I am looking into boosting my 1.6L D16, as to I have been convinced it is my best option due to a lack of funds =P. In any case, I was wondering what kind of engine prep may be needed to hold up to the power a turbo kit may give under 10 lbs. of boost. (All opinions of course) what might I want to look into before boosting? Machining, rods, pistons, etc... Any recommended kits?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by blackwolf &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am looking into boosting my 1.6L D16, as to I have been convinced it is my best option due to a lack of funds =P. In any case, I was wondering what kind of engine prep may be needed to hold up to the power a turbo kit may give under 10 lbs. of boost. (All opinions of course) what might I want to look into before boosting? Machining, rods, pistons, etc... Any recommended kits? </TD></TR></TABLE>

10lbs and below....nothing. A ton of people have ran 10psi all day with no problems. Of course, that is just my opinion. SOme peopel will tell you to go conservative and maybe do some internal work. The only thing I would recommend is ARP headstuds. You may get some headlift when you boost. I did on my Y5. Other than that, just do basic maintenance during your install.

 

Thats' good to know. I was looking into a kit by Greddy (have heard a good share of up's and down's on this) with a TDO4H - 15G turbo. Was wondering what kind of gains would come from 10lbs. of boost ... 15 lbs.?

A little skeptic as to how well my engine would hold up with 150,000 miles on it. My friend already blew his engine by knocking a valve in his 97 eclipse. Can't really afford to by a new engine, so i was looking at my alternatives.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by blackwolf &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thats' good to know. I was looking into a kit by Greddy (have heard a good share of up's and down's on this) with a TDO4H - 15G turbo. Was wondering what kind of gains would come from 10lbs. of boost ... 15 lbs.?

A little skeptic as to how well my engine would hold up with 150,000 miles on it. My friend already blew his engine by knocking a valve in his 97 eclipse. Can't really afford to by a new engine, so i was looking at my alternatives.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It really depends. I have read of peopel having over 200K on there engine and still goign strong. Some peopel may blow theirs brand new. Good tuning will definately help. You wont be able to run 15psi without upgrading the MAP sensor.


The greddy kit is a good beginner kit in my opinion. That was my first turbo kit and it was very easy to install. You would still need an intercooler (optional but recommended) and additional piping for the intercooler. BUt it isnt a bad investment if you get a good deal on it.

 

i would suggest changing your head gasket if it hasn't gone yet it will soon after boosting the motor. go to your local speed shop and get a cometic steel head gasket at .040 inches thick it will lower your compression pluss will hold more pressure than a oem head gasket would you can pick one up for about 80 bucks

 

Greddy turbo kit already runs around $2000+. That's enough to do an engine swap already. There are a bunch of cheap dohc engines out there.

If you really want to boost your 1.6 d16, anywhere between 6-9psi would be safe on a stock honda engine. Forged pistons and rods would help a lot if you want to boost higher. A good engine management is also a plus.

 

greddy kit for 92-95 is 1475 at nopi.com

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by specv5150 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> You would still need an intercooler (optional but recommended) and additional piping for the intercooler. BUt it isnt a bad investment if you get a good deal on it. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Definately buy one!

As far as "prepping" your car for boost...if you're running low boost approx 8 psi you should be good on stock internals...but all cars are different! If you're overly cautious and have the funds to spends then definately upgrade them. Like suggested above replacing your head gasket isn't a bad idea.

 

If you really want to prep a engine for boost youll need to sleeve and build the bottom end. Lower compression pistons and better rods. Look to spend 2000 on a bottom end alone. Thats a proper "prep"

And it really depends on what turbo your running then it depends on your management and tuning. Theres alot of research to do.

 

I installed my GReddy turbo kit on my z6 at 130K miles had no problems. I boosted about 7.5-8 lbs daily and the only thing I did was use a metal exhaust manifold gasket-- but like specv5150 all motors are different.

I would definetely suggest metal/copper head gasket to boost 10lbs daily but then again I've heard that Hondas can hold it just fine....

 

If your gonna boost the d-series with stock internals, I'd do a compression and leak down test first. ARP head studs and a cosmetic head gasket would be a good investment also. You'll also need a new clutch, something that will hold more. Also, get it tuned right or you'll waste alot of money and time. My friend had a greddy kit on his with the 15g and went 13.8 with street tires at 10psi turned on 106.

You could also look into swapping the d out for a b-series engine for about the same price for future building. You could get more potiential out of that.

 

if your going over 10psi of boost you might want to look into upgrading some parts of the bottom end of the engine because the d series block isnt made as well as the b and up series

 

if you do the bottom end you don't need to change the rods but i would suggest new pistons possibly some from srp then getting your crank knife edged, new main bearings and new rod bearings. You might also think about a port and polish job for your head. I am turboing a d15b7 a full custom kit going to run at a minimum of 18psi i am building the whole motor for under 1000bucks. by the way it is COMETIC not COSMETIC

 

Being that youre on a budget, Im getting internals are out of the question. However, a stock D series engine can handle a solid amount of power. It is all in the tune. Intercoolers are cheap....check out johnnyracecar.com What FMU does the 15G kit come with? Emanage or Blue Box? Emanage is tunable and Blue Box isnt, which makes a BIG difference. Just remember, the blue box FMU will work well for awhile, but getting the car tuned is where your power comes from........Just remember, a stock D Series can handle 200whp tune, daily driven.....but definetly get some ARP headstuds, theyre like 99 bucks.

 

First things you should do before boosting your car is to buy you some ZEX turbo/nitrous plugs and start running premium unleaded fuel a few months prior to boosting and that is about it. If you go with the GReddy kit, it will come with the blue box/emanage that will control your fuel maps with out any other fuel management up to 5.5 psi of boost. If you want to run any more than that you'll need to toss the emanage and get an OBD1 ecu, tune it with uberdata or get hondata, an fmu and missing link and maybe some bigger injectors. I've also heard of many people running 10 psi, daily driven with no problems at all!

I'm boosting my car in about 2 weeks with the GReddy kit for a D16Y8 and I've been running premium unleaded for a few months now and I also have some ZEX turbo/nitrous spark plugs. I also have some other fuel stuff like AEM fuel rail and Adjustable FPR which you won't need. I'm getting the GReddy kit used for $900 and it's probably the cheapest most reliable kit out there. The person I'm getting it from has been running it for 2+ years on stock EVERYTHING, no ARP headstuds or thicker head gasket, EVERYTHING is stock.

Also check out turbod16.com

 

Thanks everyone! Still 50/50 on boostt or swap. Would it be worth it to boost the D16 and swap the turbo onto a b series if I decide to swap later? A lot of the greddy kits I have seen with that particular turbo kit are designated for d series engines (specifically the d16) but I am assuming that is because of the manifold. In any case, I am looking at this for an early summer project. Pending a new summer job, I am still considering the swap. Or at least setting back enough money to get a new engine in case I blow my current one. Heh, might be a bit paranoid. As long as the turbo is swappable I would see it as being the logical choice in this matter.

 

i have a four door 95 civic w/ 220000 miles on it i change the rings and a head gasket and did a mini me on it. then i turboed it and it runs great for bein that old but thats what i suggest. if you want to boost up to 15 i would suggest new rings possibly if your over 150000 miles. also a new head gasket. if your going to boost only ten or something like that id say its safe to go stock.