I'd like to start a new tread about the REALITY of turbocharging a KA motor.

I've been building 240's for a long time. When V-tec punks all thought that their straight pipes were the ****, i ran an all-motor 240 that would eat a v-tecs *** alive. Mind you, that even though thats common place now...this was 2 and 1/2 years ago on the east coast. Point being, I love my car and know alot about it.SOOOO, when I see all these newbies having hopes and dreams of turbo'ing their KA's, all i can think of is "you have no idea what you are getting into".

Alot of these guys are hoping to get this done in thier garages or in the back yard with no access to air tools or lifts. Asking questions in the middle of their install that they should have known long before the even turned a wrench on the car. I'm going to go through the steps, with a little help of course from my veteran drivers on the site, of actually installing the turbo system. Now, mind you, these steps will not apply to a "T"...as all cars are ajust a slight bit different from each other(although we might think we got the worst apple of the whole bunch at times).

Step one- PLANNING- I swear, this has got to be the most important and the most followed of all the steps. People generally do this step very well because we are all out to get the best bang for our buck, and planning is the best way to ensure that....but most people plan wrong. How do you plan wrong? Not properly matching components to each other...putting HUGE turbos on the car with 370cc injectors, and then getting pissed when 8 lbs is all you can safely run(more on that in a minute). etc. You have to plan within your goals. Dont try to plan and get 400 HP out of a setup until you really understand the balance and work it takes to maintain the car. No-you cant cheap out on stuff.If you bought a used turbo-get it checked before it goes on the car-many turbos have shaft seal problems that can develop from sitting after they have been in use. Budget turbo systems work- but only with gains associated to what youve put in to the setup. KNOW YOURE BANK ROLL!This crap aint cheap guys. SO PLAN WELL!Step TWO-PREPARING I know that when I put the turbo on my first ka, i went into kind of blind. I admit, it doesnt take a genius to put a turbo on your car-but this isnt for beginers, folks. Have a daily driver to get around in whle you do this too. The best adavntage you can have is a designated time and place to do this with no interruptions. Try to have access to a wide range of tools. This will deter you from getting stuck at a road block and trying to mickey-mouse some **** to just get by. Getting by is expensive, dangerous and dumb in the end. If you dont have a lift- you job will be much more difficult. Just telling you in advance. Get ALL OF YOU MATRIALS IN PLACE BEFORE YOU BEGIN! Have as many new sensors as you can afford-I.E. os, egt, cas, knock, ETC. Dont try to get in the middle and then wing it. Chances are than 99% of the time, you will get caught up with something that will dealy you. But the better you plan and have everything you can think of youd need(see step one), the lower the possibility is youll be stuck in the middle with nothing to do about it but wait. Step 3-Installing Okay- I cant really tell you how to do this becuase installation for the 2 billion parts available out there is not the same for all.But a good tip is to have good tools, and alot of them. Keep everything neat. This will help diagnose anything that goes possibly later. Pace yourself. If you get rushed thats where the mickey mousing comes in-avoid rushing-it will bite you in the *** later. Let the car cool. If you try to remove anything from the head...the aluminum could strip, then youre finished. And, I know i shouldnt have to say this...but ive seen it done-REMOVE the oil pan when drilling the return line! If you drill it while one the car, shavings can get into the oil and possibly cause alot of problems with the oil pickup etc. Getting the oil pan off is not easy-It requires removal of several things. (Veterans SHould put in opinions and advice on this). Also, When putting your manifold on...make sure that everything is tight with it. Its torqued down and the gasket has sealed well...exhaust leaks are a ***** to deal with simply because everything has to come back off and be put right back on. Not to mention- the hurt performance. Also, try to get some shielding for the master cylinder and etc. That turbo gets really hot. Melt your master cylinders while youre driving, and youre in a world of ****. Step 4-Tuning All of that work doesnt mean a damn thing if you get in your car, drive it, and blow it up from lack of tuning. Most of the time-an ecu does the trick the best-for the guys who are building some serious **** for some serious power-go standalone for the best tuning ability. But have alot of dyno time reserved fro runs and tuning and cooling.Now-These are the most basic of things when bolting on a turbo,Oh, and one more thing-If it says "DIRECT BOLT ON"-beware-nothing bolts directly on.

Let the educating begin!ALL VETERANS ANSWER ANY QUESTION YOU THINK WOULD BE ASKED ABOUT A TURBO INSTALL!

Oh-and last- this is not easy! It is frustratin at times and downright aggrevating and a pain in the *** others-dont expect smooth sailing. But when its done, if its done right-youll have the goofiest grin on your face youve ever had.

One more thing- I said that I would touch more on the Boost thing.I hear people talk all the time about the safest amount of boost to run on a stock bottom end. And all i hear is "10 lbs max" or "12 is pushing it". That may be true in some cases-ones like running t3s that make heat past the 12 pound range. But whats funny about hearing that from people is that mostly its the ones who are saying it dont even have turbos. I see people running 15-18 lbs alot on stock bottom ends. Wanna know how? TUNING.Tuning a setup can unleash power that you didnt even know was there. Getting 225 without tuning? Tune it and get 260. Another thing that limits boost is heat. The smaller the turbo-the more heat it makes at higher boost. Heat causes Detonation, which breaks s%#&. The higher the a/r ratio, typically, the bigger the boost threshold. Plus-running to high a boost on a turbo causes it to die quicker-meaning more rebuilds, and more removing and replacing of parts. Dont be afraid to push the boost a little bit every now and then-its not like its 15lbs on your motor all the time-but be sparing. And know your turbos limitations...the boost bug is a nasty one.

My suggestion: Buy a kit. Mine bolted right up with a little cutting and grinding of bodyparts.

Projex240: I know you are trying to be helpful, but I doubt we need a thread dedicated to this. Most of the answers are either in the FAQ or can be found through a search. And if it can't, most people on this site know how to ask questions.

And even with all the knowledge here, it would take a post the size of a book to explain enough about building a turbo system. I'd say better to go buy and read the book, and then come asking questions. I rather not try and think of all the questions that would be asked. I prefer to answer questions that are asked.

i agree with project240. if you go turbo, theres gonna be bugs to work out.. always.

also, know exactly what every part is, and exactly what it does and how/why before you stick it on your car. theres been alot of "i want 400hp! .. now whats a FMU?".

chances are.. things wont go perfect the first time. dont even try unless you have the knowledge to diagnose and fix.

totaly agree

i have been doing research on a number of cars for over 3 years now, and the biggest mod i have done so far was take off my resonator on my civic

so listen to these people and read lots and lots of books/materials before you even get a list of things to buy

i just ordered "how to rebuild and engine" off of amazon, i'm sure it will be a great asset once i get it in my hands.

Can we get an AMEN BROTHER on that please?

Im in the middle of a KA-t swap right now, and im running into quite a few unanticipated road blocks, like my manifold not allowing me to clear the brake lines for the downpipe, having to notch my frame to get the intercooler to fit, figuring out how/where to run new battery cables for the battery relocation kit, running wires for gauges, and starting my standalone wiring project has been, well, in a word, interesting.

Luckily I have another vehicle (4Runner) I can drive, and I have 2 shops, with all air tools and almost every tool out of the craftsman catalog to go with it, plus the help of my neighbor who is a Subaru mechanic and just plain smart with cars (He has a CJ5 Jeep with 38 boggers under it and it runs high 12's) So I am pretty set.

It is really just a matter of time, and knowing when to walk away, I have taken the last 2 days off of working on my car, but there is going to be a big push tomorrow.

Rick

SR20 parts don't fit on a KA24...Detonation is 90% of the cause for blowing up a turbo charged motor.

My suggestions,

1. Read up on detonation and everything that causes it. You'll learn quite abit about the whole motor and the fuel/ignition system this way.

2. If you don't know what size turbine you need, or what type of fuel managment works, simply look at what kits are available and what they come with. Everything else is mostly a matter of opinion. Read through the FAQ's...lots of good info there.

WD

In reference to buying a bolt on turbo kit- I totally agree with the ease of doing it that way. But most of the people on this forum are concerned with bang for the buck and piecing together their own kits in the interest of saving money. Bolt on kits are great for someone will be happy with eberything being provided and easily attainable through one distributor. Everything is there, new and included with instructions. But THEY ARE NOT cost effective. For the price of a bolt on kit, I could have a builT motor with a turbo on it matched the way I thought best and still put down 350-400 @ the wheels. As far as the usefulness of the thread, from what ive seen, the search doesnt work as well for what a newbie would need. The search returns threads that dont do anything more than mention the phrase used in the search. A newbie wont benefit form this as much as a thread with the general that Iused at the beginning of this one. Plus the sixe of the thread doesnt mean anything- this thread could get no bigger than one of those dumbass KA vs. SR threads.

P.S.- WD thanks for locking those threads- I hate em.

Am I the only who hates the little quotes underneath you name?j/k

Projex240 wrote:Am I the only who hates the little quotes underneath you name?j/k

I thought it was helpful. I am not going KA-T but it was still worht a read. At least you took the time to do a write up.