new boost gauge [needle not moving]

[mckc]

I just hooked up my boost gauge to my car and I turned the car on and gave it a few high revs and the boost gauge needle isnt moving at all! It is a lotek gauge. Do I have it teed into the wrong line in the engine bay? If the hose isnt on the tee very tight, will that cause it to not read? Thanks for your help.

Dustin

 

[andymoraitis]

Does your gauge read vacuum AND boost or just boost? If it's boost only, you can't free rev to create boost (well you can, but I'm not telling you how). Have you driven the car under load to see if it makes boost? As far as it not registering properly from a loose connection at the tee, that will certainly cause it to read incorrectly or not at all.

Let us know,

Andy

 

[blcknspo0ln]

just like andy said, if your connections are loose, it will produce a leak and will give you an inaccurate reading.

the easiest vac line to tee off of is the one from the fuel pressure solenoid to the fuel pressure regular. it's the BOV looking thing (much smaller) that is on the fuel rail towards teh driver's side end. it should attach with a vac line to a small plastic solenoid that is bolted to your firewall. tap that line and you'll be fine. to make it easier, get 1/4 plastic tee and use 1/8 vac lines to make sure it's nice and tight.

 

[mckc]

The gauge just reads boost. Can I use zip ties to make the connection tight on either side of the tee? I tapped into one of the wires coming off of the fuel pressure solenoid. There are like five coming from it so i wasnt a 100 percent sure which one it was. There are three on top and two on bottom. I tapped into the closest one to the drivers side on the bottom.

 

[blcknspo0ln]

you have a 1g so I'm not completely familiar.. if there's a bunch of lines (at least on a 2g) you probably tapped into a vacuum source towards the middle of the engine bay (EGR,etc.) that would be to the passenger side of the fuel rail..

here's a pic:
green = fuel rail
circled yellow = FPS
dark blue = FPS vac lines (goes from IM, to FPS, to fuel rail)
light blue = possible places to tee

the light blue also signifies a vac line going from IM to fuel rail if you have eliminated the FPS.

 

[-DSM2NR-]

Check if the little hose is bent by any chance, restricting the flow of air. I remember having the same problem with my autometer gauge and turned out that the hose was bent just a little bit so the air couldn't get through and move the needle.

 

[mckc]

i went out and tapped into a different hose and it ended up being the right one. I recieved some boost through the boost gauge but only like 2 psi. It pulled really hard so i know its boosting more than that. I think its just that the hoses are sealed good around the t adapter. ill let you know how it goes tommorrow when i seal them better. Thanks.

Dustin

 

[andymoraitis]

Dustin,

I took the liberty of snapping a quick picture for you so you can get an idea where I teed off. The vacuum line to the boost gauge comes off the blue shrink wrap. Zip ties are optional, but I slapped some on anyway. As far as only reading 2psi, once everything is tight, pull the gauge back out of the pod (gently) and make sure that your connection to the back is tight as well. You can undo the fitting and make sure that the ferrule hasn't cut the line and that everything is lined up properly.

Let me know if that helps,

Andy

 

[mckc]

Thanks. I know this looks different than mine cause mine is a 1g, but thanks for the extra effort. Ill let you know how it goes tommorrow when i secure the lines better and make sure the connection to the gauge is tight and lined up.

Dustin

 

[spoolin90]

This might help http://www.roadraceengineering.com/instructions/vdoboostgaugeinstructions.htm

 

[mckc]

So the gauge is tapped into the right spot, I used sealant and ties on all the connections, and there are no kinks in the line, and i'm still only getting a reading of 4psi? The car defitnatly feels like it pulls alot harder than 4psi! What are possibilities? I dont have a boost leak tester. I know you can make them yourself, but I dont have the tools to drill a hole into pvc. Is there another way to make one? Thanks!

Dustin