Report on manual turbo boost controller

Submitted: Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 07:47
ThreadID: 35599 Views:2447 Replies:5 FollowUps:7
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Well, after reading a few threads on this forum, and others, since the old 2.8l TD, pre common rail diesel was helping me live up to my name of old plodder, I decided to do something about it.
Put in a boost gauge first and found I was getting the following boost pressures on full throttle.

2000rpm - max torque - 7psi, 2500 - 8 psi, 3000 - 9-10 psi, 4000 - 12 psi.

Checking with others the paj shoud be getting 12 psi from 2500 up.
I know it has been low for a while, since my mechanic checked it about 3 years ago.

So I installed a manual turbo boost controller between the turbo and the wastegate, as well as a EGT gauge from Thermoguard just in case.

It is now a different car on full throttle. About 20% more power in that 2000 to 3000 rev range, and maybe 10% above that.
Boost on full throttle is now -
2000 - 10 , 2500 - 12 (yeah) , 3000 - 13, 4000 - 14

If the old rule of thumb is 10hp (8 kw for those youngies) for every 1 psi of boost, my guess is about right.

Now SWMBO is very concerned I am going through a mid life crisis, and I was under strict rules that no way is the paj going to make that 'whoooosh' sound. I said no, and even my rev head son said it wouldn't, and he was believed before I was. (there is a moral there somewhere)
But, the day after I hooked it up, for some reason and unbeknown to me, the pipe from the turbo to the boost controller came off, so the waste gate stopped working. And you can all guess what happened, the only fail safe was the manifold safety valve, which makes a nice 'whoososh' sound almost as good as the ricers. Was I in deep trouble when the wife drove the car to the library!

Fixed it last night, and made the wife drive me to work. She now likes it, since she likes to put her foot down too. Well to be honest, she is one second quicker around the local race track than me, and she was the one complaining about the wipers not working to well in the rain coming back from Canberra one time. Looked at the speedo and she was doing 130, suggested she slow down and they did work a lot better at 110.
So it has been an interesting week.
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Reply By: Member - Stephen M (NSW) - Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 08:29

Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 08:29
Hi there Oldplodder, when we were thinking of turbo'n the old lux my wife said to me will it make that tssssssh sound when changing gears, I said to her you have to be joking,"WHAT THE FU@K" A DIESEL HILUX, she said she loves that sound, so I told her I was going to buy her a fully sick corolla mate with the body dropped to the deck and fit the seats so that she can just see over the steering wheel, have the number plate rattling due to the boom box and get her a blow off valve so she can listen to it going tsssssh every time she changed gear, Ive also told her I will not be seen dead in the vehicle and she will also need to aquire a new address cause she wont be parking it in our driveway. Regards Steve M
AnswerID: 182257

Reply By: strzelecki - Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 10:32

Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 10:32
And I thought rice only made the snap crackle and pop sound,oh I get it turboed rice goes "wooososh" you ricer you.........well done btw.
AnswerID: 182284

Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 10:11

Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 10:11
Sorry, didn't explian, 'ricer' is a deroagatory term for those mostly all show and not much go hot japanese hatches. Well some of them go, but in the car circles I am in we tend to go more for hot aussie and eurpoean cars, and use them on the track etc.
Interesting at the last hot 4s at willowbank, all the show cars (ricers) and didn't see that many dragging, or at the motorkhana etc. Asked a few if they wanted to have a go, but most wrre afraid of getting their car dirty.
Most of them like drifting though, or street drags, which is something I don't so anymore.
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FollowupID: 438814

Follow Up By: strzelecki - Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 11:38

Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 11:38
Err umm sorry about that Oldplodder did not intend to be derogate you.
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Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Sunday, Jul 09, 2006 at 21:26

Sunday, Jul 09, 2006 at 21:26
No probs, forums and emails are hard to read sometimes, and easy to head off an unintended track.
As long as we can keep talking, we can only learn a little more of life.
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FollowupID: 439011

Reply By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 11:22

Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 11:22
I turboed an E30 BMW for club race days and that blow off valve noise drove me crazy . My kids thought I was mad and that it was "fully sick".

I have a 2001 TD cruiser - do you think it would be worth checking the boost on it . Is this drop in boost pressure a common thing ?

Thanks ,

Willie
AnswerID: 182290

Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 10:06

Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 10:06
Willie,

Evidently the waste gates get a little worn.
Easy enough to drop in a boost gauge.
Told thw wife that the boost gauge gives you an idea of threottle position, because I am sure she drives the old paj on full throttle a lot of the time.
And I wanted a little more power for lugging up hills and overtaking.
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Reply By: cokeaddict - Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 16:18

Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 16:18
G'day,
Interesting read that. Wondering what the cost of all the add-ons cost ya if ya dont mind me askin. Did you install it all yourself or did you get a workshop to do it for ya. Depending on the cost, i may look into it myself. Look fwd to hearing back from you.
Ange
AnswerID: 182321

Follow Up By: RedGibber - Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 21:13

Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 21:13
Ange,

I fitted a manual boost controller which I bought off eBay for abt $35 inc. shipping.
Apart from buying a couple of metres of hose and clamps and fabbing a bracket to hold the controller, total cost would be about $50.

I have not made any adjustments to the controller (comes from the guy with a remark "Preset with low boost which is slightly above what your (car) is running presently.") and the Patrol - TD42T - now gets up and goes!!

The device (which is very simple) restricts the amount of boost pressure applied from the compressor of the turbo to the wastegate. In the next couple of weeks, I'll be able to give some more technical details.

Cheers
Red
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Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 10:13

Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 10:13
Redgibber is about right.
$50.00 installed, plus about another $70.00 for the boost gauge.
Installed it myself.
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FollowupID: 438815

Reply By: ginski - Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 22:46

Friday, Jul 07, 2006 at 22:46
You need to be careful with manual boost controllers as they tend to spike to higher boost before settling down to the preset boost level. Also, you need to set them in about 4th gear
AnswerID: 182381

Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 10:18

Saturday, Jul 08, 2006 at 10:18
Thanks Ginski,

Found that, I get a good spike in 1st if I take off real (full throttle, tyres chirping) hard, and the boost goes over 16lb, and manifold valve dumps.
But I have turned it down so it doesn't spike in 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc, otherwise I could get another 1 or 2 psi in 3rd, 4th and 5th.
Also, I am more after good torque in the 2000 to 3000 rev range for hills, and a bit more overtaking ability in 4th & 5th at 80 to 100. It was starting to get dangerous.
I know I am not going to win any trafiic light drags in an old paj, so don't even try.
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