Turbo Decision

[dsm77]

Since i cant post in the 420a section...its going here. I have a 99 eclipse 420a motor. Car has 82K miles and i have all the parts but im scared im going to put all this money onto a stock motor then have something go real wrong with it for example blow the engine. Is it worth it to do this to an older motor like mine? Someone point me in the right direction. The car would be running under 8 psi on stock internals.

 

[EclipseTrbo420A]

do a compression test to see how strong the motor is. Remember, your car likes cool boost...bigger turbo less boost.

 

[t3turbogs]

i did the whole turbo on a 420a with 85000 miles with 5 psi just to be safe. after it was all sead and done it dident seem worth it to me. all that money and i shaved my 1/4 time by 3 sec. i had the kit on there for about a year and the only problem i had was the injectors. the car started to spudder and miss all over. dont get me wrong the turbo really changes things and i love to see people do custom mods on there car it just wasent for me.

 

[420a-t]

I did it as well and it seemed worth the money to me, if you're planning on keeping the car for a long time. Definately helps out a ton in the power aspect. Are you looking for if you should boost it or how to or what?

My best advice is to not cheap out on anything and do it right the first time. The only problems I had were the oil return and temp problems what could have both easily been fixed. I sold out becuase it was not the power I was looking for... decide what you want first.

 

[xceler8]

if your going to put money into a turbo kit, why not put in the extra couple g's for the motor rebuild too. You can get by with only spending about 2g's for a rebuild to be safe. rather than blown. I approached it in the way that since I'm already so much into it, why not just see what this thing can do. I've dropped a ton of money into my car now and I wouldn't take any of it back. 5 lbs is fun, but 18lbs is so much more! Your not really getting much of what the car can do with only 5lbs of boost. It's like a teaser.

Why spend the money on a turbo kit if your not going to really use it. I say jsut sell the kit and the car to get something a little more your style if your not going to take full advantage of it. That's my advice.

 

[ThGdFathr]

if you want more power from the turbo, you may want to replace some internals first...like, pistons and rods...at least that way you can run a little higher psi, and not have to worry about blowing anything up. ebay has kits for like...730 i think...Wiseco pistons and Eagle rods. but if you arent expecting too much power, and just want a little "umph" then you should be fine boosting stock internals, but i agree with EclipseTrbo420A, get a compression test done first...better to be safe then sorry

 

[Locke]

Come on guys, he never asked "how much boost is fun", or "how difficult is the install".

Check compression, and checking oil pressure is wise as well. You have a 99 2gnt with 82k miles, some of use have a couple hundred thousand miles on their turbo'd 420a's. If the engine is healthy, you should be ok.

You cannot post in 420a Turbo as a New Member, but you CAN post in the 420a Bolt On section.

 

[dsm77]

Do you guys really think its worth rebuilding an engine with new pistons and rods that has 85k miles? I would love to because i like my car a lot its in excellent condtion. Im sort of considering a rebuild....then turbo.....OR just selling all the parts and getting a Suzuki GSXR 600 bike. CONVINCE ME!!!!!

 

[t3turbogs]

Do you guys really think its worth rebuilding an engine with new pistons and rods that has 85k miles? I would love to because i like my car a lot its in excellent condtion. Im sort of considering a rebuild....then turbo.....OR just selling all the parts and getting a Suzuki GSXR 600 bike. CONVINCE ME!!!!!

Check compression, and checking oil pressure see whats up with it first. i wouldent bild a motor and then not boost on it thats just a waste. and a bike is just fun in the summer.

 

[EclipseTrbo420A]

If you build then boost you will be happy...but clutch is part of it...axles...other parts are weaker too, not just the internals.

 

[ThGdFathr]

truth to that ^

ad yeah, alot of 420As boost with well over 100K

 

[dsm77]

Whats the cheapest I can get away with on a rebuild (pistons and rods) and still have some money left over to install my turbo kit and tune????

 

[t3turbogs]

why go cheap! go all out the first time and then you wont have to pull the motor again. if i were you i would buy a motor from a yard and build it on the side that way no down time and your not going crazy (or cheap) to get it done. you can build as the money rolls in.

 

[dsm-onster]

Whats the cheapest I can get away with on a rebuild (pistons and rods) and still have some money left over to install my turbo kit and tune????

I really wouldn't do a rebuild at all w/ that attitude .

Ask yourself what level do I want to achieve. Then find out what has to be done to get there. Do 420a engines have a decent threshold for max horsepower? If you want 300 hp and that would make you just peaches. AND 420a rods, pistons,rings, bearings, head bolts can handle this, then don't rebuild. If headgskets and only head bolts won't hold for that, then get those parts upgraded. Focus on getting good parts that will give you what you want. Don't go upgrading EVERYTHING and have to do it cheap becasue of your budget. There are exceptions to this (like not getting forged pistons when upgrading rods).

More reseach will probably ease your mind. I mean, find what boost, turbo, intercooler and fuel used that has worked w/ many others. There would be no sense in worrying if others have done X and Y to achieve Z and you want the same Z, but you have a lower milage engine. Just do X and Y .

 

[cs82685]

^^Like these guys said, this isn't something you want to go cheap on. See what others have done. Decide what will work for you and move on. Unfortunately for us 420a guys, you can't really achieve a whole lot of power safely without at least building up the bottom end with forged components. Building a motor slowly on the side is a good option IMO

 

[ThGdFathr]

the stock 420A shouldnt be pushed more than 250...id be afraid to get it that high on stock components...and boost...only about 8psi on a stock 420A...so dont expect to see huge HP numbers without touching the engine. And if you are going to rebuild...the cheapest durable kit you can buy is on ebay...Wiseco rods and Eagle pistons...they are pretty strong...and about 740 for the kit. good luck!

 

[xceler8]

If your going to pull your motor, you might as well do everything you can while it's out, it ain't gonna happen again...hopefully. He's not going to be running high boost and a lot of power, so don't sweat the clutch and axles etc. Down the road, keep it in mind.

Pistons,rods, machine work, bearings, oil pump, water pump, gasketset, head bolts, main bolts, new belts. Here's a few of the necessary bare minimums. The pistons/rods and machine work will set you back the most. Not to mention the labor in doing all the work if you don't do it yourself. If you do do it, you will need tools, cherry picker, engine stand, misc tools. Typical might be around 300 to jsut pull the motor for you, that would be on the cheap side. Your looking for about $2k