wantboost

iTrader: (2)

This made my day
I'm always on vacation... in my mind, so that's why I post how I do lol
Sig-worthy too BTW



To the OP (original poster, in case OP doesn't know what it means, wait.... now he does lol)

In order to help you a bit and to stop people from giving you **** 24/7 (I would normally be dong that right now to you but I feel like you simply lack the proper knowledge, so here's how I'll help you

First, stop bashing things about which you know nothing

Secondly, at the top of the Forced Induction forums are a lot of stickied threads... These are all full of helpful info for those unfamiliar with turbo setups and their associated components, tuning, purpose, etc.

So read the FAQs at least 2-3 times (the whole thing, don't skip, don't speed read, don't talk **** about them) then read the other stickied threads that will help you even more

3,000 dollars isn't a lot when it comes to a turbo setup these days. You could build a basic kit (cast or tubular log manifold, decent quality, properly sized *this will make or break how the car performs, proper turbo sizing is also all about how much power you want* turbo *not China/eBay pieces of *****


So, read everything... decide what you want to do

Then AND ONLY THEN

Pick a reasonable power goal, for your motor and from what I gather from your posts, a 300hp or less goal is reasonable and with proper tuning and maintenance it will last for basically ever (provided the motor is in good health and you buy quality new/used parts that aren't cheap/abused pieces of ****)

Also, we need a list of things done to the car/motor... like suspension, brakes, any motor/trans stuff, etc.

here's a quick list of parts you'll need for a basic turbo kit

(none of the parts below should be ebay/china parts... there's nothing wrong with buying name brand parts off of ebay as long as they are in good shape)

The hard parts

Turbo manifold
Turbo
Downpipe
Wastegate (no ebay parts here, used tials can be had at a deal, assuming your turbo is external wastegate)
2.5"-3" exhaust (3" would be ideal)
Intercooler (front mount)
Intercooler piping
Either an intake arm for the turbo or a good name brand filter to bolt directly (K&N, AEM *they make a nice dry element filter that is stainless steel that lasts forever and is super easy to cean, looks nice as well*
Blow off valve (no ebay or turboxs crap or any cheap piston-type valve... they leak like a cut garden hose)
Upgraded clutch, as the stock one won't work at all, for any reason (there are many brands out there... some have had luck with the more popular ebay clutches and this will be the only time I say ebay will get you by... I however prefer Competition Clutch)

Engine management/Fuel system

Bigger fuel injectors (again, stock will not work here) the size of injector needed is dependent upon your desired power levels
Fuel pump (yet again, the stock one will not work... at all) A walbro 255 (or other companies 255 pumps) will be more than adequate and are a drop in, stock replacement deal
Fuel Pressure Regulator - stock will work just fine but you cannot adjust base pressure... o if you want to be able to raise base pressure, you'll need an adjustable 1:1 ratio regulator. A fuel pressure gauge mounted on the rail would be needed for the adjustments)

(quick information incase you didn't know) Base pressure is what fuel pressure is at idle and when the car is out of boost, regardless of RPM (OEM is set at 42-42.5PSI) Raising base pressure means you get a bit more flow out of your injectors as well as a sightly better spray pattern and atomization. The higher base pressure also means you can run the injector at a lower duty cycle, taking it easy on the injector a bit, this also means you'll make slightly more power than the injector is rated for depending on how high you raise base pressure

Some sort of engine management to tune the car - You cannot expect a stock ecu to idle larger injectors at all, it cannot compensate for them, boost pressure, and the added airflow... If the car even idles, once you get into boost the ecu with throw a CEL, go into limp mode and that's that

A chipped OEM OBD1 ecu is the way to go. Chipped P28s are plentiful and can run various tuning software from free programs like uberdata (old ROM editor, no longer has support from the creator, crome (also popular but has limited functionality when compared to the paid version of Crome, Neptune (again, very popular, etc. Paid softwares include Crome Gold (or is it pro, or both lol) Neptune has a paid version that unlocks some features IIRC, as well as the S300 by Hondata (very popular, what most are swapping to)

Only the S300 can be adjusted by the user (I highly suggest you let a pro tune it and don't mess with it, unless you need to adjust idle speed, fan on/off temp, etc... the basic stuff) without special equipment

All others require a ROM reader/burner or an Ostrich emulator for real time ROM editing/tuning.

Most of the programs also support datalogging (some free programs have limited datalogging capacity, you'd need the paid version to get the most out of it

Map sensor - The OEM map sensor will only read to about 10-11psi. If your power goal requires more boost than that then you'll need an upgraded MAP sensor. OMNI and a few other companies sell OEM replacement (no cutting harnesses for special plugs) drop in 2.5Bar, 3Bar, and 4Bar sensors. Then there are companies like AEM which cost a bit more and have their own unique plug and harness that would have to be spliced in or you could always go with the tried and true GM 3Bar MAP sensor but again this requires altering the OEM map sensor wiring.


Boost controller - If you want to raise boost above the spring level of the wastegate then you will need a boost controller... There are three main types

1. Manual - These are as simple as it gets, installed inline with the signal to your wastegate, you simply turn the **** to raise boost. You cannot raise boost levels without a re-tune... but after tuning for the higher boost pressure you can always turn the boost down with an issue.

Manual Boost Controllers (or MBCs for short) come in a few versions.
Most are a spring, ball (stainless or ceramic) inside a casing with a small air bleed hole, inlet/outlet and a **** to adjust boost (turn clockwise to raise boost, counterclockwise to lower)
There are a few that have the capability to have 2 different boost levels. You set both pressures manually then use a switch in the car to swap between the two

all MBCs will start to open the wastegate well before target pressure is made, causing boost to build slower (more lag is the easiest way to put it)

2. Electronic
Standalone Electronic Boost Controllers (EBCs) These are all in one units, they have a user programmable control box with a pressure input and an electric solenoid to control boost. These also keep the wastegate closed until target pressure is made, allowing for quicker spool up (see MBC description above as to why) and more power lower in the RPM range

ECU controlled EBCs - These use a solenoid (MAC is the most common solenoid) and you wire it to your chipped ecu/standalone/whatever. You setup the desired boost in the ECU which gives you much better control, you can have the ecu do boost by gear (BBG) to run lower pressure in lower gears to help with traction, you can setup a boost cut to help protect your motor (always higher than target boost, if this value is reached the ecu will start lowering boost using the solenoid or the ecu will lower engine rpm or cut fuel) also you can have two different boost tables, depending on what ecu/ecu software you use. So you could have one for dry weather and one for wet, or one or street and one for the track, and swap them on the fly using a switch.

This method of boost control also keeps the wastegate shut till the last second, allowing for quicker spool and more power lower in the rpm range


Wideband O2 gauge- this is basically mandatory. I suggest the ones with gauges due to ease of install and they are visible to the driver. Not only will one of these help your tuner properly datalog and tune your car but with the gauge mounted where you can see it, while you are driving the car, the wideband will tell you if something is starting to act up with the engine, due to a change in the O2 values you are used to seeing.

This is a cheap, indispensable tool that can alert you to the possibility of something going wrong with your car and could help you save your motor and other expensive components before it is too late.


I think that about covers the basics