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Okay so in my van I have a 1 bar Tim boost gauge as I'm only running low boost. My question is how accurate is the scale? As you can see in the picture the needle rests on the left side of the gap between - and + pressure, and does so when accelerating when not on boost (0 pressure?) I know that the stock actuator is 4psi (and that's 0.27 bar) but when on full boost it barely reaches 0.1 bar on the scale. I can hear the turbo making boost and get flutter letting off, and feels like there is a reasonable change in performance! So it looks like roughly the gap between is the same as 0.2 bar on the scale so on full boost it is the gap (0.2), plus the just under 0.1 on the actual scale, which equates to the 0.27 bar/4psi? Does that make sense to anyone? Obviously want to get it right as its only small increments ill be increasing it by.. Anyone else had this gauge? Thanks
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Get one with psi and a bigger scale.
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ChasR
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WHS.
I'd also get a half decent brand like Stack, VDO or even Smiths! I know few years ago a couple of people had issues with them, but there are a fair few people that are happy.
Where have you plumbed it in and how is the hose routed to the dash? Are there any kinks along the way?
Also, what engine do you have and is the wastegate the only thing controlling the boost on your system or do you have a controller or valve (bleed or Amal/cycling valve) of sorts?
Assuming it is just the wastegate that is plumbed in with nothing else 0.2 is about right. Without any form of boost controller in addition to the wastegate you'd also have it climb slowly and thus give a slowish/laggy boost response. In some instances this can make the car nicer to drive however and also erradicate boost spikes.
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Last Edit: Jan 3, 2018 21:33:51 GMT by ChasR
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steveg
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I calibrated the original dash board fitted one on my Volvo using a decent calibrated pressure gauge. I took the gauge out and drew lines on the scale with a fine permanant marker pen after setting it to various pressures between 5 and 20 psi. Only wanted a rough scale so I could easily tell if things had gone wrong.
Not much help if it isn't easy to get your gauge apart though.
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TBH the scale on that one is useless , it more for show and watching it move than any sort of accurate reading .
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Get yourself something like this. Double the price of a Tim gauge but worth it.
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Last Edit: Jan 3, 2018 23:18:57 GMT by Woofwoof
Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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ChasR
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What Woofwoof said as said before. BUT, are you getting an EBC? If you are and it's a half decent one I'd be tempted not to get another boost gauge since the EBC should have one on it.
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WHS. I'd also get a half decent brand like Stack, VDO or even Smiths! I know few years ago a couple of people had issues with them, but there are a fair few people that are happy. Where have you plumbed it in and how is the hose routed to the dash? Are there any kinks along the way? Also, what engine do you have and is the wastegate the only thing controlling the boost on your system or do you have a controller or valve (bleed or Amal/cycling valve) of sorts? Assuming it is just the wastegate that is plumbed in with nothing else 0.2 is about right. Without any form of boost controller in addition to the wastegate you'd also have it climb slowly and thus give a slowish/laggy boost response. In some instances this can make the car nicer to drive however and also erradicate boost spikes. Sorry should have said, it's a converted metro turbo engine so I definitely know the actuator is 4psi and also bench tested before fitting. I have the gauge hooked up to the inlet manifold with brand new vacuum cable. I have been just running wastegate pressure but have just fitted a gfb boost controller and wanted to see what other people thought about the gauge as I didn't really trust it! Haven't adjusted the boost controller yet. Also the boost is a bit laggy, starts spooling at 3k but don't get full boost until 3.5-4k dependent on the gear I'm in. Haven't noticed a difference since fitting the boost controller though.. Thanks for the response 😊
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TBH the scale on that one is useless , it more for show and watching it move than any sort of accurate reading . The reason I bought it is that the max I'll be running is about 7psi which is roughly half a bar, so the scale would be perfect. But looks like I'm gunna have to spend a bit more dosh!
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What Woofwoof said as said before. BUT, are you getting an EBC? If you are and it's a half decent one I'd be tempted not to get another boost gauge since the EBC should have one on it. Haven't looked into as I thought you'd need an ECU for that? Probably out of my price range too!
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ChasR
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EBCs tend to be standalone and do their own thing ; regulate the boost. ECUs can have this functionality if you spec them with it ; it's an add-on from the ECU manufacturer themselves.
Greddy & Gizzmo make good EBCs for reasonable money. Innovate go one step further by providing a failsafe but TBH it seems the former offer better and more stable control.
The MBC you have now won't make any difference to the stock boost pressure since the wastegate has set that baseline and thus it can't trick the wastegate. The tricking is essentially what all boost controllers do.
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froggy
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I’ve got a 1 bar tim guage in my car , pretty close according to the map sensor and mityvac
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EBCs tend to be standalone and do their own thing ; regulate the boost. ECUs can have this functionality if you spec them with it ; it's an add-on from the ECU manufacturer themselves. Greddy & Gizzmo make good EBCs for reasonable money. Innovate go one step further by providing a failsafe but TBH it seems the former offer better and more stable control. The MBC you have now won't make any difference to the stock boost pressure since the wastegate has set that baseline and thus it can't trick the wastegate. The tricking is essentially what all boost controllers do. Thanks really appreciate everyone's input Yeah the gfb one bleeds off some too fool the wastegate not to open, haven't adjusted it yet as I want to get a gauge that I can rely on! What brands would you recommend/have used?
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I’ve got a 1 bar tim guage in my car , pretty close according to the map sensor and mityvac Oh really? Where does yours rest?
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ChasR
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Club RR Member Number: 170
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EBCs tend to be standalone and do their own thing ; regulate the boost. ECUs can have this functionality if you spec them with it ; it's an add-on from the ECU manufacturer themselves. Greddy & Gizzmo make good EBCs for reasonable money. Innovate go one step further by providing a failsafe but TBH it seems the former offer better and more stable control. The MBC you have now won't make any difference to the stock boost pressure since the wastegate has set that baseline and thus it can't trick the wastegate. The tricking is essentially what all boost controllers do. Thanks really appreciate everyone's input Yeah the gfb one bleeds off some too fool the wastegate not to open, haven't adjusted it yet as I want to get a gauge that I can rely on! What brands would you recommend/have used? I was meant to say the GFB won't affect your lag or boost response without it fooling the wastegate ; they allow all or nothing through which is why, unlike the wastegate which opens gradually as it sees boost . I've used and had mates use STACK VDO Greddy (Good but they tend to break) Autometer gauges with success. Racetech and CAI are meant to be good without charging a fortune too. VDOs I've had be good to me however.
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froggy
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I’ve got a 1 bar tim guage in my car , pretty close according to the map sensor and mityvac Oh really? Where does yours rest? Never looked tbh I’m only interested in how it reads when the engines running .
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Phil H
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Tried a Tim one and found it less useful as the one on a Saab 9000 (boost/no boost); fitted an Isspro one which a 270 degree (full vac to 16psi) which seemed spot on. Not much damping on it though - needle did some bouncing around at idle but the upside was very quick response on the boost side - could see the flutter/chatter when closing the throttle when on boost. I'd give a Durite one a go at the price - decent resolution to actually see what's going on: www.europaspares.com/interior-parts/instruments-gauges/durite-gauges/turbo-boost-gauge-270a-sweep-dial.html although something like a Stack, Racetech or VDO if you want to know for sure
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Have just ordered a vdo 15 psi which is perfect for my application, wish I'd seen it before I bought the Tim one! Will let everyone know how I get on
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okay VDO gauge fitted, is great and much better but turns out my Tim one was kind off accurate cause I'm only getting 3psi max (flat out 4k up a hill!). My first guess is a boost leak as I can hear the turbo spooling etc but noting on the gauge then it slowly raises to max pressure if the hill is long enough... Any ideas?
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ChasR
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With 1 PSi I'd say you're about right.
How did you bench test the actuator? There is a chance it has gone a little weak especially given how old it is.
It's not my car but I'd be tempted to carefully turn up the wick as long as you are sure you have fuel to keep the mixture safe and have retarded the timing. Oh, and your plugs are a grade colder.
That is assuming the pipework to the gauge is not kinked etc.
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Last Edit: Jan 8, 2018 22:29:28 GMT by ChasR
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