^ I think you need to be under boost to see if you have a leak. I'm not sure how much boost you can bulid up by just reving the engine while standing still. I think there is a "How Too" on buliding a boost leak tester. It's pretty easy.

 

The only other way to test for leaks that I know of is to block off the intake pipe (turbo side) with a large cap or plug and do the same for the throttle side. Then use an air compressor to pressurize the piping to around 30 psi and watch your boost gauge to check for pressure drops. If the pressure drops, listen for a hissing sound. If the leak is small, get a spray bottle with soap/water and start spraying couplers and vacuum hoses to check for bubbles.

 

a simple boost gauge will let you know if you have a leak. IMO that should be the first mod on any boosted vehicle.

 

If it's a large leak yes, but if it's a minor leak you'll still have quite a bit of boost so it's hard to tell if you have a leak by just looking at the gauge.

 

Bump for an informative thread!!!

 

makes me want to tighten mine.. again.. hah

 

A few things to remember about hose clamps:

1. You can under-tighten them easily.
2. You can over-tighten then easily.

Reason why I say that is because when most people find a leak, they tighten the living he!! out of the connection, and cause it to leak even worse then before. You need to be careful as the devil's in the details. (In the assembly part of it)

In other words, when putting things together you need to really pay attention to what your doing.

A good way to put T-Bolt clamps on is to spray the outside of the hose (Especially silicone hoses) with Windex to lubricate under the hose clamp when tightening so the clamp slides against the silicone. Usually where the bolt on the clamp is you will find that the silicone hose gets pinched there, and causes leaks. I have seen this way too many times on cars when I am trying to tune them, and it causes soo may inconsistencies. Once the car heats up, the Windex is evaoprated by then, and you have a nice leak free seal.