turning my 86 2L into a Turbo 2LT with a Saab TD04-15

[RyanMiller]

I figured this would be better appreciated in the diesel forum than the truck forum..
my 86 Ln65 started in Japan but now lives in the Us.. it has the factory 2L alloy top with Roller Rockers, I added the turbo in 2020 after driving from Portland to Reno and it took me 4 extra hours because I could barely do 55MPH in places..
I went with a TD04-15g that came off of a Saab 9-6. I paid 125 bucks for the turbo on eBay.

by Ryan Miller, on Flickr
Untitled by Ryan Miller, on Flickr


I adapted a 3L manifold, it took A LOT of grinding and it still fits like crap, I plan to build a new manifold when I eventually go to a Garrett..
Hilux stuff by Ryan Miller, on Flickr
Hilux stuff by Ryan Miller, on Flickr
I T-ed the pressure sensor for the oil feed and welded up a bung on the oil pan for the return line. Dont be like me and put the return bung in a bad spot, mine was too close to the axle stabilizer bar at full compression later on in the build.
Untitled by Ryan Miller, on Flickr
For tuning, I have the stock 9mm injection pump without the boost comp, I just cranked the main fuel up until the idle raised, adjusted the idle down and it runs great and makes about 25psi at 1100°F pre-turbo.

it runs pretty dang well now, can do 70 on the freeway pretty happily and its way more fun to drive.
and it even runs better in the cold
Untitled by Ryan Miller, on Flickr

Anyway I wanted to share it here,

lemme know what you think,

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Looks fantastic!! Good job on that.

Nice work on the tuning too. I'm amazed at the boost and power you're making with the 9mm pump. They went to a 10mm on the 2LT-II around 1989.

I got my hands on an early 1KZTE 12mm pump that I'm going to try on my 2LTE when I get the time; no idea if my ECU will be able to handle it though.... Will dump the old CT20 for a TD04L-13 at the same time.

 

[RyanMiller]

Looks fantastic!! Good job on that.

Nice work on the tuning too. I'm amazed at the boost and power you're making with the 9mm pump. They went to a 10mm on the 2LT-II around 1989.

I got my hands on an early 1KZTE 12mm pump that I'm going to try on my 2LTE when I get the time; no idea if my ECU will be able to handle it though.... Will dump the old CT20 for a TD04L-13 at the same time.

Thanks.. I'm pleasantly surprised with the 9mm pump too.. just goes to show that the pump is not the limiting factor and the turbo is...
the 12mm pump is in my long term upgrade plans. I'm a little oldschool so I like my fully mechanical injection pump, a little bit of foot control is needed to keep the tailpipe clear.. but the 9mm will make some smoke if you just whack it with a high load on it... but my friend has a 12mm pump on his and it will plume smoke if you whack it., but he has higher egts than I do.

a -13T should do well, theoretically my -15T is a little too big and would be better on the 2.8

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

a -13T should do well, theoretically my -15T is a little too big and would be better on the 2.8

How do you find the spool with the HL sized turbine housing? I do really like the rectangle bolt pattern of the Saab vs the triangle one of my L sized turbine housing from Subaru. Thought about going the same route, but was concerned about spool with the larger housing. Pic links in first post of this thread; size difference is significant: TD04L-13T-6 Vs TD04HL- - NASIOC - https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1213890

 

[RyanMiller]

How do you find the spool with the HL sized turbine housing? I do really like the rectangle bolt pattern of the Saab vs the triangle one of my L sized turbine housing from Subaru. Thought about going the same route, but was concerned about spool with the larger housing. Pic links in first post of this thread; size difference is significant: TD04L-13T-6 Vs TD04HL- - NASIOC - https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1213890

it seems to spool fine all around, but its large enough I don't run the waste gate at all.. can build some boost below 2000 rpm, but it is happy to make 20psi in its sweet spot from 2000 to 4000 rpm.. the rectangle t25 flange was part of why I went that way, just to keep things easy.
for being a fixed geomerty single with no intercooler, it spools well!! ( a little slower than my VW golf with the VVT turbo)

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

it seems to spool fine all around, but its large enough I don't run the waste gate at all.. can build some boost below 2000 rpm, but it is happy to make 20psi in its sweet spot from 2000 to 4000 rpm.. the rectangle t25 flange was part of why I went that way, just to keep things easy.
for being a fixed geomerty single with no intercooler, it spools well!! ( a little slower than my VW golf with the VVT turbo)

Well, that is great to know! Thanks very much. I'm going to keep my eye open for a used one local to me.

 

[YotaDoc]

Hey we were chatting on that other post. better off just chatting here.

you say you dont use your wastegate at all but went through the trouble of making a bracket? just curious if that was unnecessary in the end. i see that you have welded the wastegate. is it welded closed or open? lol

I need to find a seal kit for my INjection pump before i think about cranking it up at all.
whats the boost comp? curious how you went about deleting it.

i cant find a factory 2LT manifold anywhere right now. any ideas where to look? Im in BC Canada
so without the INtercooler are you finding that the engine temp are significantly higher or is the engine cooling still sifficient?

going to start collecting the parts so if you have any links to things you think you should have used, send them my way!

 

[RyanMiller]

Hey we were chatting on that other post. better off just chatting here.

you say you dont use your wastegate at all but went through the trouble of making a bracket? just curious if that was unnecessary in the end. i see that you have welded the wastegate. is it welded closed or open? lol

I need to find a seal kit for my INjection pump before i think about cranking it up at all.
whats the boost comp? curious how you went about deleting it.

i cant find a factory 2LT manifold anywhere right now. any ideas where to look? Im in BC Canada
so without the INtercooler are you finding that the engine temp are significantly higher or is the engine cooling still sifficient?

going to start collecting the parts so if you have any links to things you think you should have used, send them my way!

Good eye on the wastegate situation! from the start I always had it disconnected, but at first I wanted the option to use it if I ran into the need.. Since my fuel pump and turbo are so small the turbo never overboosts so I welded it. I hated the bracket from the day I made it because it was so fugly.. that was my main motivator to get rid of it. I even did put a go pro on in the engine bay to see if the actuator was blowing open, and it wasnt, which is why I ran the disconnected actuator with a bracket for about a year.

The boost comp is a factory piece on the tubro injection pumps. it senses boost and will increase fuel when it sees boost. the main benefit is that you can run higher boost without having to control the throttle pedal like a feather on lace to make it not smoke.. but really it doesnt smoke much at all ( compared to some of the cummins P pump guys) I didnt delete mine as my truck was factory NA, but in your photos you have it! lucky!

Ebay has been great source manifolds but I'm also on one of the austrialian FB groups for ln65' and 106s, which is where I got mine from. HD automotive (HD Auto - Australian Stockists of Quality 4WD Parts and Accessories - https://hdautomotive.com.au/) may be a good source tooo..

with no intercooler, my engine temps seem fine and never go over 200F have any overheating issues.. however if I'm haulin ass up a hill at 70mph my EGT's will sit around 8-900F.. Pre Turbo. I hope to do a small intercooler and get that down a little.

keep me posted!

 

[YotaDoc]

ok gotcha. how many psi have you pushed it to then?

which pictures are you referring to? ill have to look into how to crank up the injection pump. lots of reading to do.

ive found a guy with a stock 2LT manifold and turbo. intake piping as well. may try to intercool from the start if i can find an old volvo intercooler or something like that. so obviously you have a EGT guage, boost gauge, temp gauge, oil gauge, are these all aftermarket?? thanks for the link ill take a look there as well.

bit confused on the boost comp, my truck is factory naturally aspirated also.

also i your turbo flange conidered a t4/t5 flange when looking it up? is that what the stock flange is then?

 

[RyanMiller]

ok gotcha. how many psi have you pushed it to then?

which pictures are you referring to? ill have to look into how to crank up the injection pump. lots of reading to do.

ive found a guy with a stock 2LT manifold and turbo. intake piping as well. may try to intercool from the start if i can find an old volvo intercooler or something like that. so obviously you have a EGT guage, boost gauge, temp gauge, oil gauge, are these all aftermarket?? thanks for the link ill take a look there as well.

bit confused on the boost comp, my truck is factory naturally aspirated also.

also i your turbo flange conidered a t4/t5 flange when looking it up? is that what the stock flange is then?

Right now at full chooch it makes 25 psi at 3300 rpm and thats at about 1150F EGT.. cruising at 70 takes about 8-10 psi and normal acceleration is around 10-15psi
in your photo here

you can see the extra mechanism on top of your IP with the circle and hose nipple Here is what my NA IP looks like.. Hilux stuff by Ryan Miller, on Flickr I suspect someone changed yours out at some point? without boost they would function the same.

my turbo flange was t25, the manifold was t25 too.. hoever the turbo AND manifold had a blind hole that wound up aligning so it was impossible to connect them without an adapter.

for the gauges Im running a Glowshift 3-1 diesel gauge, I like it because its just one pod that tells me everything at once!

I'd buy that 2l manifold and make an adapter to fit it to a Td04 turbo, I wouldnt waste my time with a ct20 at all.

 

[4Ruster]

Right now at full chooch it makes 25 psi at 3300 rpm and thats at about 1150F EGT.. cruising at 70 takes about 8-10 psi and normal acceleration is around 10-15psi
in your photo here

you can see the extra mechanism on top of your IP with the circle and hose nipple Here is what my NA IP looks like.. Hilux stuff by Ryan Miller, on Flickr I suspect someone changed yours out at some point? without boost they would function the same.

my turbo flange was t25, the manifold was t25 too.. hoever the turbo AND manifold had a blind hole that wound up aligning so it was impossible to connect them without an adapter.

for the gauges Im running a Glowshift 3-1 diesel gauge, I like it because its just one pod that tells me everything at once!

I'd buy that 2l manifold and make an adapter to fit it to a Td04 turbo, I wouldnt waste my time with a ct20 at all.

That top photo is my engine. I don't see a fitting where the boost line would go. I'm pretty sure I have an N/A IP pump

 

[4Ruster]

I'm pretty sure it's a altitude compensator

 

[RyanMiller]

I'm pretty sure it's a altitude compensator

possible, I havn't seen that option before... Mine does not have that, and I can attest that when it was NA, it was overfulled to all heck when I drove to Tahoe.. there I could only give it about 75% throttle without smoking bad.

 

[4Ruster]

possible, I havn't seen that option before... Mine does not have that, and I can attest that when it was NA, it was overfulled to all heck when I drove to Tahoe.. there I could only give it about 75% throttle without smoking bad.

Mine has that same problem actually

 

[mcaz5]

@RyanMiller
Sweet truck and nice work on the turbo setup. I've seen your thread in the truck section.
Are you at all concerned about running that high of boost on this engine? I've seen @GTSSportCoupe recommend not really pushing past 12psi without an intercooler on these. Would you be concerned running 20+ on a stock ct20?
I've got a stock 1985 2LT that i've been messing around with the tuning on and I had accidentally set boost to 20+ one day and it pulled a lot better, but I didn't leave it because I didn't think these engines could handle it.

Also, did you get your swapped MPH tach to work with the IP?

 

[RufusTheDufus]

Nice truck. I have an 84 LN65 and was considering adding a turbo to it. Nice to have this thread as a reference.
I really need a tailgate for my truck. Anyone have an idea where I might find one?

 

[RyanMiller]

@RyanMiller
Sweet truck and nice work on the turbo setup. I've seen your thread in the truck section.
Are you at all concerned about running that high of boost on this engine? I've seen @GTSSportCoupe recommend not really pushing past 12psi without an intercooler on these. Would you be concerned running 20+ on a stock ct20?
I've got a stock 1985 2LT that i've been messing around with the tuning on and I had accidentally set boost to 20+ one day and it pulled a lot better, but I didn't leave it because I didn't think these engines could handle it.

Also, did you get your swapped MPH tach to work with the IP?

I'm not concerned about the higher boost since my EGTs are stable and under 1200 under most conditions.. the fuel to make 20 psi on a CT20 is about enough to make 30psi on the TD04 I think. Was yours making smoke at 20 psi? mine is still clean at 20psi with the TD04.
for the cluster, you can swap just the spedometer out of the entire cluster if you pop the cover off, so I just swapped that in. the rest is original

 

[RyanMiller]

Nice truck. I have an 84 LN65 and was considering adding a turbo to it. Nice to have this thread as a reference.
I really need a tailgate for my truck. Anyone have an idea where I might find one?

Thanks. Cant recomend doing it enough as I drove mine NA for a year and now almost 2 years with the turbo. Besides it going faster it sounds cooler and better MPG. literally only hurts to buy the parts LOL
I need a whole bed, as mine has rust and will need some special bits made to fix it properly. If I find one you get dibs on my original

 

[mcaz5]

I'm not concerned about the higher boost since my EGTs are stable and under 1200 under most conditions.. the fuel to make 20 psi on a CT20 is about enough to make 30psi on the TD04 I think. Was yours making smoke at 20 psi? mine is still clean at 20psi with the TD04.
for the cluster, you can swap just the spedometer out of the entire cluster if you pop the cover off, so I just swapped that in. the rest is original

Gotcha. Mine won’t really hold 20psi, will just peak there when I get on the throttle hard. It’s a little smoky initially, but cleans up when the turbo catches up. Mine won’t really hold above 15psi though.
So out of curiosity, I was looking on marketplace today at td04s and found a td04hl-15t and picked it up for $100 lol.
Are you running oil and water for the turbo on your set up? And do you remember where you bought your lines from? I think I can just buy a flange adapter to mount it to the manifold as well

 

[RyanMiller]

Gotcha. Mine won’t really hold 20psi, will just peak there when I get on the throttle hard. It’s a little smoky initially, but cleans up when the turbo catches up. Mine won’t really hold above 15psi though.
So out of curiosity, I was looking on marketplace today at td04s and found a td04hl-15t and picked it up for $100 lol.
Are you running oil and water for the turbo on your set up? And do you remember where you bought your lines from? I think I can just buy a flange adapter to mount it to the manifold as well

heck yea!!! I am running oil only, from the aussies recommendations the coolant lines have no benefit and are a weak point for leaks. I bought the generic amazon Mambo oil lines, and the fitting was kind of an oddball on my Saab turbo so I got a Fragola 12.1.5mm 4an fitting off eBay. I bet the flange adapter would work straight up, especially if you are non AC.