Well, this goes out to the guys who are running boost or know how to install a boost gauge on their tsx, specifically a CT supercharger. Any help would be great!

 

Tap the guage to a vacuum source on the intake manifold.

 

What about the electrical part? There is a plug from the boost gauge that has 4 wires, red and black it says for the battery power. How does that work? Then the white and orange to either an ACC or Park Lamp? I'm a noob when it comes to wiring things.

 

You need to contact Comptech. There are already holes in the intake manifold that are covered up. They have a special nipple that you need fits directly into the hole. You just unscrew the plug and then run your vacuum line to that. For the wiring, I tapped in under the dash. My gauge only had two wires though because it was mechanical. One went to the illumination and the other went to ground if I remember correctly.

What kind of gauge do you have? Where do you plan to mount it?

 

^^ really it's a special nipple that has to be purchased from comptech?

mind taking some pics of it? trying to get funds together to get a boost gauge or go with the brockway engineering solution...

 

i got a prosport comp electrical boost gauge. I'll snap a few pics of the hardware. As for the nipple, where is it exactly?

 

Take off the Carbon fiber cover. You'll see two places where you can tap in. One is already in use, the other has a plug on it. I think I have some pics at home. I'm at work right now though. I had to order this directly from Comptech, I checked all of my local hardware stores and could not find one that fit perfectly. It's kind of an obscure size. I wanna say 5/32" with a 1/8" vacuum line hose barb on the other side. This is all from memory though, so I'm not 100%. Comptech has diagrams that say exact size. I wanna say it costs about $2. I just had them it to send me a regular mail envelope. It's really small.

J, I have the Brockway MAP sensor. I'll put up some pics of that too.

 

Also, You can Tap the existing vacuum line if you want to wait or go through Comptech. You just need a 1/8" vacuum tube, 3 way barb connector.

 

Kenny, how far away do you live from HeelToe / Hondata / Hytech?

 

northern and southern california are about 400 miles apart

 

Usually Red is to a 12Volt power source, black is ground, the one that says "acc" is to warning indicator which is usually optional and one that says Park Lamp is to your parking or tail lamp so that the gauge will dim when you turn your lights on you can tap this at the fuse panel.

 

Here are the pics. My boost gauge is hooked up to the connector on the left side.

 

Thanks kenny for the pics. So I would need to contact Comptech about getting one of the small nipples for the intake manifold to run the lines? Here are a few pics of what the gauge assembly is:





Like I said earlier, I'm a noob at wiring things so any help would be appreciated. Where did ya'll tap in for the (+)positive and (-)ground. Also, to tap into the fuse box for say the park lamp, how would i go about doing so? As you can see in the pics, it's the gauge with wiring for the vacuum/boost sensor and then another harness with the red/black/orange/white wires but it's not very long. I know the orange/white wires are to be connected to an accessory or park lamp because the gauge will light up amber/white during the day or night depending on how you wire it up. Then there is the vacuum/boost sensor, T-fiitting, a little clear item that i believe is some sort of filter and a long clear plastic hose. Is this the hose I'm supposed to run from the intake manifold to the sensor? Thanks guys for any help.

 

Any progress updates/pics?


My S/C should be shipping out from Comptech tomorrow, so I'm currently in the market for a boost gauge. Anyone have any recommendations?

Also, relating to what Kenny was mentioning, what part do I have to ask Comptech to include in order to hook up a boost gauge?

 

Congrats on the SC kit You just need to call them up and tell them that you want the nipple for running a vacuum line to the intake manifold. They'll know the size you need. You can also just run a T-tap to the existing vacuum line. The T-tap in the pic 2 posts above should work just fine.

 

Thanks for the congrats. I can't wait to see what a S/Ced 06 MT will dyno...

So, I've pretty much decided on the Auto Meter Cobalt 6104 gauge. However, unlike 04_K24's electrical gauge, this one is mechanical. Does this make a difference, or do I still need the nipple attachment?


Also, I would ultimately like to mount the gauge on the A-pillar even though I know it'll interfere with the side-airbags. Does anyone have any idea if there is a pre-made bracket that fits our cars, or will it have to be a custom job? I vaguely remember CCC having an A-pillar setup for oil temp gauges, but I can't remember if it was custom or not...

 

^^ I don't think you want the gauge to smash you in the temple in the event of the curtain bags deploying.......

 

well, I got mine hooked up. I just tapped into the existing vacuum line with the T-tap and it works fine. I'll get some pics of the gauge up tomorrow.

 

An electrical gauge will calibrate everytime you turn the car on. Also, I believe on an electrical gauge, the sensor stays in the engine bay and you don't need to run the vacuum line into the cabin area, you just run the signal wires. I think this would be easier to install. Hopefully 04_K24TSX can give us more info on the install.

The mechanical gauge does not recalibrate itself and the vacuum line just runs directly into the back of the gauge. I wouldn't put it on the pillar. Seeing your boost is not worth having the gauge fly at if the airbags deploy. There are various mounts out. You can put in the the storage bin, or there are also steering column mounts made by Autometer that may fit. I ended up just using a standard cup mount and putting my boost gauge to the very left the gauge cluster, in front of the temp reading. I can still see the temp reading if I lean forward, but not if I'm leaning all the way back.

Cobalt series with the blue looks great! I almost got that one, but I wanted something that had a lower max PSI. I ended up with a Stewart Warner Gauge that reads to max 15 psi.

You can see it in this pic:

 

Well, I was thinking that I'd mount it lower on the column so that if the airbag did deploy, I'd only get smashed in the chest - and since I work out every day I figured I'd be cool ...


Thanks for the info on electrical vs. mechanical gauges. I think the deciding factor for me will be price since the electrical version of the Cobalt gauge is 3-4x the price of the it's mechanical counterpart. I see your SW gauge is mechanical as well, and that you're running the vacuum line through your steering column - how difficult of an install was that to do?

As far as installation points are concerned, what do you think about building a custom mount and have it attached to the circular return vent just above the A/C duct? I'm wondering if that would interfere with the side airbags as well. If it does, I'll probably put it in the same spot as Tsx536. Kenny, how did you attach the gauge/cup mount to the dashboard?

 

Install of the vacuum line wasn't too hard. Just remove the lower panel under the dash and feed the vacuum line through the rubber boot going through the firewall. Then pull it out on the engine side and run it to the vacuum line on the intake manifold. I have the end of my vacuum line covered in shrink wrap to help it blend in better w/ the gauge area.

You're idea sounds good for the custom vent mount. It's worth a try. Hopefully it won't interfere w/ the functionality of the vent itself. I'm not sure if the side curtain air bag would hit it if it deployed and I hope I never find out My mount is simple. Just bought an Autometer black cup mount. And mounted without the base using 3M double sided tape. The concealed display for my Valentine one (to the right in the above pic) is mounted the same way.

 

Haha, does yours read a slight amount of vacuum when the car is off too? Mine does. It is annoying.