My 535is Turbo Buildup Thread! - update 11/26//09

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Dec 23, 2007 7:20 PM

sweet thx for the pics, much appreciated

badger

babisbabou · Post by **babisbabou** » Dec 23, 2007 8:21 PM

Well done, topic ownes! pics+details

I wish you well

babisbabou · Post by **babisbabou** » Jan 02, 2008 7:02 AM

Some detail on how you feed oil to the turbo will be really appreciated,
etc you drilled the aluminum part where the oil filter is?

Happy new year to all i wish you happiness and health!

Post by **Brad D.** » Jan 02, 2008 12:03 PM

I drilled and tapped the oil filter housing as outlined in Shawn D.'ssender install page. I just used a 1/8 npt to -4 AN adapter and ordered a set of oil inlet and outlet flanges for the turbo. It made for a clean and simple install. I think the only pic I have is the one I posted above in this thread. The turbo drain on the other hand is a little more elaborate.

babisbabou · Post by **babisbabou** » Jan 02, 2008 2:50 PM

Big Bronze Rim wrote:I drilled and tapped the oil filter housing as outlined in Shawn D.'ssender install page. I just used a 1/8 npt to -4 AN adapter and ordered a set of oil inlet and outlet flanges for the turbo. It made for a clean and simple install. I think the only pic I have is the one I posted above in this thread. The turbo drain on the other hand is a little more elaborate.

Thank you very match m8 for the guide i appreciate it

turbodan · Post by **turbodan** » Jan 02, 2008 2:58 PM

Well done. The plumbing looks quite clean.

Post by **Brad D.** » Jan 09, 2008 12:01 AM

turbodan wrote:Well done. The plumbing looks quite clean.

Thanks, it turned out pretty well.
A little update - after acquiring another laptop for tuning I have been plagued with a major misfire issue that basically makes the car undriveable. As of tonight I figured out what the problem was. For anyone who cares or for future reference for those building their own MS2/extra setup.
The problem -
I have been getting severe ignition breakup and replaced my coil. Well, it seems as though that was not the issue. I am beginning to think it is something internal to MS itself. I am running a 330ohm pull up resistor on the ignition driver, dwell is set at 2.1 sec.The car starts and idles great but if revved up to any rpm and allowed to sit there it begins to break up and misfires terribly, even revving the engine with no load. While this is occuring the VB921 is getting extremely hot (~130F). If allowed to return to idle and cool off, it will idle fine but any constant rpm or significant load and it repeats the misfire all over. I am not sure if it is a hardware problem on the board(incorrect pull up ckt, bad vb921, etc), or something else. I should also note that my tach, driven off JS11 has gotten very jumpy also.
Also, can a vb921 be dying, but still run the car at idle?
The solution -
I think have solved my problem and I do feel like somewhat of a doofus. I wired my ignition driver as per the MS2 manual here in the internal board wiring section, only I used a 330ohm resistor. However, I seemed to have missed one seemingly critical piece of information - D14 needs to be set as spark output A in Megatune if using this ignition configuration. I had mine set to js10 and removed its jumper and once switched to D14 all of my issues have seemingly gone away. Also, the vb921 stays cool to the touch during operation with no ignition breakup at all. I haven't driven the car around other than in and out of the garage, but I could not reproduce the symptoms that I have been having just free revving in the driveway. I really do hope this is the end of one problem so I can get on with the whole process of actually tuning the car!

M. Holtmeier · Post by **M. Holtmeier** » Jan 09, 2008 4:36 AM

Glad to hear you got it!
I had a feeling it was a software setting that only you could catch from your hardware configuration. I accidentally hit the close button on a rev limit screen instead of "x"-ing out and it defaulted to -10 degrees timing above 100 rpm. Took me half an hour to figure out why car wouldn't start.

Looking forward to seeing maybe a dyno sheet or video of it in action!

Post by **Brad D.** » Jan 09, 2008 11:42 PM

grsmonkey wrote:Glad to hear you got it!
I had a feeling it was a software setting that only you could catch from your hardware configuration. I accidentally hit the close button on a rev limit screen instead of "x"-ing out and it defaulted to -10 degrees timing above 100 rpm. Took me half an hour to figure out why car wouldn't start.

Looking forward to seeing maybe a dyno sheet or video of it in action!

Man, it usually is the simple little things that make you chase your tail. However, I will say that through diagnosing these problems I have become very familiar with the internal workings of MS and am better for it. I am looking forward to actualyl starting the tuning process and getting the car on my friends Dyno Dynamics dyno and do some steady state tuning once I have decent, safe base tune. Should be fun!

GregATL · Post by **GregATL** » Jan 13, 2008 2:56 PM

Looks great. I am curious to know how it runs once you have it sorted out. Thanks for sharing so much information about your buildup.

Post by **Brad D.** » Jan 16, 2008 8:50 PM

Well, I actually got to drive the car for about an hour tonight and I have the <90kpa region reasonably sorted out. The car runs very well and is super smooth with the exception of acceleration enrichment which is currently "disabled" for early tuning purposes. I forayed into a bit of boost and saw about 5 psi by 3200rpm with only 50% throttle and it felt great. I have my AFRs in this region around 12.3:1 which is good. I haven't even gone to WOT so I can't imagine how fast this thing is going to be when it is totally sorted. I am so excited now that I am past the initial gremlins which caused me so much grief. It feels good to finally drive my creation.

GregATL · Post by **GregATL** » Jan 16, 2008 9:05 PM

Awesome news. You have done a fine job on that car. I am excited for you. Feeling a sense of accomplishment yet? I love a good home brew turbo setup. One of these days I'll get to do one myself. Not unhappy with the TCD kit at all just like to fab stuff.

Post by **Brad D.** » Jan 17, 2008 3:24 PM

Thanks for the kind words, and yes, I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment. It has a been a learning experience just getting to this point. I think that is one of the best parts about this whole DIY project is that my knowledge and fab skills have improved immensely. Im sure there are more gremlins to be dealt with but at this point I'm sure I can deal with whatever I'm dealt.

Post by **Brad D.** » Jan 26, 2008 12:38 AM

Well, the last two days, I have driven the car to work and back, which is about a 30 mile round trip and the car has run very well. I pretty much have the vacuum area of the VE table pretty well tuned. I still need to tweek the closed loop idle as its not quite right but overall its pretty good. Now I can start bringing in some o2 feedback to tune for cruise economy. I have begun to slowly creep into boost to make sure my AFRs are transitioning nicely rich and its looking good. I still havent gotten to full boost (7psi WG spring for now) but I will in time. Once I get more boost tuning done, I will implement some form of boost control so I get faster spoolup w/o the wastegate cracking early like it does on just the spring. Man this stuff is a whole lot of fun. Being someone who can't leave anything well enough alone, Megasquirt is great I can tweek and tune until my heart is content.

Sir Young · Post by **Sir Young** » Feb 03, 2008 11:57 PM

Looks like you did fantastic work. Do mine next?

InkaCola · Post by **InkaCola** » Feb 06, 2008 7:28 PM

Pat P wrote:this is a very nice Diy project....

you yourself sir have a very nice turbo m30.

Post by **Brad D.** » Feb 06, 2008 10:15 PM

Man, the car runs great and the wastegate spring holds a solid 5psi all the way to redline. AFR is a nice 12.2:1 under boost. The car feels so much faster, easily faster than the e28 m5s I have driven. I have been made a believer in the turbo big six - it's so much fun. However, I did have a bit of a setback. When I first got the car running I thaught I head the occasional thumping from a dying center bearing. Well, all the boost didn't help and I promptly finished it off. Here is a little sampling of the destruction.

Once I had that sorted out it was time for more boost. I then kept blowing off IC piping so I decided to bead roll all of my piping. No more popped hoses. I think this turbo is going to systematically find all of the cars shortcomings and make them glaringly obvious, but this typically leads to cool upgrades so I'm not complaining. 8)

M. Holtmeier · Post by **M. Holtmeier** » Feb 06, 2008 10:36 PM

That's exactly what happened to my center bearing. Little did I know I had weak motor mounts that gave out, I think that contributed to a lot of my driveline problems. I have since replaced the bearing, filled 1/2 way with poly,along with all the other poly filled bushings.

It's soooo fun to tear stuff up though, isn't it? 8)

Post by **Nebraska_e28** » Feb 06, 2008 10:48 PM

Check w/member TT about about a Beyer DS. I've heard good things about them.

Post by **Brad D.** » Feb 07, 2008 12:26 AM

grsmonkey wrote:That's exactly what happened to my center bearing. Little did I know I had weak motor mounts that gave out, I think that contributed to a lot of my driveline problems. I have since replaced the bearing, filled 1/2 way with poly,along with all the other poly filled bushings.

It's soooo fun to tear stuff up though, isn't it? 8)

Heck yes it's fun to tear stuff up! I have two new motor mounts that I ordered with the center bearing that I need to poly fill and install along with ploy filling my fairly new diff mount before I kill it too.

Chrishamman · Post by **Chrishamman** » May 02, 2008 10:01 AM

I just read through the complete thread. Nice job on your turbo job and persistence.

Post by **Brad D.** » May 02, 2008 9:17 PM

Chrishamman wrote:I just read through the complete thread. Nice job on your turbo job and persistence.

Thanks for the compliment. I guess this is as good a time as any for a little update. I have been reliably daily driving the car for the last two months with only minor issues that I have been sorting out. I even have the AC working now! I am running 8psi on a MBC and it feels very fast. It has traction "problems" in third gear with 235 tires on it. I am tired of the MBC though, so I ordered an electronic boost controller this week and will hopefully have it next week for a nice weekend project. It will make tuning my maps above 8psi easier as I won't have to keep opening the hood to adjust boost. It gets really old after a while. All in all, I am super pleased with the car and have surprised alot of people with it. It's more proof that a low budget turbo build is possible to do while retaining reliability as well as creature comforts.

turbodan · Post by **turbodan** » May 02, 2008 9:44 PM

What diff ratio are you running?

Post by **Brad D.** » May 03, 2008 12:04 AM

A 3.73 from when I was NA and its waaay to short. First gear is pretty much useless but it does make for some wicked acceleration through second and third. It's also really busy one the freeway. I'd really like a 3.25lsd. I think that would be perfect.

skip535i · Post by **skip535i** » May 03, 2008 1:17 AM

Big Bronze Rim wrote:A 3.73 from when I was NA and its waaay to short. First gear is pretty much useless but it does make for some wicked acceleration through second and third. It's also really busy one the freeway. I'd really like a 3.25lsd. I think that would be perfect.

PM Sent!

dzulfikri · Post by **dzulfikri** » Jun 23, 2008 12:28 PM

Great custom turbo man..Now I feel really psyched to do my own... But with all the work involved I think I should just stick to my m20b20 stock haha... But really great stuffs. What kinda weld did you use on the manifolds? I only know MIG cause its the simplest haha. And tuning MS2 and stuffs..phew need to read a lot of stuffs..

But would love to give it a shot...

Post by **Brad D.** » Jun 23, 2008 3:20 PM

The manifold was made from mild steel weld els and flanges. It was all MIG welded. It was alot of work but it was definitely worth it!

dcbimmerm3 · Post by **dcbimmerm3** » Jul 02, 2008 10:08 AM

i've got a 2.93 lsd in great shape if you want some traction for $240 shipped to you....

grahamcam · Post by **grahamcam** » Jul 02, 2008 6:10 PM

Big Bronze Rim wrote:A 3.73 from when I was NA and its waaay to short. First gear is pretty much useless but it does make for some wicked acceleration through second and third. It's also really busy one the freeway. I'd really like a 3.25lsd. I think that would be perfect.

When I first purchased my car, it had a 3.25 lsd , however it had a bad bearing in the diff - it sounded as if there was no fluid in it! - I didnt drive it very much, however I installed a 3.73
lsd and I like it better on the freeway, the accel is very rapid from 70 up!

George · Post by **George** » Jul 03, 2008 12:38 AM

grahamcam wrote:
Big Bronze Rim wrote:A 3.73 from when I was NA and its waaay to short. First gear is pretty much useless but it does make for some wicked acceleration through second and third. It's also really busy one the freeway. I'd really like a 3.25lsd. I think that would be perfect.
When I first purchased my car, it had a 3.25 lsd , however it had a bad bearing in the diff - it sounded as if there was no fluid in it! - I didnt drive it very much, however I installed a 3.73
lsd and I like it better on the freeway, the accel is very rapid from 70 up!

Is this on an auto or a 5-speed?

Post by **Brad D.** » Jul 03, 2008 12:44 AM

Well, as much as I sometimes hate the 3.73, the acceleration is crazy. Even with 255s out back, I can still spin the tires with authority through 3rd gear. I made it a point to try that out tonight on my way home from work. It is a whole lot of fun and don't know if I'll be disappointed if I go to a taller gear.

George · Post by **George** » Jul 03, 2008 12:52 AM

I still had the 3.91 when I got mine running at first. 1st was too short. If I stepped on the throttle, the tires would smoke and the tach would hit the rev line instantly. On the freeway, however, 60-120 was about the same as 0-60. I like the 3.46.

Flip_Side_the_Pint · Post by **Flip_Side_the_Pint** » Jul 31, 2008 11:11 PM

your build really inspires me for my build and has me really excited.

I do have one question though, maybe I missed it in your posts but what size are the weld els did you use and where did you get them? I can't find what I feel is appropriate to as far as weld els locally, every shop I go to either has something way to thin (like 18 ga) or way to thick (walls so thick the ID is really comprimised and small). Did you source your weld els online? or some where locally.

Thanks

-Jess

Post by **Brad D.** » Jul 31, 2008 11:34 PM

I used 1.5" schedule 40 mild steel weld els.They have an ID of 1.61" and an OD of 1.90". Wall thickness is 0.145" and is ideal. I bought them locally at a pipe supply place for about $8ea a few years ago. McMaster sells them online but they are a bit more expensive and you've got to pay shipping. Pt number 43425K151. I would also get a short stick of straight pipe as well.
1.5" ID, 2.25" radius, 90 Degree Elbow - butt weld

alijonny · Post by **alijonny** » Aug 09, 2008 1:36 AM

since I read this again last night, you really got gears turning in my mind...dammit, and usually what alijonny want....alijonny get. yes, i become a monster with choppy language skills. I just can't wait to tinker with megasquirt. and hey, whats better than having a whole car for mock-up? lol. talk about no down time!

Post by **Brad D.** » Aug 09, 2008 1:49 AM

alijonny wrote:since I read this again last night, you really got gears turning in my mind...dammit, and usually what alijonny want....alijonny get. yes, i become a monster with choppy language skills. I just can't wait to tinker with megasquirt. and hey, whats better than having a whole car for mock-up? lol. talk about no down time!

Do it man, do it! Having a mockup car is huge. Make the parts them bolt them on like a kit. The next best thing is another car to drive.

alijonny · Post by **alijonny** » Aug 14, 2008 3:18 PM

hey, can you show or tell where the maf sensor is?

George · Post by **George** » Aug 14, 2008 5:19 PM

alijonny wrote:hey, can you show or tell where the maf sensor is?

Maf?

There is no MAF sensor with Megasquirt. Its uses a 250kPa built in MAP sensor. I ran vacuum hose through the fire wall into the glove box.

You can run MS with a MAF sensor (as well as alpha-N), but I can't think of a reason why it would be used with forced induction.

Post by **Brad D.** » Aug 14, 2008 6:42 PM

thesixerkid wrote:
alijonny wrote:hey, can you show or tell where the maf sensor is?
Maf?

There is no MAF sensor with Megasquirt. Its uses a 250kPa built in MAP sensor. I ran vacuum hose through the fire wall into the glove box.

You can run MS with a MAF sensor (as well as alpha-N), but I can't think of a reason why it would be used with forced induction.

Absolutely correct. There is no MAF. MS is speed density (it can also use alpha-n, or even blended alpha-n, if desired).

Post by **Nebraska_e28** » Aug 15, 2008 10:38 PM

Just got back from a trip down south & had a chance to ride in this beast. Very solid build, good tune & FAST as $&$! I fear for anything that pulls up next to this sleeper ie; a thorough thrashing is sure to follow. Props man!

MyE28.com

MyE28.com

My 535is Turbo Buildup Thread! - update 11/26//09