crimsondragon
15+ Year Contributor
- 4,300
- 50
- Dec 17, 2006
-
East Brunswick,
New Jersey
Day 1
I begin work at like 1 or two. I drained the oil from the pan, filter housing, and oil drain housing. I unbolted the downpipe first. Then worked on getting the oil feed line loose. In short, I broke it. But at least it's off. Then unbolted the manifold. Morale was pretty high since I knew what I was doing. I undid the coolant lines and it gushed out like a waterfall. I didn't managed to catch most of it either into a drain. Hope EPA doesn't find me.
Here's where it starts to turn sour. I couldn't find any bolts among my pile of bolts that would fit into the oil drain on the CHRA. All were either too small or the thread pitch was wrong. I went to work on replacing the manifold studs with new FP ones with copper nuts. I got all of them out except the broken one on the passenger side. I tried drilling into it and it was going nowhere.
So I decided to work on putting the studs in first. I got maybe 3 in before I accidently dropped my 12mm wrench directly into the damn downpipe. WTF I tried to fish it out with my magnetic pole. No luck there. Morale is dropping pretty fast. Now I have to remove the downpipe to get my wrench back.
Day 2
Started off late today since I was busy playing R6: Vegas (mad addicting). Key things I wanted to do. Get that god damn wrench out and finish putting the studs back on. I managed to do both and have a bit of time before sundown. So I decided to finally mount it. I reinstalled the FP manifold with the gasket, this time with copper sprayed gasket. I positioned the turbo underneath and tried to fit it.
First thing I noticed...the condenser fan HAD to come off. No way the turbo was going to clear with the Tial on the O2 housing. So I dropped it. It took me a good half hour to try to get it on. Lots of blood, sweat and tears. I had no one to help me so I had to position a 30lb turbo setup one handed while the other hand thread the bolts into the turbine housing. I almost cried a couple of times due to frustration. I need to start working out my arms.
Finally it was on. After that I installed the oil feed line. It's a bit awkward. It feeds directly down from the oil filter housing and then does a U-ey up to the turbo. By this time night is falling so I started to finish up. I installed the oil drain line to see how it would fit. I definitely need to cut it some more. I also looped the coolant lines together with red silicone hose. It was the only thing I could find. Tomorrow, I need to find out what bolts go to the oil drain.
Day 3
Again, started late (now I'm addicted to CoD4). Main things I wanted to get done. Get the intake on, find the oil drain bolts, connect the turbo to the rest of the system, and hook up the wastegate. Since the aluminum elbow I ordered on MONDAY still hasn't come in, I decided to get it from Lowe's. Grabbed a 2 inch PVC elbow, some T-fittings, and bolts. I still have not gotten an answer on what bolts to use so I decided to start it off with M8 x 1.00 and M8 x 1.25. Also got some washers.
Once home, I tested the bolts out. No luck. It's too loose. I decided to tackle the wastegate first. Relocated the AVCR solenoid and hooked everything up according to the diagram. Next, the intercooler piping. Immediately I realized my mistake. PVC piping is measured at the O.D. not the I.D. I was stuck with an elbow that was way too big. So I went after the intake system then. Turbo inlet was way too big for the old coupler.
I could have sworn it was 3 inches when I first got it. My morale is down. I decided to take a second trip to Lowe's but this time, bringing with me a ruler.
I returned what I didn't need and went back to Plumbing. Measured the reducer coupler and the elbow this time. Perfect sizes. Back to bolts. This time, I opted for M10 x 1.25 and M10 x 1.5. When I got home, I immediately tested this out. They started to thread but then was stopped completely. At this point I was ready to quit and think of other ways to get what I wanted. Like redrill the damn thing and tap in new threads. I opted to continue working on the rest and give Bullseye a call. I ended the night by installing the piping to the turbo and the intake as well. Both are a big snug but will do for now. Tomorrow the quest for bolts continues. Last thing needed to do is cut the oil drain line to length. And if there's time, install the oil pressure gauge.
Day 4
Murphy's Law really hit me hard today. I went back to Lowe's again and returned stuff. This time I knew which bolts to get. 3/8 x 16 threads per inch thanks to Jusmx141.
Got home, test fitted, and it works fine.
So I went to go get the gasket and flange. Found the flange but the gasket was nowhere to be found. I spent a good hour just looking through the junk I had. Finally found it on the floor.
Copper sprayed it and went to go bolt it on only to find the oil drain flange holes were too small for the bolts. WTF So I took a drill and ported the inside till it finally fit. Tried it again and this time I noticed the holes were way off the CHRA. So I took the drill again and ported the flange till it would match up the CHRA. What a pain.
Afterwards, came the oil drain line itself. It was guess and check work to see how it matched up. In the end, it fitted really snug. Might have kinked the line as well. I was tired and wanted to get boosting so it's a fix for a later day.
I grabbed 3 quarts oil and 1 qt Lucas stabilizer. Dumped all 4 qts in the engine, broke my dipstick, took out the fuse for the pump, and cranked it several times to build oil pressure. What I noticed was the light never went off after cranking several times for 10 seconds each time. Might be a sign of a bad pump. So I said whatever and just started her up. Let it warmed up and I realized I dumped a lot of coolant out so I quickly went and got two jugs of it and dumped that in as well. Water temperature stayed steady and the fan kicked on as well. My main concern is the increased engine bay temperature while missing the condenser fan. I wouldn't be surprised if summertime hit and overheating is common.
Test drove it and boy did it feel GREAT! Turbo lag is definitely noticeable but not horrible. I finally got to hear an O2 dump in the cabin but I'm still indifferent on the noise. Sounds loud and annoying but I don't mind. Untuned I boosted up to about 14 psi and the engine died after the run. It felt like a boost leak so I popped the hood and the PCV coupler blew off the intercooler piping. I still curse the people I order the aluminum elbow from. I reinstalled it and limped back home. Unfortunately no more driving the DSM for me all wee. Insurance is going to inspect the damage so I have to leave her in NJ.
And that my friends, is how the turbo swap went.
P.S. I developed an oil leak as well. Where, I'm not sure but it wouldn't surprise me if it was at the oil drain line like I predict it would be. Maybe I'll fix that next weekend.
I begin work at like 1 or two. I drained the oil from the pan, filter housing, and oil drain housing. I unbolted the downpipe first. Then worked on getting the oil feed line loose. In short, I broke it. But at least it's off. Then unbolted the manifold. Morale was pretty high since I knew what I was doing. I undid the coolant lines and it gushed out like a waterfall. I didn't managed to catch most of it either into a drain. Hope EPA doesn't find me.
Here's where it starts to turn sour. I couldn't find any bolts among my pile of bolts that would fit into the oil drain on the CHRA. All were either too small or the thread pitch was wrong. I went to work on replacing the manifold studs with new FP ones with copper nuts. I got all of them out except the broken one on the passenger side. I tried drilling into it and it was going nowhere.
So I decided to work on putting the studs in first. I got maybe 3 in before I accidently dropped my 12mm wrench directly into the damn downpipe. WTF I tried to fish it out with my magnetic pole. No luck there. Morale is dropping pretty fast. Now I have to remove the downpipe to get my wrench back.
Day 2
Started off late today since I was busy playing R6: Vegas (mad addicting). Key things I wanted to do. Get that god damn wrench out and finish putting the studs back on. I managed to do both and have a bit of time before sundown. So I decided to finally mount it. I reinstalled the FP manifold with the gasket, this time with copper sprayed gasket. I positioned the turbo underneath and tried to fit it.
First thing I noticed...the condenser fan HAD to come off. No way the turbo was going to clear with the Tial on the O2 housing. So I dropped it. It took me a good half hour to try to get it on. Lots of blood, sweat and tears. I had no one to help me so I had to position a 30lb turbo setup one handed while the other hand thread the bolts into the turbine housing. I almost cried a couple of times due to frustration. I need to start working out my arms.
Finally it was on. After that I installed the oil feed line. It's a bit awkward. It feeds directly down from the oil filter housing and then does a U-ey up to the turbo. By this time night is falling so I started to finish up. I installed the oil drain line to see how it would fit. I definitely need to cut it some more. I also looped the coolant lines together with red silicone hose. It was the only thing I could find. Tomorrow, I need to find out what bolts go to the oil drain.
Day 3
Again, started late (now I'm addicted to CoD4). Main things I wanted to get done. Get the intake on, find the oil drain bolts, connect the turbo to the rest of the system, and hook up the wastegate. Since the aluminum elbow I ordered on MONDAY still hasn't come in, I decided to get it from Lowe's. Grabbed a 2 inch PVC elbow, some T-fittings, and bolts. I still have not gotten an answer on what bolts to use so I decided to start it off with M8 x 1.00 and M8 x 1.25. Also got some washers.
Once home, I tested the bolts out. No luck. It's too loose. I decided to tackle the wastegate first. Relocated the AVCR solenoid and hooked everything up according to the diagram. Next, the intercooler piping. Immediately I realized my mistake. PVC piping is measured at the O.D. not the I.D. I was stuck with an elbow that was way too big. So I went after the intake system then. Turbo inlet was way too big for the old coupler.
I could have sworn it was 3 inches when I first got it. My morale is down. I decided to take a second trip to Lowe's but this time, bringing with me a ruler. I returned what I didn't need and went back to Plumbing. Measured the reducer coupler and the elbow this time. Perfect sizes. Back to bolts. This time, I opted for M10 x 1.25 and M10 x 1.5. When I got home, I immediately tested this out. They started to thread but then was stopped completely. At this point I was ready to quit and think of other ways to get what I wanted. Like redrill the damn thing and tap in new threads. I opted to continue working on the rest and give Bullseye a call. I ended the night by installing the piping to the turbo and the intake as well. Both are a big snug but will do for now. Tomorrow the quest for bolts continues. Last thing needed to do is cut the oil drain line to length. And if there's time, install the oil pressure gauge.
Day 4
Murphy's Law really hit me hard today. I went back to Lowe's again and returned stuff. This time I knew which bolts to get. 3/8 x 16 threads per inch thanks to Jusmx141.
Got home, test fitted, and it works fine.
So I went to go get the gasket and flange. Found the flange but the gasket was nowhere to be found. I spent a good hour just looking through the junk I had. Finally found it on the floor. Copper sprayed it and went to go bolt it on only to find the oil drain flange holes were too small for the bolts. WTF So I took a drill and ported the inside till it finally fit. Tried it again and this time I noticed the holes were way off the CHRA
. So I took the drill again and ported the flange till it would match up the CHRA. What a pain.Afterwards, came the oil drain line itself. It was guess and check work to see how it matched up. In the end, it fitted really snug. Might have kinked the line as well. I was tired and wanted to get boosting so it's a fix for a later day.
I grabbed 3 quarts oil and 1 qt Lucas stabilizer. Dumped all 4 qts in the engine, broke my dipstick, took out the fuse for the pump, and cranked it several times to build oil pressure. What I noticed was the light never went off after cranking several times for 10 seconds each time. Might be a sign of a bad pump. So I said whatever and just started her up. Let it warmed up and I realized I dumped a lot of coolant out so I quickly went and got two jugs of it and dumped that in as well. Water temperature stayed steady and the fan kicked on as well. My main concern is the increased engine bay temperature while missing the condenser fan. I wouldn't be surprised if summertime hit and overheating is common.
Test drove it and boy did it feel GREAT! Turbo lag is definitely noticeable but not horrible. I finally got to hear an O2 dump in the cabin but I'm still indifferent on the noise. Sounds loud and annoying but I don't mind. Untuned I boosted up to about 14 psi and the engine died after the run. It felt like a boost leak so I popped the hood and the PCV coupler blew off the intercooler piping. I still curse the people I order the aluminum elbow from. I reinstalled it and limped back home. Unfortunately no more driving the DSM for me all wee. Insurance is going to inspect the damage so I have to leave her in NJ.
And that my friends, is how the turbo swap went. P.S. I developed an oil leak as well. Where, I'm not sure but it wouldn't surprise me if it was at the oil drain line like I predict it would be. Maybe I'll fix that next weekend.
