Finally got a LC v2.0!

[IanB]

Out of curiosity, what are normal boost pressures? Your desired max boost? HP and torque? 1HDTxx I assume?

1HD-T, stock wastegate is about 10psi, I've set the manual boost controller for 18psi at this time, although it's been as high as 22psi in the past (ATEB tune), stock turbo still (pushing my luck I realize).

I've never dyno'd to know HP or TQ figures, although it does have a lot more usable power than before I started tuning the pump settings.

 

[baldilocks]

I don’t know anything about toyota diesels and was curious how boost compared to my 2005 dodge cummins 32psi stock and nearly 40 with my tuner set in the middle. Diesels are a lot of fun and I’m disappointed we never got Diesel cruisers here in the U.S.

 

[Douglas S]

Are you planning any transmission upgrades before you install the G-Turbo?

 

[IanB]

Are you planning any transmission upgrades before you install the G-Turbo?

I'm not, I do have a trans temp gauge which very rarely moves from the very low end of the markings, and fresh trans fluid a couple of years ago. As I'm not intercooled, I'm keeping boost around 18-20psi, so I'm hoping everything will hold up fine at this power level. With the electronic A442F I already have 3rd and OD torque convertor lockup, so harder shifts and increased power holding is the only benefits I'd see from a valve body upgrade. I plan on switching to synthetic trans fluid at some point, but it's a ways down the list.

 

[IanB]

Officially underway, tomorrow the axles get torn down and everything cleaned, hoping to get it put back together Friday.

 

[IanB]

Also downloaded an app for s***s and giggles, wanted to get a baseline for the current tune and stock turbo. Not bad.

 

[Dork]

Officially underway, tomorrow the axles get torn down and everything cleaned, hoping to get it put back together Friday.

I don't see anywhere near enough paper towel on that bench. Seriously, like 6 rolls of the stuff minimum. And I went through about 20 pairs of nitrile gloves as well.

Have fun.

 

[IanB]

I don't see anywhere near enough paper towel on that bench. Seriously, like 6 rolls of the stuff minimum. And I went through about 20 pairs of nitrile gloves as well.

Have fun.

Shop towel I buy by the bale at Costco, I'm all stocked up, lol.

 

[Mr Cimarron]

You can get by without the bundle of paper towels if you just drop all the parts in a bucket of diesel. However this only works if you take a few days and have another vehicle to use. Also it helps to just stay dirty. Trying to stay clean or use your phone wastes more gloves and towels.

 

[IanB]

You can get by without the bundle of paper towels if you just drop all the parts in a bucket of diesel. However this only works if you take a few days and have another vehicle to use. Also it helps to just stay dirty. Trying to stay clean or use your phone wastes more gloves and towels.

I do have a bucket of diesel on standby, was planning on soaking the birfs overnight, and some cheap tupperware to soak smaller stuff. I'm not planning on starting reassembly till tomorrow.

 

[IanB]

A bit late on the update, but everything went very smoothly and I'm back on the road and grinning!

Thursday I got everything pulled apart and cleaned, then in the evening a buddy swung by and helped me with all the bearings and seals (which was the part that I was worried about, wreck a seal and who knows how many extra days I'm down waiting on parts). So Friday I was able to reassemble everything and take my time. I figure I have about 18 hours into this job, no doubt I could knock a good 4 off having done it once now, but either way it's a big job as many of you already know.

The one real hiccup I ran into was with my Trail Gear Spindle Nut Kit, the supplied set screws were destroyed! On each side, the head was completely worn off on one, and just a nub remained on the other, so the preload was still set, but it was destined to fail in short order. Couldn't find the M3 0.5x10 screws locally, had to settle for some M3 0.5x8 button head ones for the time being, and I'll be ordering proper replacements and replacing before the road trip this summer. I'll also need new washers, as I couldn't source anything small enough locally either, so running with no washers for the time being. I was able to back what was left of the screws out with pliers, I got very lucky here!

So that left the actual weekend to unwind, took my D-O-double G out for a good hike on Sunday, the rain subsided about the time we got to the trail head.

Followed some good advice and took very few pictures, lol.

 

[FMC80]

Ian,

All that work you're doing is friggin' great! You're lucky to have some bros who are willing to help you through it too! Bet your beer fund is pretty deep

Pred

 

[IanB]

Later this week I'm going to tackle the turbo upgrade...stay tuned for pics of shiny bits!

 

[IanB]

Well, my first attempt at installing the new turbo was a flop, I got all the air filtration stuff, crossover pipe, and exhaust heat shield out of the way, and it was immediately obvious I had a leak at the split manifold, carbon all over the inside of the heat shield on that end. I didn't have the parts to address this, and I wasn't going to do the job 2X, so I put it back together and ordered a bunch more parts.

In the interest of having everything I could possibly need next time I dug into this, I also ordered all new studs and nuts for the head-manifold and manifold-turbo connections as well.

So we'll call this a practice run, and I determined that the oil catchcan would need to come out for this job as well when the time came.

 

[IanB]

Fast forward to Thursday after work, I got started tearing everything down, got the turbo/manifold assembly out, chased all the holes in the head with a tap, and got the new studs in place. Interestingly, every single stud came out with the nuts when removing the manifold, which gave lots of room to pull the assembly out of the engine bay...which it turned out later was really handy. I was able to get the manifold separated by hand, snap rings out, and cleaned out the remainder of the old o-rings. New o-rings in the grooves, new snap rings over top of them, new sleeve, and it just slides together. I had seen how some people had issues with this so I was happy it didn't give me any problems. I left it like that for the night, I had Friday off to get the job done.

Friday I got everything swapped over to the new turbo (E-Torx sockets are a must, down to E5, so you can remove and replace the studs, not something I'd considered when prepping for this job), and the new turbo and manifold mated together. I had a buddy swing by and give me a hand lowering the assembly back into place, and this turned out to be the hardest part of the job. With the new studs in the head, the room to maneuver was drastically reduced, and you need to line up the studs on the exhaust as you lower into place at the same time. I ended up having to pull the top row of studs to get the room to do it, and then put the studs back once it was in place.

With that out of the way, things moved along at a pretty good pace, until I got to the intake tube. I knew the new turbo inlet was 3", and the stocker was 2.75" going into this, so I expected to have to heat it up and stretch it on, but I didn't expect to have such a tough time with this step. My hands and wrists were shot by this point in the day, and it was a tough go. Hot water, and a pick helped get it over the inlet, I should have just removed the clamp altogether as it's so tight you can't even spin it around to attempt to tighten it further, it would have gone on easier without it and is so tight it isn't moving anyways.

I ordered a 3" to 2.5" reducer 90 degree elbow when I came inside last night, I'm never doing that again, lol.

Took it for a test drive, the GTurbo Grunter Extreme spools very quickly, that's the biggest single difference I've noticed so far. I played with the MBC and set boost to 20psi. It's definitely quicker than with the stock turbo at 18psi, but nothing dramatic. I wasn't sure what to expect with no fuelling changes. It seems to run lower boost when cruising, no real change in EGT's around town. I didn't get a chance to get it on the highway last night, it was 11 by the time I took it for a test drive. I'll do another timed 1/4 mile run so I can compare to before with no other changes.

 

[IanB]

Another pic of the finished product, and a shot of my special helper looking after me in the heat, lol.

 

[IanB]

I had a chance to get out on the highway for some datalogging yesterday. A bit of head/tail wind makes a big difference, we have no hills here so this was all done on dead flat highway. EGT is pre-turbo. The new turbo was tested heading into a headwind, boost and EGT's were lower on the drive home.

Stock Turbo
80km/h - 7psi - 660F
100km/h - 10psi - 750F
110km/h - 12-14psi - 800-850F
120km/h - 16-18psi - 850-900F

GTurbo Grunter Extreme - No tuning changes
80km/h - 6psi - 660F
100km/h - 9psi - 800F
110km/h - 12-14psi - 800-850F
120km/h - 16-18psi - 950F

Pretty minimal change, I was expecting a bigger difference. New turbo seems to run a bit lower boost level under the same conditions around town, I expect the highway results to follow suit once you take the wind out of the equation.

I then logged a 1/4 mile run, which was equally baffling, as the truck FEELS a bit peppier, but the results were nearly identical! Looking closer though, the truck hits 60mph in about 9.5s, where as previously it would take about 12.7s, so the truck IS quicker in the lower gears, and then runs out of steam in the higher gears?...but that doesn't make sense. Also, the 60ft time is quicker, but about half the speed of the 1st run...maybe the GPS hadn't locked in when I started, something seems ****y about these results. I think I'll have to re-do this to confirm my results. The 2nd 1/4 mile run was done in 2wd, the 1st in normal AWD, and the 2nd run I started on the shoulder and then pulled onto the road once rolling, I'll do it properly and report back further.

 

[IanB]

Also worth mentioning, the new turbo is very quiet compared to the old one, much less whistle, and you can't hear the wastegate screaming when it opens like the old one, probably has a lot to do with the "seat of the pants" feel.

 

[Lumpskie]

I think the big benefit of the GTurbo is that is will run 18-24 PSI for a long time and not blow up. Being a stock frame turbo, I wouldn't expect too much difference, if you keep the boost the same. (you're not running a bad boy, right?) But, you can turn that boost up now... as long as your intake box can handle it. I am considering turning my boost back up, even though I've heard that the stock box doesn't like it.

 

[dan1554]

Are those temps under load or cruising at those speeds? Are you intercooled yet?