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Article - Detroit Diesel air box pressures at Barrington Diesel Club

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Air box pressures are discussed at Barrington Diesel Club. Air box pressures are a vital factor affecting all two stroke cycle engines, in that air box pressures that are too low translate into loss of power for the engine.

At Barrington diesel club bolt tightening torques and fuel consumption rates are also provided for many engines beginning with Detroit Diesel,Cummins, and ADE. Our Web Log provides a forum for discussing diesel engine features and problems. We also provide general technical data such as Standard Torques for bolts and nuts, Properties of materials like the melting and boiling points of metals, metric to imperial cross references, SAE Flywheel housing sizes, as well as providing articles of general interest like discussions on fuel consumption.

At Barrington diesel club bolt tightening torques and fuel consumption rates are provided for many engines beginning with Detroit Diesel,Cummins, and ADE. Our Web Log provides a forum for discussing diesel engine features and problems. We also provide general technical data such as Standard Torques for bolts and nuts, Properties of materials like the melting and boiling points of metals, metric to imperial cross references, SAE Flywheel housing sizes, as well as providing articles of general interest like discussions on fuel consumption and Detroit Diesel Air Box Pressures.

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Article by Steve Barrington

Air Box Pressure

Basically sufficient air box pressure is required for:

If your engine has enough power and does not smoke excessively your air box pressures are probably within the normal ranges, or right.

Low Air Box Pressure

Insufficient air box pressure will cause:

Insufficient Air, low air box pressures are caused by:

High Air Box Pressure

Too much air box pressure may indicate problems with:

Power and Smoke Problems

If you have power or smoke problems with your engine, some basic checks may reveal the problem(s) very easily:

Basic air box checks and inspection:


Image - Barrington Diesel Club logo Full Load expected Air Box Pressures for Detroit Diesel engines 
Indicated in inches and mm of mercury
rpm 1800 2000 2100
Naturally aspirated N engines 1", 25 mm 4", 100 mm 5", 125 mm
Turbo engines 22", 594 mm 28", 756 mm 30", 810 mm
TI engines 27", 686 mm 32", 864 mm 35", 945 mm

Notes: Measuring Air Box Pressure

  • Connect a manometer to one air box drain. Measure pressure at fixed RPM's
  • The above table gives an indication of what to expect, but air box pressures vary with altitude and from engine to engine, injector to injector, turbo to turbo; so take nothing as definitive.
  • If your air box pressures are close to the values listed in the table there is normally no problem in this area.
  • If you're at all concerned, contact the local agents with your model and serial number for further advice.


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