hey what's up guys in this episode we're
going to talk about booth leak testing
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alright
turbo car you may have seen someone
mentioned boost leak testing when you
have a boost leak pressure is being
relieved under boost which means your
turbo has to work harder to achieve the
desired PSI boost leaks can be caused by
any number of issues such as loose
connections crack vacuum lines bad
gaskets cracked or broken hoses or an
intercooler and so on
so how do you know if you have a boost
leak well you do a boost leak test
just because you're expecting 20 psi and
your gauge reads 20 psi doesn't mean
that you don't have a boost leak but
depending on the severity of the leak
your turbo can usually compensate so
everything will appear to be normal
according to your gauge
now boost leaks will impact performance even
if you're hitting the desired boost
boost leak testing is the only way to
ensure that your system is sealed it's
also a good way to test your wastegate
actuator for proper operation and
test vacuum lines and other components
to make sure that they aren't going to
blow off while driving under boost it's
a good idea to do a boost leak test
whenever you've done any work on the
turbo, post turbo, intake or vacuum lines
do the boost leak test is pretty simple
you just need an air compressor and a
boost leak adapter like this one
it's pretty simple device it's simply a
silicone coupler that's open on one end
and has a valve stem on the other now
some adapters might have a different
connector instead of a valve stem it
could be a direct connection for an air
hose but essentially they all do the
same thing in the same way the open end
goes on your turbo inlet and the other
end gets a source of air
now these come in different sizes so you
need to make sure you get the right size
for your turbo inlet
now the important part of this is your
air compressor you cannot use 100 psi
tire pumps that you get at harbor
freight not only do they not have enough
output they have to be running all the
time because they don't have a tank
which means you won't be able to hear
any leaks some people claim that they
use a bicycle pump but I've yet to see
it happen
going to have some bleed off so it's
best to have an air compressor with a
tank and an adjustable regulator if you
don't have one I highly recommend that
you get one or at least find a friend
who has one because well you can't do
the test without one
now before you start there are some
places that may need to be plugged up
the most common is the vent side of the
valve cover which normally has a hose
going to the intake just plug it using a
bolt at the end of the hose or find some
other way to close it up now when you
start the test you may find other places
that need to be plugged up this is fine
just plug them up what you're really
concerned about are the vacuum lines and
all the connections and hoses hard pipes
between your turbo output and your
throttle body
once everything's plugged up Connect air
hose to your boots leak tester make sure
the tester is connected to your turbo
inlet adjust a regulator on your
compressor and set it to about 5 psi
higher than what your target boost level
is for example if you're supposed to see
20 pounds of boost set the regulator to
25 psi
then just listen for any leaks I
recommend that you wiggle the hoses and
hard pipes to be sure that they aren't
leaking when they move I've had this
happen a few times and it's really an
annoying problem to track down if you
hear a leak and you can't find exactly
where it is you can use a spray bottle
with a regular water and watch for any
noticeable spray if that doesn't work
you can also try soapy water and then
watch for bubbles now it's normal for
the system to not stay pressurized as I
said there will be some bleed off so
don't worry about it unless it's really
bad fix any leaks that you find and
you're good to go if tightening the hose
clamps doesn't work reseat the hoses and
adjust the clamps if needed if your
vacuum lines are blowing off you can use
zip ties or get some small clamps to
keep them on alright that's it for this
episode be sure to subscribe and if you
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watching