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General Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: jfrabat on August 18, 2010, 12:10:07 PM

Title: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: jfrabat on August 18, 2010, 12:10:07 PM
OK, so I am now seriously considering this, and would like some opinions.

First of, if I run 6~8 lbs of boost, how will the AX-5 and the D35 hold up with 33's?

Also, will my current 19# injectors work with the turbo, or will I need new ones?  Keep in mind I have an adjustable FPR already in place, and it's set for 46 PSI IIRC (Sharp, it was 46, right?  The Jeep is in Panama and I am in Costa Rica, so it's a bit hard to check right now...)

Other than the turbo, intercooler and Split second controller, are there any other parts (not accounting for plumbing and such) that I'll need?
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: neale_rs on August 18, 2010, 12:27:40 PM
Your D35 with alloy shafts will most likely hold up just as well as it does now.  This is because in your wheeling environment the torque load on the axle is limited by the mud (lack of traction) more than by the engine torque.  For rock crawling it might be different although at low speeds the turbo might not be doing much anyway.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: sharpxmen on August 18, 2010, 01:01:36 PM
yes, your AFPR was preset to 46psi
your 19# injectors will not be enough, for 8psi of boost you will need  27lb/hr at a minimum, i would say 30 lb/hr is a fair estimate (you can tune it with the AFR for more or less fuel).

You will need a way to tune your engine, a wideband O2 and an rpm logger (if you can one that has both then you save some money) and also you might consider either a programmable O2 sensor (like the innovate one, which is also wideband and can log your AFR) or a signal modifier/enricher for your O2 so you can alter the O2 output based on boost - i would maybe call SSecond and ask them if they have a unit that does both (alter/program the MAP output and also alter the O2 output) - you want to be above 14.7AFR when in boost but unless you use something like i just mentioned you can't really fight the PCM in closed loop. I would also look at AEM FI/C unit, i think that has these features built-in, i came across it after i bought my split second unit.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: RT on August 18, 2010, 04:36:21 PM
the d35 should be ok, but they stopped using the ax5 in jeep models with larger, more powerful engines because it has a bad habit of ripping itself apart even when running with a larger (4.0, 4.2) stock powerplant. It's a 'lighter' duty transmission being used in a 4x4 truck. IMHO I'd upgrade it because unless you baby the hell out of it you'll probably break it.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: jfrabat on August 18, 2010, 05:03:42 PM
Your D35 with alloy shafts will most likely hold up just as well as it does now.  This is because in your wheeling environment the torque load on the axle is limited by the mud (lack of traction) more than by the engine torque.  For rock crawling it might be different although at low speeds the turbo might not be doing much anyway.

Yeah, in my case, I need wheel speed, which means higher RPM's, so the turbo would work for my type of wheeling (not sure it would be a good idea for rockcrawliing) as well as for highway use (it IS 600 miles between Panama and San José!).


yes, your AFPR was preset to 46psi
your 19# injectors will not be enough, for 8psi of boost you will need  27lb/hr at a minimum, i would say 30 lb/hr is a fair estimate (you can tune it with the AFR for more or less fuel).

You will need a way to tune your engine, a wideband O2 and an rpm logger (if you can one that has both then you save some money) and also you might consider either a programmable O2 sensor (like the innovate one, which is also wideband and can log your AFR) or a signal modifier/enricher for your O2 so you can alter the O2 output based on boost - i would maybe call SSecond and ask them if they have a unit that does both (alter/program the MAP output and also alter the O2 output) - you want to be above 14.7AFR when in boost but unless you use something like i just mentioned you can't really fight the PCM in closed loop. I would also look at AEM FI/C unit, i think that has these features built-in, i came across it after i bought my split second unit.

So new injectors and a piggy back ECU; got it.  Now I will start quoting this...

the d35 should be ok, but they stopped using the ax5 in jeep models with larger, more powerful engines because it has a bad habit of ripping itself apart even when running with a larger (4.0, 4.2) stock powerplant. It's a 'lighter' duty transmission being used in a 4x4 truck. IMHO I'd upgrade it because unless you baby the hell out of it you'll probably break it.

That's the part that worries me; if I need to put in a new tranny, the cost will go much higher, and I am not quite sure I can afford it...
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: sharpxmen on August 18, 2010, 06:16:39 PM
i keep making this error over and over - i said "you want to be above 14.7 AFR when in boost" but i meant below - i was thinking "above" as in more fuel than when not in boost, anyway to make it simple you want to be richer than 14.7, that is too lean when you're in boost.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: RT on August 18, 2010, 06:24:48 PM
Yeah, in my case, I need wheel speed, which means higher RPM's, so the turbo would work for my type of wheeling (not sure it would be a good idea for rockcrawliing) as well as for highway use (it IS 600 miles between Panama and San José!).


So new injectors and a piggy back ECU; got it.  Now I will start quoting this...

That's the part that worries me; if I need to put in a new tranny, the cost will go much higher, and I am not quite sure I can afford it...

I think they make a kit to strengthen the ax5, i'm not sure though...
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: sharpxmen on August 18, 2010, 07:20:15 PM
i don't think the turbo will brake the AX-5 any sooner than w/o it unless you drop the clutch on it - will most likely fail at some point either way. In my case 1 synchro went out, i could still drive it no problem just had to shift more carefully in 3rd. I had no problems with 5th as most reported that to be a weak link, but i have to admit i didn't use it too much.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: Torch_Ind on August 18, 2010, 07:47:54 PM
I have blown fifth just cruising down the highway lol.. was driving then all of a sudden and rotational crunch crunch crunch went to 4th silent went back to fifth crunch crunch crunch hummm going back to 4th silent humm guess were driving home in 4th lol

Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: RT on August 18, 2010, 11:18:08 PM
mines just straight noisy, but i also have standard gl5 oil in it so that could be it
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: sharpxmen on August 18, 2010, 11:35:29 PM
I have blown fifth just cruising down the highway lol.. was driving then all of a sudden and rotational crunch crunch crunch went to 4th silent went back to fifth crunch crunch crunch hummm going back to 4th silent humm guess were driving home in 4th lol

you just need bigger tires, that way 5th will last forever...
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: RT on August 19, 2010, 11:50:52 AM
you just need bigger tires, that way 5th will last forever...

i like the way you think...
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: Jeffy on August 19, 2010, 12:54:47 PM
The 5th gear issue has a simple solution, don't downshift from 5th and you shouldn't have this problem.  And if you do be sure to rev-match.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: sharpxmen on August 19, 2010, 12:58:20 PM
The 5th gear issue has a simple solution, don't downshift from 5th and you shouldn't have this problem.  And if you do be sure to rev-match.

why would downshifting to 4th would be affecting 5th? not sure how that works (i don't understand the mechanics behind it)
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: Torch_Ind on August 19, 2010, 04:25:39 PM
mine was just cruising in 5th I had been in fifth for probably a hour or so when it just spit chunks!
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: Jeffy on August 19, 2010, 05:39:55 PM
why would downshifting to 4th would be affecting 5th? not sure how that works (i don't understand the mechanics behind it)
The problem has to do with the retaining ring that hold 5th gear on the shaft.  The gears are made with a helical cut and the forces applied to the gear change when in motion.  When the engine is driving the gears it pulls the gear into the next.  When downshifting the forces applied changes and the gear move in the opposite direction which puts more stress on the ring and causes it to rotate and chew off some splines.  When it chews enough metal, the retainer rotates and falls off.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: Tsd on August 19, 2010, 06:07:02 PM
What are the benefits of a turbocharger over a supercharger? I mean, which one is better for our 4bangers and why?
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: Jeffy on August 19, 2010, 06:29:13 PM
What are the benefits of a turbocharger over a supercharger? I mean, which one is better for our 4bangers and why?
It depends on what you want to do really.  In short, a root supercharger will make power very low and continue up the RPM range.  Centrifugal are a bit more bell-shaped, like a turbo.  Superchargers are usually belt driven and rely on the engine's power to turn it.  A turbo requires a lot more piping as it relies on exhaust pressure to turn it.  This also means you will need to shield other parts from the heat as well.  Unlike the supercharger the turbo uses free energy though.  Superchargers can use up to 1/3 the power the engine produces.

For a 2.5L, a centrifugal SC or turbo would drive like normal at low RPM's.  Once you get the engine up to speed, usually around 3500RPM or so then you'll get boost.  The 2.5L makes enough low-end torque so as not to feel too anemic when you're not producing boost.

Other then mounting and piping, you'll still have to deal with the same boost and fuel requirements.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: sharpxmen on August 20, 2010, 12:00:49 AM
It depends on what you want to do really.  In short, a root supercharger will make power very low and continue up the RPM range.  Centrifugal are a bit more bell-shaped, like a turbo.  Superchargers are usually belt driven and rely on the engine's power to turn it.  A turbo requires a lot more piping as it relies on exhaust pressure to turn it.  This also means you will need to shield other parts from the heat as well.  Unlike the supercharger the turbo uses free energy though.  Superchargers can use up to 1/3 the power the engine produces.

For a 2.5L, a centrifugal SC or turbo would drive like normal at low RPM's.  Once you get the engine up to speed, usually around 3500RPM or so then you'll get boost.  The 2.5L makes enough low-end torque so as not to feel too anemic when you're not producing boost.

Other then mounting and piping, you'll still have to deal with the same boost and fuel requirements.

actually both the turbo and the s/c use the same amount of power (or very close) - if you look at the BSFC rating for both is about the same (that's the actual efficiency of the engine, how much HP produces per quantity of fuel used). I am not talking roots supercharger but screw supercharger which is lot more efficient than the roots. A good approximation is 0.5 BSFC for normally aspirated and 0.6 for supercharged or turbo, i think the Jeep comes to something like 0.47 for n/a and 0.57 for a well tuned forced induction - that means about 20% loss in efficiency but that is only when you actually are in boost. It is also related to how you size the supercharger (and the pulley ratio) or the turbines in the other case. Also you have to consider that you are not in boost all the time, even with a supercharger if you don't open the throttle your bypass valve will stay open so there will be lot less loss in the unit as it will free spin and not produce boost. In many places you'll find supercharged engines rated at a BSFC of 0.55 to 0.60 and turbocharged at 0.60 to 0.65 (which would tell you the turbo is actually less efficient) - but bsfc is very much related to engine load, so while the turbo is actually acting as a constant restriction in the exhaust even at a low engine load the supercharger will free spin when the MAP reading is below the atmospheric pressure, but at a various loads the BSFC is also different so those numbers are just an approximation at the RPM, throttle position and boost where your engine produces the peak power.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: jfrabat on August 21, 2010, 01:48:19 PM
I have blown fifth just cruising down the highway lol.. was driving then all of a sudden and rotational crunch crunch crunch went to 4th silent went back to fifth crunch crunch crunch hummm going back to 4th silent humm guess were driving home in 4th lol

Mine already has that crunch crunch crunch issue...  I may just go to an AX15 (if I can scavange the parts) and call it good.

Oh, and the reasons for me to go to turbo instead of SC is that (1) it would be cheaper to find a used turbo and pipe the whole thing than it would to either buy or manufacture a SC kit (like Sharp is doing; by the way, Sharp, how's taht project going?), and parts would be easier to find for a turbo down here than they would be for a SC (import duties here in Costa Rica are DIDICULOUS!  sp?).  But I would want my boost to start before 3500 RPM.  I would like to start having SOME boost at around 2,000 RPM, as the jeep rarely gets up to 4500 RPM, and typically cruises at 2500~3000 RPM's.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: RT on August 21, 2010, 02:08:08 PM
jfrabat, what gears do you have?
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: jfrabat on August 21, 2010, 02:51:29 PM
jfrabat, what gears do you have?

4,88
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: RT on August 21, 2010, 04:32:22 PM
how long has it been since your last rebuild? because depending on how tired your motor is you could blow it up with a turbo....I could be retarded here but if you have a high mileage motor (without rebuild) I'd stay away from a tc or sc IMHO. But i'm also kind of a noob so idk
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: RT on August 21, 2010, 04:35:17 PM
http://www.novak-adapt.com/catalog/kit_b150gm.htm heres a tranny kit that could help you btw
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: sharpxmen on August 22, 2010, 07:05:25 AM
Mine already has that crunch crunch crunch issue...  I may just go to an AX15 (if I can scavange the parts) and call it good.

Oh, and the reasons for me to go to turbo instead of SC is that (1) it would be cheaper to find a used turbo and pipe the whole thing than it would to either buy or manufacture a SC kit (like Sharp is doing; by the way, Sharp, how's taht project going?), and parts would be easier to find for a turbo down here than they would be for a SC (import duties here in Costa Rica are DIDICULOUS!  sp?).  But I would want my boost to start before 3500 RPM.  I would like to start having SOME boost at around 2,000 RPM, as the jeep rarely gets up to 4500 RPM, and typically cruises at 2500~3000 RPM's.

that project is on hold until i get the Jeep on it's wheels - had some other priorities so the Jeep has to wait for now.

yes, a turbo will be easier to put together, not sure if cheaper but less hassle + you have an A/C so that kind of takes away some of the mounting option. You'll get boost at 2000 like you want so that should cover your requirements, response will be a bit slower at that rpm but once the turbine gets enough spin you'll have boost.

Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: Jeffy on August 22, 2010, 01:05:24 PM
that project is on hold until i get the Jeep on it's wheels - had some other priorities so the Jeep has to wait for now.

yes, a turbo will be easier to put together, not sure if cheaper but less hassle + you have an A/C so that kind of takes away some of the mounting option. You'll get boost at 2000 like you want so that should cover your requirements, response will be a bit slower at that rpm but once the turbine gets enough spin you'll have boost.


If he went with a Centrifugal he could mount it outside the AC unit.  Even with a roots type he could still mount it like that as well, like how my York is mounted.  I don't really think it will be much cheaper unless you're lucky and find a turbo that doesn't need to be rebuilt.  Or else you'll be rebuilding it afterward in which case you'll still want to leave some money for that.   Unless you have a tube bender, you'll have to source that out as well.

The only problem I see with setting the boost so low is that it's going to be spooling up and dumping a lot more often as you'll be shifting pretty close to that in every gear.  Keep in mind most OEM applications start around 32-3600 RPM.  I think if you're wanting to be boosting that low you would be better off with a SC.

Also don't expect to get one out of a Neon SRT or a PT Cruiser GT as they are integrated into the manifold.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: jfrabat on August 23, 2010, 12:23:54 PM
how long has it been since your last rebuild? because depending on how tired your motor is you could blow it up with a turbo....I could be retarded here but if you have a high mileage motor (without rebuild) I'd stay away from a tc or sc IMHO. But i'm also kind of a noob so idk

Engine has about 130K miles on it, but compression is fine (this is where there could be a problem if you put a trubo on it), so I am not worried about this blowing up on my face.

If he went with a Centrifugal he could mount it outside the AC unit.  Even with a roots type he could still mount it like that as well, like how my York is mounted.  I don't really think it will be much cheaper unless you're lucky and find a turbo that doesn't need to be rebuilt.  Or else you'll be rebuilding it afterward in which case you'll still want to leave some money for that.   Unless you have a tube bender, you'll have to source that out as well.

The only problem I see with setting the boost so low is that it's going to be spooling up and dumping a lot more often as you'll be shifting pretty close to that in every gear.  Keep in mind most OEM applications start around 32-3600 RPM.  I think if you're wanting to be boosting that low you would be better off with a SC.

Also don't expect to get one out of a Neon SRT or a PT Cruiser GT as they are integrated into the manifold.

Keep in mind labor in CR is cheap, but parts are expensive.  Finding a used turbo in good working condition is also not that difficult, but finding a used SC is more rare (less cars here with SC vs turbo).  I

And I think I mis-explained myself; I want SOME boost at 2~2.5K, but not ALL boost at that range.  If boost starts out at 3,600 RPM, I have no use for it, as I rarely get  up there.  I would probably set MAX bost to around 5K (maybe a bit less), but I want to have some more power for cruising down the highway without havng to shift.

As for the trany, I doubt 5th will take the boost (it's already acting up in 5th; I already have that CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH sound when cruising in 5th), so I got to consider a tranny swap into the cost...  I am thinking a AX15 with the didge bellhousing, but I have not checked the ratios yet...
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: neale_rs on August 23, 2010, 01:01:05 PM
The AX 15 has a 3.83 first vs 3.93 in the AX5.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: Jeffy on August 23, 2010, 02:51:22 PM
As for the trany, I doubt 5th will take the boost (it's already acting up in 5th; I already have that CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH sound when cruising in 5th), so I got to consider a tranny swap into the cost...  I am thinking a AX15 with the didge bellhousing, but I have not checked the ratios yet...
The noise is usually associated with the upper rear driveshaft U-joint.  Grease it and see if it goes away.

I'd be sure to have the turbo rebuilt.  Check it for play in the bearings and make sure the veins are OK as a minimum.
Title: Re: Finally (seriously) considering turboing my 4-banger
Post by: jfrabat on August 25, 2010, 10:58:39 AM
The noise is usually associated with the upper rear driveshaft U-joint.  Grease it and see if it goes away.

I'd be sure to have the turbo rebuilt.  Check it for play in the bearings and make sure the veins are OK as a minimum.

I'll regrease it again, but I regreased all U-Joints when I had the Jeep in Costa Rica last time, and the noise was stilll there.