Advice on first mods - 97 gst

[Atuca]

Hey all, i know everyone has to lose their virginity one time or another, and now it is finally my turn!

I have done a full tune up on the car, and fixed some problems with mater and slave clutch, passed smog today, registered the car for the year, and now, i got about 800 bucks burning a hole in my pocket.

As you can see in my profile, i have a completely stock 97 Eclipse GS-T, and it needs fixing. I am not a racer, i hardly accelerate when a riced civic revs his engine at me at a stop light( although sometimes i do and i smoke him, which is always great, being as i just got my first manual transmission and he is all riced up ) ANYWAYS, i am looking for a few lights mods.

My list includes:

BOV (greddy type s perhaps)(which i got a bazillion questions about type S/RS/wtf)
K/N cold air intake (i beleive is the name for it)
maybe exhaust (does it really matter)
maybe front mount intercooler (does it really help?)


that is it really. The exhaust was a "eh, kids like it" front mount intercooler looks nice, but i think they are expensive. BOV is cheapish 200 bucks right? but i have no idea what supporting mods i need and would i want one if it doesn't circulate to the atmospher (i am going for efficency, so if it recirculates to the intake, does it change the sound at all?) and the K/N cold air intake, well, it matters if i get a FMIC right? and well, i looked up eclipse on K/N's website and the only had the square filter, and i thought that you could have the cone one that adds 30 horse power or w/e.

anyways, i need you guys to put your hand in my pocket and spend my money. just don't feel around too much, the pocket ain't toooo deep.

-thanks in advanced
Philip

 

[Atuca]

well it is hard to say i want 250 HP and not know an aprroximate amount of horsepower a particular bolt on will add. If it is that hard to say, ok i will refrain. I thought asking a question like how much will a new K/N FIPK will add horsepower wise, how hard is it to say 5-15 horsepower? i don't need an exact number, but knowing if somethnig add 3 horsepower and adding 30 horsepower is something that makes sense to me.

I believe that i found a system to go with, and will have to get a down pipe and O2 housing i believe. So that will be my next question, assuming that i can get some more a.o.k on this cat back system.

http://www.vrsexhaust.com/MAGNAFLOWCB__/MAG-MITSUBISHI/mag-mitsubishi.html

is the one i am looking, can i get an oks on that system?

 

[forcefed4]

I didn't see anyone that said this...might save you a big headache...

If you are going to increase your boost over stock level you NEED a boost gauge.

 

[Atuca]

yea i do suppose i need one, just didn't want to ask for help with too many things at once.

But while i am getting yelled for being n00b, anyone have suggestions for aftermarket boost guages? I'll look for some myself and use the search button as the popular replies i get, but i want to get one that mounts on the left side of windshield thing, not even sure what it is called, but even if i could get the name of it, i would appreciate it, so i can search.

although suggestions on guages would be appreciated.

 

[forcefed4]

Not yelling at you, just trying to help. Sorry if it came across wrong.

what you are looking for is called a pillar pod. you can get them just about anywhere.

As far as gauges go, there are several good brands, everyone will have their own opinions on the best brands, but the old standby is Autometer.

 

[Atuca]

Not yelling at you, just trying to help. Sorry if it came across wrong.

I wasn't talking about you, i am really new to cars, so some people are making sure i know i am new.

i just met you though, no hard feelings

thanks for the name of that, i will search for one and get a boost guage, thanks a lot, will post when i find a few guages i think are ok.

is there any specification for ones i need, certain size or anything like that?

i'll look myself some, but any advice like i ay, is appreciated

 

[forcefed4]

Something like this:
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/pri...er/Gauges/Boost_Gauges/part/Ultra_Lite_Series

you will probably want the one that goes to 30 psi.

they also have pillar pods there, just scroll down.

 

[Atuca]

awsome thanks!

but of cource more questions

There are 10 on that list, so which one do i choose? They all go to 30 psi, but do i want electrical or mechanical, and what is the difference (besides the obviouse one uses elctricity, are there any advantages either way?) and what is the difference between the rest of them, like wth is liquid filled? And do i need to worry about the Hg? if so, what of those 10 would you recommend, and thanks for the Pillar pods link, i will pick one up when i find the boost guage you help me pick.

thanks

 

[Atuca]

should i get any other guage other than the boost guage? i am thinking i might get the full pillar, but it has two spots for gauges, so what would be the second gauge i would want to put in there? If i don't need another, i could go with the bolt on pillar, but i just wanted to get a more professional look with replacing the whole pillar.

*edit* i think an oil temperature, was told to by a friend to. suppose it doesn't matter too much because i am not doing any fuel mods to have to monitor too much other stuff.

 

[kenamond]

First of all, welcome!

Second, boy you sure are new to this

I'm in a typing mood, so who knows how long this will end up.

Last thing first. A-pillar gauge pod. I got mine here. You can get them elsewhere, but I like mine. Make sure you pick the correct model for what you want.

Next, an Autometer boost gauge is about $50 for a -30psi to +30psi mechanical gauge. It has wires for a light, but it will work without the wires hooked up.

The 2nd gauge (or 3rd if you get a 3-pod unit) is up to you. For now, you could choose from oil pressure and voltage without major mods required. Other gauges may be more important eventually, but they usually require other mods that you don't yet need.

You ordered an MBC, and I'm sure it'll be just fine for what you're doing. Typically, the vaccuum line you'll need is 7/16". I use fuel pressure line, and you can get it at any auto-parts store by asking for "7/16ths inch fuel pressure line" and it'll have "7/16" stamped every few inches on the outside of it. I'd get 4 or 5 feet of it. It's cheap. Also, make sure you figure out how to connect it and how to properly disable the stock BCS (which you're essentially replacing). The BCS can be left where it is. You have to disconnect three vaccuum lines: one from the intake pipe (goes between the air filter and turbo), one from the turbo, and one from the gold can bolted to the turbo. Up to you if you keep the lines in a box in a closet somewhere or not, but you can use the hose clips/clamps for the new MBC vaccuum lines. You MUST plug the nipple on the intake pipe that you just exposed; you won't need it anymore. You can get nipple caps at Autozone, etc. or you can put a 1" section of that new hose on it and screw a sheet metal screw into it to plug it up. Take a 6" section of the new hose you got and run each end to each nipple on the BCS (making a "U") to keep it clean (simple way to cap both nipples off and seal the BCS to dirt/water/etc. in case you want it to work when you sell the car). Leave the electrical connector plugged into the BCS or you'll get a check engine light.

The new MBC only needs to connect to two places: the compressor of the turbo (where one of the 3 BCS lines went to) and the wastegate actuator (WGA) which is the gold can bolted to the turbo. There are only two ways to hook the MBC. One is correct, the other is not. Read the instructions or ask someone on the forum. You also want the lines for the MBC to be short for better boost control, but you want the MBC somewhere you can reach it and where it doesn't dangle, get sucked into fans, etc. Maybe you want to hide it from inspectors, too. Make sure the vaccuum lines can't get into anything nasty, too. Zip ties!!

When the MBC is installed, you need to adjust it. That's where the aftermarket boost gauge is required. The stock boost gauge won't cut it; it doesn't have numbers and doesn't actually measure boost (it's the engine control unit (ECU)'s guess at what it thinks it is). When you get the MBC installed (correctly) and are ready to set it, loosen it all the way (not to the point that it pops apart) and do a test run at full throttle and with the brakes applied to keep you from zinging beyond the speedlimit or revving to 7000rpm. Using the brakes to combat the engine in order to hit full boost at constant road speed is called "brake boosting". You'll get used to it in a try or two. Watch the boost gauge and see where it "settles" when you're holding the car between 4000 and 5000rpm with the brakes (be quick doing this test or your brakes will get hot and will wear). The lowest you can boost is going to be 9-ish psi (the reason for this is for another time). If it's 9psi, pull over and tighten the MBC a turn and repeat. Eventually, it'll go past 9. For now, I'd recommend not going beyond 14psi without getting a logger (more ways to spend money!).

I have the K&N FIPK Gen2. It's a true bolt-on part. The instructions are good. The paperwork claimed 7hp gain over the stock filterbox, but I never measured what it did for me, so YMMV . I can pull the K&N off in 2 minutes, but I've done it many times. Pulling the stock airbox off takes about as much time as installing the new filter for the first time. Here is a picture of mine installed.

Depending on how much money you have left, you may want to upgrade your intercooler pipes, especially the upper intercooler pipe (UICP). The stock one is under the filter. You'll see it when you put the K&N on. It's plastic and emerges from the sheet metal of your engine bay and runs under your fuse box. If you look at it, realize that this is where all of the air entering your engine has to pass through. The aftermarket metal ones fix this. If you choose to get an UICP, they sell them with the 1g BOV flange, so you don't need the adapter; the 1g BOV will bolt right up to it, and the recirculation tube will plug right back where it used to on the 2g BOV and intake pipe. If I still have it in me, I'll walk through the parts later.

If you read the "Stage 0" mods, you should definitely do these. Clean the intercooler and straighten the fins. You can improve the effectiveness of the stock side mount intercooler (SMIC) by cutting the plastic fender guard directly behind the SMIC and in front of the passenger-front tire and putting some metal screen over the cutout. Air will flow more freely through the IC, and it will be able to cool the intake air more effectively.

I got my 1g BOV off of eBay for $25 shipped. It was ugly, but I sat down with some sandpaper, made it shiney, then painted it black (you can see it in the my engine bay picture linked above).

Make a boost leak tester and do a boost leak test (part of Stage 0 mods). Fix all the leaks. You'll need the boost gauge for this as well, unless you build a tester with a built-in gauge. You'll also need an air compressor or a portable air tank (I have an 11 gallon tank that I charge up at the local gas station). Results of the boost leak test may lead to you take things off the engine you didn't think you'd have to, but you gotta fix the leaks. It's gratifying after you get it fixed, too.

You mentioned that the exhaust you had your eye on came with an O2 housing. You don't need this, and it will be a much more ambitious task to change the O2 housing (need to pull the turbo off). If you get the itch for more power and eventually upgrade the turbo, the O2 housing may not fit the new turbo. Right now, you could replace part or all of the exhaust "pipes" and cat and muffler. The downpipe (DP) and flex section (flexible portion of the pipe) bolt to the O2 housing and wrap down under the motor. That bolts to another section of pipe. That goes to the cat. Then another pipe goes to the muffler. Making any of these larger or otherwise less restrictive is good. Doing it all is best. Maybe I'll ramble on later about why this is good.

Okay, now for rambling on about general engine stuff. If I dumb it down too much, pardon me, but you sure are really new to this stuff .

The engine has 4 cylinders capped by a "head". Inside each cylinder slides a piston sealed to the cylinder walls with rings. Each piston has a connecting rod connected to it and the crankshaft. When the pistons go up and down, the crankshaft goes round. (I hope you knew all of this!)

In the "head" are four valves per cylinder. Two let air into the cylinder (intake valves). Two let air out of the cylinder (exhaust valves). The valves are controlled from above by cams. All of the intake valves are controlled by one cam and all of the exhaust valves are controlled by another cam. Both cams have cam pulleys on the end which are hidden under the black cover on the driver's side, top of your motor. A timing belt runs around both pulleys and the end of the crank shaft. When the crank shaft turns (because the pistons are going up and down), the cam pulleys turn, and the valves open and close.

The motor is a 4-stroke motor. Each cylinder does its job in four phases: intake, compression, power, and exhaust. This takes two up-and-downs of the piston and is coordinated with the intake and exhaust valves (which are synchronized thanks to the timing belt which connects what the pistons are doing to what the valves are doing). The four phases repeat over and over, so I'll describe it starting at the beginning of the intake stroke.

The piston is at the top of the cylinder and the intake valves open up. The exhaust valves are closed. The piston goes down, and the air gets sucked into the cylinder (intake stroke). The intake valves close. The air that got sucked in has air and gasoline mixed together. The piston is at the bottom of the cylinder and starts to go back up (compression stroke). All valves are closed, and the volume above the piston is getting smaller. The air/fuel mix gets compressed. It gets hotter as it gets compressed (that's thermodynamics). When it air/fuel is all squished up and the piston is near the top of the cylinder, the spark plug sparks. All that air and fuel starts to burn - fast, but not immediately. The burned fuel gets much hotter and wants to get much bigger as a result (that's thermodynamics, too). This causes pressure to rise. That pushes on the piston and drives it down the cylinder (power stroke). The piston reaches the bottom of the cylinder, and the exhaust valves open. The intake valves are still closed. The piston moves back up the cylinder pushing the burned gasses out through the exhaust valves (exhaust stroke). The exhaust valves close and the intake valves open again. Repeat.

Hopefully, you knew that too.

Now what about that air/fuel mix coming in the intake valves? Where do the burned gasses go after the exhaust valves? We'll start with the intake.

Air enters through the air filter that you're upgrading. That K&N filter will clamp to the mass air sensor (MAS) which is a black box with pretty honeycomb metal parts in it. The ECU (engine computer) needs to know how much air the engine is breathing, and the MAS tells it this. How it does this doesn't matter right now. After the MAS is the intake pipe. It connects to the compressor end of the turbocharger (the turbo has two sides, but we'll get to that later). The compressor's job is to compress the air that goes into it. It's just a very efficient air pump. The air enters the middle of the compressor, and a jet-engine-high-tech-fan-blade-looking "compressor wheel" which is spinning hundreds of thousands of rotations per minute (!!!) forces the air to the outside of a snail-shell-shaped compressor housing. It's like being in the middle of a marry-go-round going way too fast...if you get off-center at all, you go flying to the outside of the marry-go-round. that's what's happening to the air. The compressor housing collects the air and spits it out the compressor outlet. It's now at a higher pressure than when it entered. The increase in pressure is the boost level. Compressed air gets hotter (more thermodynamics).

Now we take a break to talk about why hot air isn't what you want going into your engine.

A gallon of hot air has fewer atoms/molecules of air in it than a gallon of cold air. Air has oxygen in it. When you mix the right about of fuel with air, you get a lot of energy out of it when it's burned. The cylinders of the engine can only hold 0.5 liters of air/fuel mix (it's a 2 liter engine with 4 cylinders). If you feed it cooler air, more air molecules fit into the cylinder. You can add the magic amount of fuel (called stoichiometric mix) to this larger number of air molecules and get more energy out of that 0.5 liters than if the air was hotter.

Also, during the compression stroke, I mentioned that the air/fuel mix gets hotter as it is compressed. If it gets too hot, it doesn't need a spark to light it. But when this happens, the fuel burns more quickly than when lit by the spark plug. That's knock, and it beats the crap out of the motor and is something to avoid. So if you feed in hotter air, you're more likely to knock than if you have colder air. It's more complicated than that, but this is good enough for now.

Okay, so back to the compressor outlet and the hot, boosted air that the compressor just spat out. You want colder air. That's what the intercooler is for. The air passes from the compressor outlet through the lower intercooler pipe (LICP) and into one end of the intercooler. It's just like a radiator. The hot air goes through the inside through many passages, is stirred up along the way, and outside air which is cooler runs around all of the passages, but the inside and outside air are sealed from each other (don't wanna leak that boost). The heat is conducted from the hotter internal gas to the external gas (more thermodynamics). The air then exits the intercooler and is cooler than when it entered.

The air then enters the UICP and runs to the throttle body (TB). This contains a butterfly valve connected to your gas pedal. Let off the gas, and the door slams shut. Floor it, and the door is wide open. After the TB is the intake manifold (IM) which splits the single stream of air into four different streams (one for each cylinder). The air enters as one stream and is split into four intake runners that bolt to the head of the motor. The air enters the head destined for one of the cylinders. Fuel injectors are mounted into the head, and the nozzles of these injectors stick out into the path of the intake air.

Another diversion for injectors. A fuel injector is just a valve that can be told to open up all the way or close all the way, and it can do this VERY quickly. The ECU knows how much air is entering the engine. It also knows how fast the engine is running. So it can calculate how many molecules of air will be in that 0.5 liter space in each cylinder. It also knows the "magic" amount of fuel which must be added to get the best bang out of that 0.5 liters of air. Now it has to somehow get that much fuel into the intake air stream. The injectors do this. All four injectors (one per cylinder) are connected to a pressurized "fuel rail". It's a long rail with four holes along the side like a flute, and an injector is stuffed into each hole. The fuel rail's internal pressure is kept at a known pressure which is maintained by the fuel pump (FP) and the fuel pressure regulator (FPR). The pump goes gangbusters pumping fuel into one end of the fuel rail and the FPR lets just enough go out the other end to keep the pressure inside just right. The fuel leaving the FPR recycles to the fuel tank for a later go.

All the injectors have to do is open up, and that high-pressure fuel goes squirting into the intake air stream. The ECU just needs to know how long to open them so that the magic amount of fuel is delivered. It knows how to do this. It opens the injectors for a calculated time called the injector pulse width, and the correct amount of fuel squirts through.

Okay, back to the intake air stream. We just entered the head and are in the intake ports, and a fine mist of fuel has just joined the ride. At this point, the intake valves are open, and the air/fuel mix gushes into the cylinder. The valves close, and the mix is ready to be compressed and burned.

After the air and fuel has burned, it is still very hot and at a higher pressure, and the exhaust valves open. The hot air gushes out of the exhaust valves and is helped along by the piston which is also forcing the gasses out. They go past the exhaust valves into the exhaust ports which are also in the head. They exit the head (still four different streams of gasses, one per cylinder) and enter the exhaust manifold. This does the opposite job of the intake manifold. The four exhaust runners in the manifold merge in a region called the collector, so now there's just one stream of exhaust gasses, and it's hot, movin fast, and at high pressure. Here's where it sees the other side of the turbocharger, called the turbine or the hotside.

Maybe you were wondering why that compressor wheel on the other end of the turbo was moving at hundreds of thousands of rotations per minute such that it could compress the incomming air. The turbine is the reason. The exhaust gasses are directed into another housing - the turbine housing - which is another snail-shaped-housing. This time, they come in at the outer edge, though. Inside the turbine housing is the turbine wheel which looks very much like the compressor wheel. The gasses slam into the tips of the turbine wheel causing it to turn (imagine an old paddle wheel boat on the Mississippi river that is coasting...the water will cause the paddle wheel to turn). The turbine and compressor wheels are connected to the same shaft, so spinning the turbine wheel spins the compressor wheel at the same speed. Anyway, the gasses are collected toward the middle of the turbine wheel where they exit - it looks like the compressor run backward. The gasses exit the turbine housing and enter the O2 housing where they are redirected toward the street. Then they enter the downpipe and remainder of the exhaust.

But wait! There's more! Wastegates.

If all of the exhaust gasses were forced to go through the turbine wheel, you'd spin that compressor up maybe faster than you want, and you'd end up with a higher pressure increase from the compressor (boost is too high). How can you control how much the compressor squeezes the air? You let some of the exhaust gasses take a short-cut around the turbine wheel, and you do it just the right amount so that the compressor produces the desired level of boost. The mechanism which does this is called the wastegate. When the gasses leave the exhaust manifold collector and enter the turbine housing, there is a hole in the wall with a flapper covering it. The flapper can be opened and closed so that more or less exhaust gas can take the short cut. Remember that the gasses between the exhaust valves and the turbine wheel are pressurized (called backpressure), so if you open that flapper, they'll squirt through. The O2 housing collects the exhaust that went through the turbine with the exhaust that took the shortcut through the wastegate flapper and sends them both on to the downpipe.

The flapper is connected to that gold can bolted to the turbo's compressor housing that you hooked your MBC to. That gold can is called the wastegate actuator (WGA). It is a spring-loaded device with a diaphragm which will push a rod (actuator arm) connected to the flapper in the turbine housing. If you pressurize the WGA beyond a certain point, it will start to extend the actuator arm and begin opening the flapper.

That's where the MBC comes into play.

Recall that the MBC connects the compressor outlet (boost signal source) to the WGA (boost signal receiver). If you had no MBC and just ran a vaccuum line from the compressor nipple to the WGA, it would probably limit boost to about 9psi (I mentioned that before, but now you know why). The WGA is designed to limit boost to 9psi. It will start to open before 9psi, but it will eventually have the flapper open just enough that the exhaust gasses that don't take the short cut can only drive the turbine and compressor enough to generate 9psi. The MBC tinkers with the boost pressure signal coming from the compressor so that less of it actually makes it to the WGA. If you hide all of the compressor boost signal, the WGA never opens, and you boost until your motor detonates (or you hit fuel cut - that's for another time). So you set the MBC so that you hide just enough of the boost signal that the WGA limits boost at a higher level than 9psi.

Another note about that exhaust you're eyeing. The exhaust drives the turbine or takes the shortcut through the wastegate passage, but both go to the downpipe. If the pressure in the O2 housing is the same as the backpressure in the exhaust manifold, the air won't move (not thermodynamics, but Newtonian physics ). The pressure after the turbine has to be lower than the backpressure for anything to happen. The larger the difference, the more that gas wants to barge on through the turbine housing and get out, and this means more torque on the compressor wheel which means more boost. A small exhaust is restrictive just like a coffee straw is more restrictive than a McDonald's™ straw. If you blow through a coffee straw, the pressure in your mouth will be higher than if you blow through a McD straw. That pressure is the same thing as the O2 housing pressure. If you have a larger, more free-flowing exhaust, the pressure difference across the turbine housing will be larger, and you'll apply more torque to the compressor and produce more boost. This is important for spooling up the turbo (when you're sitting at a red light, you have no boost, and the turbo isn't spinning very fast). When you start pumping exhaust through the turbine full bore, you have to get it spinning faster and faster. If the exhaust pipe is less restrictive, this will happen faster and sooner. Also, as you get to higher rpm, the exhaust will become increasingly restrictive, so the O2 housing pressure will be going up. In a stock exhaust system, the exhaust gasses just can't get out fast enough, and you end up losing torque on the compressor, and you start losing boost. A free flowing exhaust will build less pressure, so you are able to maintain the desired boost level all the way to redline.

Holy crap it's late. You'll have to find out about spark timing and the BOV later, but that's sort of the last things I could think of.

Happy reading!

 

[Atuca]

you

are

god...



I think i just got a little bit more informed about the combustion engine of the 20th century..

i won't tell you what i did or didn't know, ok, so i didn't know more than 1/758th of that, but i seriously want to go hug someone right now.

Thank you so much, so many questions were answered; you gave me a little information and than answered it before i could think twice.

I think someone will be getting some rep points from me..

thanks a million, hope you don't mind me spamming your pm box later tomorrow, and i am looking foward to a thorough explanation of the BOV any any other information for me and anyone else that reads it.

 

[romeen]

Hey Mack, is your carpal tunnel acting up yet?

Atuca, your humble enthusiasm is refreshing. Here is some basic, easy to read info. on turbos and internal combustion engines in general:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/turbo.htm

Have fun.

 

[Atuca]

i had no idea when joining this forum that i would be learning information like that of which i just read. Mack just earned a younger brother, a fan club, a lifetime of indebtness that can never be repaid.

I appreciate every single one of your guys help and advice and for not just ignoring my requests for help on account of me being new to cars. I expected that after people found out how new i was to cars i would just get a cold shoulder. So i really appreciate you taking the time to read over my simple minded posts and stupid questions.

This is becoming more than just a car, but a learning experience for travel in life. Cars are now part of everyones life, and i just got a hell of a lot closer to understanding something that so many people count on to get them to work and daily things in life.

i can't possibly thank you enough, all i can do is keep posting and blabbing about how awsome it is your helping me. So before this becomes too weird, thank you one last time, to EVERYONE who helps me.

I read this somewhere and didn't believe it at first, but dsmtuners is becoming a second family for me.



-Philip

 

[Atuca]

Just thought i note my first mod arived just 5 mins ago.

It was the K/N FIPK "generation 2"

I didn't order generation 2 specifically, but I got it, so hopefully it is better than "generation 1"

I will be installing it today hopefully, before g/f shows up tomorrow til the weekend where I will have to watch it sit in the box until she leaves

Just thought i give a heads up.

 

[Bigglesworth87]

It will take you all of 2 minutes to install it. So, I am sure you can do it before she shows up.

 

[Atuca]

Ok so it took exactly 44 mins to install, not bad for a first mod eh?

It sounds alot more agressive, and actually, i heard what sounded like a BOV, but I am guessing was my wastegate? Sounded between shifts, so if someone could say "yea you'll hear something", that be great, i don't think i could hardly install that thing wrong.

And question number two, should i attach the CARB sticker to the air filter, or can I just keep it in my glove box? if I have to put it on the air filter itself, where would you place it; does it have to be visible from the top, or can it be on the bottom or something hidden from plain view?


anyways, it is awsome to officially start modding my car, the MBC should be here in a day or two, but i still have to pick out a gauge to get. I will be ordering that tonight.

peace!

 

[Atuca]

Ok I ordered the boost gauge, oil pressure gauge, and a duel pillar full replacment ( i want the professsional look) as well as reverse indiglo gauges to accompany the blue LED interior redecoration i have going. The gauges i got were the Autogauge C2, which have white faces and have a blue glow, so they should match with the rest of the interior.

Now all I have left is the exhaust, and i can give the mods a rest for a while.

Now the start to find a good Downpipe and high flow cat.

if you have any advice on where to search for just the down pipe and high flow cat feel free to post; all I need to be set with a much nicer car than I had before.

 

[marq95gst]

So you got the oval k&n filter? That one is pretty sweet. I had it on my old car (95 gst). With the increase in intake air, you'll should definitely be hearing your bov a bit more. So you are getting the mbc next? Please do not install it until you have a boost gauge installed. If you install the mbc first you won't know what psi you are setting your system to. That is very dangerous, as your stock injectors can only take about 15-16 psi limit (15 to be safe). So you see why you definitely have to know. So after the filter you should get a boost gauge, you'll already have the mbc, then an exhaust. If you are not planning to swap turbos/increase injector size, just get a 2.5inch catback. Also getting a 2.5" downpipe would also be nice. If you are worried about Cali police, when you get the downpipe, get a hiflow catalytic converter put in. If the cops see that you do not have one, you get fined big time. An exhaust upgrade is not really illegal in Cali. Its the sound level. With a 2.5" you should not have anything to worry about though. You talked about a magnaflow, and those are perfect for your situation. You can pull your car into a muffler shop that sells those and they should hook you right up for like $250 for the 2.5" catback, price depending on where you go. You can also choose a nice stainless tip for it too. You really do not need a fmic until you have upgraded the turbo, and honestly your injectors. As long as the mud flap behind the side mount is opened up, you should have no airflow cooling problems with 15psi and exhaust. Now...if you do plan to go past all of that...(and I bet you will : ) ) you will then get into the fmic/injectors/bigger turbo level. Just check out the upgrade paths offered by dsmtuners.com and roadraceengineering.com. You can't go wrong with those. And DO NOT SKIP ANY OF THOSE UPGRADES!!!!


I lived in Cali (Los Angeles) until i joined the AF, so I know how cops here can be punks. Im stationed at Travis afb in solano county right now. Thats by fairfield/suisun. If you ever want to come down lemee know. Theres a couple other DSMers around.

Saul

 

[Atuca]

yes i got the oval one, no heat shield or anything, but it sounds alot more agressive

and yea the boost gauge was just ordered in case you missed that, so I will wait before i get it in. What is the stock boost level at? i thought 14, so am i only going to be raising it 1 psi? is that really noticable?

As far as the exhaust goes, I found a 3 inch cat back for 440, so getting a 3 inch down pipe and high flow cat shouldn't be much to complete the turbo back system.

And yea, as long as there isn't a carb exemption i need for the exhaust, magna flows are quieter, the deep sound i want, so hopefully i don't get anywhere near getting in trouble.

cops scare me >.< so i just wanna be legal so i don't have to worry about it.

 

[kenamond]

yes i got the oval one, no heat shield or anything, but it sounds alot more agressive

and yea the boost gauge was just ordered in case you missed that, so I will wait before i get it in. What is the stock boost level at? i thought 14, so am i only going to be raising it 1 psi? is that really noticable?

As far as the exhaust goes, I found a 3 inch cat back for 440, so getting a 3 inch down pipe and high flow cat shouldn't be much to complete the turbo back system.

And yea, as long as there isn't a carb exemption i need for the exhaust, magna flows are quieter, the deep sound i want, so hopefully i don't get anywhere near getting in trouble.

cops scare me >.< so i just wanna be legal so i don't have to worry about it.

The stock boost is more like 10-12psi. Boost is basically a torque multiplier, so going from 10 to 15psi boost will make a difference that you'll feel. Also, with the better exhaust, the turbo will boost more quickly and will keep that boost up into the higher rpm range, so you'll have more torque out of the motor for a wider range of rpm. That translates into a quicker car.

I'm gonna keep nagging you about boost leak testing . Pick a boost leak tester design, go pick up the parts at the hardware store, and build it. If you don't have an air compressor, pick up an 11 gallon portable compressed air tank or similar. You can refill it wherever you fill your tires (most gas stations), take it home, and do a handfull of boost leak tests on your car. You can add it to your tires, too! If you have boost leaks, you need to fix them. Some are easier to fix than others, but most of them won't take more than a couple of hours even if it's your first time disassembling/reassembling a particular part.

Another thing you should consider getting is a data logger. This will be a PDA, software, a hotsync cable, and an "interface" that plugs into your car's diagnostic port. It lets you monitor and record engine sensor data. Once you have one, you can find out if you can turn the boost up safely. Your car has some mileage on it, so you don't want to beat it up, and the logger will tell you if something's wrong.

Continuing my saga (will be shorter this time!)...

The blow-off valve (BOV) or turbo bypass valve is required to keep your turbo compressor from beating itself up. Recall that when the car is at full throttle and full boost, a lot of air is gushing through the compressor, IC, IC piping, etc. If you go to shift to a higher gear, you let off the gas. The butterfly valve in the throttle body (TB) slams shut, and that air all of the sudden has no place to go. So it stops. But it stops as a wave or pulse that travels back away from the TB, through the IC piping, IC, and eventually back to the compressor. The air between the pulse and the TB is stopped, and the air between the pulse and the intake air filter is still hauling ass. The compressor is still spinning ungodly fast, and if this pulse reaches the turbo, the vanes on the compressor wheel will stall (the air stops moving, but the vanes are still spinning around - it's like an airplane flying along and all the sudden the air all around the airplane starts moving just as fast as the airplane...so it stalls and drops out of the sky like a rock). This is called "compressor surge". Unfortunately, this beats the crap out of the bearings in the turbo which is not a good thing.

The BOV lets this pulse take a shortcut around the compressor much like the wastegate lets exhaust bypass the turbine. The BOV has a vaccuum line connected to it that runs to the intake manifold (IM) which is after the TB. When you let off the throttle, the engine is still trying to suck air into the cylinders, but the air supply has been blocked off by the butterfly valve in the TB, so the whole IM pressure drops to a very low pressure (high vaccuum). That vaccuum - through the BOV-to-IM vaccuum line - opens the BOV.

The pulse of air coming back from the closed TB passes through the BOV and gets "recirculated" back into the intake pipe which is upwind of the compressor. That's why you hear a woooosh when you shift. It also prevents compressor surge.

The problem with the stock 2g BOV currently on your car is that the valve in the BOV leaks when the boost pressure in the upper intercooler pipe (UICP) gets to around 12-13psi. As a result, you can't increase your boost past 12-13psi with the stock 2g BOV. That's why you want that 1g BOV. Also, the 1g BOV is metal, whereas the 2g BOV is plastic, so the 1g BOV tends to be a bit louder. If you upgrade your UICP and intake pipe (IP) to metal ones, that will also make the turbo and BOV dump sounds louder (the stock parts are rubber and plastic which damp out vibrations, so they don't "ring").

But an aftermarket UICP also frees up airflow in the intake tract, so it will help with power. The stock UICP has a section that is flattened and bent at a sharp angle to squeeze past the stock airbox, and this causes pressure losses as air forces its way through, and that's just trashing some of the boost pressure your turbo is working hard to produce. Did you take a look at the UICP when you installed the K&N filter? Pretty ugly! So the UICP is another upgrade you might want to consider.

That's enough for this round. I'll talk about ignition (spark plug) timing next time.

Keep us posted!

 

[Atuca]

well supposing my gauges get here in a few days, that will be the next thing i have to install, and apparently they come with "T"'s to splice into existing lines, which i have read have to be in certain areas of the hose. So before i start hacking away, I suppose I better find out where it is i need to be connecting those things. That is a few days away though, so no one has to answer that right away.

I am looking at money stuffs right now.

I got about 700, will have another 600 by the END up this month. I will have to wait to get payday next week, which will be half of the 600, so i will have 1k next week. So I really have just enough for the exhaust, and perhaps the new metal intake hose. I will get the 1g BOV next week as well (i can't image not finding a 1G BOV out of at least 15 1gs in a junk yard, not to mention there would be two i go to, so there are more cars)

But, really i think exhaust is next important, than those pipes. I did notice that when i pulled my old filter box out, there is a hole on the right side of the car where i believe that Side hole in the bumper is bringing air up to. So now do leaves and dirt just fly up into where my new K/N is? or is there a wire mess that protects that? I read i am supposed to just cut into my mud guard plastic on my passenger side, i read that on those upgrade paths, but that seems a bit extreme, does the air from in front of the tire really help? can anyone explain why that mod helps?

I suppose I gotta do what i gotta do, but lately you seem to have me on this why do i do this mod thing lately, now i am getting a better understanding of how an engine works.


To end this post and get my behind to bed, check list of need to know and do:

-high flow cat 3"
-downpipe 3"
-(i don't need an o2 housing, the 3" downpipe will connect to my stock o2 sensor housing right?)

-Need to do boost testing once i get my boost gauge and MBC installed
-which leads to how do I install my boost gauge? (comes with 15 feet of nylon tubing, so i assume runs down the new housing i bought a-pillar i believe, and than connects somewhere in the engine, I currently have no idea.

The exhaust thing needs to be figured out first, the gauges won't be here for a couple days, so i can worry about installing them later. I need to get my exhaust on order so it can take 3 weeks to get here.


p.s. i have a credit card, i always pay it off right away, but i can front myself the 700+ another 700 from what i got left in the bank, than pay myself back when i get my paychecks in, so i can order my exhaust whenever i can get some help picking a downpipe and high flow cat. Should i get a magna flow high flow cat? do those even exist?

p.s.s done posting things that make me look like a 12 year old pally from wow

p.s.s.s. wait, does saying that make me look like a 12 year old pally from wow?

 

[turbodsm18]

Alright, as far as exhaust....Since you live in CA you are going to need a catalytic converter with you setup. With that being said, and you have been taking abig interest in Magnaflow, Slowboyracing.com sells a 2.5in turbo back exhaust system with a magnaflow muffler. This system includes an o2 housing, downpipe, and a catback exhaust system. You will also need to purchase there high flow cat option which is a little extra money.

Link to Turbo Back Exhaust System:
http://slowboyracing.com/more.php?id=1385&

Link to High Flow Cat:
http://slowboyracing.com/more.php?id=1362&

This route will cost right around $875.00 right after shipping.

With that being said, you can get a lot cheaper setups but you will have to peice them together. You could just get the VRS 2.5in or 3in (depends what you want) downpipe and High flow Cat and then chose your catback according to your likings.

A very popular catback is Thermal R&D.
http://slowboyracing.com/more.php?id=3240& or http://www.extremepsi.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=19862&cat=1134&page=1
From my understanding, this is one of the best sounding exhaust for these cars. But it is very expensive.

The exhaust that I personally like is the Apexi N1. It is rather expensive but it sounds so good in my opinion and Im sure others can back this up.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/APEX...011QQitemZ320078472814QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

If you really want to spend some money, some may say go with an HKS Carbon TI system but forewarning, you will spend a great deal of money but it also looks amazing. http://www.extremepsi.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=17477&cat=572&page=1



Most of these exhaust Ive have talked about so far are pretty nice systems. Any way you approach buying an exhaust system, you gonna spend some money, what system you chose is up to how much you want to spend.

Anyhow, if you need some different choices for exhaust, here are a few links that you can look at:
http://www.slowboyracing.com/shop.php?sid=&cat=138
http://www.extremepsi.com/store/customer/search.php?veh=2G+DSM&cat=256&type=0

Hope this will help get you started on which system fits your needs.

oh and.......you have a pm.

-Kevin-

 

[marq95gst]

DO NOT forget to shop around for the downpipe and catback exhaust. There are many pricey brands out there that are not any better than those 50% their cost. Many people have the Megan downpipe which goes from 2.5" to 3" after the flex. The price is great, and the performance and craftsmanship are nice. For your light goals though, I would still hit up a couple of Muffler shops. You'll get what you need, and at a lower price. Plus Magnaflow exhausts sound nice and have a lifetime warranty. Some will knock Magnaflow though, just because they are not a Japanese company. Don't sweat that. You can go to their site, and listen to sound clips of their exhausts on different cars.

 

[Atuca]

yea my friend has a tanabe exhaust system on his civic, so I already am getting sh*t from him saying i should go with a japanesse brand.

But i like magnaflow dang it, so I am going to find one.

I appreciate the links, i will be looking through those now. My girlfriend will be here in two hours till the weekend, so I gotta work on buying this exhaust before she gets here and uses her womanly powers against me.

That and she realizes i spent 1k on my car instead of her for valentines day

 

[turbodsm18]

DO NOT forget to shop around for the downpipe and catback exhaust. There are many pricey brands out there that are not any better than those 50% their cost. Many people have the Megan downpipe which goes from 2.5" to 3" after the flex. The price is great, and the performance and craftsmanship are nice. For your light goals though, I would still hit up a couple of Muffler shops. You'll get what you need, and at a lower price. Plus Magnaflow exhausts sound nice and have a lifetime warranty. Some will knock Magnaflow though, just because they are not a Japanese company. Don't sweat that. You can go to their site, and listen to sound clips of their exhausts on different cars.

Ya but one preoblem about him buying them Megan racing downpipe for his car is he lives in CA. The megan racing downpipe does come setup for a cat (its for cat elimination).

True, You may be able to have an exhaust shop do it for a little cheaper, but which would be nicer in quality. I personally I like to go with a tried and true brand with the reputation to back it up. Its a little more money but definately worth it.


I also wouldnt rush into trying to buy anything today or maybe even this weekend. Definately think this one through cause with this amount of money, you wouldnt want to have second thoughts.

-Kevin-

 

[Boostdclips99]

Personally, my first mod was suspension. 2g's handle like a boat on stock suspension. Later down the road after hp has become your main focus you'll be glad you went with at nice suspension setup. Granted suspension is one of the most expensive first mods to do, in my opinion is a very important one. just my 2 cents