I have a t-25 dsm turbo getting ready to go into my civic hatch 1.6. I have asked before about coolant lines but never got a clear answer on where to tap into for the feed and for the return lines, so I'm asking now would it be ok to run the turbo without the coolant lines? just plug the whole in the turbo? What would this do? Any other supggestions?
Nick

 

yes its okay to run it woth out the coolant, but your turbo will thank you for it. Just run it in circuit with your heater lines.

Rob

 

What do you mean run it in circuit? I was told to tap into the line that runs to the heater core for the feed, but can't figure out where to run it for the return. If I were to run it from there, and return it there that would restrict flow really bad since the coolant line is so much bigger than the one used on the turbo. I'm very confused......

 

ttt

 

run one line to the line that puts coolant into your heater core, and run the other one to the line that carrys coolant from the heater core.


Rob HTH

 

So I should tap into the heater core coolant line (the one that goes towards the switch right before the firewall) for the feed line, and tap into the other hose that comes out of the firewall for the return?
That makes sense.
Now, does anyone know what size hoses those are, what kind of tap I'll need and where to get them from?
Nick

 

Another way, possibly easier, would be to run the coolant line that goes to your TB to the turbo, and then from the turbo to the TB...

 

I use the lines from the throttle body.
The coolant flows from the back of the block to the iacv, throttle body, and then into the head. If your going to do it this way, make sure to tap into the lines after the throttle body, NOT before the iacv. If you tap into the lines before the iacv, then the extremely hot water from the turbo will run though your throttle body.

 

bypass the tb alltogether, unless you live somewhere that gets really cold(below freezing)

 

yeah...use the TB coolant lines..I'm assuming you have a D16Y7 so its gonna be kinda tricky to find. I'll try to explain to the best of my stupid abilities..

there is a tube/hose (whatever you wanna call it) that goes from your OEM stock air filter to the valve cover. Along that "line" there is another tube/hose (whatever you wanna call it).....use that source...I hope I was able to help..
Good Luck

 

Your talking about the two metal lines that are tied together(not actually tied, but connected somehow)? Which side would I tap into? The side closer to the distributor or the side closer to the timming belt? Would I run it out from there into the turbo, then from the turbo back into there?
Nick

 

yeah..thats the one I'm talking about....as of which way to hook it up, I think you're gonna have to try and figure that out...I'm not sure which way it goes...But I hope I was some help..and good luck!

 

Forget about the coolant lines man. How long do plan on keeping your car? If it's forever then maybe you want to do the coolant but if not, screw it. They are there just to prolong the life of the factory turbo set up. Also, the majority of factory cars don't have turbo timers so the coolant is like insurance. Just get a turbo timer if you are worried about the life of your turbo. Also the added lines can increase the chance for leaks. I know that's easily manageable but if you gotta ask how to tap a coolant line then maybe you should try to keep this sucker simple.

 

When people go turbo, we tend to take good care of it. Not using something that is there is not the correct decision. Keeping the car for a long time or not, its turbo, and it needs to be taken care of properly. If the coolant lines are there for you to use, then use them. They made it for a reason right? and the reason is to have the turbo last longer.
So glagola1, if you had a T25 and you had coolant lines that can be used....you wounldn't use them?

 

I've got an Apex'i IHI ball bearing turbo that is tapped for coolant. Apex doesn't mention cooling it and they pluged the holes. I asked a mechanic who works on BMW and Subaru race cars if I should run the coolant lines. He is very familiar with IHI turbos and I bassically regergitated what he said in my previous post.

So, no, I wouldn't run the coolant lines. It's not that I don't take care of my turbo, it's that it isn't that big of a deal. Think about it. The majority of the turbos used in these kits are not water cooled. Now if I started running 10psi or more I might consider it.

 

You really don't need to run the lines, but if you do, make sure you use stainless line. Rubber line will get hard and crack from all the heat down there.

 

Something to think about: Its fairly easy to get an oil cooled turbo to glow red after running your car pretty hard. On a water cooled turbo, its near impossible to get it that hot on a street car. Imagine what bright red metal is doing to the oil that passes over it. Oil breaks down due to heat, and super heating the oil will severely shorten its life span. Oil that cant do its job is going to shorten the life span of your motor also, not only the turbo. That alone is reason enough why 99% of factory cars come with oil cooled turbos. There is also a reason why most turbo kits dont: $Price$.
For the average greddy turbo kit running 5psi, water cooling may not be needed. On anything more i would consider water cooling a must. To attest to water cooled turbos, my first turbo was from a mid-80s saab 900. It was over 15 years old when i got it, and had never been rebuilt. The car had WELL over 100k miles on it. There was absolutely no oil coking, and the turbo was just now getting to the point where it needed a rebuild.
Bottom line is if your not going to use the coolant lines, then make it a habbit to change your oil twice as often. If you care anything about the longevity of your motor that is.

 

I agree with changing my oil twice as often, but I work at a dealership (I change oil) and I already change it every 2k miles! Should I still change it even sooner? I probably won't be using the coolant lines for right now, besides I plan on upgrading to a t3 or t3/t4 later on (probably next summer).
Thanks for all the replies, any other opinions?
Nick