upgrading the turbo... whats involved?

[MissMU]

another question

looking at buying a bigger turbo for the MU... whats involved in going bigger? just a new manifold or what...?

[Guzzi]

MissMU,
from posts here and a few other forums, I'm starting to get the impression that your MU is a bit of a slug and you want to do something about it. Yes?

The turbo on the Rodeo, MU, Jackaroo etc is capable of pumping out a maximum of around 15psi (approx 1 bar).
Boost on its own does help a bit, but you must also give it more fuel for a bigger bang and therefore more power.

OK, first off how many Km does your MU have?
Does it blow smoke? Yes/no ,what colour?
How does it drive?
Is it hard to get off the line without hesitation ie a big flat spot just off idle and slow before it comes on boost?
Bugger all acceleration if you try to accelerate from low RPM say 1000rpm in third gear?
Not real good on hills?

If it has any of the above a 2.5 inch exhaust system and an aneroid adjustment on the fuel pump will work wonders. Cleaning of the injectors and checking adjustment of the fuel injector pump timeing will probably also help.
I had my rodeo tuned up in toowoomba at DTS.
Visual check, before and after dyno runs and an aneriod adjustment for a $120.00, felt like I drove home with a new car. Not much better in the higher RPMs but down low from 12 to 1500rpm it was a huge improvement.
Made bugger all difference to fuel consumption on the highway but it is a bit thirstier in 4x4 off road and in soft sand than it used to be, but now it has power to do stuff that used to stall it off road.

The exhaust and adjustment will set you back around $600, more if injectors have to be serviced and timeing adjusted.
If you get a new bigger turbo factor in all that anyway plus the cost of the turbo, fitting etc.
The end result, still not as much go as the ricer you used to have, but a much more pleasant car to drive.

[MissMU]

i fail to see how my "ricer" has any relevance to you OR this thread ...

but anyways...

it already has a 2.5 exhaust, boost controller, k&n air filter. it doesnt blow smoke. it has low kms, and drives fine. bit of a slug when there's traffic around but open road it goes good. up hills, it hauls in 2nd - hell even 4th. off the line its great. it also has a top mount intercooler.. as im sure you have read already.

i didnt buy the MU with the expectation of it being a race car i was simply asking what was involved in using a bigger turbo.

[rockcrawler31]

quit it with the attitude. the guys just trying to help you and give you the bigger picture.

you'd fit in with the few others on here that seem to enjoy slanging off on others doing their best.

[Sportage]

it already has a 2.5 exhaust, boost controller, k&n air filter. it doesnt blow smoke. it has low kms, and drives fine. bit of a slug when there's traffic around but open road it goes good. up hills, it hauls in 2nd - hell even 4th. off the line its great. it also has a top mount intercooler.. as im sure you have read already.

With this sort of description, all you will get extra from a bigger turbo, is a little extra power, higher fuel bills, greater stress on the motor, and less money in the pocket.

[MissMU]

no attitude there.. and definately no "slanging" off anyone. i apologise if you found that post offensive in some way?

sure he was only trying to help, and i appreciate the time and effort put into his reply. but the comments made about my previous car etc were unneccessary.

[ISUZUROVER]

If you don't already have one, it would be a good idea to fit an EGT (Exhaust gas temp guage - also called a pyrometer) before you do any more mods, as overfueling can kill diesels, and monitoring the EGT gives you a very good idea whether the fuelling is too high.

What boost are you running at the moment, and has the fuelling been adjusted to suit? You can probably get a fair bit more from the setup you have, if everything is in good condition as you say.

If you plan on going offroad, it would be a very good idea to throw away the K&N and fit a real filter. Diesels need clean air and clean fuel if you want them to last - and K&Ns may be OK for a road car that never sees any dust, but not a 4x4 that goes offroad. If you don't believe me have a read here: http://home.usadatanet.net/~jbplock/ISO5011/SPICER.htm

[chops]

turn the top mount into a front mount.. get it away from a hot engine where it acts as a heat sink

You can get your standard turbo "high flowed" - basically rebuilt with bigger wheels.. prices start from around the $1000 mark

If you want to put a bigger turbo on your car, you'd probably have to look into exhaust manifold turbo flange pattern, as well as dump pipe flange pattern.. If the replacement turbo isn't a straight bolt on, you're looking at a few dollars for a new manifold (cheapest i've seen is around the $600 mark made from steam pipe), as well as a new dump pipe (if you dont want to use the cast one).. and intercooler piping

Then the dramas of getting it all re-tuned to suit the new turbo

.. at least with a diesel, it's a bit cheaper than a petrol motor to tune - you don't have to dive into the world of aftermarket engine management (which costs an arm and a leg)

If it were me, I'd look at something that is a direct bolt on replacement first and foremost, then start looking at prices for new turbos/rebuilds etc if nothing comes up

Hopefully some of that makes sense!

[MissMU]

^^^

heh yeah kinda! thanks for the help guys. ive never owned a diesel let alone a turbo car before so this is all new to me!

as for the new manifold, i have a mate whose an engineer so can get it made up cheap if not free.

i dont have any other experience with TD's to compare the MU to.. so im not 100% certain if its running good or sh*t!

perhaps it would be best to just put it in to a shop and let them have a play around with it?

[HotFourOk]

What bonnet scoop did you use for your top mount cooler? You got any piccies?

yeh a diesel shop who could give it a good tune would be an idea... Your car should run very well according to the mods

[ISUZUROVER]

i dont have any other experience with TD's to compare the MU to.. so im not 100% certain if its running good or sh*t!

perhaps it would be best to just put it in to a shop and let them have a play around with it?

Before you spend any money, do you know someone with a rodeo/jackaroo/mu with the same engine that you can compare?

If you do put it in somewhere to get worked on, make sure you pick a good quality diesel injection/turbocharging shop, not a performance car shop, as most of them would know SFA about diesels and injector pump tuning.

[MissMU]

yep i posted a few photos in the members section i bought the MU as is.. all ive done is put in a boost guage and my stereo i think its a jackaroo scoop??

and ive been looking for diesel specialists in the brisbane area to take it to but with no luck. i think there's a place in Brendale???

the only reason i havent taken it anywhere as yet is because i dont exactly want to take it to a performance type shop.

[HotFourOk]

yeh for sure... ask around or even search on Diesel shops in your area and get a general concensus.

[ISUZUROVER]

I get all my pumps and injectors reconditioned by Diesel Australia at Slacks Creek. I think they can do setup/tuning too, but I have always done that myself.

With diesels, the 2 most important things (if you want the engine to last), and EGT and injectors. If the injectors have a bad spray pattern or are dribbling they can create a hot spot on the piston that can melt a hole in it. Most diesel places will remove your injectors and test/adjust the spray pattern for under $50 for all 4.

Edit, this is reportedly a good EGT sensor kit:

http://thermoguard.com.au/instal.html

[rockcrawler31]

can i suggest you ensure that your cooling system is also up to scratch. I've had no end of dramas on my own POS with heads, gaskets and cooling. more boost in the engine, or bigger turbo etc will result in higher temps, even with an intercooler. I imagine that ensuring the engines primary heat dissipation system is the best it can be should be high on the list of priorities

[Guzzi]

"i fail to see how my "ricer" has any relevance to you OR this thread ..."

Your ricer has no relevance to me at all, Im not haveing a go at you or your choice in cars.
My point in mentioning it was;
a Its petrol
b Probably a fair bit quicker than an MU
c Thats what your used to driveing
All of these will have an effect on how well you think your new to you diesel is performing, that is all, not a personal attack.

The diesel MU, Rodeo, Jackaroos are by no means fast, they are however not bad from a diesel point of view (take a hilux for a spin and see what I mean).

Have it checked out by a diesel specialist and see if it needs any adjustments, injector service etc and talk to them regarding other worthwhile mods and see what they recommend.
Welcome to the world of diesels.

Good luck

[MissMU]

well i just rang a diesel specialist/mechanic and they are booked out well into next month! but ive managed to get it booked in for friday next week... they are just going to do a service and check the whole thing over... costs $180. does that sound reasonable or should i go somewhere else?

[eliteforce32]

miss mu the diesel place you were talking about in brendale, well there are two 4x4 excelence (SP?), and K&M diesel and mechanical on kremzo road, all injector pump etc, work done at good prices, if your looking for spar parts like high pressure joiners elbows and turbo gear, i have delt a lot with ARE(ally radiators and engineering, turbo modifications).

hope this helps a bit