Running boost gauge vaccuum line

[kenamond]

The consensus of where to run the boost gauge vaccuum line through the firewall is the steering boot, but this seems DEEP behind the motor (from below or above). Is there some trick that I'm missing?

 

[Primaveria]

No trick. just run it from the inside out and feed it until it is long enough so you can grab it from above.

 

[MrBoxx]

You can use a coat hanger or a grabber-tool to snag the hose once it's through the engine side of the boot. It's a weird place to run a vacuum hose, but t does work well.

 

[JayRolla]

Just be careful when running the line. If you get one kink in the line the boost guage wont read right. Is easier than it looks to kink the line.

 

[shiftdrift06]

The coat hanger trick should work. You should run the rubber vacuum hose through there instead of the plastic white ones that is usually provided. Just secure the hose on the end of the hanger (i use tape) and bend the hanger so when it comes out, points up and comes out that direction.

 

[MrBoxx]

^^ Thanks for mentioning the use of the rubber hose instead of the white nylon hose that comes with most boost gauges. I usually remind people of that, but forgot this time. The white stuff will tend to kink and eventually crack.

 

[ken06]

A rubber or vinyl hose would make life a lot easier, but they would expand more giving you a slower reading, which is why a small hard "compression" hose is used.

 

[kenamond]

Okay, I've looked through my Haynes manual, but it doesn't give me a good sense of what's happening where the steering column passes through the firewall. Is there a boot on the rear side of the firewall - on the passenger cabin side of the firewall? None of the images in the manual show it from the rear side.

If so, then I need to cut a small hole in the boot, attach my line (either rubber or plastic) to a hangar, push it through the hole in the boot into the engine bay, then grab it from the engine bay (using a 2nd hangar) and pull it up. Then I can tie it in to the vaccum lines as described in this tech article.

Am I close?

I'm also worried about anchoring (zip-ties) the vaccuum line in the engine bay to keep it away from the the steering system and also in the passenger compartment to keep it away from the universal joint on the steering column (based on this thread). Any tips on this or will it be obvious when I dig in?

Thanks again!

 

[1993eclipseGS]

You don't need to do any cutting... It takes less then 1minute to get the line routed and connected, Literally. Get phillips head screw driver, And tape the end of the line to the tip of the scredriver(on the side of it). Poke screwdriver through steering column boot under dash. Go to enginebay, Look for screwdriver sticking through. Undo the tape, And pull the line up.. Pull the screwdriver back out the same way you put it in. This whole process takes less then 60 seconds.

 

[MrBoxx]

The steering column boot is really more of a two-walled rubber diaphragm that the steering column happens to pass through. Poking a screwdriver through is one way to do it, I guess.

A rubber or vinyl hose would make life a lot easier, but they would expand more giving you a slower reading, which is why a small hard "compression" hose is used.

I think the amount of flex a 1/8" thick-walled vacuum hose would expand under boost would be negligible, considering it's the same thing that's used throughout the rest of the car. If it were a fluid under pressure, such as brake fluid or clutch fluid, I'd say use a hard line, but this is air we're talking about. Either type of line will work fine; some people just prefer rubber or silicone hose which helps keep the hose looking OEM-ish when you look at the engine bay.

 

[alex99gst]

Looks like I did mine the hard way and drilled a hole through the firewall into where the speakers are up on the dash and had to run the lines through the back of the speedometer and stuff into the gauge vent. Boy did I waste my time