Newbie help on s14 turbo spool and reading psi

[IRISH]

Aight so recently i purchased a '96 with s14 engine and it has a Defi boost gauge. My boys were checking it out and realized the turbo wasnt spooling and in fact was reading neg. boost. Its at 7psi boost and only reads when i gun it at like 60mph plus. I heard something its called vacuum and it doesnt boost until you gun it. Can someone please explain his to me. Thanx

[HYPNOTIK]

You need more help than we can offer.
Turbocharger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo#Automotive_applications)

[GSXRJJordan]

Haha... yeah. Your engine is in "vacuum", meaning it sucks more air naturally than the turbo is pushing, until you give it some throttle and wait for the turbo to spool - this is why most boost gauges have '0' somewhere in the middle, so they read vacuum and boost.

Your engine should generate boost in gear (not in neutral/revving with the clutch in) above 3000rpm or so when you give it some gas.

[MandTPhotography]

Yep...


Try going slow and matting it in 5th, you'll see your boost rise.


Your turbo isn't always spooling while you drive.