Bolt on turbo kit

[spyduh]

I pulled the battery about a month ago

Welp. That should have plenty of time to relearn assuming you drove it a few heat cycles and put enough miles on it.

Check
1. Injectors and orings for leaks
2. All vacuum hoses for leaks
3. fuel pump and fuel filter and fuel lines
4. o2 sensor. Not sure what brand your kit included? I would use name brand like bosch. Could be a bad sensor too.

I run PLX using Bosch o2. My reading after a fresh EFI/batt pull reads 15-16 on a cold engine for only a couple mins. The ECU learns pretty quick and goes to 14.5-14.7. It does flip to 15s but in a few heat cycles and drives it stays at 14.6-7 on idle. Hard boost pulls I've seen as low as 10.6 (which means it's getting plenty of gas). I'm using a modified Supra (Denso) fuel pump on stock injectors and new orings. You can find details on my Turbo build thread.

Link for info on my Kyosan (Modded Denso) Supra fuel pump

Builds - Spyduh's LX450 Build (Motor Rebuild + Wits End Turbo Kit)

They look gorgeous!

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Willy beamin]

Welp. That should have plenty of time to relearn assuming you drove it a few heat cycles and put enough miles on it.

Check
1. Injectors and orings for leaks
2. All vacuum hoses for leaks
3. fuel pump and fuel filter and fuel lines
4. o2 sensor. Not sure what brand your kit included? I would use name brand like bosch. Could be a bad sensor too.

bosch O2 is what the wide band kit came with

 

[spyduh]

bosch O2 is what the wide band kit came with

It could very well be a bad bosch o2. It does happen if it was DROPPED during shipping. Those things are very sensitive from what I understand. I think there's a way to measure it too and make sure if its still in spec. I would google that and see how to test the o2 and make sure it's in range first.

 

[Willy beamin]

It could very well be a bad bosch o2. It does happen if it was DROPPED during shipping. Those things are very sensitive from what I understand. I think there's a way to measure it too and make sure if its still in spec. I would google that and see how to test the o2 and make sure it's in range first.

thank you for the replies

 

[OutlawMike]

I would not run the wideband as measuring AFR. I would run it as Lambda. Lambda is independent of the fuel blend you are running. AFR is calculated assuming pure gasoline. But, we never run pure gasoline, we always have some blend of ethanol or who knows what else. I believe you have to change the fuel type in the gauge to reflect the blend you a running to get an accurate AFR for that blend. As an example, E85 gasoline AFR should be 9.75:1 A 15% Ethanol blend gasoline should have an AFR of 13.79:1.

All that being said, would you be getting AFR's like you have if you are running a blended fuel, but the gauge is calculating for pure gasoline? I do not think so. But, I recommend you switch the tool to Lambda. 1 is optimum, less than 1 is rich, greater than 1 is lean. Independent of the fuel blend you are running.

 

[Willy beamin]

I figured out the AFR challenge I faced. The Spartan lambda controller, which I have, has two grounds, one for the monitor and another for the heater within the AFR sensor. I missed that second ground, sensor heater, during install. Found it and fixed it tonight. Readings are in line now. Thanks for sharing ideas fellas!

 

[spyduh]

I figured out the AFR challenge I faced. The Spartan lambda controller, which I have, has two grounds, one for the monitor and another for the heater within the AFR sensor. I missed that second ground, sensor heater, during install. Found it and fixed it tonight. Readings are in line now. Thanks for sharing ideas fellas!

Ahh yes the sensor ground itself! Very important.

 

[NLXTACY]

Late last year I sent an email out to 11 turbo pre-order customers. That email dictated some details on the delivery of their kit. That email was written based on all the information I had at the time and that’s what I went with. Its now March and 4 of those 11 are still waiting for their kit, along with all of the other orders.

One of the huge negatives to being transparent with all of the dealings going on in the background, in the past, is that it is simple GARBAGE IN/GARBAGE OUT. I am given details and I then give out those details. That method has gotten me in so much trouble in the past from customers because they feel as if I either move the goalposts or I’m just not being accurate. It’s absolutely frustrating when a vendor says, “we have you covered, everything will ship by the weekend”.

Then it doesn’t ship. Then it’s delayed. Then delayed again. Then I get a working sample and it’s WRONG. Then two weeks turns into four months. I feel like I’ve aged ten years JUST this past year.

During that time I parrot what the vendor says. But there comes a time when I get tired of hearing it. Just the same way I know you folks get tired of hearing it. So I’m just not going to detail it because I’m at the point where I’m just tired of herding these cats.

The good news is the stuff I needed is finally completed and ready for me.

The bad news is now it waits for me to do final inspection before I pick it up. Why is that an issue?

Folks, I’m going to let you in on a little secret; if you do not see me posting on IG or FB or MUD there is a reason for that and its not a good reason. My wife months ago asked me to STOP posting about what she has been going thru because its nearly always negative. She wants me to only post positive stuff and she wants me to keep telling everyone that asks that she is doing well. The problem is she hasn’t been doing well. Up until about two weeks ago(ish) we’ve still been going back and forth with the hospital and doctors. But in between all that I have had three family members pass away in JUST the past two weeks. None due to the virus which was surprising. But all of this havoc has been utterly brutal and has absolutely taken my attention away from Wits’ End. My brother has been fantastic about taking care of orders but he doesn’t answer phones or emails or deal with vendors. Thats my customer service failings.

As I get things settled with my family I will be making my trip back to LA. This trip will solve a LOT of issues with product fulfillment but I need to be there to make it happen. When I go back to LA it will be able to take care of not only the remaining four I need to take care of but will also take care of at least another 20 which will pretty much get me FINALLY caught up.

So please, just bear with me just a little while longer and everyone will get their toys.

If I am not answering my phone, there is a reason for it.
If I am not answering emails, there is a reason for it.
None of it is personal, but it is about my mental well being right now.
But regardless of what is going on, there is light at the end of the tunnel and I'm excited to finally be able to close this chapter of my life.

 

[NLXTACY]

I am really sorry to hear this Joey. I am not a rich man and I don’t really need any parts for my truck since I haven’t driven it since COVID started. Fortunately I have had steady work. I would certainly be happy to make a donation (that isn’t sales based) to help you get through this s***ty time. We don’t have many LC specific vendors and it’s very short sighted to think if we don’t support the ones that are passionate about the hobby that there will be others that fill their shoes.

Maybe you could setup a PayPal or something?

I just sent 100 bucks as a gift to the business PayPal last night. I am sure he is going to rage at me for doing it but I feel the same way. Need to support the vendors that actually care.

I have only talked to @NLXTACY once over the phone and countless times over text....and with no other way of putting it, he talked to me like I was a friend of his since childhood. We live in different time zones! We live different lives! But we share an obsession over something so ridiculous as these trucks ; that we are able to be act like best friends who have know each other for decades. No one has customer service like that! I too will know that he will be thoroughly upset by any and all donations to his business, but I can say this, I would be screwed without his work and company. Its Christmas and the holiday season after all, I cannot not help a friend!! Its the land cruiser addiction! Its the 80 series family!

What's Joey's business PayPal? I'd like to send funds too. Maybe we should start a separate thread also?

Funds sent. Thanks Joey and better days ahead.

Funds sent 2. Sorry not much but hope it helps

Guys, I hate you but I love you.

I wasn't following the thread for a long time but I was chatting with Scotty and in the conversation the paypal donations were brought up. Guys I had no idea what was going on at the time. In fact I didn't know what the funds were for until I asked Scotty what parts I owed him because I didn't have an order for him. He let me in on what you guys did. Then it started to make sense. I had thought I had payments with no orders and I was driving myself nuts trying to figure out why nothing matched.

But thank you. All of you. And thanks to whoever was missed.

s*** is tough but we know so so many people having a much rougher time than we are. I owe you

...but please don't do it again!

 

[TYM4FUN]

@NLXTACY

You and the family are loving people and hardworking. We are blessed to have you. We all have your family in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[SteelHunterFJ80]

Guys, I hate you but I love you.

I wasn't following the thread for a long time but I was chatting with Scotty and in the conversation the paypal donations were brought up. Guys I had no idea what was going on at the time. In fact I didn't know what the funds were for until I asked Scotty what parts I owed him because I didn't have an order for him. He let me in on what you guys did. Then it started to make sense. I had thought I had payments with no orders and I was driving myself nuts trying to figure out why nothing matched.

But thank you. All of you. And thanks to whoever was missed.

s*** is tough but we know so so many people having a much rougher time than we are. I owe you

...but please don't do it again!

Joey, all of us are grateful for your contributions to the cruiser community and all the great posts/jokes/life stuff you bring. Your probably the reason I'm now on Instagram.... damn wits end product musings and updates! But I digress, we wish you and your family better days ahead.

Tripp

Ps we all will help a brother out whenever we damn well want! After all, we need somebody to source parts for us for the next 20 years!

Pps Got upgraded windshield washer nozzles and sway bar bushings/protectors from you yesterday!

 

[myersman]

Guys, I hate you but I love you.

I wasn't following the thread for a long time but I was chatting with Scotty and in the conversation the paypal donations were brought up. Guys I had no idea what was going on at the time. In fact I didn't know what the funds were for until I asked Scotty what parts I owed him because I didn't have an order for him. He let me in on what you guys did. Then it started to make sense. I had thought I had payments with no orders and I was driving myself nuts trying to figure out why nothing matched.

But thank you. All of you. And thanks to whoever was missed.

s*** is tough but we know so so many people having a much rougher time than we are. I owe you

...but please don't do it again!

Thanks for the update @NLXTACY . I’ve been waiting a long time for my turbo. It’s good to get updates and keep the frustration to a minimum.

 

[cme4lyt]

Thanks for the update @NLXTACY . I’ve been waiting a long time for my turbo. It’s good to get updates and keep the frustration to a minimum.

Yes, I too love the updates....even if it’s not good news. Hang in there, we got your back !

 

[woodsman 44]

I've been buying parts from wits end since Joey started the business, just a stand up guy, very honest and willing to go the extra mile with a great track record.

With the tough times he is going thru we all need to show him a lot of grace and not worry when the parts will get to us, just be patient as he needs time to work things out and he will bounce back even stronger but just needs time to sort things out through these difficult times....he gets my utmost respect!

 

[NLXTACY]

Early last year I had a turbo pre-order customer sell his spot to the guy that bought his truck. The guy buying the 80 had no idea that the turbo was even a thing. He just really liked the truck. He did some research and decided to indeed buy the seller's spot in line. They exchanged funds and all I did was change the name on the order. Easy, simple, painless. The buyer was lucky enough to be getting a spot way at the front of the line. He got his turbo before I moved Wits' End to Oregon. New guy knew nothing of the back story of the kit and honestly knew nothing of MUD nor of Wits' End it seemed. He had a local shop do his install and I walked them thru the entire process. Anyone that already has installed their kit already knows how much time I am willing to go thru to make sure the install is a success. It can be an obscene amount of time...at all hours of the day and night. This install was no exception.

Fast forward a year and he texts me out of the blue, "Hey Joey the turbo is making like a locking up noise". The he sends me this video:



Followed soon after by this video:



My only comment to him was the first video sounded like the turbo bearing and the follow up video confirmed it. The very first thing I needed him to verify is if its being oiled correctly because BorgWarner is going to know instantly if it was or wasn't and would kick it back if it was oil starved. I asked him to verify if the oil supply hose is actually supplying oil. This would mean removing the hose's top fitting that goes into the turbo and turning on the motor to verify its indeed squirting out oil from the hose. If it is, the turbo failed. If it isn't then I failed and we needed to figure out how I failed. The problem is he's stuck on the side of the road away from home and 900 miles from me. So everything requires keyboard mechanic sleuthing.

"Its hot...the fill line..."

I respond that when the hose cools down to go ahead and remove the fitting and verify if its pumping oil.

Since he's waiting for things to cool down I ask him to inspect the impeller for ANY signs of debris hits. Did something get sucked into the turbo to cause the impeller to be hit by a foreign object/ Are there any missing pieces of the impeller?

He sent this photo which appears to show an intact impeller with no evidence of debris impacts.

At this point the hose is cool enough to touch and he gets the top fitting off. He gets the truck started. The oil pressure gauge is reading pressure ok but there is zero oil coming out of the hose. Something had to have happened recently. There is no chance the turbo would have been operating for any length of time without oil, much less lasting for a year. I ask him how many miles were on the turbo?

"5000 miles"

Ok well I'm writing up an email to my BorgWarner distributor to see what the next steps are and what do I need to do. Its the very first turbo issue so I'll be honest, I had/have no clue what to do next. At this point he asks what he can do to trouble shoot the oil supply issue.

Now on the turbo side of things the oil pressure is read from the port the oil sender is threaded into. This sender is removed so that the Oil PeacePipe can go into its place. The PeacePipe is just a custom oil pressure manifold. Nothing high tech, its just a piece of brass that I have zinc plated. So could there have been an issue with the machining on this piece? I doubt it. He was seeing pressure at the gauge and I would have noticed it during QA after machining. Could it have been the zinc plating process? I doubt it. The plating would not flake off in a way to cause a blockage and he was still seeing pressure. Could it be the oil supply hose going to the turbo? Maybe, but each of these hoses are pressure tested before they come to me and I blow air into each drain and fill hose to make sure nothing got inside during shipping. Then I remember two years ago that @spyduh had a hose that leaked. That was a manufacturing issue and my hydraulic shop changed the process for me to make sure that never happened again. Either way I'm suspecting a bad oil supply hose. This puts the responsibility on me. So I'm preparing myself for the worst. At this point I need more info so I ask him a few more questions:

• Remove the entire hose and blow air thru it in both directions, any restrictions?
• Was it installed with the hose laying directly on the J-Pipe or exhaust manifold?
• With the hose removed and engine on, is oil coming out of the PeacePipe?
• If no oil coming out could it be an oil cooler blockage issue? (Doubtful because he sees pressure)

Now I wait to hear back from the customer. From BorgWarner's side: If its oil starved no warranty. Figured that would be the case.

I bring home the fact that its absolutely a recent issue. Something HAD to have changed. Its literally impossible for the turbo to NOT detonate itself if its run without an oil supply. To which he responded:

"yea just noticed the sudden loss of power today for the first time. And then started hearing that noise and stopped."

I was leaning oil cooler but it didn't make sense because he was seeing pressure at the gauge. At this point he had it towed to a local mechanic. Two days later I heard back from him...

"Ok found the issue"

"The oil hose was tucked UNDER (emphasis mine) the turbo's lava blanket and pushed up against the exhaust of the turbo, burned/melted the hose"

WHAT THE....??!?!

Started burning thru the blanket from the heat.

"You can see the spot it was pushed up against there on the exhaust"

This was 100% the installing shop's fault. They didn't like the oil supply hose just hanging out in space not being tied down to anything. So they decided it would be a ****ing awesome idea to RUN THE OIL SUPPLY HOSE AGAINST THE LITERAL HOTTEST PART OF THE ENTIRE TRUCK. ARGH!!

Now keep this mind...the shop, ONE year and 5000 miles ago, decided to run the stainless braided teflon and heat sleeved hose against the hot side of the turbo. 5000 miles ago. The hose and sleeving that I very very specifically picked to be overkill lasted 5000 miles laying on the turbo. It took that long before the hose finally said, "ENOUGH!!!" and had built up so much heat that the teflon inside melted and plugged the hose. Think about that.

Customer instantly recognizes it was the installing shop's fault but they are 6hrs away from him and nothing he could do. For me the most important thing for me was getting back on the road asap!

Which brings me to something I would like to inform everyone that has this kit or in line to receive this kit. I PURPOSELY keep spares of EVERYTHING handy for exactly this reason. I don't want ANYONE left stranded because of something I make. I just couldn't live with myself. Even when I have people screaming at me that they want their kit and they want it now, and I have literally everything on hand to ship a full kit, I WILL NOT because I need to always make sure i have spares. I may not be producing this kit for much longer but holy hell I sure as **** plan on supporting it as long as I'm still breathing.

This went out to the customer that same morning:

Folks, when you finally get your kit, expect the same level of service regardless where I am or the time of day. Everyone that has theirs already knows.

 

[scottryana]

Just to give cliff notes.

- Non-mudder bought an 80 and turbo kit from someone here.
- Non-mudder had a shop that had no idea what they were doing install it.
- The shop put the oil hose under the turbo blanket and sandwiched it between the turbo blanket and the exhaust housing.
- The oil line melted and starved the turbo of oil.
- The turbo died.
- Joey will still provide the customer support

This is not a turbo kit failure. It is an installation failure.

 

[NLXTACY]

^ the TL;DR

 

[toyotaaddict83]

THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHY @NLXTACY and Absolute Wits End have earned my business, my backing and my support! Metaphorically, we all know how easy it would have been for Joey to say "Eh.... You're too far from me, I can't help you." Or "Naaaaah.... I did my part of the deal and have too much going on right now." Instead, super man was here to help a cruiser lover who easily could have been forced away by the entire experience and into a J**P . Well done sir! Applause all around! This really helps me sleep at night because since the turbo, Duchess (my 80), does not been driven like we are heading to Sunday morning church. And he wonders why we make spontaneous donations to him!

 

[spyduh]

That was 100% shop install error!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who tucks an oil supply line under a turbo blanket? Who the hell tucks anything into the HOTTEST part of a freaking turbo that's in a heat blanket to protect everything else from heat. The shop has no business working on anything but basic oil changes period. Doesn't even take a mechanic to know that you don't sandwich anything under a turbo blanket. That's common F*****n sense right there buddy!

Joey. That's a damn shame that you're going to stop selling the kit after all presold kits are completed. This is literally the best kit ever for a 1fz in terms of producing power on the original drive train. But I totally understand your reasonings with the heartache you've been through producing these things and having everything beyond your control. Anyone that's followed this thread long enough knows the pains in getting this out. As a Wits End turbo owner, I wish you continue selling these and the market would take off on this. But times are tough for a lot of people because of Covid and you made refunds on prepurchases even when you didn't have to and wasn't your responsibility. That in my book and what you have done in the past for all your customers and current (as seen above) is what sets you apart from all other businesses. You're willing to go the extra mile and make things right for the customer, even if it hurts you. Which IMHO is a dumb financial decision, but this is why we love you and want to support you! I'm glad to hear that you will continue to stock parts on hand for us Turbo owners to support our kits as they get more and more miles in the future.

I'm going to predict that this will eventually make the Wits End Turbo kit be worth more to 80 owners as supply dwindles. Price will climb up just like the used second market of the TRD/Magnuson S/Cs.

 

[myersman]

Early last year I had a turbo pre-order customer sell his spot to the guy that bought his truck. The guy buying the 80 had no idea that the turbo was even a thing. He just really liked the truck. He did some research and decided to indeed buy the seller's spot in line. They exchanged funds and all I did was change the name on the order. Easy, simple, painless. The buyer was lucky enough to be getting a spot way at the front of the line. He got his turbo before I moved Wits' End to Oregon. New guy knew nothing of the back story of the kit and honestly knew nothing of MUD nor of Wits' End it seemed. He had a local shop do his install and I walked them thru the entire process. Anyone that already has installed their kit already knows how much time I am willing to go thru to make sure the install is a success. It can be an obscene amount of time...at all hours of the day and night. This install was no exception.

Fast forward a year and he texts me out of the blue, "Hey Joey the turbo is making like a locking up noise". The he sends me this video:



Followed soon after by this video:



My only comment to him was the first video sounded like the turbo bearing and the follow up video confirmed it. The very first thing I needed him to verify is if its being oiled correctly because BorgWarner is going to know instantly if it was or wasn't and would kick it back if it was oil starved. I asked him to verify if the oil supply hose is actually supplying oil. This would mean removing the hose's top fitting that goes into the turbo and turning on the motor to verify its indeed squirting out oil from the hose. If it is, the turbo failed. If it isn't then I failed and we needed to figure out how I failed. The problem is he's stuck on the side of the road away from home and 900 miles from me. So everything requires keyboard mechanic sleuthing.

"Its hot...the fill line..."

I respond that when the hose cools down to go ahead and remove the fitting and verify if its pumping oil.

Since he's waiting for things to cool down I ask him to inspect the impeller for ANY signs of debris hits. Did something get sucked into the turbo to cause the impeller to be hit by a foreign object/ Are there any missing pieces of the impeller?

He sent this photo which appears to show an intact impeller with no evidence of debris impacts.
View attachment 2617807

At this point the hose is cool enough to touch and he gets the top fitting off. He gets the truck started. The oil pressure gauge is reading pressure ok but there is zero oil coming out of the hose. Something had to have happened recently. There is no chance the turbo would have been operating for any length of time without oil, much less lasting for a year. I ask him how many miles were on the turbo?

"5000 miles"

Ok well I'm writing up an email to my BorgWarner distributor to see what the next steps are and what do I need to do. Its the very first turbo issue so I'll be honest, I had/have no clue what to do next. At this point he asks what he can do to trouble shoot the oil supply issue.

Now on the turbo side of things the oil pressure is read from the port the oil sender is threaded into. This sender is removed so that the Oil PeacePipe can go into its place. The PeacePipe is just a custom oil pressure manifold. Nothing high tech, its just a piece of brass that I have zinc plated. So could there have been an issue with the machining on this piece? I doubt it. He was seeing pressure at the gauge and I would have noticed it during QA after machining. Could it have been the zinc plating process? I doubt it. The plating would not flake off in a way to cause a blockage and he was still seeing pressure. Could it be the oil supply hose going to the turbo? Maybe, but each of these hoses are pressure tested before they come to me and I blow air into each drain and fill hose to make sure nothing got inside during shipping. Then I remember two years ago that @spyduh had a hose that leaked. That was a manufacturing issue and my hydraulic shop changed the process for me to make sure that never happened again. Either way I'm suspecting a bad oil supply hose. This puts the responsibility on me. So I'm preparing myself for the worst. At this point I need more info so I ask him a few more questions:

• Remove the entire hose and blow air thru it in both directions, any restrictions?
• Was it installed with the hose laying directly on the J-Pipe or exhaust manifold?
• With the hose removed and engine on, is oil coming out of the PeacePipe?
• If no oil coming out could it be an oil cooler blockage issue? (Doubtful because he sees pressure)

Now I wait to hear back from the customer. From BorgWarner's side: If its oil starved no warranty. Figured that would be the case.

I bring home the fact that its absolutely a recent issue. Something HAD to have changed. Its literally impossible for the turbo to NOT detonate itself if its run without an oil supply. To which he responded:

"yea just noticed the sudden loss of power today for the first time. And then started hearing that noise and stopped."

I was leaning oil cooler but it didn't make sense because he was seeing pressure at the gauge. At this point he had it towed to a local mechanic. Two days later I heard back from him...

"Ok found the issue"

View attachment 2617810

"The oil hose was tucked UNDER (emphasis mine) the turbo's lava blanket and pushed up against the exhaust of the turbo, burned/melted the hose"

WHAT THE....??!?!

Started burning thru the blanket from the heat.

View attachment 2617811

"You can see the spot it was pushed up against there on the exhaust"

View attachment 2617812

This was 100% the installing shop's fault. They didn't like the oil supply hose just hanging out in space not being tied down to anything. So they decided it would be a f***ing awesome idea to RUN THE OIL SUPPLY HOSE AGAINST THE LITERAL HOTTEST PART OF THE ENTIRE TRUCK. ARGH!!

Now keep this mind...the shop, ONE year and 5000 miles ago, decided to run the stainless braided teflon and heat sleeved hose against the hot side of the turbo. 5000 miles ago. The hose and sleeving that I very very specifically picked to be overkill lasted 5000 miles laying on the turbo. It took that long before the hose finally said, "ENOUGH!!!" and had built up so much heat that the teflon inside melted and plugged the hose. Think about that.

Customer instantly recognizes it was the installing shop's fault but they are 6hrs away from him and nothing he could do. For me the most important thing for me was getting back on the road asap!

Which brings me to something I would like to inform everyone that has this kit or in line to receive this kit. I PURPOSELY keep spares of EVERYTHING handy for exactly this reason. I don't want ANYONE left stranded because of something I make. I just couldn't live with myself. Even when I have people screaming at me that they want their kit and they want it now, and I have literally everything on hand to ship a full kit, I WILL NOT because I need to always make sure i have spares. I may not be producing this kit for much longer but holy hell I sure as f*** plan on supporting it as long as I'm still breathing.

This went out to the customer that same morning:

View attachment 2617813

Folks, when you finally get your kit, expect the same level of service regardless where I am or the time of day. Everyone that has theirs already knows.

I’ve been concerned that with all the misery @NLXTACY has been through over the last year that the turbos are still going to happen and the support will be there as well. That’s a big relief. I’m just happy to know that someday I’ll get my turbo. It’s been a long wait. Hopefully it’s going to sooner rather than later. But from what all the turbo owners have said about their turbos, it will be worth it.