a Boost controller if your installing a FMIC. If so

SAME ON YOU! :thumbdown

aftermarket boost gauge comes before any boost mods.
stock gauge isn't much use. only things its good for imo is if you turn it into a knock gauge with a EPOM MOD.

 

[Defiant]

The original boost leak tester used a bicycle pump. Ever inflate a bicycle tire at a gas station? Ever see someone burst one?

Far too much pressure. Go with the tank idea, and a throttle valve on it. You're just looking for enough pressure to be able to hear it leak.

It's common for gas stations to run at 100PSI.

 

[SpoolnTsi]

The original boost leak tester used a bicycle pump. Ever inflate a bicycle tire at a gas station? Ever see someone burst one?

Far too much pressure. Go with the tank idea, and a throttle valve on it. You're just looking for enough pressure to be able to hear it leak.

It's common for gas stations to run at 100PSI.

Thats their stupid fault if they put that much into their system. Most of the gas stations here are adjustable. You set it to the amount you want then it will quit when it reaches that amount. I would think that most of them have to be adjustable. If their not, then its going to pressurize it slowly and it will have a gauge of some sort that way people know how much their pushing with it. It would be impossible to inflate a tire without knowing how much your pushing. How the hell would you know how much pressure you have? They have to have someway of knowing this or else people would be inflating too much or not enough left and right

 

[Quasimondo]

Thats their stupid fault if they put that much into their system. Most of the gas stations here are adjustable. You set it to the amount you want then it will quit when it reaches that amount. I would think that most of them have to be adjustable. If their not, then its going to pressurize it slowly and it will have a gauge of some sort that way people know how much their pushing with it. It would be impossible to inflate a tire without knowing how much your pushing. How the hell would you know how much pressure you have? They have to have someway of knowing this or else people would be inflating too much or not enough left and right

Not if he uses the drop-a-quarter-in air pump, which is nothing more than a high power compressor, and if it does have a bult-in gauge, I wouldn't trust it for anything since it's very old and has no accuracy from years and years of being exposed to the elements and never calibrated. Besides, most people don't really know how much air they put in their tires anyway. They just dump air into it and stop when it looks good to them, and they usually do over/underinflate their tires.

Get an aftemarket boost gauge, and get a bicycle pump or compressor of some sort that has a gauge so you can see how much you're pressurizing your intake.

 

[Attack Eagle]

trust me... the stock "boost" gauge is a "happy-feely" gauge.

it moves and so makes you happy and feel good but doesn't tell you anything at all.


it is not even connected to any sensor or or the intake.


the ecu makes it wiggle based on the airflow meter sensor, so it is an "airflow sensor best guesstimate as to what the turbo is doing but w/o numbers wild ass guess" meter.

trust me I just put a real boost guage on a few weeks ago and I wish I had done it 3 years ago.

 

[mitsuclipsegsx]

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

 

[NirvanCol]

i'm trying to make one, the problem is, that 2.5" hose is really expensive. i went to napa and they had it but only sell it in 3 foot sections @ about $80. same with another auto parts place. i have all the parts needed to make the tester besides the hose, so if anyone knows where to get a small length of this size/type of hose, i would love to know.

 

[dave99gst]

home depot
they sell straight rubber hose. also my local napa sells LARGE hose for semi's how ever long you want it. ( its reinforced rubber not silicone )

 

[99gst_racer]

Go to the plumbing section in any hardware store. Parts should run you roughly $10-$14.

PS. - I got my stuff at Ace hardware

 

[sonicnofadz]

I went to a plumbing/toilet shop. They had everything I needed except the tire valve, all under $5.00. Works like a dream.

 

[NirvanCol]

home depot
they sell straight rubber hose. also my local napa sells LARGE hose for semi's how ever long you want it. ( its reinforced rubber not silicone )

hmm, well what's the inner diameter on this hose, because no one really goes by O.D. and the vfaq says 2.5" O.D.. so is the I.D. 2.25"?

and i'm pretty sure the home depot near me didnt have it. i looked around where they had the hose, didn't see it. asked a guy that worked there, told him what i needed and what i was doing, and he said they didnt have anything that would work for me...

i guess i'll try ace hardware and look for plumbing supply places...

 

[IMMORTALSPYDER]

Go to the PVC plumbing section of Home Depot. They have the rubber connector and the plastic cap you'll need.

 

[Boosted98gsx]

take some sand paper to the PVC cap so that the rubber hose will hold on there nice and tighly and not slip off. just rough it up a little.

 

[NirvanCol]

Go to the PVC plumbing section of Home Depot. They have the rubber connector and the plastic cap you'll need.

ok and what size (I.D.) is it?

 

[99gst_racer]

Go to the plumbing section in any hardware store. Parts should run you roughly $10-$14.

PS. - I got my stuff at Ace hardware

Here's some pics of mine.

 

[white98gst]

hey guys i just made the boost leak tester from http://www.vfaq.com/mods/ICtester.html but i couldnt find any shops around here with a 2.5 hose so i just used a 2" will this still work? i havent been able to try it yet becouse its raining outside but i plan to run the test tomarrow after work. do u think the 2" pipe will work or will i have to go look for a 2.5?