B Turbo

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N

NielsC

10 Year
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
Threads
32
Messages
152
Location
Belgium
I'm thinking off turbocharging my 3.0 litre B engine, but some people say it's fine and won't give any real problems unless you floor it a long time , and some people say it certainly will give issues such as overheating.
I was talking to a co worker at work who has build race engine for years for a tuning company in Belgium and he said to me if I turbocharge it, the headgasket WILL blow within a couple miles because the compression is too high and if I want it to work properly I will need a crankshaft or piston rods with shorter stroke, or pistons wich are lower, or custom steel headgasket wich is 5-6mm thick.
Also when I told him the engine has no piston oil jets, i will melt the engine and head.

But why do i still read here some people get away with it without issues?
I would like to hear peoples experiences who have done it succesfully.

I was thinking off EGT gauge in exhaust manifold and an additional oil cooler and electric fan in front off radiator to help cooling things down...

Niels
 
You are talking apple to oranges when you turbo a B compared to a race car.
First you will be in the lower range of boost and be using a turbo with a smaller turbine.
Yes your head gasket will be stressed but should not blow if you match the correct turbo and keep the boost down.
Intercooler will help keep the heat down a bit and a 4 core rad will help.
There are a few guys who have done this mod.... the B was never designed for a turbo application so the engines longevity will be reduced especially if its high mileage motor.
Your head will crack before your pistons melt this is the norm on the B engines when overheated.
For sure a EGT gauge will help monitor engine temps so you don't exceed the 1200F critical zone.
 
I was thinking off using a Volvo 740 2.4 TD turbo as this is the one most used here on 3B engines, setted at about 0.5-0.6 bar pressure,
with EGT gauge. I don't think temperature really is an issue if boost/fuel mated up correctly,as more boost normally results in lower EGT.
 
Your tuning shops concerns would be true if it were tuned for maximum power. But no sane person would do this to an old idi engine.

Keep the boost in single digits and the EGT down and you will be fine. You'll get a quieter engine with improved power and torque, reduced smoke and faster warmup in winter.
 
I have been running an AXT turbo on a 3B of years and have had no problems. 3B is very similar to a B engine but has a few differences such as a little more displacement (3.4L) and oil nozzles in the block that spray the undersides of the pistons. I am sure those nozzles help with the stress a turbo may add, so am unsure of how a B engine would perform with a turbo. I run around 9-10psi boost and the fuel turned up slightly. I have a pyrometer installed and it runs about 850-900 deg F max. No overheating issues, but there was a 4-core radiator already in the vehicle prior to the turbo installation. I hear of other folks running much higher boost and EGT's than me.
 
The piston cooling would be my main concern. Similar to charging a 2H. Could be fine, could cook the ring lands, fry pistons, pop a crank....etc.
Like said above, if you keep the boost in the low digits (5-9) and keep an eye on your EGT, It would probably be okay. maybe.
that said, on my 3B, the original headgasket popped in less than 1000kms at 12psi. but I atribute that to its age... no issues with a MLS one.

You can buy a short block 3B for relatively cheap these days, build it up with turbo in mind, and be laughin. probably be a direct swap in place of your B. And you wont have longevity worries while you build your new motor, while you keep driving the old. Its a bit of work and coin to put a turbo on. might as well upgrade if you want to keep the rig for a while.
my .02 anyways
 
Here is a B I turbo charged back in 2008. It continues to run excellent after 6 years of use. Your number one concern will be heat. An absolute must is a pyrometer and boost gauge to insure you do not blow your engine up. Before you turbo your B I would make certain the engine is at 100% operating condition before building on top of a poor performing engine. There is no sense in polishing a turd so if power is what you are looking for make sure you get it from the stock parameters first.


Start with a compression check to insure your bottom end meets spec.

Pull your head.. I would suggest pulling your head then send it to a machine shop to have it pressure checked and inspected for cracks. This is a super cheap cost to insure you have a good strong top end. I have been told by countless diesel techs from Canada that the B and 3B diesels will almost always have cracked heads but more often than not will never show signs.

Use a quality head gasket. If you have an old wore head gasket or a cheap one you can easily blow them with a turbo system.

Fuel system.. pull all your injectors and have them tested by a diesel injection repair shop. I have turbo charged two B diesels and on both I sent my injectors and pump to a local Nippon Denso authorized repair shop. In both cases the injectors were bad. The pumps are nearly bullet proof and with a simple gasket set and re-calibrated to insure equal fuel injection volume per cylinder the fuel system was ready to perform.

Cooling... I run a upgraded aluminum radiator with an internal oil cooler and intercooler to help control the additional heat buildup under load.

Exhaust... With a turbo system you have a lot more air volume being pushed through your exhaust system so the stock system normally has to go. To small of a diameter exhaust will cause back pressure which will cause your EGT's to spike. This is bad news on a long grade. Run at least a 2.5" exhaust system with a fairly free flowing muffler like a magna flow. The down pipe design is also very important. If you have to sharp of a bend where the down pipe bolts to the turbo it can cause back pressure = high egts. Buy mandrel pre bent exhaust tubing which will help keep your exhaust tubing as open as possible and will give you the sharpest possible angle without crushing your tubing and pinching off flow.

Turbo Mapping. I contacted Garrett turbos ( I am not a fan of Garrett and would suggest running a Borg Warner. Garretts tend to have oil blow by issues. Also, do not buy a bearing turbo. The bushing turbos are less problematic and have been proven to perform better) directly and they helped me turbo map my engine to insure I used the right size turbo. To small of a turbo will give you boost on the bottom end and tapper off in the mid and high RPM range. To large of a turbo will only boost in the higher RPM range. So purchasing a turbo that boosts when you want the power will insure you have built a system that works to your expectation.

Air intake. Make sure you run a air filter element that will not restrict intake air flow. A K&N style filter works great.

I ran my cruiser at around 8-10 PSI of boost which came on right at around 1200 - 1400 RPM (Guessing because I do not have a tach) and held all the way through until I needed to shift. At this boost level the cruiser performed beyond my expectations.

I hope this has helped... Again it has been 6 years now and the cruiser still runs excellent!!!

Videos:




Photos:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150492949407387.427336.99810662386&type=1&l=5f3b045484
 
One last thing... If you plan to run a intercooler and or a A/C unit which means you will also be installing a condensor it is important that you add shrouding. There is a large gap on the right side of the radiator core support and with the addition of all these cooling elements the air will hit and roll through the path of least resistance. By the time the limited amount of air that makes it through your condensor and intercooler you will have expanded hot air hitting your radiator which doesn't work to well LOL... I also ran a push electric fan which only comes on when the A/C is turned on. There is an electric pull fan on the back which comes on when the coolant reaches 180 degrees.

IMG_4600.webp
 
Cruiser Innovations said:
One last thing... If you plan to run a intercooler and or a A/C unit which means you will also be installing a condensor it is important that you add shrouding. There is a large gap on the right side of the radiator core support and with the addition of all these cooling elements the air will hit and roll through the path of least resistance. By the time the limited amount of air that makes it through your condensor and intercooler you will have expanded hot air hitting your radiator which doesn't work to well LOL... I also ran a push electric fan which only comes on when the A/C is turned on. There is an electric pull fan on the back which comes on when the coolant reaches 180 degrees.
Click to expand...

Oh look. The 200hp and 35mpg guy is back!

The turbo you've used is a T28, too big for the B engine and I've no idea who at Garrett sized that for you.
K$N style cone filters should never be used on any 4wd. Nor should any diesel air cleaner be sucking hot air from the middle of the engine bay.
 
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The engine bay air can get you 100 degrees egts higher right there in summer when your working it hard. The k and n filter Is a double step backwards with that set up. Bad enough to run it on any engine but should never be done on a turbo. Your compressor will suffer indeed.
 
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