Update on the Turbo Q45

[Miyabita_Y33]

Wow nice project. A+

[ScottJackson]

looks good but those silicone couplers don't look like silicone. I hope they hold up (along with those hose clamps). Yep, those "treadstone" intercoolers are cheapies that you can get on ebay... but they work pretty well.

[qsiguy]

At low boost the rear mount systems don't really require an intercooler because of the long compressor pipe but I am not ruling it out completely. I will have an intake air temperature monitor in the intake to track it. I'll decide whether I need it or not based on my findings. I was concidering on a smaller IC with the in/out on the same side similar to the ones that are used on some Buick GN's. When I throw the stage 2 boost switch the H2O/Alc. injection should help the intake temps considerably.

[maxnix]

I'm not following your line of thought about the OEM filter boxes.

Just would be nice to have lots of unrestricted clean air. Kind of like what Nissan did for the new VQ35HR. Just not enough room. And then you'd have to duct cool air to it.

It will be interesting to see the temperature drop on the oil cooler.

[sijoko]

looks good but those silicone couplers don't look like silicone. I hope they hold up (along with those hose clamps). Yep, those "treadstone" intercoolers are cheapies that you can get on ebay... but they work pretty well.

The couplers are rubber hoses used on diesel rigs. We'll see how well they hold up. Remember, I'm not going for no more than 8 psi in the beginning. Later on, I'll probably have to do some upgrading for more boost.

[sijoko]

Just would be nice to have lots of unrestricted clean air. Kind of like what Nissan did for the new VQ35HR. Just not enough room. And then you'd have to duct cool air to it.

It will be interesting to see the temperature drop on the oil cooler.

I wish I could do some kind of cold air setup for the turbo but there isn't any space. As you can see in the pic, I had to cut some of the metal to get the filter in there.

The oil cooler should work in that position as long as some kind of scoop is used to catch the airflow from underneath. If the oil temps are kept within reason, I won't move the cooler. As is, there isn't going to be much space left over after everything is installed.

[bullittandy]

Related to the oil cooler, worst case you could mount a 10" electric fan on it, new from Autozone $30, junkyard, $5.

Tuning plan sounds good, all I've ever read about tuning power adder cars says that the air fuel ratio is the most important and since you aren't looking for the highest H/P then a conservative tune would be great.

I'm getting really excited about this because Q's are so cheap and adding a turbo easily would make it a great car for the money.

Again, congrats on your hard work and courage to try something that's never been done.

[sijoko]

Related to the oil cooler, worst case you could mount a 10" electric fan on it, new from Autozone $30, junkyard, $5.

Tuning plan sounds good, all I've ever read about tuning power adder cars says that the air fuel ratio is the most important and since you aren't looking for the highest H/P then a conservative tune would be great.

I'm getting really excited about this because Q's are so cheap and adding a turbo easily would make it a great car for the money.

Again, congrats on your hard work and courage to try something that's never been done.

I have an oil temp gauge that I will be installing so I can see how well the cooler is working. Once the car is moving at a decent speed, there is plenty of airflow in that location.

You can add extra fuel either thru electronic or mechanical means. In my case, I am using both. The main thing is to keep the air/fuel ratio at or below 12:1 during full throttle and high load conditions.

Hopefully, more people will start turboing their Q45s. There is a lot of potential in these cars. The key with any modification is to research and plan things out. I've been working towards this turbo system for well over 2 years.

[ponzy]

magnifico..........

how much $$$$ are we talking about turboing a Q? like from starting from a scratch?

[qsiguy]

I've spent around $2k so far. Plus another $1k or so bringing other mechanical items up to par so they will be ready for the extra power. Once Siju and I get the tuning figured out others shouldn't have to experiment so much. You might be safe without the wideband and that would save you a few hundred bucks. If you shop really carefully and wait for bargains you could get the cost down.

There are some cheaper turbos you can use. The Holset turbos from the Dodge trucks seem to be a decent option and you can find them for a few hundred bucks or less. I spent just over $500 for my turbo. It's a Master Power T70. I debated for over a year about getting one of the cheap Chinese turbos but decided not to risk it. I've heard some did ok with them, some not. Seems like a crap shoot. If you want a turbo like a Garrett you will likely spend close to $1k+ just for the turbo.

I was originally shooting for the $1k range but things add up quickly. Like Siju, I am doing all my exhaust and intake work, fabrication, welding, etc. If you can't do this part yourself the cost will shoot up even more. Probably at least $400-800 or more, for custom fabrication I would estimate.

I haven't itemized my purchases for a while, when I do I'll post a list. I may wait until I'm done to print up the list as it's likely to still get bigger.

[sijoko]

magnifico..........

how much $$$$ are we talking about turboing a Q? like from starting from a scratch?

I'm not done so there's still more money to be spent. From start to finish, I would estimate that I'll have at least $3.5k into it. But I didn't spend the money all at once. I shopped around and waited for good deals on parts, so your costs could be more. Plus, doing all the work yourself will save a lot of money.

[sijoko]

Here are some more pics to motivate people into turbo-ing their Q45s. The car is running. I still have to work out the tune but it is alive and kicking. It is running super rich right now but it is such a blast to drive.

[maxnix]

Think I will give you a call when I am in Eugene this fall. Very interesting.

[sijoko]

Think I will give you a call when I am in Eugene this fall. Very interesting.

Brian, if I'm in the area you're more than welcome to drop by and shoot the breeze. I'm in Brownsville, which is only 35 miles north of Eugene. Do you like Indian food?

- Siju

[sijoko]

Here are the pics of the gauges that I installed recently. They are boost/vacuum, oil pressure and oil temp.

[sijoko]

These are the gauges that I had installed in the car a while ago. They are trans fluid and coolant temps on the center console. In the cup holder are intake temp and fuel pressure both with memory recall.

[maxnix]

Love it. Know where Wilsonville is, but I never noticed Brownsville.

Looks like the later half of September as of now. Drop me an email with your cell or something and I'll give you more accurate notice when I know my schedule.

[szh]

Beautifully clean install of the gauges, sijoko!

Z

[maxnix]

Beautifully clean install of the gauges, sijoko!

Z

My thoughts too. The A pillar especially.

[Jesda]

OH YES!!!!!!

[szh]

My thoughts too. The A pillar especially.

Most definitely!!

Z

[bullittandy]

You know, my borther-in-law lives in Eugene, he's not worth the trip but this car would be!

[maxnix]

You know, my borther-in-law lives in Eugene, he's not worth the trip but this car would be!

Presume he's not a board member?

Sijoko, what is the other silver G50 in the background?

[jamesmost]

Awsome - does it feel mad fast ?? what is the on/off switch in center shifter area ??

[sijoko]

Thanks for the compliments. I hope that my project has a positive effect on the Q45 crowd. I want to see more boosted Qships.

Maxnix, the silver Q is a 95 that I picked up in Cali. It is also a project car. I'm slowly getting back into top condition. Plus, I needed a second Q to drive while I was doing my turbo project.

[maxnix]

Good choice.

[DrewQ45]

These are the gauges that I had installed in the car a while ago. They are trans fluid and coolant temps on the center console. In the cup holder are intake temp and fuel pressure both with memory recall.

Some damn nice work there!!!

[sijoko]

Awsome - does it feel mad fast ?? what is the on/off switch in center shifter area ??

I have not driven the car that hard because I still have to finish my tuning which I will do when I get back to Oregon. But...I will tell you that the car is very different than before. At part throttle, the turbo spools up and the car starts pulling. You have the sensation of driving a car that has plenty of reserve power. It is much different than my 95 Q. I'm hoping that once the tuning is completed this car will be good for low 13 to high 12 sec quarter mile times.

The on/off swith on the shifter bezel is for the water injection system.

[sijoko]

Some damn nice work there!!!

Thanks bro. The Q is too nice of a car to just slap stuff on.

[sijoko]

Finally, after months of not being able to do anything with this project, I have some news to share. When I left off, the car was running but needed to be tuned. So, this week, I hooked up the wideband O2 sensor to it and checked on my a/f ratios.





After some fiddling around, I got the a/f ratio to stay at just under 11.5:1 under full throttle. The only thing I am using is a BEGI FMU. The ECU is stock and I'm running a blow-thru MAF. The car is making approx. 420hp at 6 psi. I am going to be increasing boost to 8 psi which should net around 460hp.

Here's a quick vid that I did in light rain. I had to lift to keep the car straight so it is not the best run but at least you can get an idea as to the performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW8DGEQDqoY