Another N/a To Turbo Conversion

[bentles]

Car started out as a 04 BA MKII Futura.

After doing lots of research while looking for parts, I realised a few weeks before easter 2009 that I had everything I needed, and the know how to start.

I got home from work friday night, started tearing into it. Bonnet off, bumper off, disconnect battery, remove airbox and intake piping, remove cat converter, exhaust manifold off, undid all plugs and looms for the inlet manifold, split in half using long 6mm allen key, removed manifold. Then onto the water lines took out radiator (upgrading to manual xr6t one) undo engine mounts, remove tail shaft, undo gearbox mounts and disconnect shifter cable, starter motor wiring etc and trans lines...

remove motor out through the top of the engine bay, and sit it on a tyre (or use a engine stand if u have one. start stripping the motor, heater lines off sump off coils out plugs out, now is a good time to paint stuff if you want (I couldnt be bothered). Then strip out the vac lines for the bbm controls, and there is also a vacuum tank in the guard rip all that out, remove the old PCM (use a hacksaw to cut grooves into the security screws)

That was pretty much the night done.

Got stuck into it the next day, gutted the butterflys out of the inlet manifold sealed up the hole where the shaft went for the butterflys, put the turbo sump on with new gasket, put the manifold back together bolted up the new heater pipes, bolted up both manifolds, oil supply and coolant to/from turbo pipes... I mounted my oil return later once motor was in because of earth strap/cooler piping being in the way. mount the cooler and mount the under battery pipe and piping etc. If you have a xr6 or a ute you should have the looms needed for the xr6t boost controls... there is a 3 pin plug near each headlight and a 2 pin plug on the shock tower near the oxy sensor loom for wastegate control solenoid. the other 2 3 pin plugs are for boost pressure sensor. If you don't have them get the plugs and there is a loom which connects the pcm's 3rd plug to the loom at the LH headlight. the wastegate control solenoid needs accesory power and needs to be jacked into a pin on plug B of the pcm. (look up workshop manual wiring diagrams if you need clarification.

Obviously you have to make the looms yourself if the car doesnt have the foglight loom fitted factory (na xr6's have it so do some xl utes ive seen.)

Fit 2bar xr6t map sensor to the inlet manifold using a plug end off a xr6t loom (or failing that nizpro make a converter loom for around the $55 or so mark im told)

Use xr6t spec spark plugs (I went for NGK iridium plugs similar to the ebay ones but I got them cheaper at my local parts store) refit coils and coil cover.

Refit engine and gearbox and mount your transcooler if you havent yet (you will destroy a 94le 4sp if you don't have an aftermarket trans cooler when u add boost haha)

Do up engine mounts (might need a cut down spanner for turbo side, I did) Inlet side is easy to get to. Fit oil return line if you havent yet, fit earth strap, all other wires etc hope you havent forgotten anything yet...

Refit all looms and fuel lines etc etc etc car wont run once everything is back together

Tow car to ford get a parameter reset done. car should now start with the new pcm. might be stuck in limp home mode this is because it will be throwing a code for faulty speed transducer... set the traction control to off, and then set speed input data to the IC to speedo only (2 settings for traction control both must be set to not enabled)

car should work now and drive good... I then got mine custom tuned

no exhaust visible.

The only problem ive encountered with the car was that it was overboosting which I thought was because of the catback and cooler I had on it, which turned out to not be the cause. Tried getting a custom tune at bluepower however they couldnt control boost at all. I thought I must have made a mistake with my wiring. Turns out when I was cleaning the turbo using mag wheel cleaner I must have got some into the wastegate diaphragm and it caused the rubber diaphragm to harden and crack resulting in no wastegate control.

Got the car home, turbo came off actuator changed, put back in and 3psi was held steady.

Went back into bluepower for a retune and more boost.

Once tuned made 236.3rwkw @ 7psi.

boost comes on slow and tapers off this was done on purpose by chris @ bluepower to preserve the life of everything(He is a legend in his own pajamas)

11,000km later and I haven't even had a single problem with the car reliability wise.

still running M78 3.27 single spinner, 94le trans, and na tail shaft and cv's.

This is my list that I've made up of how to do it. I tried being as detailed as I could but wasn't going to list every single bolt nut and washer or I'd be there all day haha.

xr6t heater pipe inlet and ex side 2x o rings for thermostat and waterpump

turbo radiator (manual radiator and aftermarket trans cooler)

intercooler (monza wog cooler)

stock hot side piping

stock cold side piping

xover pipe

stock bov

braided oil feed line with filter (or can use stock ford one) + banjo bolt filter setup if using stock line

oil return + both gaskets

water feed

water return

turbo sump

stock turbo

stock manifold

stock dump

stock cat

herrod twin 2.5" into single 3" over diff

xr6t ecu

boost pressure sensor

boost control solenoid

2bar xr6t map sensor

xr6t fuel reg

xr6t plugs

then for the heater pipes u need a new hose and t peice and cut into one of your pipes going to heater core cos they also plumb into the heater pipe on exh side

gut the bbm

use old oxy sensor (xr6t has diff part number... but that's just cos the wires are longer or shorter I forget which)

flash tuner - cos I was running aftermarket cooler exhaust and wanted more power (not 100% needed....)

wire for my looms, snipped plugs off mates na xr6, and plug for map sensor.

Thanks to BLUEPOWER RACING DEVELOPMENTS.

All other work was done in my garage by me and mates.

Edited 04/08/09 10:59 AM by bentles

[keaton185]

Can't believe noone has seen this yet.

Great write up dude.

I vote that it should be stickeyed, more detailed than our current one.

Good work!

[fordboy1981]

yeah, massive write up dude, GREAT JOB!

have you run it down the stripe yet?

[bentles]

nah not yet as I need an lsd bad lol... on the street trying hand brake launches stalling to just 5psi with tyres at 18psi they just bake.... lol

[fordboy1981]

haha, sounds fun

[turbotrana]

great detailed writeup

how much do you think you spent

[bentles]

Including the custom tune, flash 3, and some things I broke I reckon I spent around $5,500 give or take...

Considering I used a stainless steel catback, monza cooler, and got it flash tuned, also used stewart warner guages for boost and oil pressure, and got a oil filter sandwhich plate, changed the oil at the same time, turbo radiator, and also did a coolant flush....

If I did it again using only standard gear without a custom tune I could have had it done for around $3200 and then if I had of kept everything in good condition when taking out all the older stuff I could have sold for around another $500 in random parts etc..

[104ord]

unreal.. well done .. im tearin my motor out again in a month to add a few more goodies to my turbo set up.

[bentles]

hey mate did you end up putting that spooled diff in yours? how did it go?

hopefully ive got a f6 short motor going in soon, and then ill be adding a rapid v3 style setup using bits n peices n aiming for over 300 @ wheels, but that's a long way off yet...

[104ord]

hey mate did you end up putting that spooled diff in yours? how did it go?

hopefully ive got a f6 short motor going in soon, and then ill be adding a rapid v3 style setup using bits n peices n aiming for over 300 @ wheels, but that's a long way off yet...

not yet...ive still been driving her around abit swo im waiting till the new work ute arrives and then ill be pulling it off the road for a few months to do a bit of work to the suspension, diff, and internals... ill keep yall posted