A while back I got a fighter garage boost leak test kit. I figured what the hell it wasn't that much and I certainly didn't feel like making one.

Tonight I went out and bought a compressor tank, hose and fittings so I could ensure I had no leaks. I get it all home, and read over the instructions for the compressor. I notice oil pressure relief cap is broken but I figure it's late I can quickly do this and be done with it.

Hook it all up, the compressor is working well but I can not seem to build any pressure on my fighter garage unit. I hear air running through the pipes but I can't feel it leaking out. I run back inside, and get some soapy water and start slapping the **** every where. Still nothing, no bubbles, no pressure, no nothing. Now I pissed. I go to shut off the compressor to call it a night, and the damn thing has been pissing oil all over my garage floor, on my weed wacker, on the box it came in. What a freaking mess.

Needless to say I am returning this oil soaked hunk of crap. Anyway, once I get another one, do you guys have any other suggestions on how to look for leaks?

 

Spray carb cleaner, if idle changes there's a leak. Works great.

 

If I sprayed carb cleaner wouldn't it make sense the idle would change a little? It would be burning in the inside the engine, that has to change something, even if it is just a bit???

 

Thats what he said, spraying carb cleaner where you think there might be a vac leak will usually cause the idle to change, if ever so slightly. Just take our word for it, and give it a shot, what's there to lose? Just make sure you hit everywhere in an organized manner and don't just start spraying the whole bay.

 

What they mean is to spray it on the outside of each joint,one at a time.

 

AAAHH, I understand. I had pictured taking the air filters off and spraying the cleaner in to the pipes.

Derrrr

 

Guys, vacuum leaks and boost leaks are two different animals.

 

Did you check to see if the air is coming out of the other intake? You could be pumping air in one intake and going right back out the other.

 

^yea the other intake is capped along with the hose coming from the air pump, crv, and bov.

Rich, I thought the same thing. I could be fine at 10psi but have a leak at 12psi.

Of course if I can't build any pressure at all then maybe its a small enough leak that might show up under vacuum too.

I haven't bought a can of spray yet but I was wondering, isn't that stuff flammable? It sounds like a potentially risky thing to spray it on hot engine/turbo parts.

 

It is!I once saw an small explosion under the hood of a RX8 using the same technique.

 

You put soapy water all over the intercooler and intake manifold?

 

To do the test you must cap the 2 nipple on the primary turbo elbow. You unplugged the 2 hose and cap the nipple.

If you don't do this all the pressure go to the oil filler neck and pressurise the oil pan. The air escape mostly by the oil dipstick

Eric

 

Very important to clamp the tester well.

It has helped me find leaks on a few cars that were not obvious at all.

If you plug everything up right and cannot build pressure you probably have a noticable hole in your system.

 

Interesting...

SO cap off the 2 BOV/CRV/ACV things and those 2 nipples and it should be good to go?

I also bought one of these from Fighter's Garage and couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting any pressure buildup with the CRV ACV plugged.

 

^ I was thinking of getting one of those boost tester kits too, along with the air intake temp sensor.

Doesn't it come with instructions on how to hook it up and what to cap off?

to the op, the oil that leaked everywhere, was that the oil from your oil pan going out through the dipstick?

 

No, not what you said!

Ill show you with pics:




Remove the 2 tube on the elbow and cap off the 2 nipples on this elbow. No need to cap off the 2 tube

Eric