Throwing money at the old girl, any suggestions for a Turbo? (2 Viewers)

[DancesWithMutts]

I've decided to throw my (pathetic) tax return and some savings at the motor in my HDJ81.
Currently, I Have a front mount intercooler, 3inch exhaust, and I have mucked with the pump. I recently drove it from Denver to California, and I was blown away by how much more efficient the turbo is at sea level. I had way more EGT headroom, I could have turned the fuel up but didn't bother since it was just a one week trip. Also, I am sitting at 162,000 km on the cruiser at the moment.

First off, assuming that the pump and injectors haven't been rebuilt yet, is that something I should get done at this time? I read a lot around here and I can't find definitive answers for when to do these things.

I want to upgrade the Turbo, I am thinking G-turbo, or a wink4x4 unit. A local guy has the Wink on his HDJ, and it drives really nice. Since I am at high altitude, should I get a turbo that is more effecient at higher turbine speeds? The air is thin, so the turbo has to spin faster to make the same boost, so my logic says that I should get a turbo that works better in the higher RPM range to counter the thin air. I might be completely wrong about this.

I have read that big gains can be had by opening up the intake. Currently she's wheezing through the stock airbox and a safari snorkel. I have priced out a moonlight fab box and snorkel, but it's going to run me more than the Turbo. Does anyone have any other options that I can get shipped to the states?

 

[J2P]

I've decided to throw my (pathetic) tax return and some savings at the motor in my HDJ81.
Currently, I Have a front mount intercooler, 3inch exhaust, and I have mucked with the pump. I recently drove it from Denver to California, and I was blown away by how much more efficient the turbo is at sea level. I had way more EGT headroom, I could have turned the fuel up but didn't bother since it was just a one week trip. Also, I am sitting at 162,000 km on the cruiser at the moment.

First off, assuming that the pump and injectors haven't been rebuilt yet, is that something I should get done at this time? I read a lot around here and I can't find definitive answers for when to do these things.

I want to upgrade the Turbo, I am thinking G-turbo, or a wink4x4 unit. A local guy has the Wink on his HDJ, and it drives really nice. Since I am at high altitude, should I get a turbo that is more effecient at higher turbine speeds? The air is thin, so the turbo has to spin faster to make the same boost, so my logic says that I should get a turbo that works better in the higher RPM range to counter the thin air. I might be completely wrong about this.

I have read that big gains can be had by opening up the intake. Currently she's wheezing through the stock airbox and a safari snorkel. I have priced out a moonlight fab box and snorkel, but it's going to run me more than the Turbo. Does anyone have any other options that I can get shipped to the states?

You can put in a Duramax airbox. It has a 4" outlet and a 6" inlet. I just used sheetmetal and aluminum tape to feed cold air from the fender but you should be able to connect to the snorkel. I bought my box on craigslist for $50 with all the stock piping. Most guys go to the cone filters and a cold air intake. I have a Gturbo and love it.

 

[gerg]

I like that set up man.

 

[DancesWithMutts]

You can put in a Duramax airbox. It has a 4" outlet and a 6" inlet. I just used sheetmetal and aluminum tape to feed cold air from the fender but you should be able to connect to the snorkel. I bought my box on craigslist for $50 with all the stock piping. Most guys go to the cone filters and a cold air intake. I have a Gturbo and love it.

View attachment 1905635

That looks really nice. do you happen to know what generation duramax it came off of?

 

[BCR4619]

Intersting duramax set-up. What is the problem with the HDJ setup, is it the whole OEM box or the fact that between the filter and turbo the lid has a squished metal duct? I was looking at a FZJ lid at one point as its not squished at the top.

 

[J2P]

Yes the HDJ81 box outlet is squished and the inlet is quite small as well.

Intersting duramax set-up. What is the problem with the HDJ setup, is it the whole OEM box or the fact that between the filter and turbo the lid has a squished metal duct? I was looking at a FZJ lid at one point as its not squished at the top.

 

[Loober]

Ditto on the year duramax that's out of?

 

[J2P]

That looks really nice. do you happen to know what generation duramax it came off of?

I traced it back using air filter number to 2001-2005 Duramax.

 

[MonsterCruiser]

I traced it back using air filter number to 2001-2005 Duramax.

I started looking at this more last week after you had posted in another thread. It looks like the air box is the same whether it's from a Duramax or the gas engine(s) of that era. The difference will be just the piping on the discharge side. The Duramax will have the 90, gas engines have a straightish flexible piece. There should be tons of these boxes around at cheap prices.

 

[J2P]

I started looking at this more last week after you had posted in another thread. It looks like the air box is the same whether it's from a Duramax or the gas engine(s) of that era. The difference will be just the piping on the discharge side. The Duramax will have the 90, gas engines have a straightish flexible piece. There should be tons of these boxes around at cheap prices.

Yes you are right but the elbow is very helpful as it reduces from 4” to 3” making it easier to run down to your turbo.

 

[Jentuh]

I just installed a wink4x4 turbo on my 12HT.
Allthough I've only driven it for one mile (had to take the injector pump off because it was leaking oil after the overhaul), i was realy impressed!! Massive torque at low rev's. Can't wait to get the pump back, and run it again. Boost at 1,2 bar, injector pump set at 195hp at 1,2bar.

 

[gerg]

Jentuh post up that dyno. 195hp is impressive.

 

[dan1554]

Wink is still going strong. It wasn't cheap. Probably comparable to a gTurbo. I'm guessing any modern turbo will drop egts significantly. I went through and completely detuned the cruiser chasing smoke. So that turbo now does little more than spool a bit faster and keep things really cool.

Looks like compression is low on the engine so the current plan is to rebuild late this year. Thinking about continuing to keep the tune pretty mellow for longevity. I will say that even with the easy tune (easy on the fuel and ~17psi), Im able to cruise right up 70 without eyes on the egts. Oh I also have an IC, but the turbo was by far the biggest improvement in EGTs.

 

[DancesWithMutts]

Wink is still going strong. It wasn't cheap. Probably comparable to a gTurbo. I'm guessing any modern turbo will drop egts significantly. I went through and completely detuned the cruiser chasing smoke. So that turbo now does little more than spool a bit faster and keep things really cool.

Looks like compression is low on the engine so the current plan is to rebuild late this year. Thinking about continuing to keep the tune pretty mellow for longevity. I will say that even with the easy tune (easy on the fuel and ~17psi), Im able to cruise right up 70 without eyes on the egts. Oh I also have an IC, but the turbo was by far the biggest improvement in EGTs.

Good to hear you're still happy with it! I asked the folks at Gturbo about what turbo they would recommend for high altitudes and I haven't a back from them all week. My quote for a Grunter Extreme is about the same as Wink quoted me for their entry level offering, so I'm a little stumped as to who 's gonna get my peso's. I'd be happy just to be able to pull the passes without hunting for gears and obsessing over the EGT gauge.

What are you going to muck with for your rebuild? Full blown with head-work and everything? I was thinking about slapping new rings on mine in the not so distant future.

And while I've got your eye, Who did your pump and injector work?

 

[J2P]

Good to hear you're still happy with it! I asked the folks at Gturbo about what turbo they would recommend for high altitudes and I haven't a back from them all week. My quote for a Grunter Extreme is about the same as Wink quoted me for their entry level offering, so I'm a little stumped as to who 's gonna get my peso's. I'd be happy just to be able to pull the passes without hunting for gears and obsessing over the EGT gauge.

What are you going to muck with for your rebuild? Full blown with head-work and everything? I was thinking about slapping new rings on mine in the not so distant future.

And while I've got your eye, Who did your pump and injector work?

I have a Grunter Extreme and am very happy with it. I did upgrade the valve body in my tranny as well and the lock up also helps. The Gturbo is a very efficient turbo and if you are comparing to a Wink entry level, which I have not heard of before, price wise I wouldn’t hesitate to go with Gturbo again. It’s not cheap so I can’t imagine what a performance level Wink can cost. I also think that proper tuning and the condition of the injectors and pump are very important in regards to egts.

 

[dan1554]

@DancesWithMutts Right now Im planning on pulling the whole engine and rebuilding top to bottom. I figure if I just did the pistons and head, I'd already be waist deep by then so why not go all in. Tranny is also a little tired, and the TC rattles. So I might as well just pull those too.

Injectors are brand new. IP was rebuilt by Becs Pacific. Seems to work well but I wasn't able to talk directly to the tech on what had to be done. Judging by the invoice, not much. If I did it again I would talk to @yotahed first. This is why: Pump Carnage Thread

 

[IanB]

Good to hear you're still happy with it! I asked the folks at Gturbo about what turbo they would recommend for high altitudes and I haven't a back from them all week.

I've been waiting for a response from Gturbo regarding warranty for my turbo for a month now...so I'm not surprised you haven't heard back. I understand its summer there and everyone is on vacation, but this is getting ridiculous.

 

[Dilspec]

Surprised that you guys haven't gotten a response back from Gturbo. I was getting constant communication with them a few months ago and they were pretty good with answering questions and fulfilling the order.

@IanB How's that work with shipping? I assume you pay shipping from Canada to Australia and back? At that point, is it worth just having it rebuilt locally? I was curious about this with my turbo too, but can't stomach the reality of paying $400-$500 in shipping round trip.

@DancesWithMutts You can go to any Diesel shop that rebuilds or is familiar with Denso pumps and they can rebuild the IP and Injectors for you. I went with @SteveJackson / Landcruisers Direct for the rebuild and I believe they use a local shop and have had great experience. I'll let him chime in for additional information. @Akella or Yan is another great option if you don't want to rebuild your pump at a shop, however keep in mind usually you want to keep the IP/Injectors from the same truck or model/engine year. He might actually have some suggestions on turbos as they work with a local shop that is familiar with upgrading the CT26 etc.

Check out this thread too as there is plenty of information to help you make a better informed decision. Some guys are saying the Holset Super HX30 is a good state-side option too.

The 2H/12H-T/1HZ/1HD-T/1HD-FT Gturbo Alternative Tech Thread

 

[DancesWithMutts]

@DancesWithMutts Right now Im planning on pulling the whole engine and rebuilding top to bottom. I figure if I just did the pistons and head, I'd already be waist deep by then so why not go all in. Tranny is also a little tired, and the TC rattles. So I might as well just pull those too.

Injectors are brand new. IP was rebuilt by Becs Pacific. Seems to work well but I wasn't able to talk directly to the tech on what had to be done. Judging by the invoice, not much. If I did it again I would talk to @yotahed first. This is why: Pump Carnage Thread

Thanks for the info, I'll check that thread out.

I've been waiting for a response from Gturbo regarding warranty for my turbo for a month now...so I'm not surprised you haven't heard back. I understand its summer there and everyone is on vacation, but this is getting ridiculous.

I have been following your thread and the whole thing is making me leery of Gturbo.

Surprised that you guys haven't gotten a response back from Gturbo. I was getting constant communication with them a few months ago and they were pretty good with answering questions and fulfilling the order.

@IanB How's that work with shipping? I assume you pay shipping from Canada to Australia and back? At that point, is it worth just having it rebuilt locally? I was curious about this with my turbo too, but can't stomach the reality of paying $400-$500 in shipping round trip.

I paid $157 to have my valve body shipped to AUS, so you're not far off.

@DancesWithMutts You can go to any Diesel shop that rebuilds or is familiar with Denso pumps and they can rebuild the IP and Injectors for you. I went with @SteveJackson / Landcruisers Direct for the rebuild and I believe they use a local shop and have had great experience. I'll let him chime in for additional information. @Akella or Yan is another great option if you don't want to rebuild your pump at a shop, however keep in mind usually you want to keep the IP/Injectors from the same truck or model/engine year. He might actually have some suggestions on turbos as they work with a local shop that is familiar with upgrading the CT26 etc.

Check out this thread too as there is plenty of information to help you make a better informed decision. Some guys are saying the Holset Super HX30 is a good state-side option too.

The 2H/12H-T/1HZ/1HD-T/1HD-FT Gturbo Alternative Tech Thread

I have heard a few horror stories about American shops trying to rebuild our IP's and mucking them up badly. I'd rather have it done by a shop with specific experience in these pumps.

 

[Dilspec]

Fair enough on the IP. That’s why I choose to go with a reputable shop who has had plenty of Denso pumps rebuilt. In terms of your turbo maybe check out wink4x4. I feel like they might be a better value at a slightly lower cost or if not the same.