KA24DE INTO KA24DE-T..Expert Knowledge Needed!

[Mr240dude]

Another talked about topic that has been discussed many times I know. Let me say I am not too knowledgeable with turbos, however I may turbo my ka24de in the future so some knowledge and advice in advanced wouldn't hurt. My KA has app 146k and is healthy. I hear people turboing them with a bit more miles after getting compression tests done with good pressure. What is the process exactly turboing the KA? Costs,materials needed,time,HP gains etc. I hear good and bad about Ebay turbos which are enticing at roughly $500 nearly complete set. I'm not made of money so one of those $2k sets isn't gonna happen. If I kept boost at minimum can I keep my stock ECU,fuel pump and injectors? I wouldn't go for anything crazy like 15 psi. 250hp would be good enogh for me lol. I can go on and on with the questions if I'm missing something let me know thanks guys!

[krash]

Do a search and check the KA-T forum, this has been covered pretty well.

My KA has app 146k and is healthy. I hear people turboing them with a bit more miles after getting compression tests done with good pressure.

You want good compression on every cylinder and you want them to be within 5-10 psi of each other. Your engine should have absolutely no problems. Turboing it is going to compound any issues that it has

What is the process exactly turboing the KA? Costs,materials needed,time,HP gains etc. I hear good and bad about <a class="vglnk" title="Link added by VigLink" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ebay.com/">Ebay</a> turbos which are enticing at roughly $500 nearly complete set. I'm not made of money so one of those $2k sets isn't gonna happen.

This isn't a cheap adventure, it costs a good about. Stay away, from ebay turbos. STAY AWAY FROM EBAY TURBOS. Intercoolers and piping should be okay to get from ebay, however get a good turbo. Don't cheap out there.

- For your 250hp mark, you'll want a garrett T25(from an s13/s14 SR) or T28 (from an s15 SR). Depending on what kind of deal you can get, if you buy used or new, this can cost you anywhere from $100 bucks used, to $1200 new. If you buy a used one, chances are you'll want to rebuild it.

- You'll need a turbo manifold as well, this will set you back around $100-$300.

- For 250hp, 370cc injectors from and sr20det should suffice, but really you want 550cc injectors, which you'll have to buy new from a company that remanufactures them. Expect to pay $200-$300 here.

- You'll need a Rom tune for you ECU. Sending it out to someone to get it tuned can cost you $200-$350.

This is assuming your engine is in good shape and you don't need to fix/rebuild anything. Aside from this, there are a bunch of odds and ends that you'll need. Couplings, oil lines, coolant lines, turbo plumbing stuff, mounts, hardware, blow off valve, etc etc. It adds up. Boost isn't cheap, but its worth it to do it right. If you don't have the money right now, I suggest to make a list and write down actual prices that you see. Save up money for one thing, buy it. Save up money for the next thing, buy it. It will take a long time, but in the end you'll have a quality build that you don't have to worry about.

Or you can slap an ebay turbo kit on there with an FMU and wait until it explodes.

Good luck sir

[CJH]

I agree. Read more on KA-T.org

Any issues your KA may have will get much worse when you go boost. I recommend replacing your front and rear main seal right away. Also fix any leaks of any kind that you may have. I agree with the T25 or T28. I would recommend a T28 because of low lag and decent power. STAY AWAY FROM EBAY! It might work right away, but it will blow shortly after. Also, the kit probably wont fit together. In fact, many kits don't fit together. I would make a list of all the parts you want/need, and get them one by one. Get good stuff. Trust me, if you cheap out, it will mess you up later and you will pay twice as much later. I would find a shop you trust and order from there and when you put your car together, take it there to get tuned.
Get:
Fuel pump
Fuel injectors
FPR
Spark Plugs & wires
Turbo and manifold
oil and coolant lines
New exhaust
intercooler and piping of some sort
Wideband
BOV
T25 and T28 are internally wastegated so you don't need an external one.
Oil pressure sensor
Some kind of ECU piggy back
Get a professional tune at a shop
There are other little nicknacks you are going to need to that is a ruff list.
Your best friend is knowledge so I recommend read, read, and read some more.

[asoomal]

T25 is WAYYYYY to small for a KA. T28 minimum!

[urmotherslover]

Dude ever heard of google? research it.

But with that said, all these people hating on ebay turbos have probably never even had one.. I have had one and it lasted longer than my motor, and never ever had any problems. also you'll totally want to at least replace your head gasket when you have your engine out of the car to drill the bung in your oil pan also maybe main bearings...also the ebay kits say "complete" but never ever are you'll probably be looking at around $800. or piece one together and it'll be way cheaper.. Id recomend doing as much research as posible.. Also most of these guys on nico dont even work on there own cars

[krash]

T25 is WAYYYYY to small for a KA. T28 minimum!

I agree but his goal is only 250hp

Dude ever heard of google? research it.

But with that said, all these people hating on ebay turbos have probably never even had one.. I have had one and it lasted longer than my motor, and never ever had any problems.

We put one on my friends build, it started blowing oil after two weeks. The ISIS turbo outlasted it by about a month.

Also most of these guys on nico dont even work on there own cars

Also, wtf are you talking about?

[urmotherslover]

Also, wtf are you talking about?[/quote]

Im just sayin that usually when I go on nico many of the posts I read people always refer to their "mechanic".

[kouki munster]

Also most of these guys on nico dont even work on there own cars

Speak for yourself there chief.

You do know that the vast overwhelming majority of 240 owners are broke a** cheap skates right? (myself included, but more broke a** than cheap skate) Broke a** che..... er... uhh... 240 owners work on their own cars because they can't afford to pay someone else to do it. But, there are also a lot of knowledgeable/eager to learn guys out there that just would just prefer to do the work themselves because they want to learn, they get enjoyment out of turning wrenches, or just want the piece of mind that the job was done right with minimal cut corners. lol

[krash]

Im just sayin that usually when I go on nico many of the posts I read people always refer to their "mechanic".

I dunno what posts you've been reading. You're the first person I've seen talking about taking their car to a mechanic.

[urmotherslover]

should-i-find-a-new-mechanic-thoughts-p ... 55791.html

this guy pays a ton to get his valve cover gasket replaced

[CJH]

But with that said, all these people hating on ebay turbos have probably never even had one..

I paid a lot of money for what I thought was a quality turbo and it turned out to be an ebay turbo. I didn't want to use it because I know people personally that have used ebay turbos, and it always broke quickly. Because I paid a lot for the turbo, I decided to use it against my better judgement. I finish building my car and the turbo blew after 30min on the dyno. I paid $1,200 for a turbo to last 30min. Sound legit to you?

I have had one and it lasted longer than my motor, and never ever had any problems.

The rule of quantity over quality. If you make enough, some are bound to work. I am an engineer and I have close engineer friends that have gone to work in China. They come back with all kinds of stories about Chinese machine shops not understanding tolerances and GD&T. What does that tell you about Chinese Manufacturing? China is in there industrial age. Someday they will make quality parts, but they have a lot to learn before they are a center of quality manufacturing. Think of American manufacturing and the strive for 6 sigma. If that doesn't tell you about the strive for quality in America vs China, I don't know what does. America isn't the only place to use 6 sigma either. Japan does wonderful manufacturing in many ways, along with many other countries. The Japanese design of poka-yoke really speaks to their innovation and design work in manufacturing. So sometimes when you repeatedly hear bad things about things made in china, they could be true.

And lastly, I also have never heard of anyone on here having a mechanic fix their car. I have built my car myself. I only pay a professional to tune it.

[urmotherslover]

My turbo was a t3/t4, it worked well, and the t4 flange is the same as the flange for the turbo used on the cummins turbo diesel engine so I figured if my ebay one ever went out on me id just get the cummins one off of a truck wrecking yard for a killer set up.. but as far as the ebay manifolds and stuff go you could make nice clean set up

[kouki munster]

should-i-find-a-new-mechanic-thoughts-p ... 55791.html

this guy pays a ton to get his valve cover gasket replaced

I'm not surprised you used that thread as an example, so please explain to me how that one example on a site with 186,xxx members means that most of the members don't work on their own stuff? Your wild accusation is invalid and unsupported, please try again sir.

Also, there is a lot more than just 240 owners on this site, and not all of them are enthusiast that like to get their hands dirty.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Yeah, don't expect to get a quality turbo setup for $500. That is completely unrealistic unless you steal or rob someone. Hell, even 2 grand is on the cheap side.

[SX APPEAL]

Also most of these guys on nico dont even work on there own cars

You have 8 posts and have been a "contributing" member of this forum for 5 months, your opinion counts for nothing.

To the OP, if 2K is out of your budget, then don't even think about building a turbo setup. You will spend more than you even realize on stuff not even directly related to the turbo system itself. Upgraded radiator, fans, heat shielding, spark plugs, fluids. These things add up fast. And what about the even smaller stuff? the silicone hose you need to connect to the wastegate, blow-off valve or boost gauge, the brass fittings you'll need to plumb your oil lines, the exhaust flange gaskets that will inevitably be missing from that great turbo you got a deal on from the classifieds section. This is the type of stuff you never factor into your budget, but do you think its free? On a solid setup you'll spend that $500 just on the little stuff, nevermind the cool stuff like the turbo, intercooler and blow-off valve. Best advise I can give you, do your research, make a budget, double it, then decide if you can afford that amount

[Mr240dude]

Damn sounds like alot of work...something I'll have to look into next year...in the meantime I want to beef up my N/A any suggestions? Only mods I have is an intake and test pipe. I've been thinking for a while if it was worth gettting a 3" catback and downpipe. Also to slightly change the subject, is it worth upgrading the suspension on a DD? I want a stiffer ride and better handling when turning, thanks.