Hey guys I got a j30 and I want to put a turbo on it, what all will I need for the build?

 

Hey papagoose, you're going to need at a minimum a turbo kit that fits the V6 engine in the Accord engine bay and a tuneable ECU that works with a V6 engine.

The rest of what you need really depends on how much power you want to make, how safe you want to play it, what fuel you plan on running, and what kind of driving you plan on doing with the car.

Based on your open ended question and your newness to the forum, I'm guessing you're pretty new to forced induction. I recommend you read through the sticky threads at the top of this forum and find some of the more recent / active build threads in this forum and read through them. Most of them will be for the Honda 4-cylinder engines, but a lot of the info in there will be applicable to your build as well. This will help you focus your goals and start buying the correct parts and making the correct modifications. Good luck!

 

You’ll need to decide if you want to go with a rebuilt engine or just your stock (assuming it’s stock) engine which won’t handle nearly as much power.
I have a ‘99 Accord V6, automatic though, and it’s slightly wrecked and it’s been sitting there 9 months while I decide what to do with it and complete other things first. I’ve looked into turbocharging it, but as far as I’ve looked into it, I haven’t seen any off-the-shelf turbo parts for the 98-01 Accord V6. I have seen some custom builds making lots of power on the J series.
Pauter makes connecting rods for the J30A, but I haven’t found any of the big name companies that make pistons for the J30A, only companies I haven’t heard of. Some of those pistons might be good though.
CSS cylinder support system says they have a J30 product “coming soon” so that interests me. I haven’t looked thoroughly to see if any sleeves are made for the J30, but I don’t see any from a basic search.
Supertech makes some valvetrain products for the J30.
The difficult part of piecing together a turbo system (since I don’t know if any kits available) is having a fabricator make an exhaust manifold. After that, the other piping wouldn’t be too difficult. Expect to pay at least $500-1,000 just for a custom manifold.
If I decide to rebuild my J30, I’ll probably just keep it Naturally aspirated or maybe put some nitrous on it to avoid the hassle and expense of making a custom turbo kit.
If you have a manual transmission then your in luck, I believe AEM makes an EMS for that model, but if your an automatic, you might have to use piggy back solutions such as the Apexi Air Fuel Controller or Vortec Fuel Management Unit. You’ll also want to get your automatic transmission rebuild with an Heavy Duty torque converter and shift kit if you have an automatic. Also a transmission cooler.
Yes, decide on power levels you are trying to obtain first before diving into fabricating parts. Hopefully you have a manual transmission.
Unfortunately there aren’t that many J series builds on here, so if you are able to do a custom turbo build, people would like to see it.

 

I just called Cylinder Support System. Jeff answered right away and said the J30 CSS is done and ready. It’s the same price as all the other J-series.

 

Waste of time and resources if limited by the automatic. They're junk, plain and simple.

If you insist, to add to what's posted above - For the turbo manifolds I have seen some J series setups use the stock manifolds and fabricated a "Y" pipe that comes together into a turbo flange near the transmission area with the downpipe easily being routed behind. I would much sooner take that route than use some cheap chinese manifolds or have something expensive fabricated. You will find many more limiting factors before a setup like that became an issue.

 

Three pedals and a manual transmission first...

 

So if a 98-01 V6 Accord automatic was rebuilt with a heavy duty torque converter, shift kit, and fluid cooler, then it still wouldn’t hold like 250whp?

 

Why put in the effort for 10hp?

The later Acuras with the 6 speed auto were 305hp at the crank. No idea if they have any overhead left. Also I think the bell housing pattern changed around 2007 and the 6 speed is 2010+.

Also it is torque that kills transmissions not horsepower.

 

The 1999&2000 Accord V6 are rated at 200HP and 195ft/lbs of torque (at the flywheel) so going up to 250whp would be about 75whp gain. But I see what you mean, why spend so much just for a little gain?
I’ve already got the car, so it’s basically free, but buying a Acura TL that’s newer with more power could be $5k plus.
The ‘99 I have is somewhat sentimental, it’s been with me for a while, and if I get the engine and trans rebuilt, then it should be good to drive for another 5-10 years. I wouldn’t try do do all the work on my own, I’d pay for it to be done, so it would be little effort on my part.
I know it’s not the most cost efficient way to gain HP, I mean I saw a 600WHP ten second Civic the other day for $10k. So it is more cost efficient to buy someone else’s project they are getting rid of, or just to buy a car that starts with more HP, but it’s fun to have a project done myself…
If I do try to get 250whp and start a project, it won’t be for a while- I was just trying to get more info for myself and the OP.
Seeing as how it’s rated at 200HP and 195torque which are about the same for this car, let me rephrase the question: would a ‘99&2000 Accord V6 rebuilt automatic transmission handle 250 foot pounds of wheel torque?

 

Why not just swap a j37 with 6 speed auto? 305hp completely stock.

If you are paying someone else to do the work this will be by far the cheapest and most reliable way to exceed your power goal.

 

Well this is kind of off topic from the OP, but relevant because by the time one considers forced induction in a J30, they might as well consider other options too since the J30 would require fabrication.

I haven’t considered a J37 before, but right from the start it seems like it would be a little bit big for the 98-01 Accord engine bay. I’m not sure if the J37 engine mounts would be direct bolt in, because I don't see anything listed on HASport for 98-01 Honda Accords. I’ve heard of H22 swaps but they are rare and there isn’t a mount kit for it into the 98-01 Accord.
The J37 does seem like a good option if it could work though. I’ve even thought, well people are putting K series in non-Honda cars, so there has to be a way to fit a K series in a 98-01 Accord, and it’s possible, but it would take custom engine mounts, axels, shift linkage, wiring harness, and ECU. A K series would be very involved and expensive.
I’m willing to swap the engine if there was a bolt in kit, but I don’t want to have to do custom fabrication, unless it turned into a huge project in which I’d be going for way more than 250whp.
But that’s why I was just trying to keep it low at 250whp and use the stock engine and transmission, just rebuilt, because to my knowledge everything else would require custom fabrication. If the J37 requires custom mounts, then I might as well say, screw it, and go with a K24 for the abundant aftermarket support…
And if there’s no hope for a 250whp/wheel torque J30 automatic even if rebuilt, then I’ll have to consider custom fabricated engine mounts and a J37 or K series.

Hopefully the OP will say if he has an automatic, and what HP/torque his goals are with his J30.

 

I am fairly sure the j30, j35, and j37 blocks are all the same dimensions. Same deck height, same v angle, same bore spacing. The j37 went to the aluminum cylinders to accommodate the larger bore and ends up being the lightest of the J series.


I don't see why a j37 wouldn't fit. Maybe the taller intake manifold.

 

Thank you everyone for the tips, I was really kind of getting a feel for what it would take I figured I would have to beef up a few parts via rods and fuel injectors and I have an automatic but want to swap. Also I have not heard of the j37 swap but I could definitely give it some attention. My main problem would be the fabrication issue so if at all possible avoid that and I should be able to tackle the rest.

 

Papagoose - I can almost guarantee it's going to require at least some fabrication. If you aren't capable of doing it yourself, do as much as you can, then find a local fabricator you trust and have them weld / make the parts you need. Or, if your pockets are deep, send the entire car with your vision to a reputable shop and tell them to create what you're looking for.

 

Ok, it’s something I’ll have to spend more time researching. I’ve decided I do want to rebuild the ‘99 Accord I have, it’s just a matter of what route to take. I don’t want to go too off topic from the OP.
If you do swap to a manual transmission, right off the top of my mind I think it’s the J32 manual transmission you want. They are very durable, can handle 4-500HP/torque. It’s a common swap, but just do some searches on “Honda J30A turbocharged” and you’ll see a lot of people have swapped in I think from the TL… look into it.
I haven’t actually seen any examples of J37 98-01Accords either, so I’ll have to research it more before ruling it out. From briefly looking into it, it seems like J37 swaps are done in 2007 or so Accords and newer.
Also, don’t be discouraged from some fabrication of things such as an exhaust manifold, down pipe, or intercooler piping. You start with pre-bent pipes of a certain diameter, measure and cut them, tack weld them to make sure it fits, the later go back and fill in the welds. I don’t weld, but a friend and I made myself a downpipe before, so it doesn’t have to be a top notch shop doing fabrication, just an average welder.

 

Just leave it alone. Leave it alone and drive it for what it is and your wallet will thank you.

 

Pappagoose, here a tech talk video including the transmission you should should change it to if you decide to go with a manual and increase power a lot:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vYZQYFcxzxo

This is a 3.5 liter so it’s not a J30, but it is a J series, and they explain why they went with the V6.

 

This is an option too. And yes, your wallet WILL thank you.

 

That is true of modifying cars in general, even non-Hondas.
For what I’m paying for my ‘22 Civic EX and redoing my ‘94 Civic EX, I realized I could afford a brand new Civic Type R.
But I’d rather have what I have, although the Civic Type R would probably hold its value better, and would be pretty nice…plus it would have been a whole lot easier to just go to the dealership and buy a turn-key Civic Type R than rebuilding a ‘94 Civic.

 

I love modifying cars. For this thread and the OP, this isn’t the car to start learning how to turbocharge on. This is why I said to leave it alone mostly. There are plenty other reasons to go along with this like saving money but that’s just one additional reason.

 

Yeah the parts selection is limited, and with an automatic transmission it won’t hold much unless he does the manual conversion.

While on topic of the J30A, I’ve looked for pistons and don’t see any of the big name companies that make pistons for the J30A such as forged pistons. I see some stock replacement cast pistons which could work, but wouldn’t hold much power.
The K20 has an 86mm bore and stroke, and the J30A has an 86mm bore and stroke also. The “small end” of the connecting rod (piston wrist pin diameter) of the J30 and K20 is both 22millimeters. However the “small end” width of the connecting rod is 19.05mm on the J30, and 22.86 on the K20. So the K20 has a thicker space where the connecting rod connects to the piston by about 3mm.
Is it possible to use K20 specific pistons on the J30, or would there be too much space for the connecting rod “small end” to move around side-to-side on the wrist pin? I don’t see it as being a problem, because the connecting rod and piston shouldn’t really be touching right?
If possible, many more pistons would be available for the J30, since the K20 has such a big aftermarket.

 

I found out Traum makes custom pistons for about $1,200 with heavy duty wrist pins.

 

I thought that was common to use k series pistons in the J?

Width at the wrist pin isn't much of an issue as the connecting rod is centered by the crank not the piston.