tydawg09

Just recently got a boost gauge installed. Initially i was getting a peak reading of 17psi. I had a hose from the intercooler pop off, obviously making it nearly impossible to drive. I got a new hose clamp and got the hose back on no problem. Started the car back up and got a peak reading of 5psi. At this point i scheduled an appointment at a local shop. After only using my car for short trips to town and back, i noticed the check engine light had gone away. Tried stepping on it to check my boost reading, it's now up around 25psi. But at an idle the vacuum jumps above and below 20 and it seems to jump around a bit while i'm stepping on it also. It seems that sometimes it's pulling like it should, but other times it feels like it doesn't quite have the same amount of power. I still have that appointment scheduled, but the check engine light is gone. Does this sound like a boost leak? Is this reading of 25psi accurate? Or might i actually be pushing less than that but getting a false reading of 25? Sorry if my boost terminoligy is poor, you can probably tell that i know very little about these things.

pdq356

I have experienced a similiar reaction to a leaking hose. The car goes to "limp mode" and won't exceel 5 lbs of boost. Once the leak is repaired the car will reset itself, light goes out and 17 psi magically reappears again. I have not had the bounce to 25 psi that you mentioned, that sounds like a gauge issue unless you can really feel it in the seat of your pants. What turbos are you using, K03's or K04's?

P0234

Golden rule is ALWAYS believe the guage unless you have hard evidence to prove otherwise. That sort of behavior has caused Nuclear meltdowns. If in fact you are running 25lbs of boost, you have a big problem. Build a boost leak test kit, and test it before you even do anything else. With the air supply connected you should be able to see if you boost guage is working.

tydawg09

I have the K03s. I took it in to the shop and they said there were no boost leaks, but they said a lot of the clamps were fairly loose. Now that they are tightened, the car pulls amazingly. But my gauge still bounces around a bit. Even when the car is off but ignition is on. So i know that i have a gauge issue. Now i'm getting my max of 17 and i get boost creep up to 20 every know and then. Thank you for your insight

tydawg09

I forgot to mention this. After they tightened all the clamps, the sound of the car changed drastically. The turbos are a little bit quieter and the exhaust is a bit louder. I was getting a strange pitch from the turbos at about 75% acceleration, but it's gone now