Reading about eveyone installing boost gauges. What is boost, what's it mean to me as a driver? Please explain functions and purpose of gauge. And why do I need to know what the boost is and anything else I forgot to ask!
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving-

 

Boost is pressurized air from the turbo. When you add more air to a diesel engine, you can add more fuel without smoke. A boost gauge is more useful as a diagnosis tool than as a monitor of engine performance. It is fun to watch, and you can improve fuel economy by trying to keep the boost down. The pyrometer is much more critical, since it can prevent you melting your pistons.

 

BOOST IS POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

 

Boost is the amount of pressurized air created by your turbocharger fed through your intake valves to assist in combustions. One thing to always remember diesels will not stop gaining power no matter how much fuel you dump into the engine it cant be flooded but what will happen is your egt's Exhaust Gas Temperatures will reach a high temperature and it will causes such damage as melted pistons cracked cylinder heads or melted turbo's the Exhaust gas temperature or EGT's are read on your exhaust manifold before your turbo so before you do any mods to your truck be sure you have gauge's boost, egt, trans temp if you have a automatic, fuel pressure critical on the 98.5-02 trucks but good for all

 

some people dont find it necessary to run boost gauges that may be true but they are fun to watch!!

 

Boost is charge (from turbo) air that has not been consumed by the engine yet.
That is the air pressure being measured.

For instance: running at 2900rpms with an empty pickup truck, there will probably only be about 10lbs of boost.
Now try and retain 2900rpms with 25,000 lbs in a trailer behind you.
The difference is fueling. The fueling required to retain those higher rpms will be much greater for the truck with the trailer. That will create more exhaust gas which in turn will cause more work from the turbo and more boost probably 30lbs or so (wastegated).

Another:
You could have a turbo producing a certain amount of boosted air @ 1500rpm showing 25psi of boost.
Now if you take that same air and give it to a seperate engine running 4000rpm,
that engine would consume all of the air being produced and there would probably be a 0 psi boost reading.

Boost does not necessarily equal power.
But many equate 10hp to every pound of boost you can create with your engine.
That is somewhat accurate up to around 40lbs or so (personal experience).
But many can make 450+hp at the ground with 40lbs of boost or less.

 

There are several potential places for your intake system to leak air. A slow but progressively deteriorating leak might not be apparent by the seat of the pants. Becoming familliar with your engines boost trends would help you diagnose this type of problem early.

 

boost = intake manifold air pressure (english units = psi Pounds-per-Squre Inch)