Hey guys...

ive been offered a turbo and intercooler real cheap off my mates sr20... i read in the faq/wiki that the haltech e6 was the ecu of choice.... i was just wondering if i could get the opinions of all the people who didnt write the faq/wiki? whats the best bang for buck cost-functionality-selfprogrammability wise? i was thinking of spending around $600 although i have heard of people gettin second hand ones off their mates for 100 bucks and a few beers.... anyone tried to re-program an ac-delco ecu out of a camira/commodore to use in a magna??


cheers,
rob

just to open up abit of a dialogue and for anyone whos never heard of the fabulous ac-delco ECUs heres a link: http://www.diy-efi.org/gmecm/ecm_info/1227808/ who can i get to do it first so i can just grab a copy of the memcal?

i think the biggest issue would be ease of wiring.

I assume you have worked out the cost of new exhaust and piping etc to get it bolted on.

AC Delco can be chipped and reprogrammed but you may find it hard to get re tuned. and the car will need a lot of wiring.

If i was you i'd look into a piggy back as it would be cheaper and you would only have to mod the fuel map, timing and use a boost controller with the piggy. it will also keep the cold start settings and run better with out too much dyno time. correct me if im wrong!

haltec make great products but i haven't looked at them lately. also consider wolf3d or as a piggy back use uni chip or a similar product.

Also if you engine has high k"s it'll probably die a quick death with out a rebuild.

I've looked at super or turbo options on many different cars and it always comes up too expensive to do right. even with cheap parts.

what motor are you running? if its a four get a v6 and if its a v6 drop in a dohc like tuffer.

At the end of the day what sort of power are you after! and what is your budget?

cheers

lol... my budget is as close to zero as i can keep it... im good with electronics so wiring it all up doesnt scare me.. im just reading about how to program the delco one now.. but i didnt think about the cold start/idle/driveabillity issues.... just how good are the piggyback units? its a 2.6 and i plan to keep it that way... when i crash the magna (hopefully not for a very long time) ive got a narrowblock rwd 5 speed and a mint sigma set aside (sorry, i know its a magna forum)

and about the piping... what would happen if i made myself up a j-pipe and hooked it up to dump back into the stock exhaust? i imagine it would be pretty cool to see/hear untill i had to drive it... is the twin 1.5" outs big enough for a turbo... i mean if i like upgraded the rest to 2.5/3"... jsut to keep it stealthy

would a piggyback/interceptor or whatever its called let me change to a MAP sensor?

Gday mate

I have a 2.6 Wiring harness with a Haltech E6X ECU wired into it, its not in the best condition, but if your good at electronics you could re splice them all to make it nice again. It was my original harness that I used before I re-turbo'd the car.

All you would need is an E6X BOX which should be cheaper than buying a harness and paying to wire the ECU in.

I run haltech and I cant fault it at all. Love it.

hey, thanks for the offer... ill have to remember it im just not sure what route im gunna take yet


anyone know what make the US 2.6 starion turbo ECU is? or is it just the same as the magna one? and i still wanna know about the MAP sensor

Search skylines aus, rotary forums, ford forums etc for cheap 2nd hand ECU's
something I should of done >.<

good idea... im actually still a member of ausrotary... i love my rwd 323 panelvan :)


one day... could i have 9000 posts like you?

Ive seen a few 2nd hand E6x's pop up on ebay occasionally, pick them up cheaper than new. Around 6 - 900 bucks usually, complete whole unit is around $1200 from memory.

yea, i was checking those out awhile ago, i think i found one for $600 buy it now with no harness or hand controller... if it wasnt for the MAF sensor id just use a piggy back ecu... oh well

As your on a tight budget of $0 lol piggy back and keep the maf.
if you want the engine to last at all you'll need to keep the boost very low so keep stock exhaust and plumb the turbo into it.

you will probable need a boost controller witch can be used with a piggy back (i think?)

eather way show us what can be done on a budget. you probably wont get a lot of hp gain but should achieve great gains in torque on 4-6 psi of boost.

i would'nt dare go higher on a stock old engine.

theres a thread here somewhere about a turbo on the model after ours the 4 cyclender which i didnt know they made until reading and he spent a fortune
and it still blew up...he rebuilt and sold with out turbo.

the main issue with boost is controlling it ,eg fuel ,timing and preventing over boost. From memory the above car was'nt tuned very well and lead to its death but i could be wrong...please correct if you know.

cheers and as i say have a go!

if you sign up to www.poweredbyastron.com There is an adjustable cam gear available for the 2.6 which allows you to advance and retard your timing (dial in cam) a bit better than just your dizzy which will help a bit as well. its only $50

thanks guys... i'll definately have to buy one of those cam gears! are they those vernier ones?

*edit* i just noticed they're on a changeover basis.. anyone know if a 2l sigma astron is dual row like a magna? cos i dont really want to rip mine out to send it off

my donk is 236 k's, 1 previous owner, regulary serviced with a top end overhaul at 190k... although i have noticed a bit of blow-by gas, maybe its time for a hone and some new rings?

i'm happy to set 5 psi as the first goal

should i chuck on some adjustable tappets so i can adjust valve clearance or will hydraulic lifters adjust themselves? (turbo exhaust valves run hotter right, so they need more clearance to increase the valve to seat cooling effect? right? (i dunno, im asking))


how have people tapped into the oil for the turbo??


thanks,
rob

p.s. how thick a decompression plate would i need for good compression ratio?

theres a thread here somewhere about a turbo on the model after ours the 4 cyclender which i didnt know they made until reading and he spent a fortune
and it still blew up...he rebuilt and sold with out turbo.

reliability is definately gunna have to come before performance.. but i think as long as im carefull and dont do anything too stupid i should be fine... my mate took his rx7 to his mechanic for a rebuild and they left a rag in the turbo... when it spat it out on the drive home he thought he sucked up a bird :(

Mate for your oil return line, I just used another dip stick housing and attached it to my sump and used that. There is an oil pick up on your block you can use should be on the front side of your block, use that for your oil feed.

The Cam gear is a vernier cam gear, correct. Don't know about the 2L but mate, if you have a U-Pull-It or a Pick-A-Part, make them your best friend and go get one from there. :)

I have done nothing to my cylinder head at all in regards to adjustable tappets. My V1 cyl head had shimmed springs to beef them up, but wasn't enough for my liking, but should be ok for a 5psi build. Is probably a little bit cheaper than buying beefed up springs. I would definitely get your cam reground, give it a bit more aggression to assist with the turbo. But saying that, if its only 5psi, you might get away with a stock cam?

As for decompression plate, you can just get a metal one made up cheap. If you went with a copper head gasket, CNC machined you are looking at around 400 to 600 made up. I am running a 1.5MM Copper Head gasket, which should be sufficient for 1 bar - (TO) around 20psi.

1 bar is 14.5psi not 20psi lol

1 bar is 14.5psi not 20psi lol

Um

I know, I said.... 1 bar TO 20 psi.... :nuts:

Um

I know, I said.... 1 bar TO 20 psi.... :nuts:

who uses psi and bar in the one go.. thats a weird thing 2 say man

1 to 1.4 bar
OR
14psi to 20psi

would have been less confusing :nuts:

ffs.... wow...

I am sorry for being so confusing, was trying to help a fellow member. Please guys, cmon, I slipped up in my wording, okay.

Yes, I meant to say 14psi - 20psi. Im currently away at work, I dont have hours to sit on forums.

For this, I apologise.

ok talking about boost..on an old stock motor wouldn't 14 -20 psi! be a bit high? head gasket might be fine but what about the rest of the motor.

most factory set ups are between 6-10 psi? with low comp pistons and a stronger crank.

im sure it'll handle 20 psi for a short time but that's not very practical as this thread is about a cheap setup.????

as the thread started as an ecu option with a no cost or low cost turbo option removing the head is a big step.

lets keep it low tech and on budget.

flam me if you want but just trying to help on a budget.

im sure we all would go a big turbo if our bank accounts could do it? mine is low and im happy with a v6. Super charger would be nice but i'd rather spend my money on other things as a good setup out ways the cost of the car.

all the best and may the sauce be with you.lol.

wow.... ive been taken out of context again....

Guys

I was saying, I run a 1.5MM CNC Copper Head Gasket, which is good to run around 14 TO 20 PSI.

IN NO WAY WAS I SAYING RUN 20PSI ON AN OLD ENGINE

I would think that a METAL spacer to give you a CHEAP option of DECOMPRESSING your engine will be a VIABLE option to run your 5psi and ALLOW room to WIND up your boost if need be. I am currently running 5PSI on a STD head gasket, and for the last 6 months I have had NO DRAMAS, so if you wish ONLY to run LOW PSI, you will be fine not decompressing your engine AT ALL.

hey guys... no bickering in my thread or im getting out the wooden spoon!

400-600 for a 1.5mm cnc machined gasket??? Are you sure thats copper and not gold?
whats wrong with a $60 sheet of copper, a spare head gasket and a nibbler?

unfortunately tassie doesnt have any pick-and-pay-less or u-pull-it or any other wreckers were you can spend hours screwin around with cars for $1... actually astron motors are like hens teeth down here.... i guess all the rednecks keep blowing up their tritons and pajeros or something... its a toss up between ripping the adjustable tappets off the 2L or selling it to my mate for a couple hundred...

im gunna take the manifold off the 2l to cut the flange off to make a steampipe manifold at my mates workshop this weekend... although i guess i really need the turbo first... or at least find out what sort it is....

also there doesnt seem to be enouh space up front for a gtr-size intercooler for some strange reason... whos got picks of a FMIC setup with a stock front bar?

i'll borrow my mums camera and try to document the process as best i can...

Stronger bottom end eh.... so the stock crank wont handle moderate boost? could i just "machine" the conrods (shot-peen/stress reliefed or balanced or something?) and pistons aye.... well i could either pay through my ass for a custom set of forgies... or find a bike piston with the right bore, deck height and gudgeon pin size. anyone tried that before?

i vaguly remember reading years ago something about 245/265 pistons or conrods fitting in an astron...


cheers,
rob

Hey mate,

Ive got pics of my FMIC setup, some like it and some dont, basically ive mounted it pretty far forwards as to not cut out any of my metal bracing, which is why I have a permit for a street legal FMIC. You can cut away your front bracing to tuck it behind the front bar for a more sleeper look.

As for your crank and conrods, the astron 2.6 have forged from factory, so they can handle a little bit.

As for Pistons, I am just running TS pistons, the Kidney/Heart shaped ones as the cut out in the pistons are that little bit extra help with the decompression process.

hey guys... sorry ive put this project on the backburner for a bit... dont worry im not a traitor though... im putting an injected magna motor in this mint sigma i bought for $120... also its not the motor out of MY magna (that would be silly) so as soon as its all in... aww who am i kidding... why would i turbo a magna when ive got a sweet sigma...

cheers guys...

chuck some scorpion gear into her, stronger diffs than the sigmas, i used to run a 15 second GK NA build i did a few years back, any help just pm me

I think the Vincent (moto) 1300 pistons are the same size as a 2600 astron. I heard the bore and stroke are identical. But those motos are pretty old now.

You might want to consider water to air intercooling too, despite your budget being zippo, there are components available at the wreckers off RS liberty's, GT4s etc.

ECU, would the Jaycar digital pulse adjuster style kit work ok?

hey... ive got both the motors out and ive got the rwd mounts on the fwd block.... but the 2l sump is a tiny bit wider than the magna sump :( i was going to cut a bit of sheet metal to cover the gap but is that the way to do it? or should i use the magna sump and bash it abit if it hits the crossmember?

i havent done the timing cover yet... mainly because i wanted to wait till i dropped it in the sigma... but when i was swapping the flex plates over i sorta stripped the last bolt on the magna engine.. whats the recommended procedure for undoing "almost" stripped bolts?

so are the gn astron 2 bits the ones that fit perfectly? anyone got pics of how they fixed the "gaps" on their magna blocks with sigma timing cover and sump?


ive still got the jaycar programmable ignition kit... that got old quick... i dont really want to solder up an ecu myself :)

Mate has a complete turbo sigma kit for sale if your interested rob for 2G, thats everything you need and its in SA. bit closer than wa to tasmania

cool... that'd blow the budget abit though :) my mates a fabricator/welder so i reckon i could probably get it done cheaper than that... provided i dont have to send the car to melbourne to put an ecu on it :( whats an ecu you can programme at home? and can anyone send me a copy of their tune?

ezboy: does that pulse width adjuster thingo just add more fuel when theres boost? so its like an interceptor or whatever... changes the output thats already there based on boost?

i realise with the sumps now that astron 1 sumps are wider thaN astron 2 sumps... i was looking at crank scrapers (http://www.crank-scrapers.com/Mitsubishi.html) and thought if i had one made with both sump patterns on it (or even just 1 inch of material added to the intake side) it'd cover the gap pretty well.... anyone got a scraper i can trace? or if i buy one and trace it anyone want a copy?

either that or get my fabricator to add some clearance to the magna sump...

anyone know the size of the hole for the water pump so i can get a welsh plug?... i dont trust my plastic vernier calipers.... and theyre too far away

cheers rob...

p.s. does anyone want anything off the tm wagon i pulled the engine out of? if your in tassie you can come pick it up for scrap if you want....

haha... yesterday someone in a l300 saw me pulling the motor out of the magna while the sigma was sitting there with the bonnet up and an empty engine bay and stopped to ask me if id sell em the engine outta the sigma... i told him it didnt have a sump or a timing cover and needed some new valve stem seals but i had another complete 2l that had been sitting in the weather for 12 months and he could have both for $50.... the cheap bastard never came back... some people want everything for nothing...