10/13/2026
Tech Tip Tuesday – Boost Leaks!
When was the last time you actually pressure tested your turbo setup?
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that just because all your couplers are on and your clamps are tight doesn’t mean you don’t have boost leaks. I’d be willing to bet 9 out of 10 cars I’ve worked on that supposedly had no leaks ended up having at least one, if not several.
I started getting pretty religious about boost leak testing back in the days of draw-through MAF setups. Back then, a boost leak could really wreak havoc on your fueling. Nowadays, with most aftermarket setups running speed density, leaks can be a lot harder to recognize because the car might still run perfectly fine and even make its target boost.
The problem is that boost leaks can cause all kinds of issues that people end up blaming on something else.
Car won’t spool on the transbrake? Must need a looser converter.
Intake air temps through the roof? Must need a better intercooler.
Turbo working harder than it should and potentially overspeeding? Must be a junk turbo.
Sometimes the problem is a whole lot simpler than that.
The video is a perfect example of this.
This is my personal car, a 9:1 compression 5.3L LS with a Garrett GTX55 98mm, open T6 housing, Holley Low Ram, and BTR Stage 4 cam. Not exactly a combination of parts you’d put together if quick spool was your number one priority.
The first video was taken with a pretty substantial boost leak. It took somewhere around 11–12 seconds to reach the target boost pressure on the transbrake.
After finding and fixing the leak? Right around 6 seconds.
Same engine, same turbo, same converter, same approximate boost target. Nearly cut the spool time in half just by fixing a boost leak.
Think about how easily someone could have watched that first video and decided the converter was too tight or the turbo was simply too big for the engine.
Another thing people overlook is that just because your boost gauge says you’re making 20, 30, or 40 PSI doesn’t mean you don’t have leaks. Your turbo might just be working overtime to maintain that pressure while a bunch of air is escaping somewhere it shouldn’t be.
Moral of the story: Pressure test your turbo setup! Not just when you first put it together, but periodically afterward too. Things loosen up, O-rings fail, welds crack, and leaks develop over time.
It’s one of the simplest things you can do to eliminate a whole bunch of potential headaches, and it’s often overlooked.
If you don’t have the equipment or aren’t sure how to properly pressure test your system, get ahold of us at Medlin Performance Solutions. We’re happy to take care of it for you!
Sometimes the best performance upgrade isn’t another expensive part. It’s fixing what you already have. 🏁
