3B Turbo Kits... Can we settle this? (2 Viewers)

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Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Threads
22
Messages
125
Location
Maple Ridge BC
Website
chrisbromptonphotography.com
I want to ( Correction, NEED to) turbo my 3b. I have scoured 'MUD and come up with no conclusive results as to which turbo kit is the best. The long highway hills are killing me since I got my M416 ready for off road. Even on level ground, Max Highway speed is about 90Km/h in 4th I can't even think about shifting into 5th unless I'm on a major downhill. As of Last week the prices are as follows on the Turbo kits I'm interested in.
TurboGlide $2837.91CAD
AXT $3401.78CAD
Denco $3092.53CAD

Can someone with some knowledge of all of these please explain to me the differences between the 3 turbos themselves? All I know is that the TG is a Garrett T24 AXT is a T25? and the Denco is some sort of custom Schwizer.

What about performance? I think I read somewhere that the TG is the smallest of the three. Does that mean it will spool up faster than the others? giving me more HP at lower RPM?

If they all basically will produce the same results, then the TG is the way to go. I'm assuming because the boost is so low, one could achieve very similar results with all 3 with some simple fuel and waste gate adjustments. Am I right in saying this?

Anyone out there with some experience shed some light on this for me?
 
Hi Chris,
I just put an AXT turbo and intercooler kit on the 86HJ60-2H rig: I researched just like you are doing and seemed to find the same response--each comment was about what they had bought but not why, except for cost...which of course is important.

But then, I noticed also that one of those products you listed, had postings about failures due to oil flow issues...which resulted in bottom end bearing replacements plus turbo rebuilds.

Bottom line: I chose to spend more up front for the AXT kit because it had water cooling as well as the oil lube/cooling system. Secondly, in talking with the AXT staff, they were much more professional and knowledgeable than the other company's staff--and when I gave them a chance to speak bad about their competition--they did not--but rather explained why there product was better--!

So-my 3 cents worth---by the way--did a road trip after the install and the overall power, power curve, sound were AMAZING--massive power!!

Anyways--best wishes as you improve the power!
LCDiesel60
Oregon
 
jzilla said:
Check with Diesel42 about his kit, it is less and really high end as well.

This would be my vote. Genuine Garrett turbo too, which means good quality, and excellent part support later on.

Dan
 
I can comment on the AXT versus TG on a 3b engine:
The TG spools up faster and provides more power at lower rpms. It is a bit smaller but provides plenty of boost.

I am surprised that someone commented on the lack of courtesy from the TG people. If you actually call them they are incredibly helpful.

The TG obviously has oil lines, but the kit does not come with the stuff for water cooling (but the turbo has ports for water cooling). There are many discussions about this. IMO the water is not necessary for a diesel turbo, but it certainly won't do any harm.

cheers,
J
 
Thanks guys.
I appreciate the info. I will look at Diesel42's kit and speak with him about it.
I agree with J in regards to the water lines being unnecessary with such a small boost.
I tried to get a hold of John @ RADD a few times to speak with him about the Denco (he seems to be experienced with those) however the receptionist just takes messages and John never returns my call.
I just want to make sure I get the best product for my money.
I am leaning towards the TG but I'm not sold on it. Any more info or opinions would be great.

Thanks
 
I have been researching this for months now as well. I contacted the sellers as above and read countles posts. While I dont have the capital to buy a kit, I wouldnt hesitate to buy Diesel42's kit, its a great price, the GT2052 garrett turbo is proven, (read Dougals posts) they do the bung in the pan for oil drain, their parts appear quality, and their adapter looks perfect for the 13bt manifold that is used. I am still going to try and use much of what Kieth has though for my own pieced together attempt, and he has been great about communication. From what I have heard on here he is great about tech help, and their kit is top notch. Best wishes, let us know what you get.

P.S.
I am in the Wa state, but have friends in Maple Ridge, love to see your set up sometime when you get it.
 
The exchange rate won't hurt either. Just getting it over the border will sting....{/QUOTE]



Please Learn CCN or Canada Customs Number.
NAFTA BS is just that , smoke and mirrors ,


any item in USA , that has a CCC/CCN is brought in to Canada , and then Taxed to the max @ 6-14% ..

No duty !!!!

Don't PM me !!!!

Figure this out YOURSELF !!


As with this Diesel 42 kit , post a link so all can follow.
PLEASE !

Now adding a turbo , needs oil , some have internal oil flow restrictive volume amount , others don't .

Hence your ""bottom end bearing replacements plus turbo rebuilds""




VT
 
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John can be a bugger to get hold of, agreed.
but
once you do you will realize you are dealing with a small shop AND a very knowledgeable person. He doesn't shoot crap, he sucks as a salesman since he is honest and isn't just in it "for the money" like other shops i have dealt with. he will tell you want works and why. he will tell you if what you are asking is realistic of not.
i have run the AXT, i have run the Safari kit and they are generic kits created for the masses. i have not ran the Diesel 42 kit but i saw one on a 70 i took for a drive and it is a nice kit.

i disagree that price is the important factor. for me it is results that count, support that counts, quality that counts ... price comes in a distant 4th on importance. if you save a couple hundred and the results suck how much did you actually save then?

generic kits are fine, i will run one.
custom kits are fine, i would run one.
i usually make my own kit since i want a turbo that will respond to my driving needs.

to answer the OP question, anyone of the 3 kits listed will be fine.

you do not need water cooling on these small engines.
adaquate oil feed AND return is important.
 
Since D42 hasn't noticed this yet I'll chime in...

I helped Diesel42 build and test his kit. The basis for the design was to take proven fit parts and make the kit as independent and simple as possible.

By independent, I mean that oiling is on its own circuit to and from the turbo. Most of the turbo kits we saw when designing this one tapped the oil feel off of one of one of the pressure sensors, or had two to three adapters before it got to an actual hose. On the outlet side, almost every kit tapped into the return line of the vacuum pump. Neither D42 or I liked this as failure or backup of oiling at this junction (it is only a small hose and fitting) could cause failure of both turbo and vacuum pump. With neither being cheap to replace or rebuild, this was not acceptable. We decided that the relative invasiveness of welding in a bung to the oil pan was worth the peace of mind of separating these two important systems.

As far as simplicity and proven nature of the parts, we use the stock 13BT manifold and the most recent OEM all-metal manifold gaskets. I made and can provide material for copper gaskets between the manifold/adapter/turbo but D42 has never seen issue with his material. For disclosure, I had an issue but it was based on not enough flex in my exhaust creating movement in the turbo creating the leak.

As far a link... Well that's on me... I am a web developer and have had this only plate for while so any lack of a link is my fault. I'll get on it ASAP.

As for Performance, I personally think the GT2052 performs better than any of the turbos supplied with the other kits. I get boost super early (I get the needle bumping before 1000 rpm - almost at idle when warm) and can see 15psi with the waste gate adjusted. I also keep my rig under 1000 degrees F so I could easily add fuel if I had a healthier cooling system or added an intercooler.

Hope this helps clarify.
 
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X3 on Diesel 42's Kit, I put his kit on last January and am very pleased with the results, both on and off road.
Ok I'm starting to see a trend here. Perhaps I should add in the D42 Kit as well. Looking like maybe I'll be swinging that way.

I have been researching this for months now as well. I contacted the sellers as above and read countles posts. While I dont have the capital to buy a kit, I wouldnt hesitate to buy Diesel42's kit, its a great price, the GT2052 garrett turbo is proven, (read Dougals posts) they do the bung in the pan for oil drain, their parts appear quality, and their adapter looks perfect for the 13bt manifold that is used. I am still going to try and use much of what Kieth has though for my own pieced together attempt, and he has been great about communication. From what I have heard on here he is great about tech help, and their kit is top notch. Best wishes, let us know what you get.

P.S.
I am in the Wa state, but have friends in Maple Ridge, love to see your set up sometime when you get it.

Thanks for the input. Customer Service is of key importance to me since I don't have a ton of knowledge with these sort of things and I plan on attacking this one myself. Except for the shunt. I'll leave the welding to my Mechanic neighbor!

P.S.
PM sent with contact info.

Since D42 hasn't noticed this yet I'll chime in...

I helped Diesel42 build and test his kit. The basis for the design was to take proven fit parts and make the kit as independent and simple as possible.

By independent, I mean that oiling is on its own circuit to and from the turbo. Most of the turbo kits we saw when designing this one tapped the oil feel off of one of one of the pressure sensors, or had two to three adapters before it got to an actual hose. On the outlet side, almost every kit tapped into the return line of the vacuum pump. Neither D42 or I liked this as failure or backup of oiling at this junction (it is only a small hose and fitting) could cause failure of both turbo and vacuum pump. With neither being cheap to replace or rebuild, this was not acceptable. We decided that the relative invasiveness of welding in a bung to the oil pan was worth the peace of mind of separating these two important systems.

As far as simplicity and proven nature of the parts, we use the stock 13BT manifold and the most recent OEM all-metal manifold gaskets. I made and can provide material for copper gaskets between the manifold/adapter/turbo but D42 has never seen issue with his material. For disclosure, I had an issue but it was based on not enough flex in my exhaust creating movement in the turbo creating the leak.

As far a link... Well that's on me... I am a web developer and have had this only plate for while so any lack of a link is my fault. I'll get on it ASAP.

As for Performance, I personally think the GT2052 performs better than any of the turbos supplied with the other kits. I get boost super early (I get the needle bumping before 1000 rpm - almost at idle when warm) and can see 15psi with the waste gate adjusted. I also keep my rig under 1000 degrees F so I could easily add fuel if I had a healthier cooling system or added an intercooler.

Hope this helps clarify.

It certainly does clarify things a bit more.
The only thing I'm not clear on yet is price. I agree with what is said about price being 4th on the list but if the $3400 kit performs the same as the $2800 kit than why spend the extra money? thats Why I was leaning towards the TG. However the positive response everyone is giving the D42 kit is swinging me in that direction. I think that you and D42 and Dougal have put a ton of thought and research into this and besides I'd rather support the fellow 'MUDer than some big Aussie company.

On a side note.
I'm starting to think that my local Landcruiser shop is supplying D42 with his 13B-T manifolds. All this info is sounding a lot like this "new turbo kit" that He was going to get from a guy stateside.

Anyways I await D42's entry into the thread.
 
Chris:

One last thought (and one of the reasons that I'd go the D42 route) is that it uses a simple GT2052. Easy to know what it is, and easy to get parts for. Our 3B has a Safari turbo kit on it. I haven't driven it enough to know if I love the turbo or not, but I do know that when I needed to rebuild the turbo that it has been a serious pain. Safari removed any identifying marks on what it actually is, and so it has taken a lot more time to find the parts we needed to rebuild it.

This absolutely wouldn't be a problem with a genuine Garrett turbo.

Dan
 
@Dan - exactly on the GT2052. I think it even comes with a warranty as the trubo is brand new from the factory.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised on the cost. I haven't been involved in the sourcing of parts for while so I will not say a number, but when we first designed the kit we were looking to offer it at a significantly competitive price.

Mostly the cost of the turbo and the manifold will be the two most important factors.
 
Thanks guys,

I just came from Steve's. Confirming what your saying J.

Steve basically reiterated what BreckenridgeCruiser was saying about the OIL SHUNT: This is a must!
Apparently, oil sitting in your turbo is bad news. the shunt allows the oil to drain out very quickly whereas if you tie into the return line you are inhibiting the flow significantly.

After spending a few minutes chatting about the turbo, I think that I'm on board with D42's.

Thanks for all your help guys, You have enlightened me.
 
I bought a kit from D42 (Keith) and everything everyone has said is true. He was very helpful, the kit was very complete (homemade, but nicely done), and well thought out. He even called me 2 months later to see what I thought of the performance and if there was anything I would change. I don't know about the performance of the other kits, but it seems as though this kit is the product of this forum and works well. Kind of an IH8Mud love child.

Below is one of the posts that talks about it.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-24-volts-systems/459844-turbocharger-3b-toyota-engine.html
 
Excellent!
I have sent Keith an email and will keep you guys posted as to my decision. I have a lot of work to do now though.

Rebuild Rad...
Fix my Timing cover oil leak....
New belts...
Re route my lines to the heater core....
 

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