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colVR4
17-07-2005, 09:46 PM
It finally arrived from the cowboys on fleabay so I thought that with a little help from Petes guide to fitting I would have a go. /help

TOP TIP #1. Do NOT attempt to fit this just after you have been for a run to the shops and back. It isn't easy working around a frickin hot engine bay and scorched skin WILL result. :lipsrseal

So I got the kit together (pic 1) looked at it, read Petes instructions, looked at it again, had a beer :beerchug: , looked at it some more and then thought aw sod it lets have a go.

I fed the pipe down were Pete said, corner of window (pic 2) and under the dash. In my VR4 there is some wiring that goes through the point on the bulkhead that Pete mentioned so I just used the grommit already there and threaded the tubing alongside it (pic 3)(pic 4).

I then fed it across the engine bay towards the bit-where-the-air-goes-in (technical term). This is where the fun REALLY began. I had looked at Petes pictures and checked against the car. Then I looked at them again and checked with the car again. It was at this point that I realised I should have printed OFF the pictures instead of having to run up and down two flights of steps.

Stopped to have a beer. :5shots:

Checked for the 801st time that I was going to cut the correct pipe into the bit-where-the-air-goes-in. Held my breath, cut the pipe and then thought, well if I've got it wrong it's too late now.

This is where I realised that maybe I shouldn't have run the engine first. The pipe itself has a teeny-weeny diameter, and the t-piece in the kit is quite large....so much fun ensued trying to push said t-piece into tubing whilst trying to avoid frying too much of my skin off.

Finally got there after much cussin and a swerrin!! The final picture shows the gauge mounted in the car. Not too bad I think (pic erm..5). I haven't wired up the light yet but that looks like a straightforward job so I will do that another day!

..another beer I think...and well deserved it is too!! :runkest:

Now, question! What is the standard boost that I should be reading? At the moment it is showing 0.3 peak settling at about 0.25-0.3.

maori_by_nature
17-07-2005, 09:58 PM
i'm running about 7-8 on my gage depending on wat gear i'm in... when u do get the light dun u wanna tell me how easy it is cause mine aint going eather and want to hook it up

richy rich
17-07-2005, 09:59 PM
looks good y dont thay fit 1 as standard on turbo motors

Kieran
17-07-2005, 10:00 PM
Interesting thread there Col! :thumbsup: Funnily enough, I've been fitting a gauge to my car too. Be thankful you already had a hole in that blank!!! /help

I'm going to shortly post a question on boost levels, and the pattern, as my car is doing something most odd.... It's good, but odd!

0.3 sounds low to me.... It's 0.6ish as standard I think? May just be the gauge if it's a cheapy ebay job.

colVR4
17-07-2005, 10:29 PM
I was thinking it may be the gauge too Kieran, however I do get the feeling that the car hasn't quite got the power that it should have so maybe the gauge is right?!?!

I am going to check all my hoses and stuff just to make sure.

Kieran
17-07-2005, 10:36 PM
It's not in 'Safe mode' is it Col? I think that can wind back the boost?

colVR4
18-07-2005, 12:08 AM
Thats a good point. How can I get it out of Safe mode? I am only running Optimax (or similar super-unleaded). Is it just a case of taking off the positive terminal for a couple of minutes to reset the ECU?

If I do this will it make the alarm go off? I read somewhere that there is a valet setting for the alarm to stop this happening?

BraindG
18-07-2005, 12:16 AM
Thats a good point. How can I get it out of Safe mode? I am only running Optimax (or similar super-unleaded). Is it just a case of taking off the positive terminal for a couple of minutes to reset the ECU?

Indeed it is.

Nick Mann
18-07-2005, 09:55 AM
If I do this will it make the alarm go off? I read somewhere that there is a valet setting for the alarm to stop this happening?


If you have the standard Mitsy Cobra alarm, just make sure the car is unlocked with the alarm disarmed before you disconnect. The alarm will remember the fobs etc when the battery is reconnected and no alarm will sound through the procedure.

colVR4
18-07-2005, 12:07 PM
I checked the dial on the way into work this morning. On idle it reads between -0.5 and -0.4. On steady acceleration it reads around 0, and then as I put my foot down it only goes as high as 0.3, steadying at 0.2-0.25.

How does that compare with other peoples readings? It could be the calibration of the guage, how does the lower reading when on idle and the steady acceleration compare with other peoples gauges?

I would love to find out that I have up to another 0.4 bar of boost waiting to be used. /Steeringw :happy: I can already outperform just about everything else that I come across on my daily drive, apart from those pesky ferraris (a black one and a blue one commute everyday near Bedford, not sure what they are but look 360 ish :inquisiti )

Polabear
18-07-2005, 03:19 PM
I checked the dial on the way into work this morning. On idle it reads between -0.5 and -0.4. On steady acceleration it reads around 0, and then as I put my foot down it only goes as high as 0.3, steadying at 0.2-0.25.

How does that compare with other peoples readings? It could be the calibration of the guage, how does the lower reading when on idle and the steady acceleration compare with other peoples gauges?

I would love to find out that I have up to another 0.4 bar of boost waiting to be used. /Steeringw :happy: I can already outperform just about everything else that I come across on my daily drive, apart from those pesky ferraris (a black one and a blue one commute everyday near Bedford, not sure what they are but look 360 ish :inquisiti )

Col
0.5bar is pretty much the std figure, so your looking at a little over 7psi on full boost... :thumbsup: