[HondaH8er]

OK, I found a stock WRX turbo on eBay that was removed after 8k miles for an upgrade, so this turbo is like new almost. So I threw a really low bid on it, and I guess it slipped through the cracks, and now I have a WRX turbo and no idea what to do with it! Anybody know of someplace that sells up/down pipes that work with the stock RS header, or do I need to get that custom made? I have no friggin' idea what I'm doing, as I thought for sure I would get badly outbid! Is this even worth persuing, or should I save my money for Templars SC kit, or what? I'm very confused right now, never dealt with anything turbo'd before, so this is all new territory for me.

 

[akcel]

pm subachad...or go to his site..theres a link on the main page..great guy can help you very much. me makes up n down pipes for ihi turbos

 

[HondaH8er]

pm subachad...or go to his site..theres a link on the main page..great guy can help you very much. me makes up n down pipes for ihi turbos

:lol:
That's almost the exact same responce I got on the I-Club when I posted the same topic! Here's what STiTuner said:

talk to subachad

he makes up/down pipes that will work for you.

Brad

I pm'd him, and got a responce with links and info, plus, he lives in the same city as me! Might have to hook up with him at some point in the future.

 

[HondaH8er]

Well, doesn't anyone over here have some input on this? Damg, seems like ya'll hate the I-Club, but so far, that's the place I've gotten the most info on this subject. Anyone have something, anything?

 

[RS25.com]

Well, with the stock WRX turbo that really is one of the best and easiest routes to follow. I personally had (originally) intended on going the Legacy turbo route (crossmember, headers, up pipe, down pipe, exhaust, IC, all that) but realized that there is WAY too much work involved to do that, and the gains are not much IMO.

So, my future plans are ALSO :lol: to get the up and down pipes from Chad.

 

[N/A]

Well wish I could help you out but I gave in and bought the turbo kit from Shiv off of his project RS. I'd have to assume that you'll need a boost controller, better fuel pump, piping, fuel management and hopefully some timing management. A better exhaust then the stock setup would be a good idea as well. Are you looking to just toss a turbo at your car and run low boost (under 5lbs) or looking for something more?

 

[Graham]

The amount of responses you have gotten on i-club.com should surely suffice, what more do you want to know?

There are several routes you can go, and they're all posted at one time or another, you just gotta read man.

I'm happy to help, but what do you want to know specifically?

My RS-T is currently running a custom Legacy setup at 4 psi. I had to change the crossmember, water pump, using a Legacy uppipe, WRX downpipe and full exhaust, Legacy turbo, RRFPR. My car runs really well.

Graham

 

[HondaH8er]

It's just that there are people here that don't go to I-Club, and the more ideas I can get, especially from people who have done this, the better. I'm looking at 5-6 psi max on this system. I have a Vortech 6:1 FMU on the way, and the TD04H WRX turbo (I know, not the best turbo for a 2.5L, but it's what I have to work with for now, and I can upgrade it later). I'm planning on putting an IC on, preferably a TMIC, especially if I can find a used WRX IC for a good price. Anyways, here are some specific questions I don't have answers for yet:

Do you need a boost controller and a wastegate, or do they both do the same job? And should I just get a lower-pressure internal wastegate for the turbo, or should I go with a seperate external wastegate? If I need a boost controller, should it be manual or electronic? Does the stock fuel pump need to be upgraded, and if so, what should I look for in a new one? Why did you replace the water pump, Graham? Is that something I will need to do also? I already have a Stromung axel-back exhaust, will that work for now, or should try to do the whole exhaust at the same time?

Remember, I'm trying to keep the costs of this system low, but if I need something expensive that will help the kit run safer, I'll get it. Anyways, thanks in advance for all the help, I really appreciate it!

 

[N/A]

I take it then the turbo that you got is an internal wastegate setup? They aren't the best setup as they cause some turbulance due to the design of the exhaust housing and flapper door. Some cars also use a terrible stock piping (like the RX7) that makes the exhaust from the wastegate make some sharp turns before it enters the flow of exhaust coming out of the rest of the housing. If its a internal wastegate with a bolt on actuator then you will still want a boost controller as well as the option to upgrade the actuator at some point with a HIS unit that is built with a much stronger internal diaphram. If you got a turbo that is a external wastegate then you can upgrade it as well to a Tial or some other company. The fuel pump and a better regulator is a good idea so that you can taper up the fuel pressure when the car is under boost so that the pressure is more constant on the injectors.

 

[HondaH8er]

Yeah, this turbo is the stock WRX turbo, with an internal wastegate. I don't have the unit just yet, so I don't know exactly how it's all put together, but I'd rather get a new internal wastegate for now, and once I get everything together, I can start saving for a VF22 or T3/T4 with external wastegate. But since I have the TD04, I'm going to start there. So for a boost controller, there are some fairly cheap manual ones that work really well, aren't there? I'll run a search on that, I know it's been covered before, including how to make one yourself. Or is a MBC not the best/safest way to go? Remember, I wat this system to be inexpensive, but relaible, too. Thanks for the input, I appreciate everything, as I'm just starting on the turbo path for the first time ever!

 

[Graham]

You definetly need to upgrade your fuel pump. Walbro is the pump I am using (at 4 psi) and its a high pressure unit. This will supply PLENTY of fuel for the extra air the turbo is creating.

I am also using a Stromung axle-back muffler. I had this before my setup went on and loved the sound and didn't want to change it. So, I bought a WRX downpipe, midpipe, and rear section (no muffler) for 100 bucks and it works great. This will fit onto the RS, though the flanges for the Stromung and the WRX rear section will have to be mated, and your front O2 sensor will need to be placed BEFORE the cat in the downpipe. Your rear O2 will screw into the WRX rear bung perfectly. It works so well I didn't get a check engine light. The front one will have to be welded in.

I am running the internal wastegate on my Legacy turbo right now and it works great. Just remember, the more you can do before you put the turbo on, the better. If you can, spend the 300 on the Tial external and have it fabricated onto your uppipe and downpipes. The WRX turbo your ordered right now is going to spill its guts at 8 psi, much more than you want. If you use and external unit, you will need to have the wastegate gate on the turbo welded shut, to make it inactive, on top of removing the whole wastegate assembely. Most MBC's have proven unrealiable, due to the fact that theey tend to spike and blow engines. There is one that seems to be safe, Subachad uses one on his 1.8-T. Its called a Dawes Device boost controller and its like 35 bucks. This will overide the internal wastegate.

Boost controllers and wategates do the same job, just differently. The four options you have is a MBC, EBC, internal, or external. I personally trust the external wastegate over all, but thats just me. Definetly buy the TIAL unit, its the best.

As far as getting a lower pressure spring for the internal wastegate, please tell where you found one if you decide on one. I think thats a good, cheap option, and something I would do myself if I knew where to buy one. I haven't really looked though, and I'm not sure if one from a Garret turbo can be used on IHI turbo.

Graham

 

[sub-sonic]

Lots of WRX owner are changing their up and down pipes with non-cat types. Thats good because you can use these unwanted parts. Go back to I- club and post a wanted list. I'm assuming that they will sell them cheap (or even free). The best thing about this is you know they are going fo fit right. The only problem is that you can't use a used intercooler from the WRX (i may be wrong). The RS' throttle body is slightly closer to the firewall than that of WRX. I suggest to use a front mount Intercooler- not only looks better but also serves as boost 'reducer' due to the lengthy pipings. You see, the 10:1 compression on the EJ25 hates any additional help on breathing. I know a guy that cracked his pistons @10psi. A good management system is a must as well as higher pressure FP. Some guys already posted this information. Now you also going to need the exhaust manifold and cross-pipe to feed your turbo. Now that we have some ideas on mounting that turbo, we now need to lubricate and cool it. Unfortunately the sohc heads do not have the holes for your banjo fittings on that stock turbo. Worry not- iSR (www.iSR.com) carries the plumbings and fittings for this contraptions. So the buttom line is money- you need to spend more than what you paid for the turbo, but in the end... your going to smile from ear to ear when you hear that BOV coming from your beautiful RS.
Good luck!:happynow: :happynow: :happynow:

 

[Graham]

For the cooling part I tapped mz heater core lines. This is an excellent option, and one that many turbo owners do. All you need to do is buy some brass fittings and some heater line. Then, (there are two lines, one IN line and one OUT from the heater core) tap each line, one to the turbo IN, and run the other to the turbo OUT outlet. Its simple.

If you buy Subachads uppipes, you will not need new exhaust manifolds (headers), as they simply bolt to the end of the stock headers. If you use the Legacy uppipe, you will need Legacy exhaust manifolds, which will then require the Legacy crossmember.

The FMIC will not be necessary for your application. A WRX TMIC will fit, with slight modification. If you take it to any fabcrication shop they will probably make it look really nice and mounted for $100 or so, much cheaper than a FMIC. Other options are finding a used Spearco TMIC or any other used unit.

Oil feed and return lines can be supplied by iSR as mentioned above.

Graham

 

[HondaH8er]

There have been a couple of people who have gotten the WRX TMIC to fit with out any mocification, and others have had to have the TB or manifold machined down a little bit to make it fit. Guess it all depends on the car. I'm planning on getting subachads up/down pipes, as I don't want to get into the whole new header/crossmember thng. Besides, I don't want the uppipe with a cat from the WRX, too much resistance. Anyways, I also plan on getting the proECM, especially since it has a MAP voltage clamp built into it. At 5 psi, do I need any more management than this? Remember, I have a 2000, so an S-AFC won't work well, as the ECM will learn around it, and I don't want to do a reset every other week. Have a RRFPR, and looking to get a Walbro fuel pump to up the fuel delivery, so that's covered.

 

[Graham]

If you dont want the hastle, then stay away from the Legacy crossmember and other stuff. The WRX uppipe does have a cat, but the Legacy uppipe does NOT have a cat.

For 5 psi you will probably be fine with the ProECM chip, I think your timing and fuel curve will definetly be aided by it. The RRFPR regulator will work perfect for 5 psi, though if you want the utmost relibilty and most power then look into the programmable ECU´s. Once again, you need the fuel pump so stop saying you ´might´get it and just do it, alright?

Graham

 

[HondaH8er]

Yeah, I'm getting a fuel pump, by "might" in the last post, I meant the brand, not whether I would get one or not. But the Walbro seems to be a popular choice that works well, so I'll get to looking for one of those.

 

[subachad]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the comments. I've been tied up with projects lately.

HondaH8ter: don't forget the drag races at PIR this Friday, you can check out my setup if you like.

Now about the motor blowing up after 30k. That's more my fault. I had the original Midas pipes, no intercooler, 10psi spikes, in addition to moving to Vegas and enduring 115 degree heat. All of those contributed to the motor going. Now theres better pipes, an intercooler, an Rx7TT fuel pump, and a solid external wastegate that is constant at 6psi. The new motor has almost 30k and there is no smoke and no sign of detonation.

Thanks again,
Chad
93 1.8T

 

[Graham]

Lots of heat and no intercooler will do the job, Chads car is proof.

Like I said, if I could go back and do it again I would have bought Chad´s up and down pipes. The Legacy route is good, but just to much work underneath the car. Now the Legacy setp is designed for a turbo so I don´t if it gets better flow than the traditional uppipes that come in kits.

The Walbro is a good unit, I have one and it works fine. Back over on i-club blaster88 found the exact part numbers of the Walbro pumps that we use for the RS, so you might want to search for that over there. I beleive that there is a high pressure pump with 255LPH and another not so high pressure pump.

Graham

 

[HondaH8er]

subachad, I remember the drags on Friday, and I might be able to make it. Still shaking out my schedule, but I think it will work. Jaust can't stay too long, as I have to be at work at 7 the next morning. Oh, and I think I'll have some money for at least the uppipe pretty soon. That was the one you have now, right? Or was it the down you have, and will be able to make the other soon? Well, either way, I'll have the $ soon, so I'll get in contact with you if I don't make the drags.

Graham, thanks for that, I'll go over and look up those part numbers, sounds good. Now, how would the Walbro units compare to the RX7TT fuel pump? Better, worse, or not any difference for my use, performance wise?

 

[subachad]

I should have another up pipe ready to go next week. Just waiting on some flanges which are supposed to be ready Tuesday.

The down pipe is next Wednesdays project assuming I get the parts in. Still waiting for another turbo and 5 bolt flanges.

As for the Fuel Pump, go for the Walboro. The Rx7TT pump is a bit of a PITA to install.

Chad
93 1.8T