I haven’t been able to get my boost gauge to work properly and its starting to really bug me. I have been using just my laptop/map sensor to read boost in the meantime.
I have a Nordskog digital boost gauge with a 1 wire sender…
I checked the grounds on both and the power to the gauge. Theyre good, I even hooked them up directly to a battery with no change to the boost reading. I used my compressor to shoot air in the line and cross check it against a pressure gauge.
I get about a tenth of the PSI that I shoot at it on the gauge, so 30 PSI reads 3. 10 PSI reads 1. I checked the resistance of the sensor wire, basically nothing. I checked the resistance of the sensor itself and got 70 ohms, I then hooked it up to the air hose at 30 PSI again and it read 40 ohms… 10PSI 60 ohms.
Easy test…take the wire from the gauge that goes to the sender and ground it to the engine block or chassis(key power on of course Gauge should peg max boost. If it does…bad sender, if it doesn’t…bad gauge or bad connection from sender to gauge.
These type of gauges 99.9% of the time use “x” amount of resistance to measure their lowest reading and a higher-to-infinite resistance to measure max reading. Basically how most fuel gauge and oil pressure senders/gauges work…
Well after some investigating it appears I have the 0-100 PSI sender with the 0-40 PSI gauge. I have a feeling I was sent this on purpose from the company I bought it from because it appears Nordskog continues to sell the 0-40PSI gauge BUT NOT THE SENDER. WTF
So I am SOL on the sender for my gauge. I guess I need to buy a new gauge for the sender I have and just know that its not going to be very accurate at my boost levels.
Well that blows :sad If you can find out what the ohm range of the gauge is(zero boost to high boost) I can probably get you a sender of the correct ohm range through Grainger.
pic up a variable pot that’ll go REAllY low, preferrably10ohms or less but upwards of at least 100.
Hook up the pot as the sender and set until gauge reads max boost, remove and measure pot resistance. Do the same as close to low/zero boost as you can. Those two readings will determine the required sender.
Gauge is supposed to read up to 40, I didnt have anything smaller than 33 as I already mentioned. If its not close enough I’ll see if I can pick up some 10ohm resistors tomorrow (or hell, even 5 ohm)
:ahh Yea I’m a fucking dope. Wasn’t a big issue, just meant that I was out of bed sooner where Dave and I could start the “going back to Afghanistan” drinking fest sooner. Got totally plastered starting at Chicago B&G and eventually ended up in togatown that night.
For a minute I was going to say make sure you don’t have a boost gauge that reads BAR. haha.
I shit you not I asked a buddy of mine what he was boosting one time. He said .5 psi. I was like what? Why? Hes like they said thats all the car could handle at the moment so thats all i can boost. I was like umm are you sure? Hes like yea dude. .5 psi. I was like, the vaccuum on your car exceeds that so it makes no sense. Then I looked at his “boost” gauge and started dying haha. Major ownage.
Grainger doesn’t have one listed that fits the bill, by Datcon does.
Part number 02502-00 that’s a 0-40psi 33.5-230 ohm sender for oil pressure gauges. “May” work for boost pressure, I gues cost would be a factor. Might give them a call.
I actually called up the company today and they said they still have and make the solenoid. They were pretty confused when I mentioned it wasnt in their catalog and no longer on their website. Anyway im just ordering it from them.
Adam, can you take a look at my boost spike thread? I am fearful of DET