Hey guys i bought a boost leak tester to check for a boost leak... i was wondering if you need a pressure gauge as well? or if you can just do it without one?

 

Your boost gauge will display the reading

 

Not necessarily. It won't display the amount of pressure if he has an electronic boost gauge. Not to mention, if the boost gauge is somewhere AFTER the leak, you might not see the gauge needle move.


OP, to answer your question, yes, if you are building your own boost leak tester, I would put a pressure gauge on it for an accurate reading.

 

Why skip out on a $5 part? :}

 

if the gauge needle doesnt move, that means you have a boost leak


op, set your regulator to desired psi, hook up your leak tester. verify psi on your boost gauge. if its way below what you think it should be, than you have a big leak. if its about where you think it should be, spray all possible leak points, if no leaks, shut off the air and see how long it takes for the boost gauge to settle back down at zero. if it takes a little bit, then you should be good, if it drops off really quick than you have a leak some where

 

Why wouldn't the electronic boost gauge read? It will read if its on. Your just reading total pressure in the system. Doesn't matter where the leak is you will hear or see it with some soapy water.

 

I use a coupler with a tire valve stem and little gauge on it. I secure it on the turbo inlet and get my air chuck and put air until the gauge reads the desired psi I want. I then stop applying air and listen for leaks and look to see if the gauge drops rapidly as well. At higher psi levels you don't really need to look at the gauge as the leaks will become more audible.

I like to start at 10psi, then listen for leaks. If no leaks I do 15 psi, then listen. Then 20 psi, then 25 psi, and finally 30 psi. Im not tuned for higher than that so no point in testing at higher psi levels. Ideally you want to turn the air source off so you can listen for leaks. If you can find a quiet place that's even better.

 

never thought about using the boost gauge itself haha. i was just wondering if i need to use a pressure gauge or not since my boost leak tester doesn't have a gauge built into it.

 

Nah. Its nice to have one on the compressor to see where youre at but you can use your boost gauge for that.

 

If you plan on running back and forth and from your engine bay, to your boost gauge in your car, at least have a buddy help out.


And as previously mentioned, if you are already planning to build a boost leak checker, why not do it right and put a pressure gauge on the actual leak-detector????

 

I bought a boost leak tester. and it does not have a pressure gauge on it.

 

Do you own a drill? Can you afford a $5 pressure gauge and some teflon tape?

Do yourself a favor and do it right.

 

I just use one of these hooked up to my 33 gallon air compressor.

 

Sorry I forgot to include instructions.
When I do leak test I usually end up pulling a bunch of things apart including the car battery/connection and the digital boost gauges don't work then.
But yeah, running back and forth to the cab to look at the gauge sounds like fun!