Alright, so I finally got my boost gauge installed only for the thing to read me some really weird figures. The gauge reads between 14-16vac. when idling and it pushes up to 5psi when I have the gas down. Shouldn't it rest at 0 while idling? When the car is off the gauge reads 2psi. but quickly drops to 14vac. when the car is turned on. I checked the tubing and everything seemed to be connected nice and tight. Any ideas on what this could mean? If its a boost leak..where might it be coming from? Is there somewhere else I could be losing boost. Also, why would the vacuum be so high? Any help would be great!

FYI: The car runs the same as before I installed the gauge.

Thanks,
-T

 

Not while the waste gate is open, only when the gate closes do you start making boost pressur, so vacume is normal, I don't however know how much pressure is normal.

 

When you were installing it what did the gauge read, was it on zero or was it on 2. It should be on on zero before you installed it. FYI at idle i have ~20"HG and boost spikes ~19psi. Are you chipped?

 

when I first hooked my boost guage to my stock 1998 1.8 quarttro it was vacuuming at about 10-14 and boosting at 3 psi but afterwards I noticed the little hose disconnected from the dv valve so I connected it back and the and the car started vacuuming at about 20-25 and boosting at about 5 psi and sometimes 6psi.

 

trailboss:
The gauge read 2psi before I installed it. It is an autometer CF gauge. No, I am not chipped.

aaronamericahall:
shouldn't your car basically fall on its face if the vaccum tub isn't connected to the DV. I'd suspect that would cause some crazy problems. That is one place I could look though, thanks for the heads up.

Anyone else install a boost gauge before chipping? Know what the stock readings are supposed to be?

Thanks to everyone!
-T

 

when i was try9ing to put that blow off valve on my car 1999 1.8t q I had the vaccume off the dv to get to a friends house and my car ran perfectly fine sorry no help but just to let you know about the vaccume not being connected wont cause probs. (in short distants) but if the big hose comes unhooked your car will fall flat on its face [X(]

 

well before I noticed the little hose diconnected the car drove fine but when I connected it back the car drove a tiny bit more aggressive, I was losing about 2 or 3psi

 

My guess is your gauge is defective. I remember someone posted on here a picture of the gauge and someone caught that it wasn't on zero and i beleive it was an autometer gauge. Ill do a brief search im not going to kill myself looking for it, but that is my guess. It should go back to zero when the car is off and most people that have a mechanical boost gauge does go back to zero too. Now electric boost gauge i dunno.

 

Well, that is a possibility. The gauge would have to be compeletly defective though. If it was just set 2psi too high then my readings should be 16-18vac and 10-12psi. But, since the readings I'm getting are in a smaller range than this, I'm leaning toward a boost leak somewhere. The gauge is consistent in its readings so I'm leaning away from the faulty gauge explanation.

-T

 

has ne1 had the Defi gauges???how do they work and what do u think of them?here's the one im looking at...it comes up in white but i would get the black back with red lighting, i like it but i want some imput b4 i buy...
http://www.hopupracing.com/delimeusve60.html