E30 325iX twincharged build

[Panici]

This dbw is only used as supercharger bypass, hence the performance of the flap affects the time it takes to reach most of the boost. I think it's quick enough for instant response feel, but surely I wouldn't mind if I could have gotten it faster.

Ah gotcha, thank you for the clarification.

[muuris]

I haven't come across this thread before, what a project!

Thanks!

[muuris]

Are you happy with the throttle body performance as it stands?
I personally am not a fan of any DBW vehicles that I have driven. That said, I have never played with a custom setup. I imagine you can get it dialed in to exactly how you want it.

Certainly opens up options to play with traction control, throttle kick for rotational idle, and ALS.

I wasn't too clear on my previous post about the that this dbw isn't the main (intake) throttle body, the standard M52 throttle body in still in the manifold. This dbw is only used as supercharger bypass, hence the performance of the flap affects the time it takes to reach most of the boost. I think it's quick enough for instant response feel, but surely I wouldn't mind if I could have gotten it faster.

[e30davie]

I haven't come across this thread before, what a project!

[Panici]

This would be controlled with Speeduino VVT output with slightly customized firmware to incorporate TPS value. After all the adjustments it takes ~160ms for tb to go from 100 % to 0 %.

Are you happy with the throttle body performance as it stands?
I personally am not a fan of any DBW vehicles that I have driven. That said, I have never played with a custom setup. I imagine you can get it dialed in to exactly how you want it.

Certainly opens up options to play with traction control, throttle kick for rotational idle, and ALS.

[muuris]

I made a larger breather hose fitting for the valve cover, ICV hose fitting for boost pipe, a small spacer for alternator pulley to fine-tune belt alignment:





The cut Eaton inlet pipe was fitted with a 3" curve:





Eaton outlet pipe was quite time-consuming, here it is almost finished. At this point I was going to use a Volvo 960 thottle body along with a VNT servo:




Exhaust manifold in place:





I welded intercooler brackets to the body and started to make boost pipes, but then I decided not to use Volvo tb, but a DBW from M54 instead. First some prototyping on a breadboard:




This would be controlled with Speeduino VVT output with slightly customized firmware to incorporate TPS value. The PCB and code took some time, I tried to make it in OEM-style so in startup it tests that the return spring is ok, uses both potentiometers, has a failsafe/limp mode control etc, and the control tries to avoid hitting mechanical stops. After all the adjustments it takes ~160ms for tb to go from 100 % to 0 %.

The DBW-tb was physically larger than the Volvo tb, so I had to filler weld the flange in boost pipe.
The enclosure was my first 3D-print, will do it's job:





Boost pipes almost done, all 3" except for the very first section after turbo:







Then some wiring changes to support alternator relocation, added PWM-fan, emp measurement etc:




A short video of the dbw testing in car:

[mikey.antonakakis]

I love it!

[muuris]

That is a fancy supercharger bracket, nice fab work!

I like your crank holding tool as well. When I made one I used a spare crank pulley.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f9e536ab_b.jpg

Thanks! If I had had a spare/broken harmonic balancer, I had propably done the same. Much less work :)

Very cool! Love seeing the microcontroller work! If you haven’t already seen it, I think you might find some aspects of
my build interesting. https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...r-87-325-sedan

Nice build! Got to read it more thorougly with some time.

Actually I do have some experience in VNT/VGT control with a microcontroller. In 2009 I built a diesel E32 with mercedes OM606 engine, it had GT37v in first iteration, controlled intially with oopic, then Arduino. Later I went to He351VE, with electro-pleumatic control. I also wrote a Windows app to do datalogging and change parameters. In final iteration it had 6-speed manual with conventional HX50-sized Master Power turbo @ ~450 hp/700 Nm.





Some things done with this:
I added some material for the exhaust manifold front heat shield to also cover 1. cyl runner. Exhaust manifold and heat shields were sand blasted and painted with black VHT. Other fabricated parts were also painted:





I didn't have original merc outlet pipe for the Eaton, so I had to make a flange for it. Before the forementioned E32 build I tried tuning M21 engine, and these plates are melted from the cylinder head of a failed one :D







I had intention to use the Eaton as is, and do the porting for it as a later upgrade. As it's already spring and this is late anyway, I decided to do the porting while I was on it. Before mods:





At first I was about to leave it here:





Then decided to do it all the way to the bolt holes (will be using shorter bolts with locktite):





I also enlarged and smoothened the intake side, but unfortunately don't have any decent pics of it.

Then I cut the merc intake pipe to take out the silencer, which is bit of a restrictor:





Silencer out. The cross-section here is equivalent to a 2,6 - 2,7" pipe:

[mikey.antonakakis]

Very cool! Love seeing the microcontroller work! If you haven’t already seen it, I think you might find some aspects of
my build interesting. https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...r-87-325-sedan

[Panici]

That is a fancy supercharger bracket, nice fab work!

I like your crank holding tool as well. When I made one I used a spare crank pulley.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f9e536ab_b.jpg

[muuris]

That is a serious project, props! Would love to see it in action.

Thanks!


This has had E34 140 A alternator previously, but now it'll be replaced by a smaller 70 A version from E36 316i compact. The size different isn't huge but just enough to squeeze it where I want to:






This means the serpentine belt route will be altered and will hence need two additional idler pulleys. At first I'll try the Eaton with just one eccentric pulley. The belt in pic is too long, will be shorter one:




I decided not to use exhaust manifold wrap or ceramic coating, but aluminium heat shielding instead. I only had 3 mm thick material laying around, so these are quite heavy duty :D Will be painted, not left shiny:




I needed to get the big crank bolt open for the turbo oil return so I made a crank locking tool. The first version wasn't too succesful as it bent badly (but managed to get the bolt open with it nevertheless):






Exhaust camshaft was swapped for a M50B25nv intake cam:




Turbo oil return into traditional place, but it had to be angled as the alternator is quite close to this:




Crank locking tool v2 (10 mm thick steel and some old halfshaft):








Next up is some paint for the fabricated parts and starting to put it together a bit so I can start making boost piping.

[gnmzl]

That is a serious project, props! Would love to see it in action.

[muuris]

Would you be willing to share the photo file you made for the boost gauge econometer overlay

Send me a pm.


For heat soak and packaging reasons I decided to switch to a plastic M52B28 manifold. The main reason I originally went for the aluminium plenum was the clearance issue with brake reservoir:

[/QUOTE]


I cut the original throttle cable mounts, swapped them 180° and also moved it further away from the throttle body. For this I also had to made a spacer/shaft extension parts for the throttle:




Next clearance issue was between throttle linkage and brake booster vacuum connector/check valve. Made a custom connector for booster so that the check valve will be attached on the hose:




Brake reservoir was remotely located with mainly 2002 parts and so the M52 manifold and tb had room to go in:




I was planning to install Eaton M62 in place of the original AC compressor but unfortunately there just isn't enough space in the iX. It would be possible only if engine mount would be relocated in the front subframe but this was out of the question for me. So the plan became swapping alternator into AC compressor location and installing SC in the alternator location. The bad thing about this is that plumbing SC with intercooler isn't really feasable, but I'm using E85 and the use of SC is only very momentary.

One day of playing with a spirit level and a laser and now I have bracket to mount Eaton in place:

[Panici]

Love this build! Custom electronics mixed with E30 are my kind of thing!

Would you be willing to share the photo file you made for the boost gauge econometer overlay? I'm wanting to do something similar to mine, although will likely develop a different electronic solution then you are using.

[muuris]

Turbo exhaust manifold sketched:




..and fabricated:








This took quite a bit of time, not only as exhaust manifolds usually do, but this was also my first tig-welding thingie. Wastegate pipes come to a flange and both channels are divided all the way to the valve face. I also added 6x EGT probe bungs and 2x EMP bungs. It is quite a tight fit to get the manifold in place, as M50 tilt angle, big iX front shock towers and front drive shaft are all on the way.


Also made a timelapse video of the manifold fabrication: