Installing A Turbo Kit

It is profoundly unnecessary to know anything about the science and engineering of turbocharging to competently install a well-designed aftermarket turbocharger system. The installer need only be a competent hobbyist mechanic. The experience level is about equivalent to that of changing a clutch or removing and replacing an intake manifold.

A German proverb clearly states the problem of accomplishing such a job :"The devil is in the details." To illustrate the accuracy of this proverrb, it is easy to imagine that most people could install an exhaust manifold correctly. Yet a simple air hose not properly attached to a fuel pressure regulator can keep an otherwise faultless system from functioning correctly. Therefore, thoughts about one's competence to install such things should center around how conscientiously one can do the details.
Follow instructions faithfully. When system has a street legal exemption order, it is absolutely necessary to follow instructions to the letter to maintain the legal status. Furthermore, the installer should presume the designer knew what he was doing.

There is some logic to the process. Read the instructions and make notes of questions, if any, to pose to the kit maker. It is both easy and natural for instruction writers to gloss over many points of installation, since they know all the pieces and processes intimately. Service is supposed to begin after the sale. You purchased a kit in good faith and were told that with modest ability, you could properly install it. You will likely need many points of the instructions addressed before and during the installation. It is entirely fair to require the kit maker to give you guidance on the procedure where necessary. Clearly, this form of feedback also improves the writer's ability to create proper instructions.
Familiarize yourself with the parts of the system. Learn the name the writer has given each part. Inventory the parts with respect to the packing list, to be certain all items were included. Call the manufacturer for shortages at the earliest opportunity.
No kit maker should be shipping parts less than spotlessly clean. However, it is a serious error to assume they are clean and ready to install. Any installer worth at least his weight in salt will insure that every part is perfectly clean.
The vehicle subject to the installation need not be in perfect condition. A proper installation on a 90% vehicle will, however, yield only 90% results. While clearly superior to stock, 90% is not the objective of this book or what this writer perceives as the objective of the fellow hard-core enthusiast. If something is mechanically amiss, fix it before the installation.
Prior to starting the installation, fill the fuel tank with gasoline of the octane suggested in the instructions. Do not dilute with lesser octane fuel already in the tank. If necessary, drain the tank. Never use octane boost as a testing aid -- it will mask many critical characteristics, such as air/fuel ratios and ignition timing controls. If unspecified, consider left and right from the position of the driver.
After the installation has begun, the best procedure is to complete the entire job prior to driving the vehicle. Certainly the job can be broken up into segments, like installing the boost gauge, fuel pump, heat shield, etc. The catch is, one cannot install only the turbo and associated pipes and then set out to see how fast it will go. That will surely prove a disaster.
Always read the statement of warranty prior to starting the installation. If questions of policy exist, this is the best time to discuss them.
The speed with which you accomplish the installation is not of any consequence. A few extra hours mean nothing.


Tools and Equipment
A reasonable selection of hobbyist mechanic's tools is all that's required for a successful installation :

• Metric open/box combination wrenches
• Metric socket set
• SAE open/box wrenches
• Assorted slot and Phillips screwdrivers
• Electric drill and assorted drill bits
• Ignition timing light
• Sealing compound
• Never-Seize compound
• Locktight #271
• Spray can of cleaning solvent
• Oil filter and oil change
• Teflon tape
• Safety wire
• Clean rags
• Floor jack
• Jack Stands
• Factory shop manuals

A Turbocharger as a simple device

A turbocharger is a simple device. It is nothing more than an air pump driven by energy remaining in the exhaust gases as they exit an engine. Of the energy released in the combustion process, aproximately one-third goes into the cooling system, one-third becomes power down the crankshaft, and one-third is dumped out the tailpipe as heat. It is this last third that we can use to power the turbo. Consider that a 200 bhp engine dumps approximately 70 bhp equivalent of raw heat straigjht out the tailpipe. That is a tremendous amount of energy that could be put to better use. By comparison, when was the last you saw an air fan operated at 70 horsepower? Thus, it is not so hard to imagine the turbo's potential for moving huge amounts of air. Please go to www.musclecarsheadquartersinc.com  for the correct tools to install or repair your turbocharging system.

Stranded wiring or Solid wiring for automotive use ?

Why stranded wiring for automotive use? Simple: stranded wiring is used for its reliability. Stranded wiring offers greater overall resistance to breaks from the kinds of harmonics and vibrations that it is subjected to daily in the automotive environment. Solid wiring is just quite simply not up to this task-nor was it designed to be.

Another area of concern is the connection points of solid wire. Not only would traditional methods of connecting solid wires be unsuitable in an automotive environment, but the expansion and contraction of the wire itself from the temperature extremes it can be subjected to would put undue stress on these connections. This could make them high in resistance, unsafe, and possibly a fire hazard.

Finally, stranded wire design for automotive use typically has a plastic insulator that is designed to stand up to extremely high temperatures and petroleum based  products, such as gasoline and oil. The wiring found within the walls of your home doesn;'t require this, so it isn't constructed that way.

Wire resistance chart

We all know there is no such thing as a free lunch. Stranded copper wiring, which is what is typically specified for automotive use, has a certain amount of resistance per foot. This resistance per foot decreases as the gauge of wire increases (indicated by a smaller number; confusing, I know).  The figure below is the American Wire Gauge (AWG) standard for resistance of copper wire by the foot.





EXAMPLE: Installing an Electric Fuel Pump
OK, now that you know your Laws and how they apply to basic circuits, it's time to give you a rfeal world example. Let's say that you just purchased an electric fuel pump and wanted to determine what gauge of wire to use to connect it.
Here's what you should know:

• Current requirements of the pump at 12 VDC (this should be provided by the manufacturer). For the sake of this example, let's say that it's 10 amps.
• Length of wire from the ignition switch to the fuel pump--let's assume this is 20 feet since it is typically located near the fuel tank.
• Length of return path from pump ground to charging system ground--let's assume this is 5 feet (more on this later ).
• Resistance of different gauges of wiring via the supplied AWG wire resistance chart.

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Automotive Tools

circuit basics of automotive electrical systems

Click here for : Auto electrical service tools

Now that you've gotton your Laws dowen, it's important to understand the difference between the different types of circuits---specifically the series circuit, parallel circuit, and series-parallel circuit. Furthermore, it's important to understand how Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Law govern these basic circuits.

Series Circuits

A series circuit is one that has all components connected in an end-to-end (or daisy chained) fashion. Operation of the circuit is dependant on all of the individual components of the circuit being in working order. A series circuit is only as good as its weakest link--if one component fails, so does the entire circuit. This is how strings of Christmas lights were once made. Problem was, when one bulb failed the entire string wouldn't light.

In  a series circuit, the follwing apply:

• The sum of voltages across the individual components is equal to the total voltage applied.
• The current flowing through the individual components is the same throughout the circuit. (Note the tie to Kirchhoff's Law!)

Parallel Circuits

A parallel circuit is one that has all the components connected in a parallel fashion. Operation of the circuit is not dependant on the individual components of the circuit--one or more components could fail and the remaining components will still work. The typical parking light circuit is a good example of a parallel circuit.

In a parallel circuit, the following apply:

• The voltage flowing across the individual components is the same throughout the circuit.
• The sum of the currents across the individual components is equal to the total current flowing through the circuit. (Again, Kirchhoff's Law.)

Both figures illustrate the differences between these two circuits. Both are simple lighting circuits. Note that in both, I've outlined voltage and current across the various components as well as totals in the circuits so that you can see how Kirchhoff's Law governs them.

Series- Parallel Circuits

You guesed it; there can be combinations of series and parallel circuits. These types of circuits, although not very common in automobiles, are referred to as series-parallel circuits.

The rules above apply to the individual parts of the circuit. The figure above is an example of a series-parallel lighting circuit. Again, note how Kirchhoff's Law governs this as well.

It is important to understand the differences between series, parallel, and series-parallel circuits. Examples of each of them are found in nearly every vehicle on the road.

Short Circuit

For such a simple idea, this is one of the most misunderstood circuits that I know of. Quite simply, a short circuit is any circuit that has a circuit path between the battery (+)  and battery (-). Certainly, these are not intentional and can be quite hazardous. This figure will show a short circuit that bypasses the lights altogether. Even though they are connected, they will not light.

How exactly does this happen? Any number of reasons. Let's say that you were mounting something under the vehicle's hood and you unintentionally pinched the parking light wire or pierced it with a screw in the process. All would be fine until you turned on the parking light switch, at which point, the parking light circuit fuse would blow as the switch just connected 12 volts directly to the vehicles chassis. The blown fuse just protected the wiring and vehicle from any serious damage. ( The value of a fuse should be fairly clear at this point! ) Of course, you would now have to determine what caused this and fix the problem. This process is called troubleshooting, and you'll learn more about how to do this later as I blog on.

The Open Circuit

Now, this is the one that eludes folks--after all, any vehicle wiring problem is referred to as a short! In many cases, that just isn't true. An open circuit is a break in the circuit that does not allow the circuit to operate. Recall the example I gave above in the series circuit explanation of the way strings of Christmas lights used to be manufactured. Should a bulb fail, and the string go out, this is an open circuit condition. Now, we don't install many of these in vehicles, so let's look at the next figure---note that it is also based on a figure from when we spoke of Kirchhoff's Law.

Again, there are any number of reasons for this to happen. Let's say that you were installing new carpeting in your vehicle and you used a razor knife to cut an opening along the sill plate for the big Torx bolt that holds your seat belt down. If you're not careful, you could cut through the wiring harness in this area, thereby removing the pareking lights in the rear of the vehicle from the circuit. The front lights would still work fine because they are still connected to the circuit. Obviously, this is a simple fix, and it's covered later nin this blog.