WizardBlack

I've put standalones in a few cars in my day. My personal preference is the outlet endtank of a front mount right next to where the pipe is connected. This keeps it out of the engine bay and close to the flowing air. HOWEVER, considering your bold statement at the top, I'd say anywhere where you get consistent heat is going to give you consistent readings. Either somewhere where the heat is pretty constant (intake manifold) or non-existant by relative standards (FMIC) should work equally well. As long as you tune it for the location and it heats up with warmer air, it really doesn't matter.

Some interesting stories and I totally agree with the technical comments. I had an 03 (IIRC) Mitsu EVO running an AEM standalone before they had one running and I got quite a bit more economy due to "lean burn" settings. As for the technical side, I was ONLY discussing what I'd recommend for best drivability and whatnot. So this is purely with a standalone, NO emissions concerns (and no cat for that matter), a wideband and A/F target maps. Failing rich is safe for OE cars, but I still think you would be constantly flopping back and forth through the significantly fluctuating "best torque" A/F ratios which is IMHO a significant factor causing the surging. By failing to 15.1:1 and then having your closed loop targets a bit leaner than that (16.5:1 for example) you avoid the areas where your torque bumps up significantly with every oscillation of the closed loop system.

Have you read Corky Bell's book? It's a great one to take a look at, too.

Except that most turbo gaskets are designed to be about 5 millimeters larger all the way around than both the exhaust manifold and the head. You will have a large jump in diameter where you "port matched" and then a drop back down as you get into the "throat" of the runners of both the head and the manifold. Instead, match the actual dimensions of the head with the actual dimensions of the manifold. These aren't like big cube N/A paper gaskets (where aftermarket intake manifolds are the EXACT size of a standard aftermarket gasket) like that method is used for.

Why? If the car has proper ignition tuning at high load and low rpm this shouldn't be a problem... I'm sure these guys figured out that timing slowly tapers in for the first 2500 +/- 500 rpms at high load. Mark

20 pounds; wow. That's essentially the max you'll run on pump gas. The stock N42 innards can withstand that? I was told like 250 crank hp max (which I'd roughly guess was 10 psi). I though the pistons required replacement at 250 and rods needed attention (or replacement) about 50 hp upward of that... Mark

Has anyone raised the boost beyond 10 psi on stock N42 bottom end and felt comfortable it'll hold together? (N42/N47 here with holset and MS2 on hand; collecting various other parts now...)

I think it's more about the instantaneous amount of torque you get from stoich versus quite a bit leaner like we are talking about. For a constant amount of air with pulsing: stoich...16.5...stoich.. type of situation you will get the surging. At least, I have on other cars. Having it tuned for 15.5 or so without closed loop already puts it closer to the mark so it isn't constantly returning to stoich with the closed loop cycle.

So I take it that the final consensus is to machine the outer groove of an original pulley down to have a press fit for the 36-1? How many thou of interference did you go for? Looks great BTW. Can't wait to get mine in the car.

It looks like the runners are longer than factory (low end) and yet it has WAY more plenum volume (top end). ....

Wiring issues?

Send me a PM with the info, please. I am about ready. The cars is jacked up; the front is torn apart and ready to pull the rear apart. Doing Tokico kit and Energy Suspension Master Kit. Thanks, Mark

OK. This sounds like a perfect candidate for that. It's 3M Fast Drying Urethane Window Adhesive. Adhesive, not sealant. It sticks pretty good and it's quite stiff. A lot of guys have used it on engine mounts and trans mounts with good success. Dunno, maybe the different loads here would cause an issue.

I am not sure what the mount looks like inside, but if you are trying to stiffen up the mount, why not fill the gaps (where rubber SHOULD have been but never was) with 3M winshield adhesive. It cures up stiff as Urethane and it's dirt cheap. I just thought I'd throw it out there. My apologies if it isn't applicable, but there are several other areas in the car where it may be handy.

I just love how Chevy peeps will come in and trash Ford or vice versa and simply WASTE SPACE. Post someting useful ppl. RE: the cam.... The firing order is different; meaning the valves move in a different order, but the bottom end rotates the same way between the two types. Therefore, you simply need to adjust the spark to match the valve timing and it will run fine. HOWEVER, you DON'T want to mix a cam design roller/solid with the opposite lifter config. The ramp rates on the cam are wrong and it can cause damage. The worst is using a roller cam with solid lifters. Backfiring can be several things including incorrectly set lifters, distributor off a tooth or firing order wrong.

Yep, because as you say, about the only thing still Ford or Chevy left on the setup is the thermostat neck or the idler pulley.

I never leaned the car out that low. I usually start at about 2250 or higher and taper it leaner so it runs that A/F without the closed loop system. If you have it tuned for stoich and then closed loop pulls it leaner it will cause some issues. Make sure you are smooth with your A/F targets. As you move leaner, you eventually start to get cooler, but I am not sure if you would get it that far. I would tune some turbo cars for about 15.5:1 and they usually were fine. Again, the car needs to be tuned to hit that without the closed loop system. Also, if the steps the closed loop system takes are too big it will stumble and judder badly. It has to be a tad slower and smaller steps so it doesn't overcorrect into stoich or richer and suddenly get more power, etc.

That may be but I have personally seen one. It totalled the car. A WRX as a matter of fact. All it takes is something else in the engine bay to start a spark/small fire/etc. and it will take off. In the case of the one I saw, it was aftermarket wiring that wasn't rated well enough. I'd suspect that on a Z you would have the same risk since it has fusible links rather than proper fuses. That was enough to light off the dense fuel vapors and POOF. I remember seeing the puddle of aluminum on the ground under the front of the car. That is what USED to be some of the fuel rails, various aluminum bits, etc. I even got to see about 12 little steel wires wrapped around all the accessory pullies. All the rubber in the belt had burned off and left the spindly little steel wire reinforcements left on the pullies. I'd recommend the above poster's proposed vapor neck. If you have sealed the line off well enough, you will build vacuum in the gas tank as you use fuel on a trip and end up sucking so hard it collapses the filler neck and eventually the car shuts off since the pump can't get anything. That is assuming everything is still sealed up like it should be. I would run a small elevation hump and then terminate in a K&N at the right rear of the car.

I would port match the turbine housing to the exhaust manifold; not the gasket. The gaskets are usually large and you'd end up with a very uneven taper in cross sectional area. It's the same as porting intake manifolds to heads and not the gasket, etc.

Here are a few good threads I saw around that helped with Holset turbos and which are on what vehicles: Variations amongst HX35's http://www.turboford.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=044842;p=0 Z31's Holset FAQ http://www.z31performance.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=249&st=0&sk=t&sd=a Basic story; HX35's have a bigger turbine housing and were installed on manual trucks whereas HY35's have a smaller turbine housing for use on automatics. There are further variations. Watch the compressor housing you get as some are easier to plumb than others. Hope that's useful to someone.

Just muscle it straight out; not at an angle. I just removed mine a few weeks ago. There are some spindly bits inside there above it (IIRC) and it must be pulled straight out. The cover panel is removed first I think. Do you have a Haynes manual? Lots of helpful diagrams. Mark

Check your main wiring (battery ground, etc.). It's probably oxidized causing issues like that.

As it's engine paint it should last as long (longer) than an engine paint job.

And a car idling long enough is a fire hazard. Pull the line out back to the rear and install a breather at the back of the car and AWAY from the exhaust. Please don't leave it open in the engine bay.

The more vacuum you put in the compressor inlet the harder the turbo must work (which is the obvious rule that allows your intended result to come true). Honestly, I've seen "take your pick" japanese BOV's hold 30+ psi with reliable operation. What exactly are you trying to do? Go buy a 1G DSM BOV and do "crush mod" and it will hold 20 pretty easily. It'll only leak a bit if it can't handle it and you will know immediately. It's not like it will puke little hard bits into your engine. The HKS SSBOV features a more positive sealing method but it requires a bit of "lube" once in a while to stay working right. My money is on a TiAL if you must go with something nice. BTW, a nice stiff line for the BOV vac line is good (but a bit overkill; nylon braided rubber or thick silicone is fine), but a "larger hose connection" will only make the BOV respond more slowly. There are several two port BOV's out there but they rarely improve response. 1G DSM BOV's can be modified quite easily to make it a quasi two port.