Turbo Build Questions Beginner?

Question

I have a B18a1 in a 1992 acura integra
and was planing in boosting it with stock internals all around .
Need a how to .. in build a kit for the car
i know i need to do a compression test to see if its in good health .
engine overall has 120xxx miles .
i am a beginner into the whole scene and i am still learning .
i would like to build a mild build nothing aggressive pulling major numbers of hp .
i don't want cheap turbo kit either but not an expensive one either
mild range price under 2 grand ?
i would appreciate if u would help me out pick the build parts and average price for each and where to get online if at good price
re manufactured turbo is also good ?
Lists of all parts is a must simply because i am new * * * * * *
i am asking this question because i dont know every thing or act like i do and need answers
i have done research but i need a straight forward answer .
thanks for read and highly appreciate answers !

Answer 1

I understand what it is you want to do, and why you want to do it, the problem you have is that your half assed way of going about it is going to have you parked in the driveway in a destroyed engine in a big puddle of oil IF YOU ARE LUCKY. HONESTLY as the other answerer said theree is a right way and a wrong way and since you have absolutely no clue because you have no experience you need to get a job in a performance shop first and spend time learning to do what it is you want to do safetly and correctly.

You cannot put a turbo on any engine with 120,000 miles. that is asking for an explosion. The engine needs to be rebuilt with stronger internals and a TRANSMISSION that can handle the extra power at the same time.

A turbo puts huge stress on a motor anytime you plan to force huge quantities of air in one end it needs to be strong enough to hold up until it makes it out the other end. Because things do happen, missed shifts, late shifts, excited shifts from the human errror side of the equation you must overbuild the strength of the engine for this to work. I wish you all the best, but you need a lot more information and a lot more expertise to do this right and get your car to run the way that you want it to.

Answer 2

There are whole books written on the subject and if you search for forums no doubt there is help there too for your specific make. The problems boil down to charged air management, fuel management and ignition management.

Air management includes inter coolers, boost control and blow off venting. Many turbo's can be found with integrated waste gates (these prevent over boosting). For most cars to work right in the throttle off position the BOV needs to be piped back into the intake system after the air flow sensor and before the turbo charger (this is to keep the engine running and prevent back spin of the compressor). Inter coolers are suggested for boosts greater the 7 psi.

Stock injectors can only handle so much flow, and engine management systems can only accurately control a set size of injectors. Fuel pressure can be used to increase the flow to a point. So the right size injectors needs to be found for the boost you want to run and that may not be possible with out using a different engine management system.

The Engine management system needs to be tricked into operating the ignition curve to accommodate the increased air pressure. Different tricks and add ons are used. Some ignitions can use a piggy back unit and others need to be replaced with something like Mega Squirt. I mention Mega Squirt because it is public domain and can be made in a home shop as well as being programmable using most lap tops.

I prefer the TD series of turbo chargers. The original ones are made by Mitsubishi and found in a lot of cars. They are journal bearing in design so they do not need an oil flow restrictor. The draw back is that both cooling water and oil need to be provided (as well as drains/return lines). But they can be easily overhauled and modified to provide a desired boost flow curve.

For turbo selection, the flanges have to mate to the chosen header and down pipe. Some turbo chargers have make specific flanges and as a result few headers can be found to mate them. For example my TD05 started out as a Volvo turbo (12b) but with part interchanges it is now a TD05 14 ?. I use the ? mark because it has an integral BOV as well as waste gate but match's EVO piping. This was accomplished with using parts from three different Turbos.

I am sure you are no closer to understanding the true scope of the problem you are facing. So do some internet cruising and try to find sites that have the installation instructions for a complete kit. It will help you appreciate a off the shelf unit that might cost three grand but is all there. Just install in and go. It took me two years to identify what parts would work for my set up. That is two years I could have been enjoying driving my turbo set up instead of working out problems.

Answer 3

well have you considered the other options here i wonder with such a venture like the insurance issue of such a venture. the insurance premium will increase due to improved performance output.

making such adjustments is a risk as it means if the car is involved in an accident as a result of your stupidity and the insurance has not been paid to cover the performance issue they insurance company takes hike and then you will be prosecuted by the police for having no insurance on the car at the time of the accident.

so the best way is to buy a car with such equipment fitted at factory in the first place then the insurance will be the correct amount for such a tuned car.

but it will not be cheap and far less expense than any do it yourself issues. all round.