Budget M42 turbo build

[gearheadE30]

So it turns out that my nonadjustable crappy ebay blowoff valve is killing my turbo... it's a knockoff TurboXS RFL (and it really is loud. I don't much like it) that is nonadjustable, so the spring is waaaaay too stiff. What's happening is if I'm at part throttle and then I let off, the BOV doesn't really open enough/quickly enough, and I'm stuck with compressor surge. Not a lot, but enough that I can kind of hear it, and enough to kill the bearings. Also, I don't think that BOV flows much, so when I'm in boost and shift, it isn't bleeding off enough air quickly enough. Yay... So now I'm going to buy another BOV that is adjustable, quieter, and flows a lot. I might end up with a WyntonM one, because even though they are sold on ebay, I've heard good things about them, they are rebuildable, and they flow a lot. Also picking up an AFR gauge for the new a-pillar pod. Pics to come once it's all installed

[gearheadE30]

So I took my intake off the other day to check some stuff, and I checked the turbo shaft while I was in there....it's pretty loose, even after a rebuild. The thrust bearing is perfect, but there is a lot of radial play on the shaft. There are also a few witness marks on the compressor housing now too, which I'm less than thrilled about. On top of that, Garrett TA3107 parts are basically NLA, particularly, apparently, for my divided-turbine .82 AR model. I would love a new GT series turbo, but I just don't have a grand to blow right now...

Basically, the options are to try to put in a new shaft ($280) hoping that that is the issue, or I can buy a new turbo. I would either have to go with a non-split T3 turbo, a .78 AR split T3(borderline too low of an AR for a split turbo at high revs), a new GT30 or GT35 based turbo, or find a used or NOS TA31. There is a TA3107 1.06 AR divided turbine on ebay, so I might pick that up, but it has the wrong exhaust flange. I guess I can fix that, though. Apparently the Holset HX35 has a T3 style flange? Because if that is the case, I could use one of those too...

[Schnitzer318is]

Glad to hear... need new pics though with the updates you've done.

PS: I'm jealous of your external WG...

[gearheadE30]

Slight update on the turbo-this thing runs beautifully. Got rid of a TON of vibrations after realizing that one of the bolts holding the WG brackets were actually vibrating against the body. Now the car is incredibly smooth and actually pretty quiet. It's faster than it feels, as opposed to the other way around like it used to be.

Current plans are to ditch all of the PS gear (bought one of Silence's deletes) to offset the weight and free up space. At some point I'm going to make a nicer shroud for my electric fan, because I can free up a good 2 inches in front of the engine that way. That'll give me room to make some brackets to support the charge pipes a little better.

I drilled a few small holes in the bottom of the endcaps of the IC to let out condensation and any oil that blows past the compressor seal on the turbo, but so far there is no oil at all!!! Considering that I was the one that rebuilt the turbo with no knowledge of turbo specifics, I'm pretty thrilled.

No dyno pulls yet, but that will probably come in the spring sometime.

Current highway MPG-30 mpg at 70 mph average. This is with the 4:10 diff and a roof rack, and is only maybe 2-5 mpg down from stock at the same speed, so I'm pretty thrilled with that. I don't think I'll be able to pick up much more.

Performance: 0-60 is in the neighborhood of 7.6 seconds (best of 7.5 and worst of 7.8 ) with probably 100 pounds of stuff in the trunk, 60 degrees out, no wheelspin, and pretty slow shifts. I shifted at 6k rpm and stopped time with the speedo at about 62ish to compensate for inaccuracy. The small case diff is making me a wee bit nervous, and I don't want to kill it.

3k to 6k rpm in third is consistently 7.3 seconds, and boost doesn't drop off at all, all the way up through 6500 revs :)

[gearheadE30]

email sent with the msq. If anyone else wants a baseline to start from, just let me know :). I also have NA tunes.

[nuvolarossa]

hi gearheade30, remember about those msq. I pmed you in that other m42 forum.

I'm writing here to say that it's a nice build (and to remember you what I wrote above :D )

thanks

[Vtec?lol]

Very clean and professional. Love it.

[gearheadE30]

Updates!!

replaced all of the crappy rubber IC couplings with black silicone ones, and replaced almost all of the crappy hose clamps with t-clamps. Yay, no more blowing charge pipes!! Also finished the e36 washer fluid reservoir install and wiring, circulated the turbo vent to the dipstick tube because under high oil pressure it was filling the catch can pretty darn quickly. Got a brand new LC1 free of charge, so that is finally installed and I can tune again. Installed heat shields on the ABS wire and AC lines that run near the turbo, and installed one of those turbo socks. I drove the car pretty hard up to Purdue and within 10 minutes I could touch the turbo sock. It has reduced my underhood temps by easily 20 degrees. Also re-did the wiring for the gauge backlights and the LC1 because it looked a bit too hacked-in for my taste. The pipe from the manifold to the WG is also wrapped now. Time for the fun (driving and tuning) to start :)

[blunttech]

this looks awesome. Nice power and retain the nimble feel of the 318is. Good work

[gearheadE30]

DJ-the extra piping around the turbo is because of the drain setup. The bung in the oil pan is lower than the oil level, so I had to run another hose to vent the drain. Now I just need some way to restrict it....

e30guy-yeah, its a lot easier to keep going once you've started back up on it. Honestly, after getting at all put on, I really wanted a break from working on it, because it was sucking up all my time. Now I've had that break, and I'm ready to jump back in haha.

Harv-I do have an oil restrictor. The feed bung on the top of the turbo has one built in; maybe 1.5mm diameter or thereabouts.

Yeah, I know about the oil drain deal. Eventually I may move it, but with the location of the turbo and such, there just wasn't another feasible option. According to people I've spoken with, the vent should get the job done.

the manifold is a custom piece that someone else had done up in Canada. It was a part of the 'kit' that I bought that sparked this whole project, and probably cost more to make than I paid for the kit haha.

[harv]

Nice job!

You need a restricter in the oil feed line. Unrestricted oil flow from a line that big will be way too much oil psi in the turbo and the seals can't handle that much.

And I'm sure you know to make sure the drain is above the oil level.

Who's turbo manifold is that again?

John

[e30guydownunder]

Great work man, glad your getting so close. I need to get stuck into mine again, sump is about ~90% mocked up!

[MR E30 325is]

Very clean install.

I am sure you have more power than a swapped E30, and it probably feels better too!

[Dj Buttchug]

[QUOTE= Why do you think it's water cooled?[/QUOTE]

Just wasnt sure if you had coolant lines cause its hard to see in the pics. Its obvious main oil up top but some turbo apps run coolant lines underneath piping ect which makes it hard to see.

Looks nice and clean tho!!

[gearheadE30]

e304me-yeah, good point haha. Turbos do add a lot of weight though, but in all honesy, I can't feel it. It might understeer a tiny, tiny bit more than it used to, but it's hard to tell and I haven't really driven it that hard yet.

DJ-no, definiely just oil cooled/lubricated. Why do you think it's water cooled?