my 02 with 180,000 miles on it has started blowing black smoke, fuel mileage is down to 12mpg on the highway, and i can only hit 25 lbs of boost at wide open off a light.
i think the lower intercooler boots are leaking, but am not sure. what is the best/easiest way to test for boost leaks?

 

Fastest easiest way I found was pull the intake tube off the airbox, stick a coffee can in it and stick the air air gun tip in the port where the green vacuum line goes into the intake tube.

 

Boost leak detector FTW!


Stewart

 

looks like i got some fabricating to do tomorrow!!
i also have a fuel leak. not when running though, when parked with engine off.
i get a 6 inch diameter puddle under the front axle after sitting 3-4 hours.

 

Check your fuel bowl drain valve.

Stewart

 

i am going to look tomorrow. when the dealer said i had 2 leaking fuel lines last month and it would cost $520 to replace them, i climbed up in there and the fuel bowl drain was cracked open.
i closed it and no more leak.

wit me bum leg, i need a ladder to get up into the engine bay to see things.

 

Yup! When I got my X I had no leaks. I turned the fuel bowl drain once to see if any water would come out and then I had a fuel leak after that out of the valve.

 

I was going to chime in, but looks like I've already made a presence here.. Thanks Stewart!

I can also provide a couple of fuel leak pointers should you need any. Hopefully there are no leaks, they are a pain.

 

welllll, it ain't the intercooler boots.
sounds like it is coming from the intake at the heads, but i can't hear worth a damn, and i can't see any bubbling with soap water on any possible leak points.
it is a massive leak though, i have a regulator on the compressor side of the hose set to 30 psi, and can not even build any pressure in the system.the intake hose swells pretty good, so i am only feeding it a small amount of air. but as soon as i shut the ball valve off to kill air input, it will empty the system in a second or two.

fuel leak is a mystery too. the fuel filter housing and bowl drain are dry. there is a small puddle in the intake under the fuel bowl, but it smells and feels like oil not fuel..

 

Sounds like the plenums are leaking. Pick up a set of plenum inserts from Riffraff and clamp down on them. I installed mine and plugged boost leaks I didn't even know I had.

 

that is what i am thinking too. is there any way to test them for leaks?

 

There Re boots down there. I almost guarentree they are leaking especially if yourve never given them any attention. Every few months I go in and tighten my clamps and always find one loose. Now I can do the plenum boots too where as before I didn't tighten them for fear of warping the intakes. The only way to test them is the same thing youve been doing.

 

ok, thanks. i guess it is time to give Clay some more money.
what the heck, i need a new hat anyway.

 

looking at them, i assume the intake plenums need to come off to put the inserts in?
is there anything else i will need, or should replace at the time to get it done, and what all needs to be removed to do the job?

 

just the y pipe needs to come off to put the inserts in. You would take the plenums off only if it is leaking somewhere around the base of em.
I made these to test my plenums



u could do the same using PVC pipe and end caps