Bolt on turbo kit (6 Viewers)

[duggy]

I just did 3,000 miles with the Wits End Turbo Kit from Texas to Colorado and back. On big climbs with 6 or 7% grades, I saw temps of 213* which dropped down quickly once I got back to grade. I ran a consistent 193-199* the whole trip, even coming back into Texas 97* heat. The turbo kit helps tremendously with providing more power in anything more than 3k RPMS. When going up steep grades, I would press the O/D off button or shift down into 2nd gear and see the boost build. The drive would have been sucky without the turbo kit!

 

[lazy]

So, buy the downpipe blanket or not? Trying to order a kit today and I'd like to get the downpipe blanket if it is an absolute need....

 

[Wompom]

So, buy the downpipe blanket or not? Trying to order a kit today and I'd like to get the downpipe blanket if it is an absolute need....

I did and would recommend it.

 

[NLXTACY]

Spent some time playing with the methanol injection. There a few ways to activate, such as MAF signal to controller, but for a kit I prefer simpler. It can be upgraded at another time. The boost switch is adjustable and needs to be fine tuned to where it needs to switch. Went with 2psi and all kits will be pre-set before they ship out.

Something interesting about mixing methanol and distilled water...it creates heat because methanol is exothermic. Lots of ion exchanging going on.

 

[Dirty Koala]

I just did 3,000 miles with the Wits End Turbo Kit from Texas to Colorado and back. On big climbs with 6 or 7% grades, I saw temps of 213* which dropped down quickly once I got back to grade. I ran a consistent 193-199* the whole trip, even coming back into Texas 97* heat. The turbo kit helps tremendously with providing more power in anything more than 3k RPMS. When going up steep grades, I would press the O/D off button or shift down into 2nd gear and see the boost build. The drive would have been sucky without the turbo kit!

Where are you getting your temps from? scanguge/ultra guage or a stand alone temp guage. If stand alone, where do you have the temp sensor installed?

 

[Bludozer]

Where are you getting your temps from? scanguge/ultra guage or a stand alone temp guage. If stand alone, where do you have the temp sensor installed?

Very valid question. I didn't realize how much of a difference there can be depending on specifically where temps are being taken from. Had an ultragauge in my truck then installed a koso slim gauge running off of the upper coolant pipe (got the predrilled one from Joey) and have run them side by side for a few months now just to see. Often times the temps between the two are reading very similarly, but just as often, they are not. Can even be a spread of 10-15 degrees - makes you really question all the read outs you see on here.

 

[duggy]

Where are you getting your temps from? scanguge/ultra guage or a stand alone temp guage. If stand alone, where do you have the temp sensor installed?

Ultragauge

 

[Dirty Koala]

Ultragauge

213 is getting fairly warm if reading from the ECU as that sensor is positioned in the block close to where the coolant first flows after being cooled by the radiator.

Very valid question. I didn't realize how much of a difference there can be depending on specifically where temps are being taken from. Had an ultragauge in my truck then installed a koso slim gauge running off of the upper coolant pipe (got the predrilled one from Joey) and have run them side by side for a few months now just to see. Often times the temps between the two are reading very similarly, but just as often, they are not. Can even be a spread of 10-15 degrees - makes you really question all the read outs you see on here.

I have been seeing the same thing. I have my stand alone innovate temp guage in the upper water neck. I tapped my original pipe and installed the sensor while the pipe was out of the truck to ensure the tip of the sensor is dead smack in the middle of the coolant flow. Once up to operating temp, my ultraguage shows about 12-15 degrees cooler than my stand-alone in the upper pipe. Driving around today in 94 degree temps, ECU was seeing 190, upper water pipe was showing 203.

I found the coolant flow diagrams, and to me it looks like the coolant first flows through the block around the cylinder walls (where the 3 temp sensors) are and then works up into the head, heater lines and throttle body before finally flowing back out the upper pipe to the radiator. I would expect to see some temp differences between these two locations based on the flow paths.

My thinking is that toyota designed the upper temp limits (AC cut-off at 226) based on temps in the block, not temps in the head. So as long as the ECU temps from the block are behaving nicely then +15 at the upper pipe should be fine.

I spent a considerable amount of time trying to find others that have compared temps in these two locations and I could only find @Photoman and @turbocruiser discussing in a thread back in 2003. The difference in temps seen back then were only a few degrees, much less than what we are seeing (up to 15 degree swing). I am thinking that running forced induction is contributing to those higher temp differences. I am going down the A2W intercooler path to drop IAT's and also building an external oil cooler. Time will tell, but I am thinking these two paths will help drop overall temps a bit more.

 

[NLXTACY]

The turbo test mule #3 got its first permanent gauge. Had a tough time trying to decide which gauge manufacturer to go with. Out of frustration I went with Soeedhut mainly because I could design the gauge how I wanted. Little spendy but I can get what I want.

This is where pre-planning really pays off. The gauge uses a 1/8NPT electrical pressure switch to drive it. This of course threads into the available free port on the #VacuumTree that is part of the turbo kit. Simple set up.

 

[duggy]

213 is getting fairly warm if reading from the ECU as that sensor is positioned in the block close to where the coolant first flows after being cooled by the radiator.


I have been seeing the same thing. I have my stand alone innovate temp guage in the upper water neck. I tapped my original pipe and installed the sensor while the pipe was out of the truck to ensure the tip of the sensor is dead smack in the middle of the coolant flow. Once up to operating temp, my ultraguage shows about 12-15 degrees cooler than my stand-alone in the upper pipe. Driving around today in 94 degree temps, ECU was seeing 190, upper water pipe was showing 203.

I found the coolant flow diagrams, and to me it looks like the coolant first flows through the block around the cylinder walls (where the 3 temp sensors) are and then works up into the head, heater lines and throttle body before finally flowing back out the upper pipe to the radiator. I would expect to see some temp differences between these two locations based on the flow paths.

My thinking is that toyota designed the upper temp limits (AC cut-off at 226) based on temps in the block, not temps in the head. So as long as the ECU temps from the block are behaving nicely then +15 at the upper pipe should be fine.

I spent a considerable amount of time trying to find others that have compared temps in these two locations and I could only find @Photoman and @turbocruiser discussing in a thread back in 2003. The difference in temps seen back then were only a few degrees, much less than what we are seeing (up to 15 degree swing). I am thinking that running forced induction is contributing to those higher temp differences. I am going down the A2W intercooler path to drop IAT's and also building an external oil cooler. Time will tell, but I am thinking these two paths will help drop overall temps a bit more.

So what's the right answer? My truck ran exactly the same temps before and after the turbo install. I rehabbed my whole cooling system when it went down for it's major maintenance work.

 

[NLXTACY]

So what's the right answer? My truck ran exactly the same temps before and after the turbo install. I rehabbed my whole cooling system when it went down for it's major maintenance work.

Heating issue hasn't affected everyone that has installed the turbo. For as many as are now installed the number is not even 5%. I have yet to experience any overheating as well and I also replaced everything in the cooling system.

 

[Dirty Koala]

So what's the right answer? My truck ran exactly the same temps before and after the turbo install. I rehabbed my whole cooling system when it went down for it's major maintenance work.

I just re-read your post and see that you’re only seeing 213 after long sustained grades, which I think is fine. I earlier misread that you were cruising around at 213, which would be hot IMO when measured from the ECT sensor in the block.

 

[duggy]

Heating issue hasn't affected everyone that has installed the turbo. For as many as are now installed the number is not even 5%. I have yet to experience any overheating as well and I also replaced everything in the cooling system.

I agree with you. It's been biblical hot here in Houston and I've been dailying the 80 since the Tundra is at the vinyl shop. Around town I'm at a steady 197-199.

 

[scottryana]

I hate to say it but I fear it is the amount of things stacked into the engine bay that causes issues. Most importantly seems to be the space right behind the radiator. The location of the TRD SC and the York compressor. Not only related to the turbo but in all trucks I would try and limit what I had under hood, by running a large primary battery, a lithium jump box and maybe a rear mounted compressor......

 

[NLXTACY]

Yeah I have no dual battery but do have the York. No issues on my truck. And it’s in the 100s here.

 

[MoCoNative]

I don't have spiffy temp data to contribute, but I do have some observations on 80 temps. These are all observations on a stock FZJ80. I think the comments about crap under the hood are spot on. Our 80 is bad about getting gassy smelling on hot days. At first it was only during slow wheeling days, but last summer I had gas fumes even after highway driving and pulling our camper. I think they entire design of an 80 traps a great deal of heat under the hood and chassis. For comparison, I have a 96 T100. The little 5VZFE looks lost under the hood, you could carry two small children under there on each side of the engine. Underneath the arrangement of components is very similar to an 80, gastank down one side, exhaust and muffler down the other, but again, everything is further apart because the chassis is just that much wider and less constrained. Each truck is in good shape, but the T100 does not suffer from the gas smell. Although, it was gassy last weekend, more on that.

The charcoal canister thing is an endless discussion, but my theory is the ethanol blend gasses with the lower boiling point just dont play well with our evap systems. They don't hold enough pressure to keep the fuel liquid. Newer systems hold the evap at a higher pressure for the designed newer fuel. I don't think it is a purge thing, as the purge system works identical to that of an FJ60, it is purely actuated off vacuum. I have run down the road with a vac guage on the purge circuit, and it purges all the time. At first I thought maybe slow wheeling never got the circuit to purge, but that is not true. After pulling 4000+ pounds of camper to Yellowstone and back I found more evidence of heat soak being an issue. After a long hot stint through Wyoming, late afternoon, the charcoal canister was just roaring with vapors when we pulled in to get fuel, we could even smell the gas on the highway. We were running 60-65MPH, but what I found is everything was just hot. Temp gauge was fine during the whole 2 week trip, but when working the truck hard, everything just gets warm. I reached under at this fueling and even the plastic cover on the fuel tank was hot enough you didn't want to lay your hand on it for any length of time.

I think when running slow, or working them hard you build heat, you circulate hot fuel round and round and it eventually can never cool off, then it starts to vaporize as the evap system does not hold enough designed pressure for the new fuel blends. As I mentioned, the purge works identical to an FJ60, but my 60 has never had the gassy smell issues. It also has better airflow under the hood and under the truck, does not force continuous circulation of fuel over the top of the head and the fuel tank is not next to the muffler. My T100 was gassy last weekend after a long hard pull of the camper, I suspect cause it was hot outside and I worked it hard, just took more to push it to the heat saturation stage that it just won't hit in normal use.

I've also had the AC cut out twice now while pulling the camper with the 80. Each time was slow moving, steep pulls on rough roads. Probably should have been in low range and not lugged the truck as much as I did. Was surprised when it cut the AC, as temp gauge had barely moved, but as I understand, they don't move much. Added the extra AC fan last summer, seems to help, have not had a scenario again to see if that keeps the AC on or not in hard working conditions.

Again, I think the 80 sheds heat very poorly due to the confined spaces under the body. Had the rear carpet up this spring putting in a subtank and the tar/sound deadener was totally malformed over the muffler with the jute stuck in it. Anything that can be done to diffuse heat will help a host of problems we face. I'm seriously looking into an air/water fuel cooler of some sort to see if it helps with the gas vapor issue. Seems newer diesels do it that way. I think air flow is particularly bad on the intake side due to the mess of junk crammed on the intake manifold.

 

[Dirty Koala]

due to the mess of junk crammed on the intake manifold

Yep, once you fill up all the available real estate it make it harder for heat to escape. I have vented my hood and seen a positive reduction in temps. I still need to add a scoop to help force cooler air into the engine bay. I am going to be adding an A2W intercooler and a stand along oil cooler with the intent to jsut reduce overall temps as much as possible. Hadn't thought about a fuel cooler before...but I also dont have any evap issues or gas smells.

 

[lazy]

Spent the last week and read all 277 pages. Cliff notes of what I learned:

*need to relocate washer bottle (again) - a must for people in snowy areas. Got the napa part number...
*trying to figure out gauges and i still need to read through the entire gauge thread, but it seems just going to a new cluster may be best. I love the dakota digital vhx i threw into my other 80, and it fixes the oil pressure issue, the temp gauge laziness in the ok zone and gives it a much cleaner look.
*blanket for wastegate is still pending.

In the end, im excited to have given my wife the ultimatum of "a bolt on turbo for the cruiser and a set of bolt ons for you cost about the same, what are we getting?" In the end, I'd still buy my wife a set if she changed her mind....like yesterday.

Excited for the kit and I'm going to start ordering parts for an oem engine rebuild. I'm going to slap in the turbo before the engine rebuild though, so put me in the let her fly camp....

 

[NLXTACY]

@lazy the banana hammock warmer snuggly

 

[jjdeneen918]

@lazy the banana hammock warmer snuggly

View attachment 2406580

More info?

that isn’t the turbo housing blanket is it?