Air Leaks in Turbo Pipe Work

[The Stranger]

I am running a water/air intercooler so have a few more joins in the turbo pipework than standard. In addition to this I am running up to 18 psi of boost. I am having quite a time eliminating air leaks in the plumbing (specifically silicone to solid pipework) from the turbo outlet, through the intercooler and into the manifold.

There are a few issues here.
1) I only know I have leaks thanks to the water injection system as water is pushed out of any leaks downstream of the water injection nozzle.
2) Despite using what I believe to be good quality fittings and bolt clamps I still have leaks. I have tried tightening the claps quite tight, but am loathe to tighten much further for fear of failure.

So - how does one identify air leaks in the first place? As noted, easy enough down stream of the WI nozzle, but most joints are upstream and given the leaks down stream I assume I have more - but where? How would I know?

And - Does anyone have tips for ensuring leak proof joints? I'm thinking of ripping off all silicone bends etc, cleaning the lot up and then put htem back together with shellac.

[jonossiksilvia]

ive used a trick on mine and others turbo cars running 20+psi

go to a plumbing place, m10 bunnings etc and buy a plumbing cap that fits the joiner going into the turbo

get a tire valve and glue this into the cap

put cap into joiner and clamp it up

use a tire gauge and hook it to your compressor and fill system with air (approx 5 - 10 psi more than what you feed the engine).

you will hear hissing where leaks are. used soapy water on hard to find leaks

hope this helps

[tweake]

water can leak out of even air tight spots. once water is in it lubes the hoses which makes it leak. same problem with engine oil from the breather.
need to clean the pipes and run them dry for a while. they will stick on and seal well.

make sure the pipe ends have a flared end for the hose to grip onto..

[callum007]

Use mikalor hose clamps. I have had to smear a little silicon on the metal pipe before assembly.
Run a continuous bead of weld around the pipe to give the hose clamp something to seat against?

All else fails. use a second mikalor clamp..

[crazyclark31]

put some grease around the silcone ends. Go for a spin giving it crap. Lift bonnet and look for were the grease has been push out by the leaks.
To stop it put a good flare on the ends of the pipe and put the clamp up near the flare. this forces the pipe into the joiner and also encourages the air through the pipe.