Jesse A's GReddy Turbo Build
 

Basic description of build:

- GReddy Rx8 Turbo Kit w/ fixes
- GReddy Front Strut Tower Brace
- GReddy PRofec B-Spec II Electronic Boost Controller
- GReddy SE 2.75" Catback Exhaust
- GReddy Feed Oil Filter Adapter
- HKS SSQV BOV
- Black Halo Racing 3" Resonated Midpipe
- Agency Power Underdriven Crank Pulley
- AEM UEGO AFR Gauge
- Revolution Fuel Pressure Gauge
- Autometer Mech. Boost Gauge
- Cobb AccessPORT with Custom Tuning by Brettus
- Catchcans.com Oil Catch Can
- Tein S-Tech Springs
- Koni Yellow Struts
- EBC Pads and Slotted Rotors
- Deatschwerks DW200 255lph Fuel Pump
- BHR Ignition Coils
- Authentic MS Front and Sides
- Enkei Kojin 18x9.5 +30mm w/ 255/35/R18 Rubber and a fender roll on all 4 corners

Turbo Build:


Okay so I finally started my turbo install today. I've got mostly all of the required stock components removed. All I need to do is remove the manifold and front O2 sensor. I am doing the build completely alone and this is the first turbo install I have ever done so please put up with some of the questions I may ask as I would like to get everything installed within the next 7 days (and I'm also in school so).

My first questions is, what size of wrench will fit the front O2 sensor (21mm?) and how did most people get at it? I'm assuming removing the manifold from the block will free up some room to get a wrench on it.

Secondly, kind of non turbo related but I noticed the threads for the tow hooks were inaccessable with the stock front bumper on. I was wondering what the deal with that is as they seem to be right behind the solid black part of the grill in the front bumper. Also I've read of people cutting the black mesh out to allow better airflow to the intercooler, what part of the mesh do you guys recommend cutting out?

Thirdly do most people keep the styrofoam piece under the front crash bar or do most turbo guys remove it? What is it's function?

Here are some pics... I am going to get started on the removal of the manifold; Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Okay to keep the build all in these first few pages I'll continue on from what I had removed in the first post...... Next I removed the right engine mount to get to the stock manifold (make sure to support the engine with a 2x4 and a jack). I had to purchase a set of offset wrenches which came in extremely handy not only with the manifold bolts but with the rest of the build as well. Once the manifold was removed I unclipped the front O2 sensor (connector loacted just on top of the transmission). This allowed for extremely easy access to the O2 sensor rather than trying to get on it from my back under the car.

Next I mounted the GReddy exhaust manifold and turbo. I fit the turbo up by the manifold... you don't need to bolt the manifold to the block at this point. You can easily rest the turbo on the frame in the wheel well. From here I attached the oil feed line to the turbo and reinstalled the wastegate actuator. After these were mounted I installed the manifold using the offset wrench and then mounted the turbo to the manifold.

I then installed my GReddy oil filter adapter plate and connected the oil feed line to this rather than try and get to where the GReddy instructions say (100x's easier with the adapter).
I then when back under the car and with the front O2 sensor installed in the downpipe I bolted it to the the turbo outlet. After the downpipe was installed I ran the air pump hose over the turbo and bolted it to the downpipe. I had one issue here where the top bolt for the air hose sheared off. The bottom bolt was already tightly bolted down so I just left it withought the top one... but now with the turbo installed it may be causing a minor issue which I will talk about at the end of this thread rather than here.

After the downpipe install I attached my BHR midpipe with AEM UEGO AFR sensor.

Next came all of the GReddy hard piping, intercooler and BOV.... this truely was a very simple task to install; just followed the GReddy instructions and had it done in no time.

After the hardpiping was installed I had a friend come and do the wiring of my gauges for me; Revolution fuel pressure gauge, AEM UEGO AFR and Autometer mechanical boost gauge. The fuel pressure gauge gets it's signal from the red quick connect up by the brake/clutch reservior; I used the Aeromotive fuel line adapter ordered from BHR which was very simple to install; except I had to buy a 7/16" hydraulic plug to fill one of the ends of the adapter as it has two sizes of fittings. The adapter didn't come with a plug for the obscenely large NPT fitting but Charles mentioned that he may start providing one with the adapter. As for the boost signal I tee'd into the BOV signal line between the air filter for the BOV, and the manifold. I plumbed into the manifold using the nipple where the VFAD used to plug into. AFR gauge was pretty straight forward.

So that is pretty much my install in a nutshell. Please read through the rest of my thread to get the nitty gritty details. I am using Royal Purple 5w30 synthetic oil and am going to start possibly using some 2 stroke oil to start premixing 4oz per tank of gas.

After my first start up I checked for any leaks and found none. Things went relatively smooth minus a few delays on GReddy's part which put my build time from a week to a month (read through the thread to hear more about that).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LXgIgcYEVQ

good luck with the project, you will needd a 22mm for the 02 sensor, i use a box end wrench to get to it..shouldnt need to remove the exhaust manifold to remove the 02 sensor.

Okay thanks Greg.... Any other odd ball tools you'd recommend me picking up? Right now I have a basic wrench and socket set. I am thinking about buying an angle wrench for the manifold as I read that that made it easier to get at all the bolts

basic sockets and extensions 10mm-19mm will be the most important, only odd tool i use for the exhaust manifold removal is a 3/8" swivel for the rear bolts makes the job much more comfortable

Subscribed let the festivities commence

Hmmm..I've uninstalled and installed a GReddy turbo over 4 or 5 times..

Besides having a full socket and wrench set, the only thing I could also recommend would be a 1/2" drive, some long extensions and some 1/2" sockets. The bolts on the exhaust manifold were a PITA the first time I did it, a 1/2" drive definately helped. A double thumbs up on the swivel socket, one bolt on the left hand side of the manifold I don't think you could get to without one (Next to the factory EGR)

PITA parts that I remember:
Tightening rear bolt on turbo outlet elbow (Closest to engine)
Oil feed line
The stupid retarded passenger side engine mount. I hate that thing.

Good luck to ya!

Okay thanks everyone, I didnt have too much trouble getting the right engine mount out, bracket and rubber, and I tried a 14mm wrench and a 14mm socket with a half in drive, I kept slipping off of the manifold bolts. I didnt want to strip them so I doused them in WD-40 for over night and tomorrow after I'm done class I'm going to buy an angle wrench for the manifold (picture attached), a 22mm wrench for the O2 sensor and a 1/2" swivel socket.

Also wouldn't mind your guys' opinions on these questions:



Thanks again guys!

i just got done installing my like a week or two ago, the biggest problems i had was the 02 sensor that i stripped due to using a wrong size wrench, mounting the turbo and manifold, u will need to take them both apart and reassemble them once they are in the passenger side mount spot. also use a peice of wood when u jack up the engine, DO NOT jack up the motor from the oil pan. when installing the oil feed line i found it easiest to put the peices on one at a time (may seem kinda obvious, but at that time i just wanted to finish).

most of these things are easy fixes but when i went thru it alone i found myself constantly frustrated. try to have atleast 1 other person there and have music, music always makes things go easier.

EDIT: as for the plastic grill, its up to u if u wanna keep it in or not, if u do keep it in cut out the solid plastic and leave the mesh there, might need a dremel tool or some sort of exact cutting tool. i took off my foam because i dont have the grill in and it looks pretty weird with the foam showing

Okay so I went out and bought some tools... the swivel 3/8" socket and the offset 14mm wrench are key for getting that manifold off. So I got it off; but I have no clue how you guys get your front oxygen sensor off without detaching it and removing the entire manifold... either way I ended up stripping the O2 sensor as it twisted out about half way out then seized up on me... so I had to go buy a new one to go in the GReddy downpipe. Gonna start working on that rear oil feed line tonight, which is going to be an outright B*tch to reach. Any pointers for making that easier would be a bonus too!

Thanks RXPLODE, Yeah I already have the mount out and a 2x4 across the oilpan with the jack under it....

as for putting the pieces on one at a time I'm not sure what you mean, like don't construct the T fitting prehand.. just mount in the first piece and go from there?

As for removing the foam, does it allow for the IC to be mounted any higher so there is less flow restriction to the Rad?

And I know what you mean about the Music... It's key, I'm working alone on my back and shit gets frustrating haha

So just to clarify before I make a bad decision... This is the oil pressure switch where I fit the GReddy T fitting right? The bottom fitting with the steel hose coming out of it? The last 2 pics are from under the car.

good thing you asked, that is not where you want to fit the t fitting, what you have pictured is a clutch slave cylinder...you will find a brass fitting near the driver side engine mount that goes into the engine rotor housing

this is how it should look when all done
https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...5&d=1272262772

Okay, so alot easier to remove the entire oil filter assembly to reach it then... Thanks!

hmmm - that would have made for an 'interesting' result .

i know you are working with what you have but this is what i use...its soo much easier and i dont really trust those t fittings

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/...b03927.jpg?v=0

Your a good cop Sanchez.

http://img.youtube.com/vi/ixoKXA4Ibnc/0.jpg

:rollingla:boink:

Oil Filter Adapter? The only thing really holding me back right now is this damn oil feed line haha, I have the manifold and turbo sitting up beside the engine but I didn't want to actually mount anything until I got the feed line over there. If this makes things a ton easier I thing I'm gonna have to go ahead and buy one... although shipping here may set me back a week or two. How does this work with the oil feed line, directly connect the braided line to the sandwich?

Thanks for all the help from everyone and I hope you guys can put up with all my questions as I have done alot of research but now that I am getting down to the dirty work, and I'm trying to sort through all the fittings and whatnot reality sets in as to how large of a job this is for one newb lol :SHOCKED:

This pic might give you an idea on how much to cut out of the grill , although I think US versions have a deeper x-member. I just used a stanley knife .

Attachment 254423

Thanks Brett, a little hard to tell but looks like 3 'diamonds' from the top of the bumper are cut out. Do you know if they white styrofoam was removed from the front of this car or if the grill was cut to just mask it?

I still have that white sh*t in place but think it is not as deep as what you have .....

nvm the tee, i had a different one in my kit that wouldnt go in with all the fittings put together, it would twist on but bump into something before it was fully tight. also use teflon tape where it sez to in the directions, u dont want to end up with a leak after u put everything on. as for the foam, u might be able to get away with it on with the grill, but if you dont have the grill in u can see the foam bright as day...

^ yeah I actually just ordered the greddy sandwich that gregs recommended... to tell you the truth I'm surprised greddy doesnt include it with the kit as it will make the oil feed install 10 times easier...

I will be removing the styrofoam I think... I can't see any functionality to it and then I can drill a bit of the solid plastic pieces to allow more airflow throught the bumper. Right now I'm mounting the manifold and then waiting for my oil adapter and bov flange to be finished getting welded on to the charge pipe. Got the same guy who is doing the aluminum weld to tap the turbo oulet for fix number 2 as well. Also still waiting for BHR midpipe and aeromotive fuel line adapter from Charles. Hoping if all goes well I should be able to finish the install by next Sunday minus the midpipe and fuel pressure gauge :fingersx:

Okay I also noticed this and wanted people opinions. If you look at this DIY thread Post #5 (https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-ultimate-diy-greddy-turbo-bhr-coils-aem-intake-mod-boost-control-195786/) you will notice the studs going into the turbo exhuast outlet have the long side out. But I tried threading mine in the other way for shits n giggles and found that the long part of the studs can thread in the entire way. Will there be enough room for the downpipe to mound with the short end of the studs sticking out of the turbine outlet or do I need to mount it the way shown in the pictures?
I also looked at the greddy install instructions and it looks like the short end goes through the downpipe but the picture is so small I cannot tell if it is just an illusion or not.

yes they will thread in more than u need them to, be careful not to thread them in too much to where u cant get a good seal on the DP

Okay so I have the turbo oil lines in place and figured out that the DP will not fit on the short end of the studs so the short ends must be threaded into the turbo. I used liquid silicone thread sealant rather than teflon tape and everything seems to be in place; just waiting for the GReddy oil filter adapter to fit my oil feed line to on the top side. Next steps will be seeing if I should mount the oil outlet line before or after mounting the turbo and getting the the turbo outlet and suctions pipe onto the turbo. For you guys with the experience; did you find it easier to mount the suction pipe and compressor outlet onto the turbo before replacing the engine mount or the other way around? :mdrmed:

I'm glad my pic came into use, but for everyone else...don't use teflon tape for the oil fittings like in the pic, these are tappered connections that will leak with teflon. Also you really do not want this on the turbo side fitting because it will be a risk to the bearing.

Oil outlet line after the turbo is installed on the manifold or you will not be able to screw in one of the nuts. See MM instructions [31] for a great tip about the oil outlet http://www.mazdamaniac.com/upgrade/G...20Upgrade.html
For the compressor suction pipe and engine mount see Benjamz DIY. Helps a lot.

Okay thanks SC-ed!

Liquid silicon sealant is a better choice then?

Edit: Actually NVM I read the packaging.. I used a Permatex product called High Temerature Thread Sealant. Packaging also says parts repositionable and common application is for tapered metal threads. Prevents agianst rust corrosion and galling of threads.

Something else to consider at this point would be a filter on the oil line to the turbo . Both of the methods discussed bypass the stock oil filter .

Sorry not getting exactly what you are saying here?

The oil going to the turbo does not pass through the filter before going to the turbo so an in line filter is a good idea , especially given the early brg/seal failures we have seen with the Greddy turbo .

Okay yeah that is what I was thought you were saying but didn't want to assume anything... but with the Greddy sandwich plate I ordered it will be feeding the turbo right from the oil filter outlet

nope - oil is fed from the filter INLET

okay I had it backwards then I though the filter inlet was the center.... so a filter for the oil feed line; AN fitting to the end of the feed line?

Okay another update and yet again another question...

So I got my Charge pipe back with BOV flange welded on; it looks great. Also got my GReddy fix number 2 completed; just need to buy the silicon hose. So I'm about to get about 4 hours of sleep because it took me a few hours longer tonight than I expected to get the turbo mounted and the oil outlet pipe on. Those offset wrenches are the tits... they made getting to the turbo to manifold nuts soooo easy. Here is some updated pictures.

My question is: how the hell do you get to the top two nuts on the downpipe?!? Does my turbo and midpipe look really close to the body of the car compared to other peoples setups (pictures are with the engine lowered as far as possible)? I looked at Benjams DIY to see how he mounted the DP but I still think that it looks like I have less room; although it is hard to tell from just pictures, guess I'll find out when I try and fit a swivel socket up there but as of now I don't think it's looking good.

Anyway I'll keep you guys posted, I think with a few late late nights this weekend I can get most of the build done... still waiting on my Midpipe to ship and my oil filter sandwich to arrive. That and doing the gauges may take me a while because I am an electrical newb (even more so than a turbo newb :hahano:)

More pics

Mine even didn't fit without cutting that heat shield on the body. Got to the nuts with
swivel socket and swivel socket adapter between 2 extensions.

i had to bend my heat sheilding in that area, also im sure you do not have the engine on the passenger mount while your looking at this position which will change the position

so mount the engine before bolting the DP on? I think there would be more room without

Like SC-ed said , you need a long extension .

So I could not find 1/8" silicon hose for the wastegate actuator anywhere... is the Provided GReddy hose good enough? I did get ahold of some diesel injector hose which sits usually right on the exhaust manifold and they guy said it should work for my applications, what do you guys think?

1/8 to small? Greddy is 5mm and looks good. I used 7/32 vacuum hose from Autozone zip tied. Are you gonna run EBC?

^ So your saying the hose provided with the GReddy kit for the Wastegate actuator is good enough for the turbo oulet heat? Yeah I tapped an 1/8" barbed fitting into my turbo oulet for Fix #2. I eventually would like to run an EBC but am not going to off the bat.

For the life of me I cannot get on that top right nut on the DP, I think my sockets are too thick of walls to get on the nut or something because I can get damn close but not right onto it (had ratchet, extension, swivel, extension, swivel, socket combination). Here are some more pics... I'll take a picture of the wastgate actuator hose I got later as well.