Vac/Boost gauge question

Has anyone ever had the vac/boost gauge just stop working even though the hose was connected ?

I drove my 91 over the weekend and it was working fine, then on the way to work this morning I noticed it was stuck on the "0" between Vac and Boost. I thought the hose had blown off at the connection on the return plenum. So I stopped and checked and the hose was still connected to the plenum and after blowing the hose off the back of the gauge last year I zipped tied the connector, so I seriously doubt it came off the gauge. I don't hear any hissing under the dash either.

A couple miles down the road I noticed that the gauge was now reading 2 inches of vacuum....and after shutting the car off when arriving at work, it just stayed there.

I think the hose is clogged or the gauge is broken. Just wondering if anyone else has ever had one just stop working for no apparent reason and it wasn't because of the hose ?

David

PS: Is it necessary to replace the entire instrument cluster if the gauge is bad ?

David Neibert said:

PS: Is it necessary to replace the entire instrument cluster if the gauge is bad ?

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No, and I probably have an extra gauge at home that you can have.

You can just pull out the gauge and stick a new one in. If Kurt doesnt have one, I have an extra you can have

David,

I had my hose break close to the firewall....it was still attached to the plenum it obviously didn't work.

Steve.

Thanks for the info.

I'll unhook it at the plenum and try giving it a little compressed air this evening and see if I can hear it leaking. Don't really want to pull the instrument cluster until I have a replacement gauge in hand.

Kurt...I'm going to be golfing near your house tomorrow, I can stop by your place afterward to get the gauge if your going to be home.

David

PS: Maybe this AR is just making too much boost for the stock gauge to handle.

David Neibert said:

PS: Maybe this AR is just making too much boost for the stock gauge to handle.

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Yup.
If I were in your shoes (i wish!)
I would retrofit an aftermarket guage into that cluster...
You could probably even find or make a face for it that resembles stock..

paul

David Neibert said:

Kurt...I'm going to be golfing near your house tomorrow, I can stop by your place afterward to get the gauge if your going to be home.

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David, be sure to call before you stop by. I have volleyball tonight and if I have to work late, I will be going straight there. If I do get home before volleyball, I can set a boost gauge just inside the storm door.

I had the same thing happen a bit ago and it was because the hose had acually got a kink in it close to the firewall don't know how but after I straightened it it worked fine. Also if you remember my gauge at the shootout Dave I had removed my old gauge and put in a 2 1/16th autometer it will slip into place with a little patience and it looks stock and you just have to trim the stock boost gauge from the fuel gauge and then stick the fuel gauge in and it works fine and now you have a gauge that goes to 30PSI and looks stealthy

Probably sucked a TB screw in the hose.

Micah

Yeah, my cruise was always slow to respond when I got the 35th, and I found that the line ws kinked. I unkinked it, and its been fine ever since....

Dave:

I had a boost gauge go bad due to sucking oil into it throught the vacuum line. It was just the oil that blows by the pvc valve but enough went to the gauge that it failed.

SCrazy said:

Dave:

I had a boost gauge go bad due to sucking oil into it throught the vacuum line. It was just the oil that blows by the pvc valve but enough went to the gauge that it failed.

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That's very good information. I wonder if Methanol is bad for boost gauges too?

Kurt,

Thanks for the replacement boost gauge.

Chris,

I'll double check the hose before pulling the dash apart, but I'm almost certian it's the gauge.

Brian,

I'll check the hose for oil.

David