Step 1: Inspect the vehicle

Items found so far:

• Wipers (Ordered a set for $18)
• Headlight (Installed a spare I saved)
• AC wire (oops! my bad!) (Soldered the wire back onto the prong)
• Alternator (was replaced, $71.77)
• P0171 Lean bank 1
• Exhaust leak
• Doors are heavy to open / dragging
• No sound from stereo (It's a quality unit, but I suspect it's wired up wrong)
• Antenna doesn't move. (I'm assuming it's a power antenna)
• Power steering loud (Fluid was low, and now it's quiet...but I haven't located a leak yet)
• Leaking oil, but where?
• Rotten rubber air ducting
• Half a decade of sap, spotted lantern jizz, and who knows what else
• Faded headlight lenses
• Dented rear quarter
• Trunk doesn't close easily
• No rear view mirror
• Bumper doesn't appear to be fully attached
• Center storage cover is broken off
• Idle Air Control code
• Coolant Temp Sensor code
• No dome light (Turns out the bulb was blown....but unfortunately I shorted the housing while replacing it, so now I think I need to replace the switch.)
• Ignition lock cylinder is loose, and the key unlocks the driver's door, but it doesn't lock the driver's door nor does it do anything on the passenger door

Additional items to check:

• Warm engine compression test (170, 170, 170, 170. Seems a little low, but it's even)
• Ignition timing
• Transmission fluid condition
• Max fuel pressure
• Fluid isolation
• Brakes, Suspension, Steering, and Tires
• Underside steel

Step 2: Make it drive as normal / desired

* Idle Air Control code

I thought this would be simple, but I get a completely different set of parts when I search eBay as when I search Amazon. When I check AutoZone, there are about a dozen results, all with about 1 star rating. Is this some rare impossible-to-find part? I'll have to track it down on this motor, or perhaps on the 2001 that I'm putting back together, and figure out what the actual correct part is.

Step 3: Build for boost as necessary

Step 4: Boost and tune

 

Turns out that I ordered a nice little turbo and turbo manifold without doing my research....the manifold is for a T3/T4, and I ordered a T25 turbo. I have a couple ideas:



Cut ears into the T25 turbo so that the T3 bolts line up

or

Use a Garrett TO3 from an early Turbo Dodge



I'm inclined to go the Mopar route here for a few reasons. The 2001 that runs SO HARD has a Mitsubishi TE04H, which is the smaller bolt-on equivalent in the Turbo Dodge world, and it fits against the block and transmission of the KA24DE and RE4F04A extremely well. I suspect that the TO3 fits perfectly as well for that reason. Also, the Mopar turbo mounting is almost T4. Chrysler moved one bolt hole, perhaps to discourage casual turbo swaps, but it really only requires one hole to be expanded a little. Also, the Garrett TO3 is a high quality turbo that I can buy for fairly cheap if I need spares, compared to a cheap eBay turbo that I don't know anything about.

 

Oh.

 

Well, this is NOT what I was planning, but I'm doing the turbo now. I can't find another manifold locally. I can order one on Amazon, but it would be wasted effort.

 

Intermission project list:

• Relocate battery
• Cut hole for IC piping
• Remove stock EGR tube (I was planning to move it to the wastegate port, but coincidentally the turbo I will be installing HAS an EGR port)
• Swap oil pan with one that already has a return
• Tap coolant lines (or find the ones I already tapped)
• Add oil tree to oil pressure sensor
• Cut / possibly REPLACE the rest of the exhaust
• Modify Mopar turbo mounting to match T3/T4 (In process. It possibly won't fit, and I may need to use the Mitsubishi TE04H) (Edit: This time I did three T4 holes and one T3 hole. It works much better!)
• Mount manifold
• Mount turbo
• Mount Honda radiator
• Probably install FMU
• Install and route wideband
• Install boost controller
• Install boost gauge
• Back timing off by 2 degrees

 

I did a quick fit-check of the Mopar TO3. I will have to open two mount holes for the threaded studs to fit, and I'll have to cut one new hole. If I recall correctly, I also have to flatten the back-side of the mount in order to allow the nut to tighten flush.

I reused my other Altima's water outlet for now. It was a poor job previously, but I think I've made it decent using JB Weld to seal the rear side of the threaded barb.

I ordered some 2-1/4" exhaust components. I'm going to be using some Mopar parts, but I'll put a new resonator, cat, and muffler.

All in all, it's coming together pretty quickly. I stopped tonight when I leaned over from the creeper and dunked the entire back of my head into a pail of used motor oil. (=

 

I do also have a pipe I made for a non-intercooled application. I might use that, just to get the car running right away. It's good for about 7 psi.

 

Turbo fits pretty nicely. Radiator fits, but I have to figure out how to get the radiator fan to fit.

Next I'm going to try to scallop cut a Dodge downpipe to as sharp of a curve as I can to clear the A/C. I was hoping to have this thing finished by the end of today, but realistically some parts are going to be a bit of a PITA.

I ripped out pretty much all of the vacuum lines. This sucks, because it really is a puzzle to me. I'll try to make a single bracket for the solenoids and a vacuum block. I know I'll need a check valve for some stuff so that it never sees boost. I don't know for certain yet whether my previously fabricated solid lines line up with the Garrett turbo, and I really hate making flared ends. (= We'll get there when we get there.

 

Downpipe from 1986 Chrysler Laser

This has the 2.25" flange, lead donut, and a slight curve already.

I cut four scallops (not the one that was too close to the flange)....

Then I pried between each one until it was the shape I wanted...

Fit tested it...

Cut pie slices out and notched about 1/4" off of the skinny part to make a crescent...

Then I held each section on with a stainless hose clamp and welded it together. I still have some more to do, but you get the idea. (You can actually see the imprint of the hose clamp in a few places.)

 

I found my pre-made tubing sections for oil and coolant. I haven't confirmed that they fit the Garrett, and I suspect that they don't. I will probably have to make at least one new line.

I also fit-tested the Honda Civic radiator. It comes DAMN closed to being able to squeeze the Dodge intercooler next to it! That would have been so incredibly perfect...but it is not to be. If I didn't have air conditioning, it wouldn't be a concern at all. I will NOT sacrifice the icecube-making AC simply to make the build more convenient. I'm already going to relocate the battery, so I will have the route for the IC lines to go into the front bumper area anyway.

I received my aftermarket catalytic converter, and I must not have noticed that it has an O2 bung on it. This could be very convenient...or complete useless. At least it comes with a plug, just in case.

 

I have the lines run and the turbo and exhaust manifold mounted. The wastegate can was a REALLY tight fit! A popular mod in the Turbo Dodge world is to clock the charge side of a Garrett TO3, block off the EGR, and drill a new hole for the wastegate can mount. As it turns out, that configuration is just about perfect for this application as well. I did have to mount the wastegate can slightly off.

You might be able to slip a piece of paper in there!

I have to make a couple mount brackets, custom coolant lines, and cut the original Nissan fan to fit over this radiator.


I really wish I could fit that intercooler in here too, but instead here's what I'm going to do:

I'm relocating the battery to free up the part of the body to cut open. The other Altima had a Dodge intercooler behind the bumper, which was able to fit without sticking out anywhere. I've ordered another intercooler that's double the size, but I don't know when it's arriving.

 

This is a surprisingly good spot for the battery. I used a 20' 4ga jumper cable for the positive and a new 4ga ground line for the negative. When I inevitably put an amp in the trunk, this will be rather handy!

It's CCA, which isn't as good as copper, but it should do. I have a 200A fuse to add in-line with the battery terminal once I find all of the connectors.

I used a simple plastic wire clamp that I have a bizillion of already.

I added a clamp in the engine bay and "tied" the positive clamps together with a bolt. I may replace it with a small piece of ground rod later. I'll make a mount to keep the positive and negative terminals spaced a few inches apart, probably up on the side of the air box.

Meanwhile, the radiator is currently mounted using a 12x1.25 thread and a nut.

I gotta watch the kiddos for a bit, so I might not get any further on the project today, but I'm pretty happy with each step so far.

 

I'm pretty happy with the first section of exhaust. It easily clears the A/C, the motor subframe, and the oil pan. The downstream O2 sensor is in completely the wrong place to be of any use to the computer, so I'm going to just plug it. If for some reason I choose to install the downstream O2 sensor, I'll extend the wires and put it closer to the resonator.

The ears of the cat converter come really, really close to the motor subframe. I'm tempted to shave them a bit, but I'll see how it moves once everything is installed. I ordered a 2-1/4" v-band clamp to connect the next section so that I can disassemble and service it later.

I carefully cut the Nissan fan in half. The Honda fan is more powerful, but the Nissan fan uses PWM signal instead of 12v DC. 12v won't run it. That said, I can still use the fan signal (or another signal like A/C compressor) and connect to a relay with one or two front-mounted fans. It might not be a bad idea to have an always-on fan on the A/C side, since it will also help keep the really hot turbo area a little more cool.

I was able to notch out one corner of the Nissan fan to clear the lower radiator hose outlet as well as the transmission cooler fittings. (Now what did I do with those transmission cooler fitting anyway??)

I have one more problem I'm still trying to figure out. How will I get the FMIC to fit? It's 12.5" x 24.5" x 3" with 2.5" inlet and outlet on the same end. That's really convenient for me, since I'll be running the piping around the battery tray and wheel well. However, it doesn't fit behind the bumper as it sits now. The vertical core support bracket gets in the way.

I have an idea...maybe a bad one. Use the intercooler as the core support bracket. I'll securely mount the bottom to the core support. Then I just have to fabricate a piece to go from the top of the intercooler and connect to the remainder of the hood support. I can easily relocate (upgrade?) the power steering "cooler" on the left there. I can also move the horn anywhere I want. Heck, I might do a nice dual-tone setup while I'm at it.

----

Still to do......

• Rest of the exhaust
• Heat shielding between turbo manifold and upper radiator hose
• Fabricate radiator hoses
• Tap coolant return from turbo into radiator return housing
• Connect hose for oil return
• Vacuum block and figure out that entire mess!!
• Fabricate all of the air hoses. (That's a big job)

 

In order to prevent my upper radiator hose from catching on fire again, I heat wrapped the manifold...

...and made a simple heat shield over it, held on with stainless hose clamps. Everything still clears. (-:

Here's the pathway for the intercooler lines to wrap around to the front bumper air dam area. In the past, I used 2.5" exhaust pipes. I had to make 100% sure that all of the welds were perfect, since a boost or vacuum leak would throw off the computer.

 

So close to testing with fire!

 

Man, it fits like a glove! Unfortunately it doesn't leave me any additional room for an auxiliary fan. That could be a problem later on, especially with the AC running.

For the hood latch support, I'm going to just cut the support bar off and weld or bolt a new bar on the back side of the radiator supports. The hood might flex slightly more, but it should actually make it a little bit stronger.

 

That was a headache, but I'm happy with the IC routing. I don't know why I can't find simple bellows for 2.5" IC hose, but at least there appears to be enough free slack to adjust for engine movement.

I thought I would have to relocate the air box, but I'm not sure that's the case. I only had to fabricate two lines out of steel pipe. The welder and the bead roller are two of the best purchases I've made.

I made a few "adjustments" to the body. I haven't checked yet to see if the bumper or wheel guard still fit, but if they don't, I can fudge it.

I ended up hanging just a tad low... It's hanging from the bumper. (You can see the bolts at the top.) What I might try to do is use the mounting holes on the bottom of the IC to make something of a skid plate.

 

It starts and runs. (-: I just wanted to make sure it at least fires up. I made a somewhat common mistake with these cars. The crankshaft position sensor and the ignition trigger have the same plug end. I understand auto manufacturers reusing connector ends, but.....why on the same side of the motor, almost coming off of the same part of the harness??? At least COLOR it differently!

Anyway, the motor still sounds really smooth, and I didn't see any obvious oil spray or peeing or whatever. I have a lot of additional work and tidying up to do before attempting to drive.

• Cut and extend the O2 sensor harness
• Wire in the AEM wideband
• Find and wire in a boost gauge (though I plan to run the wastegate directly off manifold pressure for now)
• Find and install the radiator drain plug (Hey cool, the port cap from a vacuum block fits!)
• Shove the transmission cooler lines more firmly onto the Honda radiator (This does scare me a little bit, since these aftermarket radiators do occasionally make strawberry milkshake)
• Attach the hood latch
• Attach the horn and whatever that sensor is...outside temp sensor? Airbag sensor? Who knows
• Relocate and plumb the power steering cooler
• Fabricate the rest of the exhaust system.....still
• Establish vacuum sources and potentially create vacuum block (I also drilled and tapped a 1/8" NPT nipple onto the IC pipe for the wastegate)
• Replace coolant temperature sensor

Once the wideband is installed, hook up a fuel pressure sensor and do a brake-boost. It will probably stall the car, but it will tell me pretty quickly if the fuel mixture follows with boost AND if the fuel pump is up to the task. I suspect it's not!

I also have a replacement serpentine belt, but the old one isn't terrible. I ordered some low profile fans and may be able to install both. I was going to wire it in to run at ignition on, but I have the feeling they will be a little noisy. I might get a thermal switch.

The bumper is probably going to be one of the most difficult parts, since I want it to fit neatly without showing the magic underneath.

Oh, and all of this is running on a completely stock motor with 275K miles. I'm hoping that the age of the engine and the variation of the crankshaft will permit it to run the boost levels I want. I'd like to maintain about 10 PSI throughout the RPM range, maaaybe 12 PSI. I really don't want to have to replace pistons due to cracked ring lands. I have the other KA24DE still sitting on the stand with the rings pre-gapped for boost, and I'm going to put it together a little later. Still, I could do a piston swap in situ. Let's...just....see what happens.

It doesn't stay idling after start right now. The O2 sensor isn't hooked up, but I suspect the IAC is currently doing nothing.

I need to figure out the PCV system on this car, too. I just don't understand how it's plumbed up! That entire back corner of the motor is a bit of a mystery to me.

 

I ran out of pipe, but I wanted to start it and get a feel for what remaining problems it's going to have. I started it and brake-boosted it. It sounded like it was staying even and running normally while generating boost. It immediately stalled as soon as I let off of the gas, which is the same that my 2001 did. I really gotta figure out how to fix that! I have one idea...A lot of manual cars have a throttle sustainer to keep RPM's up between shifts. I could put a hydraulic rod on the throttle linkage to keep it from dropping all the way to closed-state when the gas pedal is suddenly released.

The hood closes just fine, and I didn't find any fluid leaks. It seems to be running rich, but I don't have the wideband display up yet.

I've got the FMU hooked up, but I have to re-seal a couple fittings. It's leaking gas. (-:

I started it and let it warm up until the temp gauge started to go up over the middle, then I shut it off for the night. I'll add some coolant tomorrow morning and do it again.

I still have to install the rear view mirror. Oh, and I really need to fill up with premium before doing anything fun!

And although the body is in great shape, I do have a few things to do. The headliner needs to be removed and redone. Hopefully the bumper and wheel splashes fit well. There's hardly any rust, but the rear axle area is starting to rust and will need some attention with rust reformer before it becomes a problem. I think I mentioned that the trunk is a little out of alignment, but it also doesn't have working torsion bars. I don't know why. It looks like they're there and in the right place. Well, I might try fabricating a hydraulic lift solution. If I can do that, it will free up a much larger space for rear deck speakers.

 

Oh yeah, and I ordered some more slimline fans...and they don't fit either. )= I'm going to see if the dual 6" fans might be an option.

 

Very nice write-ups. Good luck on you project. I made your threads stickys.

 

Thank you so much! I'm definitely happier with this build than with the last one, and the last one was a BLAST to drive! I'll probably make another video once I know it doesn't explode. (=

Meanwhile, I do have another puzzle to try to figure out: The PCV system

I simply plugged the large diameter vacuum line coming from the PCV assembly area at the back of the motor, and I have the valve cover open. I'm honestly not sure the best way to connect the PCV system to keep it running clean and smooth. I'm tempted to just put a generic valve between the valve cover and the air box (to only allow blowby into the bottom of the air box) followed by another generic valve from the air box to the stock PCV tube, so that only vacuum makes it to the air box. I think that will work without confusing the system about how much air volume is making it past the throttle plate, and it will have the benefit of turning the air box into something like a catch can...sorta

Edit: Now that I'm awake, I thought about that PCV setup again. I'm going to HAVE to put a catch can in somewhere after the MAF, or else the PCV will constantly draw in outside air (unfiltered air at that), and the computer won't have any way to meter it.

 

Head bolts make such great exhaust hangers, too!

I've got to tie these two sections together, seal up the seams, add one more angle, add a V-band clamp, make an over-the-control-arm wibble-dee-woo piece, add another V-band clamp, and attach it to the muffler.

Once that's done, it should finally be quiet enough for me to actually listen to the engine for any vacuum leaks, taps, or whatever else.

And yeah, I did some weird cuts in there. Meh, oh well!

 

I've got good news and bad news...

The good news is that it sounds good and drives responsively. Dropping the gas pedal takes off immediately. There seems to be an exhaust leak somewhere around the manifold, but I'll have to look for soot later. The temps go up to normal slowly. The heat works. The boost comes on pretty easily, not like a sledgehammer like the Mitsubishi did, and it sounds and feels like it's mixing properly. (I have the boost controller set all the way open to make the lowest amount of boost possible.)

Now the bad news. It smokes like a tire fire. That's definitely oil.

The question is, did the turbo die, or did I somehow crack ringlands on only about 5 psi of boost on one takeoff? I suspect the turbo for a few reasons. For one, the blowby is clean and not terribly strong. If I cracked a ringland, I'd expect a lot of blowby and for the smoke to be coming up the crankcase, which it's not. For another, the smoke wasn't there at first. It gradually started ramping up. I suspect the turbo (which is 40 years old after all) has a bad seal and is leaking more as it heats up.

I have another Garrett TO3. I can install it, but I would have to perform the same modifications to it that I did on this one. I don't have the time or energy to do that right this instant, soo....it's going to wait, probably for the weekend.

I guess I call it a success? 🤷‍♂️ If the motor turns out to be bad by some strange twist of fate, then I'm going to be pretty emotionally spent.

 

Oh duh, I should have just let it cool down, start it for like 30 seconds, then pop the downpipe off of the turbo. If there's fresh oil there, it's the turbo.

 

Good news / bad news again.

Good news: I ran the engine for about 30 seconds, and no smoke came out of the exhaust. I popped the downpipe off, and the turbo was filled with fresh oil. Blown turbo, not engine.

Bad news: Out of the four used Garrett TO3 turbos I have, zero are any good. Now I have to completely rethink the turbo...or buy yet another.

Edit: I have six used TO3 turbos. Three have different exhaust and air housings, but they have the same CHRA. I think I have a working set of parts. I don't really like my prospects going forward, though. If these turbos are so horrible, what am I going to do when I inevitably need another?