On3performance Turbo Install On A 2005 Gt

Hello everyone,

I just thought I would start this thread to document my install of the 05-09 GT single turbo kit from On3Performance. I have found that this kit is not quite just a "bolt-on" as they lead one to believe on their website. I am a little over half way done with the install and will post pictures of what I have so far and explain what I did to fix some of their engineering flaws.

Also...
Aside from the turbo kit a few other of the supporting mods are:
AEM Water/Meth injection
Steeda charge motion deletes
BBK twin 62mm throttle body
Ford Racing 47lb injectors
Ford Racing dual fuel pump

Ok, so as I am putting these pics together in order, I figure I would start with saying that so far this has been a very laborious undertaking. when I first ordered this kit I assumed that it would be a direct bolt-on kit as their website leads one to believe. When I received all of the boxes I torn into them like a kid on Christmas morning. After careful inspection all parts were accounted for aside from the oil filter relocation unit. I was aware of that as it was to be shipped a few day later when it was in stock. Here is what was in the boxes.... I know it's a bit of a mess but I just got everything unpacked and laid it out in my spare room.
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Ok, parts are all unpacked and inventoried. Time to get started with the install. I started by removing my Pypes cat-less x-pipe. The nuts on the manifold studs came off fairly easily since I hadn't had the x-pipe on to long. I installed the two pipes that attach to the manifolds and then clamp together. The instructions did mention that it may be necessary to remove the studs and use bolts and nuts as the studs will bottom out before the flanges are tight to the manifolds. I believe this is the same reason that my x-pipe came with inserts for the ball flanges. apparently there is a slight difference between the 05-06 and the 07-09 manifolds and this causes the flanges to not be tightened. In any event this was not an issue for me, so the flanges tightened up just fine.
Next there is a pipe that connects to where the 2 of those tie together. This pipe runs through the D/S a-arm for the most part this pipe fit as well. There was a slight rubbing on the tip of one of the bolts that holds the k-member to the bottom of the car. No matter how the pipes were adjusted I couldn't get it away from it. So for an easy fix I simply ground a small amount off the tip of the bolt.

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Before I get to far ahead of myself there is the issue of the oil return line for the turbo. In On3's instructions the refer you to the Procharger website and recommend that you follow their directions for punching and tapping the oil pan. Since I wasn't to crazy about the idea of hammering a punch through my oil pan while still on the engine aside from hitting something there is the chance of making the hole to large. I didn't like the idea of tapping the hole while on the engine either, with rouge burrs and all. I opted to pull the pan from the car. Since I also decided to go with braided hoses and AN fittings vs. the barb fittings and standard hose that came with the kit, I ordered a weld on steel bung. I did however use the Procharger instructions for placement. Here is what it looks like with the oil pan back on.
[URL=http://s1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh573/southernstreetperformance/05%20Turbo%20Mustang/?action=view&current=DSCN0299.jpg][/URL]

Along with the oil return line It was needed to get the oil filter relocation done as well as the area is pretty much inaccessible after the up-pipe and turbo are installed. The kit that is provided from On3 is one from Jeg's, part # 555-51715.

Like with the oil return I opted to use braided hose and after looking at the limited mounting options I decided that I was going to go with a different unit. I went with the Canton Racing 22-801.
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Also while at this point, On3 recommends that you connect the fittings for the oil feed line. They provide a brass T with a male 1/8" and I think 2 or three female ports. I didn't really like how that is installed either as you remove the factory oil pressure sending unit, install the T-block and then install the sending unit and feed line to it. What I did instead was made a 1/2" npt plug then drilled and tapped it to 1/8" npt and put it in the return port from the oil filter. I feel this will make for a lot cleaner install and less of a chance for leaks. I also made a second plug for my oil temperature sensor.

Here are pics of the plugs that I made but in the Jeg's unit before i decided to go with the Canton.
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And here are pics of approximately where I am going to mount the filter bracket.

joe_momma said:

Looking good!

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Thanks, I appreciate it. I kinda wish I would have started this thread when I first started the install cause I would have gotten a lot more detailed pics of why and how I am making the changes and modifications that I am going to make or have made. But I should be able to cover most of it with what I have. The reason I started this thread is so that people can get a good idea of how the kit fits, and its pluses and its minuses so that they may make a educated decision on if this the right kit for them. And if they do get it, to provide some guidance on some of the issues that may arise. On3 built this kit around the 07-09 GT, which for the most part is the same as the 05-06 with the exception of the coolant cross over tube and the octopus looking thermostat housing used in the 05-06. So it made things interesting when I was trying to figure out a way to route the coolant lines out of the way of the turbo. With out keeping anyone in suspense. What I finally ended up doing was just ponying up the cash for an 07 cross over tube from the dealer along with the lower radiator hose.

Drilled the mounting plate for the oil filter mount at work today. Just need to get some paint on it and then it is ready to go on the car..
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Moving along. It was time to install the up pipe with the turbo bolted on tight and the oil return line mounted to the bottom of the turbo. It is necessary to put these together first and clock the turbo to the position it needs to be (outlet facing pretty much straight down) as these areas are inaccessible with tools once in place in the engine bay. Their instructions recommend that you have someone underneath to help clamp the two pipes together while one holds the assembly from the top. I did not have the luxury of having a second person when I was fitting this in. So what I did was put the support bracket on the turbo and hang it on the stud on the front of the D/S head where it mounts and then crawl underneath and attach the clamp.

**** Note **** You will need to use a longer bolt than is provided in the compressor housing as it is to short and only grabs 2.. maybe 3 threads with the mounting bracket between it. I also replaced the other 2 bolts that hold the retaining bracket on that side of the turbo with longer bolts as well.

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This is when I initially fit the turbo into the car. You can see that there is little to no room between the hot side and the radiator fan. There was literally 1/8" between the hot side flange and the fan motor. There is also the coolant hose that runs across the engine bay to the reservoir. It was pinched quite nicely between the fan and up pipe. I am not sure if this is how the fitment was designed, but with the support bracket tight there isn't really anywhere to move it. So from my point of view there was only one option... slimline fan(s). But going that route, it poses the problem of where to mount the coolant reservoir and the power steering reservoir (On3 does provide a bracket to relocate the p/s reservoir, but I ran into issues with that as well which I'll get to in a little bit.



So in any event, I started scouring the internet for slimline fan shrouds for the S197. I found a bunch for 04 and older mustangs but there is literally nothing available yet that I have found. Except for one... on Ebay. The problem with that one is that there were no mounts for the reservoirs and it was a twin fan setup. I want a single fan. Not to mention the fans that came with it are of no brand name to speak of. I do not want to trust my cooling to some cheap fans.

Next option? Fabricate my own shroud... So I did.
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I decided to go with a Mishimoto 16" fan which spins at 1900 and some odd RPM. This fan, as all their fans, has a lifetime replacement warranty. Also I have used their products in the past and have never had a complaint.

Going to an aftermarket fan does pose another issue though, the wiring. I did a little research and found that people were just cutting the harness and tying into the high speed wire and the ground. there was one guy, can't remember the forum I saw it on. But he cut his stock fan out since it failed and mounted it with ties to the radiator but leaving the factory shroud over it and then just tying into the positive and negative after, what i assume is a temp sensor. I like this idea a lot more so I removed the sensor from the stock shroud and made a mount for it on my shroud. as for the wiring. to make it a little neater instead of tying the wires together I popped open the plastic housing and used a Dremel to grind the female spades off the terminals, since my soldering gun apparently doesn't get hot enough to de-solder them. I then drilled 2 holes where the spade terminals were, tied in the wires and soldered the connections.
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It has been a few days since I have had time to get on here, but I do have progress to share. I have finished installing the oil filter relocation kit. Also the intercooler is installed along with all the cold side piping. The Steeda charge motion delete plates and BBK twin 62mm Throttle body also went on this weekend.

I'll start with the charge motion tand throttle body install. Sorry, I have ho pics of the the dis-assembly or the installation in progress but for all of you that are thinking about this mod or thinking of getting a aftermarket intake manifold the dis-assembly and assembly is quite easy. Start by disconnecting the battery, then remove your intake. Disconnect the 2 harnesses on the throttle body and remove the 2 nuts from the bottom studs and the 2 screws from the top and remove the throttle body. There are 2 vacuum ports with push lock fittings connecting to the manifold just behind the throttle body, remove them. there are 4 studs that hold the fuel rail in place, remove them. Unplug all 8 injector harnesses then gently pull the fuel rails up with the injectors remaining in the rails. Set the fuel rails off to the drivers side leaving the fuel lines connected. There is a total of 10 bolts retaining the intake manifold. 4 are visible on each side the center bolts are just behind one of the plastic reinforcements of the intake. Loosen these in reverse sequence of the torque order 1/4 turn at a time until finger loose. Then remove the 10 bolts. the rear bolt on the driver side has a stud on top of it for a wire harness retainer, so remember to put this bolt back in the same location on install. After all the fasteners are removed gently lift the intake from its seating there is a harness on the rear of the intake for the charge motion motor, unplug this. There is also a vacuum line that must be disconnected. At this point you can remove the intake from the engine.
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At this point you should clean any loose debris from the mounting surface on the head using a vacuum and or a slightly damp cloth wiping away from the intake ports on the head.

With the intake off there are 4 torx screws holding the charge motion plates to the intake. these are threaded into plastic so be very cautious not to over tighten these on re-installation. There are also 3 bolts holding the motor on the intake. Per Steeda's directions. Unless you plan to get the car tuned with these on, leave the motor attached to the intake and remove the plates by disconnecting the arms. The motor will need to be plugged back into the harness unless the car is tuned and they are turned off in the computer.

***The OEM intake gaskets are reusable, do not discard them. Unless you purchase new gaskets they must be transferred to the delete plates.***

While I had the intake manifold off I figured I would address another issue I was having. I believe I made mention of it earlier in this thread. The cooling hoses on the driver's side of the 05-06 GTs and the, in my opinion retarded design, thermostat housing. As you may or may not know from 05 and 06 the thermostat housing is suspended by 4 hoses in the front of the engine bay. I ran into issues when the hose coming off the driver's side head was routed directly in front of the intake for the turbo. After countless hours of trying to figure out how to reroute these hoses using this setup I couldn't come up with a feasible solution. So after a little time spent on Google I learned that the water crossover tube for the 07 GT was interchangeable. By switching to it I was able to delete that octopus apparatus of cooling lines and have the thermostat on top of the driver's side head. Thus, being able to use the stainless tube provided by On3 to modify the upper radiator hose.

***Not my car. This is an example of the routing of the radiator hoses in the 05-06 GTs***

*** Not my car either. This is upper radiator hose of the 07-09 GT (what this kit was designed on by On3).

So in any event. I ended up buying the 07 coolant by-pass from my local dealership for 200 and some change. I just want to point out that the need for this conversion on the 05-06 models was not mentioned in fitment of this kit on their website, or the few times we were able to get in touch with them via phone as they never answer and you can't leave a message since they don't clear their messages (I think intentionally).

After a few day wait I received the new tube it was a quick install with the intake manifold off. There were only 2 remaining bolts as the other 2 also bolted down the intake. The new tube came with the gaskets, thermostat and water neck completely assembled so it was just a matter of bolting it on.

With it on I then installed the intake manifold in reverse order of the steps above. There is a torque sequence to the manifold bolts, refer to a chiltons, haynes or other manual for the specs and sequence. If needed I can provide them, I just don't feel like getting up at the moment.
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Also at this time I took the opportunity while the fuel rail off to install the 47lb injectors. to do this all that is required is a small flat screwdriver and a good thick rag. As there is no valve to bleed the fuel rails how I released the pressure was by slowly removing the passenger side front injector first with the injector and fail wrapped in a rag to keep the fuel from spraying everywhere. To remove the injectors simply pry the little clips on either side out of the recess that they sit in and slide them off. then gently wiggle the injectors out of the rail. Especially slow on the first one as it is still under pressure. One the injectors are out I applied a small amount of petroleum jelly to the o-rings of the new injectors to help them slide in a little easier and so they would seat properly. with the injectors back in the rail. reinstall the clips. There is a slot on the injector that the clip must slide into as well. Make sure that they are attached properly and that the tabs are in the recesses as they were before removal.

With all that out of the way I figured I would start messing around with the intercooler and piping for it. There was a bit of head scratching when it came to this as well. On3 says to run the piping to the front from the turbo and the throttle body so that you can get a good placement for the intercooler. (apparently there is a lot of "adjustment in mounting") Ok, roger that, I can live with that. Problem is, the brackets that they provided would not reach any bolt that they spoke of. Supposedly, one of the brackets mounts to a hood latch bolt, and they don't say where the other one bolts to in their oh-so descriptive instructions.

Their brackets. in retrospect I should have put a tape measure next to them so you can see how small they are. The bigger one with the bend isn't even close to being long enough or bent properly to reach any existing bolt or the intercooler at the same time while it sits where it needs to for the piping.

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I didn't ponder over this to long before I just decided to make my own mounting bracket.

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I did have to modify/cut mu bumper ever so slightly to make room for the very corner of my bracket.

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As well as the grill, but it was so minor that unless I point it out I doubt anyone would notice. There are 2 tiny spots where it is visible and that is in the 2 honey combs at the very bottom of each of the fog lights.

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And last but not least for tonight... the oil filter relocation, installed.
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GoneFord said:

Good work and solid perseverance. So are they going to remunerate you for your engineering effort and the time you took to document it all?

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Thank you, and I highly doubt it as they have horrible customer service. I called them several times on many separate occasions only to be met with an answering message. And even then you can't leave a message because their "box is full, would you like to leave a call back number?". Honestly I would not recommend this kit or anything from them based on that sole fact. Before I started this install I tried calling to have them send me install photos, as the "instructions" refer to them, but aren't included. I had several questions for them as well as far as the oil filter relocation unit. The major one being, where did they mount it. I did get one reply and that was, "We include enough hose so that you can mount it where you like." Which they do, but for a bolt on kit that location should have been predetermined. Aside from that I am going to have to modify some of the hot pipes as there is now way they will fit in the required location as is. They say that there is plenty of adjustment in the plumbing, which is true to an extent. But, what I am talking about there is not enough room to clear my issues. I'll be posting some of them later this weekend. I have plans to make some more headway with the install on Sunday.

I'll say it again though. I would not recommend this kit if anyone is looking to go F/I on their S197. There are a lot better engineered kits out there. Remember you get what you pay for. I am just glad I have the skill sets and means to modify and rework it so that it will be a sturdy and reliable system. I am more or less putting this up here to kind of forewarn people about their product and what to possibly do if they made the leap and got one and are in a similar predicament as me.

Thank for the link Earl. I took a few minutes to look at their kit. From the look of the pictures and what comes with it, it seems that it is the same as the On3 kit. Just with a different turbo, welded bung for the slot meter and it includes a fuel pump and the Ford Racing injectors. Aside from that it looks like they took an On3 kit an just slapped a different name on it.... Just the initial impression I got from it. Don't mean to offend them. But it is the same kit.

retfr8flyr said:

It is a similar kit, they buy the piping from the same supplier that On3 does but they use a much better Turbo, BOV, W/G and other parts. They also have a good fuel setup with the kit and have great customer service. A lot of the things you have had to modify during your install they have already taken care of.

As I said I don't have any connection with S&H Performance. I am just posting this information for anyone that is following your build and thinking about going with the On3 kit. For the difference in price between their kit and the On3 kit there just isn't any comparison.


Earl

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I Agree they do use a lot better turbo. and I'll assume they use a better BOV and wastegate than the On3 kit, since most of the pictures on their site have broken links . But even from the looks of it their bracketry is the same (Turbo support and P/S relocate bracket). Had I known about this kit earlier I would have gotten it and saved some cash on the fuel system upgrade. If they get their piping from the same source then it is still likely that it would have to be modified.