Snortin93
03-03-04, 06:20 PM
Many people have asked about building a pressure tester, and a lot of people immediately point to Jeff Lucius' site for instructions. The only problem is that some of the parts he lists appear to be made of unobtanium and are only available in Colorado. Numerous people have tried to source the parts with absolutely no luck. It took me almost 2 months trying every plumbing supply house in Calgary, as well as visits to plastic manufacturers. I kept striking out, so I started experimenting with different pieces until I came up with something that worked.
The parts you'll need for a rip-Snortin pressure tester that can be purchased at Home Depot are as follows:
1. A 3" ABS cleanout plug - part # 116-111 $1.96
2. A 3" ABS cleanout adapter - part # 116-166 $3.96
3. A 3" Soft Polyethelene Test cap for the cleanout adapter - part # 140-430 $1.73
4. A 1/4" male NPT compressor hose plug - part # 183-471 $3.19
5. Silicon and/or ABS cement
6. A consistent source of compressed air
The cleanout adaptor has an outside diameter of 3.5", which is too small to properly seal in the air intake hose where the MAS connects. A 4" OD is way too big. I finally solved this dilema by purchasing a blue plastic cap that fit over the end of the cleanout adaptor. Be warned, I found a couple different thicknesses of caps, and only the thin one will work. I cut the end off of the cap, and cemented it onto the cleanout adapter. With the cap on the cleanout adapter, the outside diameter is now approximately 3.75" which fills the hole where the MAS fits perfectly. I drilled a 1/2" hole in the cleanout plug, put some silicone on the threads of the 1/4" compressor hose plug thingy, and screwed it into the plug. I then filled the backside of the cleanout plug with silicone. Next I put silicon on the threads of the cleanout plug, and installed it in the cleanout adapter and put it aside for 24 hours to cure. Make sure that you tightened the plug completely. I put mine in a vice, and used a pipe-wrench to ensure it's tightness.
Once the silicon has cured, remove the MAS, insert the pressure tester, connect it to your source of compressed air, and listen to the hiss!
You don't want to put a lot of pressure into the intake system, otherwise you could damage things. I usually use 10-15 psi, and found that hooking up a vacuum gauge to the rear of the plenum where my aftermarket boost gauge connects would allow me to determine the pressure without having to purchase additional gauges and stuff.
Assuming you have a source of compressed air, such as a compressor, it'll only set you back $11, and will make finding your leaks very easy. Don't be depressed by the sound of hissing air, if you've never done a pressure test. There will be leaks....
Get a spray bottle, fill it up with soap and water, and spray it all around the intake system to see what bubbles, indicating your leak.
If I ever buy myself a digital camera, I'll take pictures of my setup. I will return and properly update this thread, but I had to start it before ShdwMastr hunted me down and stole mine.
You will be able to obtain all the pieces at a Home Depot near you.
The parts you'll need for a rip-Snortin pressure tester that can be purchased at Home Depot are as follows:
1. A 3" ABS cleanout plug - part # 116-111 $1.96
2. A 3" ABS cleanout adapter - part # 116-166 $3.96
3. A 3" Soft Polyethelene Test cap for the cleanout adapter - part # 140-430 $1.73
4. A 1/4" male NPT compressor hose plug - part # 183-471 $3.19
5. Silicon and/or ABS cement
6. A consistent source of compressed air
The cleanout adaptor has an outside diameter of 3.5", which is too small to properly seal in the air intake hose where the MAS connects. A 4" OD is way too big. I finally solved this dilema by purchasing a blue plastic cap that fit over the end of the cleanout adaptor. Be warned, I found a couple different thicknesses of caps, and only the thin one will work. I cut the end off of the cap, and cemented it onto the cleanout adapter. With the cap on the cleanout adapter, the outside diameter is now approximately 3.75" which fills the hole where the MAS fits perfectly. I drilled a 1/2" hole in the cleanout plug, put some silicone on the threads of the 1/4" compressor hose plug thingy, and screwed it into the plug. I then filled the backside of the cleanout plug with silicone. Next I put silicon on the threads of the cleanout plug, and installed it in the cleanout adapter and put it aside for 24 hours to cure. Make sure that you tightened the plug completely. I put mine in a vice, and used a pipe-wrench to ensure it's tightness.
Once the silicon has cured, remove the MAS, insert the pressure tester, connect it to your source of compressed air, and listen to the hiss!
You don't want to put a lot of pressure into the intake system, otherwise you could damage things. I usually use 10-15 psi, and found that hooking up a vacuum gauge to the rear of the plenum where my aftermarket boost gauge connects would allow me to determine the pressure without having to purchase additional gauges and stuff.
Assuming you have a source of compressed air, such as a compressor, it'll only set you back $11, and will make finding your leaks very easy. Don't be depressed by the sound of hissing air, if you've never done a pressure test. There will be leaks....
Get a spray bottle, fill it up with soap and water, and spray it all around the intake system to see what bubbles, indicating your leak.
If I ever buy myself a digital camera, I'll take pictures of my setup. I will return and properly update this thread, but I had to start it before ShdwMastr hunted me down and stole mine.
You will be able to obtain all the pieces at a Home Depot near you.