The Definitive Ebay/No Name/Chinese/Cheap turbo kit thread

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480sx
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Alright guys, i know the regular ka-t people have seen this question countless of times and i thought it would be a good idea to get a real thread on these kits going that would be sticky worthy. A thread that noobs who ask this question can be linked to, and maybe we will see less of the Q.

For those of you who dont know, these kits are made in China and look pretty much the same across the board. Heres a link to one vendor that sells the kit so you guys have an example. ---> http://www.autozconcept.com/pr...=5431

If anyone has some better pics of the kit please feel free to post them up so people will know what were talking about.

To start things off, i want to say that some people can use these kits and have them last a year or two with no major issues. However, the majority of people who buy the kits have problems within 6 months. The two biggest problems with the kit that i have seen from first hand experience and second hand is that either the manifold will crack, or the turbo seals will blow. In other occasions, the wastegate flange just completely blows off the manifold, as has happened to a few ka-ters. The stainless on the manifolds is thin, and of poor quality resulting in cracks around the welds or collector. I have also heard that the turbos are poorly balanced, and if you push them into high boost the compressor wheel will explode sending metal into your engine. I have also heard of the wastegate diaphragm ripping, causing an over boost situation and blowing a motor. The BOV's typically need to be taken apart and the casting marks sanded off of them so they dont leak. Those are the main problems i can think of off the top of my head about these kits.

The main problem here is that the Chinese kits lack any real quality control. They are mass produced as quickly and cheaply as possible.

That being said, we have guys who run the kits and they work fine. On a sidenote, you MUST run a .63 size oil restrictor with these kits or you will blow your turbos aft oil seal. This will cause your car to be undrivable, smoke so thick that you cant see out your back window. You can pick one up from Mc-Master Carr, the part number is 2712T488 (.63 orfice).

I 100 percent regret buying one of these kits for 800 bucks a year and a half ago. Now that i have a ka-t, the only thing i still use on my car from the kit was the intercooler, half of my IC piping(which was thin as crap and hard to weld), and a really nice Blitz boost gage/turbo timer(what a way to spend 800..). I was going to use the manifold, but after seeing how crappy it was, and hearing all the horror stories about it, decided not to put it on my car and went with something else. I used the turbo without a restrictor and it lasted all of three wide open throttle runs.

So thats that, please anyone with first hand or good second hand knowledge of the kit chime in to make this a better thread.


scotttak
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my kit has been doing fine. no oil restrictor. i have installed just as the kit came. although i dont recommend getting this kit because i have heard that there are so many problems with it. i guess i just got lucky.

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Zippy69
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I bought an ebay kit and was pleased with the fit, finish, and overall quality of the kit I purchased. All was good until I decided to take out my oil restricter and blew my turbo oil seals. But my manifold was tip top and it came with a godspeed intercooler and a HKS ssbov.I think some of the kits are ok, but definitely check seller feedback for clues to the kit quality.

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WDRacing
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This thread needs to stay on topic and I'll be editing any off topic posts or posts that offer nothing of value to the thread. We aren't interested in what you heard or what your buddy did. First hand experience only please.

WD

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Tyler
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could this also include other ebay turbo parts. not just kits? like the manifolds and seperate stuff if your pieceing together your own kit i think it would be helpful

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WDRacing
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Definitely, if its turbo related and sold on eBay then we can discuss it here. Good call

WD

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Tyler
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okay, so how are the top mount t3 mani's sold on ebay? i know the bottom mount t2's have been used with success but are the top mount t3's crap?

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GTR PrYdE
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From what I've gathered about the T3 manifolds is:

They're sensitive to vibrations so either Motor mounts need to be good/upgraded and/OR a flex pipe installed in the exhaust. (I'm sure crappy old MM's have caused alot of cracking, but that's my opinion)

With that being said, I bought 2 manifolds, and are running JGS poly mounts, so hopefully i'll be good.


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GTR PrYdE
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Regarding ebay brand turbo parts, I reseached and ended up buying:

*T3 Manifold- risking it but it's so cheap I had to try $200 for both, shipped!

*SS 38mm DUMP TUBE- looks nice and should work- $39 shipped

*Blindside T3/T4 hybrid- 1yr warranty and WD recommended them, so my fingers are crossed here too. $305 Shipped!

*Big FMIC w/ sr piping, proven to work well up to at least 400hp. $250 shipped

*misc. couplers and t-bolt clamps, they should be decent. $40-80, I don't remember

Everything else is a "brand name", I cheaped out where I could, and when it's done I'll post up about it!

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Tyler
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be sure to keep us posted!

ghx407
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I've had some experience with two Ebay turbos, an intercooler kit, a T2 bottom-mount manifold, and an exhaust. Thank God, I've had no reason to complain yet...

[EDIT: New update regarding the above mentioned parts on page 2 of this thread.]

However, I've tried the Gripforce Stage 3 clutch and I don't recommend it. The pedal was too soft and didn't come back up to it's regular position, and it slipped horribly. Later that same day, I put the old OEM unit back in. I now have the ACT HDR6 clutch kit, and it works great.

Also, the FMU I bought from Ebay came defective, but I bought an identical used unit locally for real cheap and it worked great for the 3-4 months prior to upgrading to SAFC.

Modified by ghx407 at 8:05 AM 10/3/2008
Modified by ghx407 at 8:07 AM 10/3/2008

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Biggamehit
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got my kit essentially for experience with turbo systems.. was not looking for 1000whp and 800ft tq when i bought it.

Learn is what i did... after i was done with the installation inside of 2 days. i fired it up and i ran good for a while..... then the turbo developed major radial and axial shaft play at about month 8 or 9. but it was good to me.. i only ran 8psi and it did fine at the track and on the street for about a year before that issues

brought home 13 second slips and smoke the tires when drifting... so it made me happy

i have a whole new setup now only part thats still around from that first setup is the wastegate and thats on its way out after 2 years. It is not sealing anymore so ill pick up a tail 38mm when i get back home

the manifold is a second gen ssac manifold with a brace welded on and never cracked even after i swapped to the z31 T3

the bov started to leak after about hmmm 2 months and i swapped that out with a blitz bov and then went to a dsm bov

and also the wastegate has a thick crush-ring that lots of people forget and causes issues

2005

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KA24Power
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Okay so I'm gonna sound like a total nub here, but are there any cheap bottom mount t3 mani's with external gates for the Dual cam?

Or, which T3 top mount manifolds that give me lots of room by the master cylinder? I'm really worried about melting it, and I'm not totally comfortable running the DP so close to it if I can avoid it.

I've got a SOHC I'm about to pull in favor of the dual cam, and this isn't as much as an issue because most are bottom mount manifolds that clear fine as long as I don't have a/c.

Thanks


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Biggamehit
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no need to get the cheapest one bro.. there are many affordable ones now and the KA market is growing....

there are many choices dude... just Google it

as far as melting.. just heat shield it... My Exhaust housing is pretty big as you can see in my sig.. i have No issues.. my MC is always warm to the touch even after drift events.

S13FX
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I got a turbo kit for my Miata from Ebay, my friend got the same one as I did.

It came with a nice bottom mount mani, down pipe with a flex section, a T25, and oil lines.

How ever he did purchase a rebuilt kit for the T25 and rebuilt it, just so he has re assurance. He has been running this setup on 8 psi for almost a year now and still no problem.

I know it's not a 240ebay kit, but it's still an ebay kit ...

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Biggamehit
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although its ebay ( a store front, not a brand)... there are small companies going against each other. some are better then others by far... i think ssac is the best. they have sold a lot of product. taken a lot of feedback and made improvements. you can see this in all their parts from FMIC kits to exhaust kits.

all companies start out small with no backing and get good with time. others just go away.


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sr20deTsomeday118
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hey im looking for a turbo and i have been looking at the blindside t3/t4 but i have also been checking SSAutoChrome has anyone used these or heard of terrible stories with the latter? any recommendations for a near broke college student?below are links to each in order mentioned.http://stores.teamblindside.com/Detail.bok?no=149

http://app.infopia.com/Shop/Co...31982


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GTR PrYdE
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I bought a blindside turbo because they have 1 yr warranty, and paid 305 shipped.. I'm not done yet though so it will be a few weeks til I have a review

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Tyler
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good call on the sticky

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sr20deTsomeday118
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yea GTR seeing your post earlier got me intested in them

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spooled240
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Alrighty, I basically got all the ebay hardware like a t3/t4, ssac manifold (with brace and it has worked perfect so far), wastegate, fmic, piping. But this allowed me to spend the remainder of funds on the z32 mafs, jwt ecu and the nismo injectors.

So far, I am happy with the way everything has worked out. I must be the one of the luckiest ka-t guys. Turbo spools good, wastegate opens giving me a solid 10 psi and the t3 top mount manifold has that brace which I'm sure helps a lot.

Only thing that sucks is that the exhaust housing on the turbo is really close to the brake m/c. I ceramic coated and heat wrapped the downpipe to help cut down on the radiating heat. This however is really a design issue on the manifold not the quality of the parts.

It's coming up on a year and my car runs strong. Just some points worth mentioning:-Get an orifice .063, or you will be buying a new turbo or getting a rebuild. no exceptions here-If you are in the market for an ssac t3 top mount manifold, try getting one that has the support brace, it has worked for me. This brace is basically a square piece of metal that is welded to the t3 flange and the exhaust flange that bolts to the cylinder head. This keeps the header tubes to support the ENTIRE weight of the turbo.-Chinese parts, like exhaust systems sometimes, have a tendency to need minor modifications for fitment, be prepared for a little grinding or cutting here and there. I had to cut, grind and weld exhaust hangers on an ebay exhaust system.-All in all, chinese parts will help you fund other things like management, motor mounts, suspension, or even a engine rebuild.-Don't believe everything you hear: Stories of a chinese turbo completely exploding and sending chards of impellor blades into your engine are most likely NOT not gonna happen.

Oh yeah you shouldn't buy chinese headlight bulbs, mine burned out after 2 months..you get what you pay for.

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GTR PrYdE
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On my s13, my SSAC mani is mocked up, and the 2.5" downpipe will NOT clear the brake lines(non-abs). This sucks. I'm runnings JGS MM's if that helps. If bending the brake lines don't help I'm going to bite the bullet and get a real mani/dp setup from JGS.

I do not want to do the hockey puck mod either, I believe it will cause uneeded stress throughout the mounts/chassis.

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kod240kat
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i got the t3 t4 from ebay does that include me too. cause i don't want to include any risk to my motor after i re build it.

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Nick@SickAudio
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Anybody try the JDM sport KA-T kit? Seems to be just another China kit. But for $849 I think it should be the best hp per $1 you can get? These guys are off the zilvia site. I am pondering ordering this kit.

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=189914

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GTR PrYdE
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everything minus the turbo and bov are pretty solid. the turbo and bov are a gamble, but cheap to replace(SR turbo, T28, etc...)

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spooled240
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I actually heard the knockoff bov's and wg's work pretty good. The only thing I would be a little worried about is the turbo in that kit, especially if you are pushing the limit at 12-14 psi

But then again, like gtrpryde said you can just get a used sr20 t-25, those should go well over 100,000 miiles and they are pretty cheap

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Nick@SickAudio
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I am only looking to boost 7-8 psi. Ive decided to go ahead and use this kit. I found a local 240 builder who uses this kit on over 10+ cars now. One of them has over 100,000 miles on the ebay turbo kit and hasnt had to replace a single thing. All he does is order a equal length header and cut the flange off, angle it away from the master cylinder, and make a custom downpipe. He installs them and tunes them with super afc for around $700. If you bring him the kit.

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GTR PrYdE
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Nick@SickAudio wrote: All he does is order a equal length header and cut the flange off, angle it away from the master cylinder, and make a custom downpipe.
The kit you pictures is a bottom mount kit so no need to cut anything, and a SR downpipe will work, maybe the guy is referring to ebay top mounts?

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krazydriver
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spooled240 wrote:I actually heard the knockoff bov's and wg's work pretty good.
I'd be a bit cautious about saying that. A friend of mine is running an ebay Greddy Type S knockoff, the interior diaphragm is pretty flimsy. Instead of the rubber seal being in the valve seat like an actual greddy it's an oring attached to the valve that is prone to pulling off and then sucking unfiltered air through the BOV, or massively leaking boost.

I run an ebay FMIC, seems fine so far. Pressure tested and it's fine. Only other ebay parts i have was the IC piping.... and you can't really screw up piping.

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GTR PrYdE
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krazydriver wrote:.... and you can't really screw up piping.
lol apparently you can... my ebay "SR" downpipe fits like crap, it faces the driveshaft...


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