Lower boot boost leak help

[yellowchevy]

I've been having high EGT's for awhile so a few weeks ago I did some wide open data logs and sent them to the tuner to see if it was a tuning issue. Tuner said everything looked great and confirmed my suspicion that I had a boost leak.

Last Saturday I brought the pickup into the garage to take it apart so I could do a pressure test. I Pressurized the system to 20 psi, poured soapy water on the upper and lower boots/connections. The top connections were good but low and behold the lower boots were leaking around both the intercooler and tubes they clamp too.

After talking to a few people on the forum(thanks for our help guys) I decide to first take all my IC tubes and boots off, clean them, and then reinstall everything using hair spray to help it hold. I've got the original blue IC boots and clamps as well; except for the turbo discharge, it has a reducer being I have the MBRP 3" driver side tube.
While I had it apart I ported/polished the passenger side manifold as well as the LML manifold I had on the shelf.

This morning I put the manifolds on followed by the IC tubes and boots. I left the hair spray to try for about 8 hours then pressurized the system again to 20psi to see it the problem was fixed. Brought the pressure up, dumped soapy water on all the connections, and I'm still having the same issue. I moved the position of the clamps, got them nice and tight, but I'm still getting leaks.

The only things I can think to do next is buy new boots and clamps. Problem I have is that being I cleaned the boots up really good they were nice and sticky so they should have held. My clamps are also holding tight so I wouldn't think that would be the problem but at this point I don't know.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any help you can give me, I'm at the end of my ropes at this point.

Yellowchevy

 

[blk smoke lb7]

Id burn it to the ground and roast some marshmallows :joker::hello:

 

[coker6303]

I'll bring marshmallows and cold beer

 

[blk smoke lb7]

I'll bring marshmallows and cold beer

:spit:

 

[wsmithduramax]

It's a little bit of a drive but I'm always up for beer and roasting marshmallows..


But as far as your concern, it might be time for some new boots. I upgraded to the PPE boots and I could definitely tell a differences in how much more rigid the PPE boots were over the stock ones, I do think I have a small boost leak but I think my driver side IC pipe finally wore a hole in it. At any rate I might have my stock boots laying around somewhere if you want to give them a try. They were in good shape, the wifey got me the PPE ones as a gift, so why not use them

Good luck buddy:thumb:

 

[yellowchevy]

Thanks guys :thumb: That's what I've been thinking of doing, it's been driving me crazy.

I guess I'll look at getting some new boots. Are there any better clamps out there I should be looking at?

Yellowchevy

 

[IOWA LLY]

Can you hear air rushing out? Or are you just talking about a few small bubbles forming from the soapy water? If so you getting carried away.... A small leak like that won't affect the way it runs, spools, or the egts enough to ever notice. Diesels move a lot of air. If you have a leak bad enough to cause issues you will be able to hear it and find it without soapy water.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[yellowchevy]

Can you hear air rushing out? Or are you just talking about a few small bubbles forming from the soapy water? If so you getting carried away.... A small leak like that won't affect the way it runs, spools, or the egts enough to ever notice. Diesels move a lot of air. If you have a leak bad enough to cause issues you will be able to hear it and find it without soapy water.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

No I can't hear any air. It's just small bubbles/foam all around the boot to intercooler or tubing connection. This was also at 20psi and my max boost I'm seeing is 34psi so I figured it it's leaking a 20psi it must be worse at 30+ psi.

Is this normal/do all the lower connections leak like this?
My top connections don't leak when I put soapy water on them so I figured the bottom shouldn't.

So does this mean I'm crazy and I wasted 2 days taring my pickup apart?

Yellowchevy

 

[yellowchevy]

Got the pickup drivable last night so I could go give it a bath. I didn't hear a boost leak or hear any exhaust leak ticks.
While it was idling I felt around my manifolds being I had them off and up pipe connection. I didn't feel any leaks but it's hard to tell with the pickup just idling.

The pickup did feel a little more responsive but I don't know if porting/polishing the stock/LML manifold made a difference or if it's just the fact that my highest tune has a touchy pedal.

We leave for ND Friday morning so I'll have EGT's to look at while cruising plus I may have some scrap metal to haul when we get back home.

Thanks for everybody's help,
And Coker, I prefer pink marshmallows and Zimas with cherry jolly ranchers in them!!!! :roflmao::roflmao::thumb:

Yellowchevy

 

[Chevy1925]

Zimas! HA! :rofl:

 

[mike diesel]

If you can't physically hear the leak when you pressurize it then there is nothing to worry about. Like already stated, your getting carried away.

The first time I leak tested my system I had a huge boost leak on the lower driver side boot. Big enough that you could feel and hear the air blowing out like crazy. Got a new clamp, put it on and couldn't physically hear the leak anymore. I noticed zero difference from fixing that huge boost leak.

So yes, you wasted 2 days tearing your truck apart trying to fix those tiny little measly leaks.

 

[yellowchevy]

So yes, you wasted 2 days tearing your truck apart trying to fix those tiny little measly leaks.

Thanks for the love!!! haha:roflmao::roflmao:

It wasn't a complete loss I guess. I ported/polished my LML driver side manifold and passenger side manifold and installed them being I've been putting that off. I'm glad I got that done.

I think I need to possibly mess with my waste gate now to try make it quicker down low. We'll see how the drive back to ND goes friday.

Yellowchevy