Hey guys, I have recently installed a turbo from a 2.4 surf to my 2.8 hilux with excellent results and simple methods, I have also saved over $2000 by installing it all myself and not buying a turbo kit!.
I am going to do a write-up so you guys can also do this and save lots of money and gain lots of POWER!, it really is like a new machine, and makes the hilux 2.8 the perfect vehicle.
Items needed/items I used:
Turbo- $300 ebay
2.4 Manifold - $110 wreckers
Exhaust flange plate - $10 local exhaust shop
Braided Water lines- $45 ebay
braided Oil lines - $45 ebay
turbine outlet elbow - $50 very nice man from bribie!
Oil hose - $20 supercheap auto
Water hose - $10 supercheap auto
Rubber couplings - $200!! supercheap auto
Intercooling piping/Exhaust tubing - $30 local exhaust shop
High temp liquid gasket - $15 supercheap auto
Gasket material (metal) - $5 local exhaust shop
Brass T - $12 supercheap auto
Hose clamps - $ 10 supercheap auto
Air compressor Thread seal tape. - $5 supercheap auto
Boost gauge - $35 crazysales.com.au
Pyrometer - $40 ebay (still waiting for delivery)
Tools Needed:
tig or arc welder
Assorted sockets, Metric and imperial
Screw Drivers, Philips head and flat head.
Hammers
Metal files
Grinder
Vice
Paint (if wanted)
Metal cutters
Thread tapping Kit.
Step 1
The 1st thing you need to do is make sure you have every part that you need, this makes life much much easier as my truck was out of action for about 3 weeks due to not being able to find parts!!
Step 2:
Okay, you will need to remove your old 2.8 exhaust manifold, to do this you will need to remove the a/c unit with the 4 bolts located on the corners.
After you have the a/c unit off you will need to remove the a/c bracket that is bolted to the block, the bolts are easily visible and accessible, this is the bracket with the a/c belt tensioner attached.
Once you've got this all off you can now reach all the manifold bolts easily, when you take the manifold off keep the gasket as you will need it for the new manifold.
Step 3:
Now you will need to cut the old exhaust gasket in half and flip one half over to match it to the new bolt pattern of the 2.4 manifold, you will also need to move one exhaust stud to which ever hole you feel necessary.
then before you fit the manifold you need to put liquid high temp gasket all over the old exhaust gasket to ensure it seals well, them you can bolt it up nice and tight, then you can re-attach the a/c bracket and a/c unit.
Step 4:
Okay now your almost ready to attach the turbo, but 1st you need to locate a good oil feed and return, some people T into the alt oil line, this is risky as high oil pressure means it could just break apart, i used an oil feed already present on the block itself, this is the best way in my opinion as it means you don’t compromise your alt.
And this is my Braided oil feed line bolted into the feed nice and tight to ensure no leaks form!
as for the oil return, there is almost no pressure in the oil return line so you can do what you like with it, i chose to use the alt return line as i did not want to drill into the sump, this will not compromise your alt as it is a very low pressure line, so insert a brass T and fit your turbo drain into the pipe, make sure you return flows freely!! if oil sits in a low point of the line it will cause oil to backup and slow the rate of the return and this can cause turbo troubles, i tackled this problem for days as there is very little room down new the alt!.
This is my braided oil return line being T'ed into the alt return...
Step 5:
Okay now that you have a good oil feed and oil return you can fit the turbo, before you fit it you will need a turbo gasket, you can buy these off ebay for $60 that have the manifold gasket and exhaust gasket, i made my own from some gasket material from my local exhaust shop. when you fit the turbo remember to PRIME YOUR TURBO WITH OIL this is an absolute MUST as if you do not then when you start the car the turbo will spin dry and break almost instantly!
When you fit the turbo remember to bolt it down nice and tight to stop any air leaks, Remember your turbo system is only good if it is 100% air tight!.
Step 6:
Okay now that you have the turbo firmly attached to the engine you can install your water cooling, i used the heater hoses at the top of the engine as they are the easiest to reach and dont effect your engines main coolant line.
Cut the lines with a very sharp knife, saw or wire cutters and insert a brass T, when you come to attach the lines to the turbo make sure you get all the air out of the system and prime the turbo with water, this will avoid air locking your cooling system.
Step 7:
Now that the turbo is on you will notice that it is very close to the a/c unti, this means you will need to move the idle up solanoide to a different location, this is easily done as the lines/wires and plently long enough, i moved mine to the other bolt closer to the front of the engine.
Step 8:
Exhaust, okay there are many ways of doing this, get a new exhaust made, use a 2.4 exhaust, or modify your stock one.
I chose to modify my stock exhaust to save some money, its a bit of a pig to get it to fit!
After 2 days of cutting, bending, lenghtaning, welding i came this close..
There was quite alot of shouting and strong words to the exhaust, so i got fed up and cut the system in half, bolted it to the turbo, and bolted it to the remaining exhaust then welded it together while it was on the car, this allowed me to make sure that it was a prefect fit!
Step 9 :
Right, now you have oil to the turbo, water to it, and exhaust gasses out, all you need is the air ducting to start getting some boost!.
you can try and buy some intercooler piping but its about $80 per lenght!! so i used some large exhaust tubing for $30 for the lot, you will also need some silicone couplings, bends and reducers/enlargers, these are VERY EXPENSIVE, my one 90 degree bend cost $75 from supercheap auto and the others were $35 each!
You can save a bit of cash by re-shaping your standard air intake pipe, i cut if down to reduce the angles of the bend so it would fit properly, there is a surpising amount of room under the hood! so go nuts!
Step 10:
Okay then, now that you have everything down and working you can fit your boost guage.
i used the fitting on the intake manifold that usually has the crackcase breather on it, remove the breather and re-attach it to the LOW PRESSURE side of the air system, you dont want to be boosting into your crankcase!
I used a mechanical gauge so i needed to make my own adapter to take a large pipe to a tiny pipe.
Now put the gauge where ever you would like.
I also recommend fitting a pyrometer that moniters your exhaust gas temp, this will show you if your engine is overheating or running well, mine is still to arrive in the mail so i am missing this step for the time being.
Step 11:
Right so now you can run your truck and see how she handles, if its a bit slow you will need to adjust your fuel pump, there is a small screw on the back of the fuel pump with a lock nut attached, you will need to crack this lock nut off and turn the fuel screw clockwise (rught) 1/8 of a turn at a time until you feel the power, if you get lots of black smoke then youve gone to far and will need to wind it back to stop damaging the engine.
Im running about 11psi and would recommend not going any higher, as this would put to much stress on the engine and cause it to wear out or fail prematurely.
11psi is more than enough, my truck feels like a new machine, remeber it will never be a v8 race car, its a big low reving diesel pulling alot of weight, its never going to be "fast" but a turbo definatly helps!!!
the bolt coloured in red is the fuel screw with locknut on it.
And now your done!, got out and enjoy it, you will love the new get up and go that your truck will have, if you want further improvments then upgrade to a 2 1/2 exhaust of a 3inch exhaust to get the gasses out faster !
Hope this helps anybody who is planning on doing this to their truck, you will not regret it !
Have fun!!
