is there a way to do a boost leak test without a air compressor because mine **** the bed and I want to do a boost leak test

 

Not unless you have some serious lung capacity. You need a steady supply of at least 15psi air.

 

what should I set the regulator too ? Can I hurt anything?

 

I had to set my shop air regulator to 40psi to maintain 20psi while overcoming the leak down past the piston rings. I also added a ball valve to control the air flow. You have to get the leak detector clamped in tight so it doesn't blow out with the pressure. It'll blow out before you can make enough pressure to hurt anything else. Oh yeah...don't stand in front of the leak detector, it hurts!

 

I set mine to 30 PSI, I figured that it was high enough to work but not high enough to hurt anything.

 

Thanks guys , I'm pretty cautious of doing this don't want to break anything I keep seeing in my mind every gasket on the engine blowing out if I pump this sucker up

 

This took me by surprise when I did mine, your engine may rotate backwards slightly depending on what valve is open and what position the crank/piston is in. I tried to recreate this several times to no avail so it may be rare.

 

It seems logical the engine is basically a air compressor. Did you hook your tester up at the turbo inlet?

 

Start low pressure at like 10, then 15, then 20, then 25 or so if you feel the need. You should see leaks by 20-25 if you have them and don't need to crank up the pressure. You are simply simulating the pressure that the system would produce while spooling up the turbo.

Performing this step is a necessary step in my opinion if you are at all concerned about the condition of the truck. People spend thousands of dollars to make their truck run well and/or fast, but neglect to check how it is breathing.

Once I get done with my winter break modifications, I will gather materials to test the system on my truck. I suspect I have zero leaks due to the PSI I can maintain, but will not know for sure until I test it.

 

Been there, got that bandaid.


clean the tester cap and the boot your clamping it into with alcohol (isopropyl alcohol really cuts oil and it's cheap) or carb cleaner before assy. at 20psi it's like a potato cannon going off in your face. Fortunately mine just hit my arm

 

haha 10-4 I will be cautious of that . First I have to get another air compressor or fix mine which it would be cheaper to buy a new on . At least my wife believes that lol

 

it is definitely important to have a tight seal on the pressure side if you want to get all the energy that is being created by your turbo . I was thinking that maybe my turbo wasn't balanced but now I'm honestly convinced that the plenums are leaking boost around 10psi . The plenums are the original and are 16 almost 17 years old so I couldn't imagine how many heat cycles and how many 20 psi bursts have been pushing behind the seal .

 

Those are the usual offenders, and the hardest to get to........

 

Im not looking forward to the replacement of the plenums. From what I have read it is a lot easier to remove the high pressure oil res

 

TO go along with that if it blows out you are probably gonna need to change your pants. Ask me how I know. You can always spray a little hair spray on it to help it stay in place.