Starting a turbo build...Videos of it running :D

[burn_your_money]

1200 is MY limit for short bursts.

I don't mean to sound offensive but I think this is an unrealistic expectation for any sort of performance build.

How did you end up solving the issue of hooking the EGT probe up to the gauge?

What you could try doing if you have a spare pump kicking around is to swap in a shim or two into the advance piston and see how that effects things.

[theman53]

Run it with the line to the LDA disconnected and plugged.  With it set like that, then adjust the max fuel until when floored you get a bit of smoke that will clear when boost rises.

I have done that and this is the results. I never got any smoke I could see and EGT with no enrichment would still go over 1,200. I could without the enrichment easily keep the EGT 1,200 or under by turning the main fuel down, but it wouldn't get out of its own way.

I have less than 5 feet of K type pyro lead I bought off of Libby. I ended up attaching them with the leads provided by the Westach gauge just wrapped around the K type and wire nutted as Vince said not to solider.

I broke it in at 10 psi set with my MBC. That is when the EGT's were so bad I had to let off and downshift to go up a hill. Now at 15psi the EGT still has no signs of stopping when I let off, but it takes it much longer to get to the 1,200F

BYM:
I am willing to go more than 1,200F and have several times since this is a problem, but over and over 1,200F is the limit everyone is saying is safe. If 1,600F is safe I know I could do that in another 1/2 second floored after I hit 1,200F. This is my daily work car and I can't melt it down though. Sadly I have no other pump.
Thanks for all the replies eventually I know I will work this out, but I was hoping it wouldn't take as long as it has.

[burn_your_money]

How hot have you gone? Does it plateau at a given temperature? The few heavily tuned vw diesels I have been in seemed to always spike to around 1600 and then hold it there on hard runs.

Is there any chance of getting a video of your gauges in action?

The shim would fit in a regular envelope so maybe someone with a pump torn down can send you a few to borrow for testing purposes.

[theman53]

I have a KKK K24 with Giles Pump and Giles rebuilt injectors. All engine, pump, injectors, have 5,000 miles. All were installed new at the same time.
I have old video here:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=106764485&release=108659160

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EDf9KOkB2o

That is before with the Giles custom ramp boost pin.
I have the westach gauge and micro 1,000 probe. It reacts fast.
I have had it to 1,300 maybe 5 times. Once was the only time extended maybe 3 to 4 seconds. If it plateaus at a certain temp I haven't seen that temp yet. The 1,300 for 3-4 seconds I wasn't paying close enough attention and in 5th climbing a hill with my foot steady it just got up there.

[Merffy]

 Hey Lucas; Have U been driving the vw since it turned cold, did ya get the hi boost temp. under control, or decided to wait till the weather warms up, I gota keep mine pluged in to get it started with the low compression, I have the spare motor sitting on back of the truck till I can get it inside to start working on it, Merv

[theman53]

no. I got the EGT under control, but now past 1/2 pedal really doesn't do much. I maybe getting an intercooler for Christmas. I can start after 6 hours at 1F no problem so far.

[Runt]

I've been rolling this around in my head for a while now while you have all been discussing it.
I may be way off base, but if you have timing close, and fuel down to the point of no smoke and low power, I can't see any way you should get the egt's you are.  Would you be willing/able to remove the wirenuts on the off chance that they are doing something weird?  Perhaps just the wires twisted tight and a wrap of tape?  I don't know that the wirenuts should cause a problem, but I do know that there are very specific connectors made for connecting thermocouples to prevent any dissimilar metal junctions.  Wirenuts would certainly introduce a dissimilar metal.  For lack of a better idea, I think that I would try twisting the cleaned wires tightly together, then seal with quality heatshrink, then gently crimp on one of the crimp sleeves that look like wirenuts.  Just be careful not to crimp through the heatshrink.
It probably won't, but I hope this helps.

[theman53]

I've been rolling this around in my head for a while now while you have all been discussing it.
I may be way off base, but if you have timing close, and fuel down to the point of no smoke and low power, I can't see any way you should get the egt's you are.  Would you be willing/able to remove the wirenuts on the off chance that they are doing something weird?  Perhaps just the wires twisted tight and a wrap of tape?  I don't know that the wirenuts should cause a problem, but I do know that there are very specific connectors made for connecting thermocouples to prevent any dissimilar metal junctions.  Wirenuts would certainly introduce a dissimilar metal.  For lack of a better idea, I think that I would try twisting the cleaned wires tightly together, then seal with quality heatshrink, then gently crimp on one of the crimp sleeves that look like wirenuts.  Just be careful not to crimp through the heatshrink.
It probably won't, but I hope this helps.

I am going to do this suggestion a little differently. I will just take out the wire twist them real good, then tape them and put the wire nut on and tape that on so it doesn't come off. If it changes I will let you all know.
I checked timing a while back and it is at .0376 ish still. I am going to bump it to .038 next time and see. I have crackling/marbles on plate only when cold*under 20F*, cold advance lever pulled, and it is first started.

[theman53]

I have done 3 stages of brakes...
In the meantime I have had no time to mess with the EGT stuff. Yesterday I was dusting the dust off the face of the gauge with my finger and the needle started moving erradically sp?. M F not just my engine code ... it is my life with this M F car. The gauge still is messed everytime I wipe my finger over it the gauge bounces up and down about 200F... What to do now? see if westach has a warranty or if I have another problem?

[Powered by Spearco]

Is the dust causing the incorrect EGT reading.

You said every time you wipe it, it moves 200 deg. Is that with the engine running?

What happens when you blow off the gauge with shop air, better yet computer cleaner air?

[theman53]

If I just touch the gauge, not any harder than it takes to type, with the engine running it jumps up and down. Haven't tried it with the engine off. Sometimes it jumps up 300F and stays there, sometimes it falls 150F and stays there. It will climb with acceleration and you can touch the face of the gauge and it moves all around similar to what it does at idle. The vibration of the engine can make the needle change but it isn't a jump just a smooth addition to the EGT.

[RadoTD]

That's pretty weird... hopefully it is the fix to your EGT problem though! Too bad you aren't local, I'd lend you my gauge to test it out

[81 vw pu]

I have done 3 stages of brakes...
In the meantime I have had no time to mess with the EGT stuff. Yesterday I was dusting the dust off the face of the gauge with my finger and the needle started moving erradically sp?. M F not just my engine code ... it is my life with this M F car. The gauge still is messed everytime I wipe my finger over it the gauge bounces up and down about 200F... What to do now? see if westach has a warranty or if I have another problem?

I read this yesterday and checked my egt guage this morning and it does the exact same thing. I do have a different guage than you, its the westach 2c2-19 with the 200-1400 face.

[theman53]

It does it with the car off as well. Just touch it and it will go up... with the car not running it won't go below 100F only will go up. Hard to guess but I would say this has been the problem and reason one day the EGT would seem fine and the next giving me fits.

How do I "fix" it. I would say if it stays in its bottom position it is accurate. It is weird now, wiping my finger on the gauge, flogging it, and not getting over 1050F.

[Runt]

I am sure that I'm stating the obvious, but do not trust any (high, normal, or low) reading until the guage does not exhibit this behavior.
It sounds to me like a ground loop issue.  Considering that these guages read on a mV scale, just a slight difference in potential between grounding points could make a big difference.  I'd double check all signal (thermocouple) connections to rule out anything else, and then I'd start by running at least a temporary ground wire, minimum 12 gauge (overkill, but the sub ohm resistance of a smaller wire may still cause some differences in potential), from the TC probe at the exhaust manifold, directly to the gauge.  Also double check that the gauge is well grounded.  If you have a good quality sensitive multimeter, check for mV readings between the TC shield (if you can get to it) and battery negative post, and the gauge ground wire to battery, and the guage body to battery.  Go directly to the battery post, not the terminal, as dirty terminals is one thing that you may diagnose with this.  While you are at it, it wouldnt hurt to check your ground wires/points to battery.
If you have access to another meter/guage, that could be used to check for a faulty gauge, although that is unlikely it is not impossible.  I would want to check/calibrate the guage once this issue was sorted anyways, before I trusted the gauge again.