93 2.3, needs turbo

[fullscale67]

have a 93, 2.3 must. would like to add turbo to it, how hard is it, and which should i go with for optimal performance?

 

[Shawneebear93]

Search this forum. There's more to it than just bolting a turbo onto your current motor. How hard it is depends on your experience/mechanical ability. The most used turbo is the T3 but some high horsepower applications use Dodge Cummins turbos.

 

[stykthyn]

best bet is to do a full engine swap .the stock 93 motor will reach critical mass and self destruct around 6 psi which really isnt enough to justify the money and time it will take to bolt the damn thing up anyway. find an old turbo coupe or SVO motor and swap out the motor and the harness.

 

[manny]

could you put the pistons from a turbo block into the block of a 91-93? and maybe use the style header that stinger has with the external blow off valve? just a thought.

 

[stykthyn]

you could, but the engine would still not run to full potential. the dual plug head wasnt designed for boost and it flows horribly. by the time you swapped out the head, exhaust, and internals you may have well as dropped in a turbo motor.

 

[Shawneebear93]

You could. I believe there are a few other internal pieces that are turbo specific but I'm not sure which (maybe rods, valve springs, etc.) You would also have to tap the oil pan for the turbo line.
If you have the luxury of allowing downtime for the car (to take out the motor and rebuild it as the car sits) it's not the worst idea. It's just much easier to find a turbo car with everything you need altogether.

 

[manny]

well the reason i'm asking is because i do have a bunch of turbo parts that i have been collecting and they are the pistons with rods in great shape, the stock turbo with the manifold that has been cleaned up and just ported and i do know how to port the stock dual plug head to improve the air flow. also with the turbo i got the oil lines that come from the block to the turbo and the line from the turbo to the block. i'm not looking for wild horse power but just to make the little 2.3 run a little better. and then add the handling pieces.

 

[stykthyn]

I am sure that if you dont mind tearing into the engine, that the forged pieces you have will go a long way towards keeping your engine safe. how are you going to allow the computer to adapt to your turbo? are you going to get a custom tune?

 

[towbar]

you would also have to drill and tap the oil pan for the return line.

 

[Shawneebear93]

you would also have to drill and tap the oil pan for the return line.

He has that covered.

also with the turbo i got the oil lines that come from the block to the turbo and the line from the turbo to the block.

 

[Stinger]

He still has to tap the block...you need somewhere to screw that return line into...

 

[manny]

i would imagine that i could have the stock ECU custom tuned for it to see that there has been a turbo added to the motor. not sure yet. tearing into these 2.3 motors is pretty easy. as i have stated earlier i race in the SCCA with a 2.3 and it's in a 1987 mustang that has the stock speed density EFI i do have it running real good now. i've learned what porting and milling the head does to one of these motors. . i do have another question now that i'm thinking about it, how does raising the compression ratio affect a turbo'ed motor? and also what if i use a performance cam also? thanks

 

[Stinger]

There are no sources for tuning the stock speed density 2.3 computers. There is tuning available for the turbo computers though.

An aftermarket cam goes fine with a turbo, assuming it doesn't have a ton of overlap. High compression and turbos don't mix too well unless you run race gas. The ideal turbo motor has low compression (such as the stock 2.3T's 8.0:1) rather than 9 or 9.5:1 like the n/a motors or 10.0:1+ on milled head engines.

 

[realtripp]

What is considered a ton of overlap for these engines (turbo)?

 

[stykthyn]

post up some pics when you get this done. I am curious as to how it comes out. it sounds like you are off to a great start.