Installation of my turbo stuff

[napkinthief]

I will be used either a -8 or a -10, whichever comes out to be cheaper when I purchase my lines for the return. someone told me always to double the feed line for the return line. -4 on the feed -8 on the return.

I was planning on running the return on the oilpan like HRC says.


Just an update on my install. I relocated my FMU from the inside to the outside bottom of the car, and realized my hose sucked. I went to autozone and got some high pressure fuel hose instead of vacuum hose, and plan on installing that this weekend. I am currently porting out my manifold to my t3/t4. A deal for a wg in process. Waiting for JRC to come back up so I can get my intercooler ordered and install this thing.

 

[napkinthief]

I found a deal on a tial 35mm to match up to my manifold, has a .6 bar spring which comes out to 8.70226426 psi. I am unsure if I should run it or not. What do you guys think? How hard is it to change the spring to a lower bar one then use a mbc to take it up? I wil have a JRC fmic and hard 2.5 piping.

 

[XMasta19]

wtfux0rz....you're a helpful contributing member, and "XMasta19" is more helpful than not" waffles

Get yourself a nice wideband to monitor your chit....I think u should be ok running that boost.

 

[napkinthief]

wtfux0rz....you're a helpful contributing member, and "XMasta19" is more helpful than not" waffles

Get yourself a nice wideband to monitor your chit....I think u should be ok running that boost.

yea, I go around and help people in the newbie forum, because I want some more green dots. Your car may be faster than mine, but I got more dsmtuners rating than you

Ordering the wastegate now, turbo time as soon as JRC comes back. If its not up in a few more days, I am just going to ebay for an ic and piping.

 

[napkinthief]

Ok heres an update of what I got so far

The manifold is nearly finished porting. I have a short guide for this one.

FMIC, piping, couplers, bov, and other misc items have been ordered. I went with an ebay deal 270 for it all. bov is a knockoff hks but itll work for now.

bought the wastegate was shipping monday should get everything by this weekend I hope.

Bought pieces for my block tap for the oil 3/8 tee, 3/8 hex, 3/8 > 1/4 reducer, and 1/4 hose barb. Going to order the flanges off ebay now. I was going to buy the feed and drain kit off ebay, but then I realized its 155$ for both, and said no. I am just going to wait for a while, and make ss hoses for the oil and the coolant both at the same time.

few more questions:

do I need a new exhaust manifold gasket?

for the downpipe, should I get one all the way back to the cat or just down to where the stock downpipe starts, and get a 3" exhaust from there?

 

[VelocitàPaola]

You'll probably need to replace a significant portion of the downpipe. I had to replace nearly all of it up to the flex section.

A new exhaust manifold gasket is definitely something you'll want to have on hand. My old one didn't come off with too much trouble, but it still wasn't completely intact. A new one can be had for $7 from Advance or Autozone.

 

[napkinthief]

since its so cheap I guess replacing it wont be a bad idea.

would I still be able to use my flex or do I need a 3" one? if i get the 3" one, then i need a flange for my cat. when I change the rest of my exhaust, I am going to have to cut that flange off because I will be running a 3" cat aswell, so its a lose lose situation, just thinking what would be easier.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

Exhaust piping, even mandrel bends, aren't particularly expensive... I would suggest making a 2.25" downpipe for what you have now, then upgrading it later.

I know how you probably feel about doing things twice, but I haven't really found a way to do this otherwise (I'm basically in the same situation as you) - the cat will always be a bottleneck.

 

[napkinthief]

Yea thats what is ticking me off a bit. I was thinking if I could just move the downpipe from where the n/a exhaust manifold ends over a bit, and make some little o2 housing kinda thing to hook up the turbo to the downpipe. Would require much less fab work than the whole downpipe, and let me have something to sell after I do the exhaust. I will give it some thought.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

I was thinking if I could just move the downpipe from where the n/a exhaust manifold ends over a bit, and make some little o2 housing kinda thing to hook up the turbo to the downpipe.

I hear ya. I first wanted something like that too, but there isn't enough clearance between the downpipe and turbo outlet to make an o2 sensor housing-type-thing. The flange on my turbo manifold is off to the right too - it'd be even worse if yours is centered.

 

[napkinthief]

Hopefully if my intercooler and pipes come by thursday I can take apart my front end and make some eyeball measures. I cant wait for the car to have a grill full of shiny metal, and no turbo


I got a -4an inlet and a -10 drain. What will the oil pressure be at the inlet side of the turbo so I can get some hose that will hold up to the temp and pressure?


I checked out some bulkhead fittings, and I cant seem to find one for under 20$ at a 90* angle and including the nut. I went to loews and the guy told me it is fine to use a brass fitting and a nut over that, and use gasket materal inbetween. This would cost about 4$. What do you guys think?

 

[napkinthief]

My order has yet to arrive.

Local junkyard has a 420a engine. They say it is running, I dont know. It is covered in oil and nasty grime. I get the front half of the car, dashboard, and shifter assembly for 500$. There is a manual tranny in it. Do you guys think its a worthy investment? I will be knocking off two birds with one stone by picking up the tranny swap parts and the engine for the rebuild at once. One major problem though, my parents dont want half of another eclipse in the driveway, and I dont have a backyard, where can I put it?

 

[napkinthief]

Ok guys, tommorrow is the day I have been waiting for. Let me just run a list of what I have, I think its everything. Please keep in mind, that I have no other means of transportation if I forget a part so I want everything here.

Exhaust Manifold w/ gasket
Turbo w/ gasket
Wastegate w/gasket
wastegate vaccuum line
downpipe w/ gaskets
oil inlet and drain flanged, -4an -10an respectively
custom bulkhead fitting for oilpan, 1/2" npt
oil lines

intercooler
intercooler pipes
bov
bov vacuum line
all couplers for pipes

fuel pump, installed
12:1 vortech, installed
autometer boost gauge, installed

I have about twice as much lines as I need for the vaccuum just incase I mess up or melt one of them.

 

[napkinthief]

Got my IC installed, and let me say it looks damn hot. I left the bottom bolt on both headlights off because it was a pain to get off and a pain to get on. My bumper is only held on by the 4 screws in the fender wells and 2 screws on top where there should be 5. Every other screw either broke or I ended up removing the parts they go to.

The hard bumper internal was not modified at all, the air dam for the radiator was removed, the intercooler is held on by an L bracket from home depot, bent into a weird shape that makes it hold the ic in the perfect position.

I will have pics up tommorrow.


On the list to do tommorrow:
tap oil pan for the drain
tap the block for the feed
remove the exhaust manifold
install new manifold, turbo, wastegate, bov, pipes
fab up my downpipe
cross my fingers and turn it on

 

[DSMcrazy3]

Be sure to prime the turbo before you turn it on.

I just unplugged the plug going to the coil pack and cranked for 5 seconds, about 5 times.(that will flood the cyl with fuel, and you will def. smell it)..I recommend unplugging the relay for the fuel pump as well.

 

[WMD]

Be sure to prime the turbo before you turn it on.

I just unplugged the plug going to the coil pack and cranked for 5 seconds, about 5 times.(that will flood the cyl with fuel, and you will def. smell it)..I recommend unplugging the relay for the fuel pump as well.

Nap - good luck.

be carefull about that fuel thing though. Im currently rebuilding a VW motor that was flodded with gas. The gas destroyed the viscosity of the oil and melted the bearings. Oh well, time to buy a new crank.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

Be sure to prime the turbo before you turn it on.

I just unplugged the plug going to the coil pack and cranked for 5 seconds, about 5 times.(that will flood the cyl with fuel, and you will def. smell it)..I recommend unplugging the relay for the fuel pump as well.

That's the same way I did it.

The first time I cranked the engine, I found I had massive leaks at the tee in the block. Make sure you really crush those brass fittings - and if you let a friend tighten it, don't trust him when he says it's all good...

Anyway, after that was taken care of, it took me about as long as Josh said it would to get oil flow. Make sure you get oil! I had the feed line off the turbo altogether and waited until I saw oil - then I put it back on and cranked the engine over again to make sure I had good flow.

The car started right up after that... although, the engine was smoking ( ); pay no attention if you've gotten solvents, etc., on the block during the install, they'll burn off.

As for what WMD said, it's probably a good idea to change your oil soon after the turbo install anyway. You only want the freshest, cleanest oil running through that turbo.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Be sure to prime the turbo before you turn it on.

I just unplugged the plug going to the coil pack and cranked for 5 seconds, about 5 times.(that will flood the cyl with fuel, and you will def. smell it)..I recommend unplugging the relay for the fuel pump as well.

It would probably be better to disconnect the plug for the crank position sensor. With that disabled then there should be no spark or fuel

 

[napkinthief]

That's the same way I did it.

The first time I cranked the engine, I found I had massive leaks at the tee in the block. Make sure you really crush those brass fittings - and if you let a friend tighten it, don't trust him when he says it's all good...

Anyway, after that was taken care of, it took me about as long as Josh said it would to get oil flow. Make sure you get oil! I had the feed line off the turbo altogether and waited until I saw oil - then I put it back on and cranked the engine over again to make sure I had good flow.

The car started right up after that... although, the engine was smoking ( ); pay no attention if you've gotten solvents, etc., on the block during the install, they'll burn off.

As for what WMD said, it's probably a good idea to change your oil soon after the turbo install anyway. You only want the freshest, cleanest oil running through that turbo.

I am going to have to take off the oil pan, so I gotta drain the oil first, hence new oil.

I think I am going to do what Paul suggested leaving the feed line off and waiting for it to start leaking oil. That would be a good way to see if the tee is working correctly. Does anyone have a pic of actually installing the tee into the block. I have seen pics of the engine out of the car with a tee, the tee from close up, but I cant seem to find it from loking down behind the block. I will have the car up on jacks tommorrow, and hopefully I can find the sensor.

As for sealing the oilpan tap, I am using a home depot self made bulkhead fitting. I think it will seal nicely, but I want to make sure it will, should I use jbweld or copper gasket sealant? The copper sealant is supposed to be really good at resisting oil, and jbweld is pretty much steel. Both good to high temps, 700 for the sealant, 500 for the jbweld, and my oil shouldn't be at those temps anyway.

 

[DSMcrazy3]

be carefull about that fuel thing though. Im currently rebuilding a VW motor that was flodded with gas. The gas destroyed the viscosity of the oil and melted the bearings. Oh well, time to buy a new crank.

I would guess the motor was on it's way out already, in order for the gas to leak past the rings and get into the oil period.

Another thing is, that this is a process that takes about 30 seconds if even that, once you crank it a few times, and oil has circulated, you fire the car up and the gas will be burned off.

It would probably be better to disconnect the plug for the crank position sensor. With that disabled then there should be no spark or fuel

I wouldn't mess with anything having to do with the timing. The Fuel pump relay and coil pack plug will do fine.

 

[DSMcrazy3]

I think I am going to do what Paul suggested leaving the feed line off and waiting for it to start leaking oil. That would be a good way to see if the tee is working correctly.

That has nothing to do with whether the tee is working correctly. Even if it's leaking, oil will still come out of the feed. To tell if the Tee is leaking you will have to be looking under the car to see if you get any drips.

He had the feed line off just to make sure oil was all the way through the line before he fired the engine up.

Does anyone have a pic of actually installing the tee into the block. I have seen pics of the engine out of the car with a tee, the tee from close up, but I cant seem to find it from loking down behind the block. I will have the car up on jacks tommorrow, and hopefully I can find the sensor.

From looking over the back of the engine, it's near impossible to see the sensor...Plus it's black. It's easy to see when you lay underneath...When you are underneath the motor it will be farthest to the left. You'll see a total of three, from left to right they're Oil pressure, knock sensor(if applicable..I forget what year model you have) and Crank sensor. The oil pressure switch is the longest.(again, farthest left)

The best I can advise you install is in portions. Go ahead and teflon all of the male ends.
This is how I installed..

Screw the nipple into the block, screw the Tee onto the nipple, screw the reducer on the top, then the oil line on top of it. Then the sensor in the back. be sure to tighten all of these as best as possible or else what happened to paul will happen to you(leaking)

If you break the oil pressure switch while removing or installing it's ok. You can either just plug that side of the tee, or screw the broken switch in.

You did buy an oil pressure switch socket right? It's a really deep socket that you basically have to have.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

That has nothing to do with whether the tee is working correctly. Even if it's leaking, oil will still come out of the feed. To tell if the Tee is leaking you will have to be looking under the car to see if you get any drips.

Actually... I guess the leaks were big enough that I wasn't getting any oil to the turbo at all! Like I said, you need to really crush those fittings.

Like Josh said, the sending unit is in one of the most inaccessible places. Because of this inaccessibility, pictures of it are hard to come by.

Also, like Josh said again, install things in portions. There isn't enough room for the whole tee assembly to rotate completely, so you'll need to screw in the 3/8" nipple, tee and stock sender first, then install the reducer and finally the feed line - with teflon paste on everything of course.

It may be advantageous to temporarily remove the black intake manifold support beforehand, it only gets in the way and is held in by just two bolts.

As for the stock sender, it's very fragile. I broke it off right away and just replaced it with an aftermarket sender for my gauge. In any case, you will still need to get it out, and there is simply no room for other tools (channel locks, etc.).

When I was doing this, I referenced GSGoinFast's guide and all it said was "use a socket." Little did I know that it was a very uncommon size socket. This all took place early in the morning (5:00am or so), so I had no idea what to do - I was working with deadlines set early that same day. God must be a car guy, because when I was trying to figure out how to do this, I found a MAC tool truck parked literally right next store to where I live. The guy sold me the socket and even let me return it when I was done.

Moral of the story; get the right tools before hand.

If you want to preserve the stock sender, you'll need the proper tool, which is extra long to accommodate the plastic part of the sensor. If you just break it off, though, you can use a short 1 1/16" socket. Either way, the size is 1 1/16".

 

[napkinthief]

Ok I did not know I needed a special socket for that, I will check autozone for one tommorrow, and see if they let me rent, and if not, Ill buy it then return it im so cheap



I have a problem right now. My welding machine is shot. I have afriend who also does welding, and he said that the downpipe on my car, that connects from the stock manifold is cast iron? It looks exactly the same as the manifold, and I am starting to think I cant even use it. What kind of metal is it?

I had just put together all my fittings today using teflon tape, not paste. Which one do I need to use, its not a problem because I have to take them apart now to get them into the block, but its good to know exactly how its supposed to go in. So tape or paste?

One last thing, I completely forgot I need a wastegate dump, can I run without one for a while until it gets sent in the mail, I can order it this coming monday as I am nearly broke right now, and just have about 40 bucks left for anything I need last minute, like that special socket and maybe gas when I run out.

And I am using a -4an line, do I need a restrictor? its a t3/t4

 

[VelocitàPaola]

The downpipe itself is just regular weld-able steel. I know this, because my downpipe is an amalgam of new mandrel bends and the stock piece. I think your friend is making his judgment based on the the flanges. Those are cast steel (we call it "pot steel") and cannot be welded. No worries, you'll need to cut those off anyway.

All oil (and fuel) fittings should be put together with teflon paste only (you may only be able to find it labeled "joint compound" from Lowe's or Home Depot). Teflon tape has the potential to degrade and clog the oil lines.

It's possible to dump the wastegate exhaust into the engine bay temporarily... in fact, my car is set up to do this for now. You'll want to keep boosting to a minimum while things are set up like this, and get a dump tube as soon as possible.

 

[napkinthief]

and the restrictor?