Must... Upgrade... Car...

[teach42]

Ok, I just recently bought a 1990 Eclipse Turbo (not AWD). I've been absoultely loving it and want to start making it go faster Of course, like many others, I'm on a budget and will have to do things one step at a time. So right now, I'm trying to figure out an optimum upgrade path. I've read all about the tuning guide, but I know I can't spend NEARLY 2000 on the car so I'm gonna have to be choosy.

According to the guide, I should do the 'free' mods, then get a K&N and then replace the intake. Well, if I'm going to be replacing the intake, why even bother cutting up the air filter can? Shouldn't I just keep that stock and then attach the K&N to the new intake pipe? Or am I confused?

After that, they reccomend that I get a boost gauge and controller. at that point, with a new intake, filter, gauge and controller, is it safe to dial up the stock turbo a bit? Before getting an exhaust?

Personally, I'm a tech sort of guy and mostly work on computers. I've done some basic construction before, a whole lot of phone work and a few other things so in general I'm pretty good with my hands. How hard will it be for me to do these mods I've listed myself? In particular, is installing the boost gauge and controller difficult to do? And what tools am I going to need to have in order to do them?

Thanks, any help here is SERIOUSLY appreciated.

Steve

 

[nholley]

Intake, Cat Back Exhaust, UIP, Boost gauge, MBC. then you can raise the boost a little. Then a down pipe, after that If you want to raise the boost further then you will have to look at a bigger turbo. And better fuel pump etc.

With a good manual and some advice from here or www.vfaq.com you should be able to do the work yourself.

 

[NosLaser]

Here is a list of some mods for the newbie DSM'er. On the air can, simple take off the snorkel for now, or use a hacksaw or sawzall or something to cut away some of the material, but still retain the mounting points. Buy a K&N air filter. There really is no intake pipe for the turbos until you either get rid of the MAS altogether, or if you do a turbo inlet pipe from the MAS to the turbo, which would still not affect the air car any. Remoove the silencer, remove the lower honeycomb, and on the bottom of the MAS (have to remove the MAS from the can to get to it) you will see a screw covered in silicon. Cut away the silicon and use a flat head screw driver to back that screw out until it is flush. This will increase air flow ever so slightly, but also help prevent against fuel cut on cold nights. Replace your factory thermostat with a 180 degree unit, get NGK BPR7ES spark plugs, get NGK plug wires, and make sure the car is in a nice state of tune. If you are looking for a little bang for the buck, pull the cat off and hollow it out. It's a hard job, but worth quite a few extra horsepower. At this point, you can also pull the line off on the boost control solenoid mounted on the air can. There are two lines, one going back into your air can, the other going to the T Tap off the wastegate. Pull the line going to the T-Tap. This should give you about 14-15 pounds of boost in a strong running car. With the above setup, my friend's 93 GSX went 13.9 at 96, and my Laser went 14.3 at almost 100. This setup is PERFECTLY SAFE. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I have modded about 150 DSM's in my 6 years of experience, and done this mod to all 4 that I have owned. NEVER had a problem.
Your next step should be a boost gauge and a lean/rich gauge if you haven't done them already. After that, I suggest buying a cheap manual boost controller as well to raise and lower the boost as you modify the car further. If you are doing exhaust, highly recommend getting a 3 inch O2 housing eliminator downpipe, a 3 inch test pipe, and 3 inch cat back. Don't bother with 2 1/2 inch exhaust; it's not that much cheaper, and will hold you back should you decide to go faster in the future. At the same time as the exhaust, also suggest getting a fuel pump. The Walbro 255lph HP pump is my personal favorite, but others have other preferences. Either way, this should get you started in the right direction. Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Regards,