Many people think of updating or adding a turbocharger to their car’s engine to achieve optimum power output and to achieve a better fuel economy. While the addition of a turbocharger is a good way to significantly improve a car’s performance, installing it is hard and often requires professional help. You may either struggle in the placement of the turbo inlet or get stuck at the correct installation of turbo flange, which is a crucial element in the working of a turbocharger.
To help you properly install a turbocharger in your car, we have compiled a few steps that can make your work less troublesome. Let’s get started!
Things you need:
- A non-turbo car
- A turbo kit
- Turbo manifold
- Intercooler
- Piping
- Water and oil lines,
- Dump pipe
- Exhaust and
- ECU to run it all
Installing intake manifold
Turbocharger utilizes exhaust gas to pressurize the intake. Therefore, everything before the intake manifold has to be replaced. One of the trickiest elements is the exhaust manifold. You can either manufacture it yourself or buy a premade one; however, beware of the cheap thin wall manifolds as they can crack. In some cases, they can even send potentially dangerous welds down through the turbo, which can wreak havoc on the engine.
Rotate the turbo
The next step is the rotation of turbo so that the inlet and outlet are oriented properly for the engine and ease of pipe work, which is usually made of stainless steel bands.
Installation of intercooler
Whether you are using a new intercooler or reusing an old one, make sure you properly install it to cool down the compressed air.
Install the dump pipe
The spent exhaust gases need to be thrown out of the back of the turbo and into the exhaust. This is why a dump pipe made from stainless steel needs to be connected to the engine’s exhaust system.
Lubrication
The turbine spins super fast and requires oil to lubricate the bearings in between the exhaust housings and compressor. To do this, create or fabricate a tap in your car's oil filter line and connect it to the turbo’s oil feed line while also connecting the oil return line to the engine oil pan.
Cooling down the turbo
A turbo spinning at supersonic speed creates a lot of heat and needs to be cooled down, which is where water comes into the picture. It can be drained from either side of the water pump for its feed line and return line. You can also use the heater hoses to feed water.
Install a bigger injector
Extra air in the combustion chamber means more fuel usage. The built-in fuel injector may run out of fuel flow, which is why installing a bigger fuel injector is a good idea. Also, an upgraded fuel pump supplies better fuel pressure and flow to address the needs of the new injector.
Install the ECU
An after-market ECU enables you to observe positive pressure inside the car’s engine. You can either go full standalone or utilize a piggyback ECU that retains a few of the factory ECU functions. ECUs require sensors to map air and water temperature along with rpm and manifold pressure. You can use some of the factory sensors but you may need to install an intake air temperature sensor to precisely measure the temperature and density of the air entering inside the engine after being pressurized by the turbo and cooled by the intercooler.
In a nutshell
After you have connected the ECU and all the water pipes, dump pipes to the engine, and installed T6 turbo flange (if you have T6 turbo), you are ready to hit the road again with more horsepower and better driving experience.
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