• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Turboing my SVT... just a few questions

RobSVT-t said:
Good idea, but not needed to drive the car with his configuration. I ran mine with just a 2 stage TurboXS boost controller at 281whp and 314wtq. It'd spin second on a good night rolling into the throttle, and always when power shifting. In the rain, u can forget about the notion of traction. It's not going to be a reality if u go past 75% throttle.

Robert
Click to expand...


why wouldent you just bump boost down to managable levels in 1st and 2nd and then full out in 3rd?
 
I would ditch the log style and pick up the set of headers that someone around here is selling. Mikey I think? I would think that would be a better starting point, and really arent all that hard to modify to mate to an up pipe. Rear header is basically ready to go, front header can be chopped before the bend, and re-routed over and up towards the battery.

Works in my head at least. :shrug:
 
KingpinSVT said:
I would ditch the log style and pick up the set of headers that someone around here is selling. Mikey I think? I would think that would be a better starting point, and really arent all that hard to modify to mate to an up pipe. Rear header is basically ready to go, front header can be chopped before the bend, and re-routed over and up towards the battery.

Works in my head at least. :shrug:
Click to expand...


What makes the log style so difficult? Does anyone have any advice on this before I pick up the log style manifolds this afternoon?


Thanks,

Reebs
 
Tubular are better for flow, but logs are better for heat, which is what u need to spin a turbo. It depends on what ur looking to do, cuz if i remember correctly, Warmonger did his first turbo setup with stock cast manifolds and his did quite well. But dont quote me on that.

Robert
 
As far as being patient as someone said above, YES YOU MUST BE PATIENT...but when I say it I dont mean necessarily to wait for the full 3L before you try the turbo...that decision is completely up to you. I kind of like the idea of a "practice" motor so to speak. By patient I mean once it is intalled and you turn the key...it is at that point that patience will pay the largest dividends. You want to be patient to make sure EVERYTHING is installed correctly, that you have good oil flow through the turbo, plugs gapped properly (NGK TR6), fuel pressure where it should be, that the intercooler is working properly (oh yeah, I dont know if your used ADC intercooler will have the IAT sensor after the intercooler or not, mine was before and I moved it after for obvious reasons, you want the most accurate temp reading going into the engine) , and you will probably want a wideband intalled (to keep close eyes on the AFR), only then, when all that aforementioned stuff is in 100% order can you move on to tuning, and then only after a decent round of that can you get on the throttle and really enjoy your work.

If you skip the due diligence along the way your 3L dream my be forced to come true really soon.

Fortunately, I have not had to learn much the hard way...but I have read ALOT!!!! and have learned from others difficulties. Not to mention the EXTREMELY valueable insite I have gotten from others here at CEG.

As far as the injectors go, just make me an offer, I won't be needing them anyway. A few bucks+shipping? I paid 50$ flat if that helps. Otherwise just find the bigger ones for later.
 
SHOgoFast said:
As far as being patient as someone said above, YES YOU MUST BE PATIENT...but when I say it I dont mean necessarily to wait for the full 3L before you try the turbo...that decision is completely up to you. I kind of like the idea of a "practice" motor so to speak. By patient I mean once it is intalled and you turn the key...it is at that point that patience will pay the largest dividends. You want to be patient to make sure EVERYTHING is installed correctly, that you have good oil flow through the turbo, plugs gapped properly (NGK TR6), fuel pressure where it should be, that the intercooler is working properly (oh yeah, I dont know if your used ADC intercooler will have the IAT sensor after the intercooler or not, mine was before and I moved it after for obvious reasons, you want the most accurate temp reading going into the engine) , and you will probably want a wideband intalled (to keep close eyes on the AFR), only then, when all that aforementioned stuff is in 100% order can you move on to tuning, and then only after a decent round of that can you get on the throttle and really enjoy your work.

If you skip the due diligence along the way your 3L dream my be forced to come true really soon.

Fortunately, I have not had to learn much the hard way...but I have read ALOT!!!! and have learned from others difficulties. Not to mention the EXTREMELY valueable insite I have gotten from others here at CEG.

As far as the injectors go, just make me an offer, I won't be needing them anyway. A few bucks+shipping? I paid 50$ flat if that helps. Otherwise just find the bigger ones for later.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the good post Adam. I really appreciate it! And I agree that there is alot of valueable information that can be got from CEG! Thanks again.


Reebs
 
Reebs said:
Thanks for the info Robert. How much do the NGK tr6 copper plugs cost? I am glad the turbo size is good, but is it big enough to make 300 hp? I heard that with the 48 trim, this turbo will probally be maxing out at around 275hp on a 2.5 SVT. Not that 275 is too low, I just would like to have some room to play with the turbo. Also, I don't want to wait 2 or 3 years for my 2.5 to go. I really appreciate the advice about waiting, but I really look forward to having this be a huge learning process, whether I learn the hard way or not.

Also, Robert, please tell me your story about learning something the hard way on the Contour! Did you turbo your 2.5 at higher mileage?


Thanks everyone for your opinions and advice so far!

Reebs
Click to expand...


Sorry but I want to throw out some stuff and I have been absent from this post till today. So I'll summarize:

1.) you can install your turbo while it is 2.5L and then later go 3L if you need or want to. No problem except the trim size. If you want the truth, BurritaSVT is selling his turbo and it is the perfect size for either a high power 2.5L or a moderate powered 3L engine. You also can't beat the price for a working low miles turbo.
2.) Injectors -- the used 39# injectors you have will be just FINE when you are ready to raise the boost. No bigger ones necessary unless you're heading over 400wHP and then you just keep on going till they start to max out.
3.) YOU CAN run your turbo at very low boost on the stock injection system. If you get a 3.8#spring for your tial wastegate and on the 2.5L engine with your stock system you will get a very peppy little setup until you can afford to get your XCal2 and a tune. That can run you over $500 so you may want to tool around on low boost to work all the bugs out of the system anyway. Leave the 19# injectors in until you are ready to put in the tune. The 3-4psi should not hurt the motor and therefore you can leave the timing alone, plus the stock SVT air fuel curve is quite rich anyway and will protect the motor. You must make sure the intercooler is functioning correctly though. If it starts getting hot air in there it will not run well.
4.) Leave the plugs F'in STOCK for now! You also don't need to change NGK TR6 plugs every time you change the oil. If the tune is correct they will last just like other plugs. You don't even need to tighten the gap on these cars until you get about 10psi and then only by about 0.010" down to say 0.045".
Just ask BurritaSVT, spark blowout as they call it, isn't an issue. And just FYI, I still ran double platinums with a turbo using the stock heat range. When you start breaking the 17psi+ range then we can talk about different plugs, gaps, etc.


So I say get to it! Get it up and running but make sure you keep the wastegate at a very low spring pressure. When you get far enough to start the car then come back and I'll have more information for you.
Good Luck.
 
RobSVT-t said:
Tubular are better for flow, but logs are better for heat, which is what u need to spin a turbo. It depends on what ur looking to do, cuz if i remember correctly, Warmonger did his first turbo setup with stock cast manifolds and his did quite well. But dont quote me on that.

Robert
Click to expand...

First set were tubular headers with large diameter primaries.
Second set were stock factory manifolds cut and modified to feed an up-pipe.
Third set were WeaponR stainless headers modified to work.

The factory log style system worked great, costs were low and they were enough to produce 325wHP and almost 330wTQ on 9psi with a 3L.
They will work great if you are getting a good deal on them.

However with all that said, The Third set of pipes I made were the very best. The stainless was good too! :D The diameter of the pipes combined with a better designed y-bend I made in the crossover pipe helped make the car spool a lot quicker with the same turbo. They took more skill and effort to make as well.

If you are paying $400 or more for the log manifolds then I'd say screw it and order a bare set of MSDS headers. They will be cheaper and easier to work with when you create the up/down pipes.
 
Wow... thanks warmonger!!! Your write ups are very helpful and informative. That is exactly the information I was looking for. I will keep you guys informed!

Also, how many of you are using catch cans!?!? Where did you get them and how much? Also, I obviously know where to screw in the oil feed line on the 2.5, but where in the pan should I put the oil return line?

More questions keep coming to me... Warmonger started a thread awhile back about trying to figure out why boost on 95-98 2.5Ls could cause something something to blow, but in 99 the piston rings were moved up on the pistons or something which makes it better for handleling boost!?!? I can't really remember the thread... I read it last week and I forgot all the main points from it... I also can't find it again (need to look harder!). Does anyone remember this thread or know anything about it? I need to know a range for safe boost on stock 2.5 internals for when I am ready to turn up boost!

Thanks,


Reebs
 
Last edited:
like todras said ring lands back on the old forums or better yet, go the website in warmongers sig for pleanty of piston info (with pics!!).

I am running a catch can that my valve cover vents are routed to, and from the can the line goes back into the intake after the maf and before the turbo. However, i never have anything in my catch can. Mine came with the kit I bought, but they are very available on ebay or you can do a general serach on the web for how-to and make your own.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top