SRT Turbo Setup Write-Up

Novajoe · Post by **Novajoe** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:29 pm

I'm bored so I figured I'd try my hand at explaining how to mount one of these suckers.

First off, installing a turbo on your car(that didn't already have a turbo) is a lot like installing say a new computer game on your computer. Sure you obviously need the physical stuff like a good video card and such to use it, but that's only half of it. Your computer has to have the specs to meet the games needs. Like a certain amount of ram and hard drive space. etc.

Now same thing with a turbo. Sure you need the obvious stuff like the turbo to use it, but if your engine isn't up to par enough to use it, you'll just blow something up.

Now basically, you can use this for all turbos, but I'm doing this specifically for the srt turbo.

First, you need to figure out a few things on your fuel set-up. You already know which turbo and intercooler to use, so use it. You need to figure out whether you are going to go with a full standalone(megasquirt), a 1:1 fuel pressure regulator and a piggyback(like emanage), or a rising rate fuel pressure regulator and return line.

Standalone- This is the simplist and most controlling way to go. You will have full control over every aspect. Timing, fuel, etc. Only problem is it's the most expensive route as well. You will still need to upgrade your fuel pump and injectors, but you don't have to touch your stock fuel pressure regulator. Just tune with the standalone. You will need to tune on a dyno for this method.

1:1 regulator and piggyback- This is the stepchild of the three ways to turbo your neon. not as expensive as the standalone, but provides more control than the rrfpr set-up. Basically you are going to need a bigger fuel pump, 1:1 fuel pressure regulator like the aeromotive and many others, and a piggy back like the emanage and other fuel controller(stray from the s-afc, good for n/a, crap for turbo, unless you have a stock turboed car). You should use a dyno to tune for this, but if you have a laptop and a wideband, that will do.

RRFPR and return line(this is the set-up I went with so I'm going to know more about it than the previous two)- This is the cheapest way to upgrade your fuel system for a turbo, but is also the most fragile. You will need an RRFPR(IMO, I'd go with the chillfactory unit, just because I've heard of less breakage with them and they control a good range of pressure. If you are going with this set-up, then you will have to decide something, whether you are going to go with high volume injectors and low fuel pressure, or if you are going to go with low volume injectors, and high fuel pressure. With huge injectors and low pressure, you could go with stage 0 injectors from an srt and just run around 15psi fuel pressure at idle and have it go up from there(differentiates from set-up to set-up) and with a lower volume injector you will be running much higher fuel pressure.

Also with this set-up, you can go with two different types of fuel return lines. One is aaronneon's adapter and the other is the spoolboy mod. Both work and you can find more info on both by searching around these forums(just too much to describe on both for one post).
It is very possible to tune this set-up off the dyno. Just use a wideband.
You will need a mapclamp for all these set-ups.

The easiest thing to do as far as I know for running all the lines for the oil, coolant, and fuel is buy the stock srt oil and coolant lines for the turbo and run them accordingly. On the fuel lines, you can buy aaronneon's fuel kit for the srt and have him leave out the regulator(or leave it in if you're going for the 1:1 and piggyback set-up).

Guages you need:
Wideband a/f guage
fuel pressure guage
oil pressure guage
boost guage

Guages that would be good to have:
exhaust gas temp guage

That pretty much does it for the fuel(unless I forgot something). other than that you need the turbo/manifold, blow off valve, waste gate, intercooler, intercooler piping, down pipe, exhaust, and adapter plate to mount the turbo onto the engine. Also going to need both exhaust manifold gaskets for both the srt and the sxt/rt(whichever you have).

Don't forget to beef up your clutch as well. The stock clutch will NOT hold up on a decent amount of boost. The stock axles are decent enough for the srt turbo as long as you don't drive like a madman. But I honestly wouldn't go over 250whp on stock axles(or stock bottom end for that matter).

Now for all the lines and where to get them. Easiest way is to just run through the dealer and pick up the lines for around $16 I've heard or you can call haghn and buy all the lines and fittings they use for their 16g turbo. This is what I did. As for the fuel lines you can get aarronneon's kit to make it pretty easy. You can buy everything individually and save a little money as long as you know exactly what you need as well.

Now as for where to tap the lines, I tapped my coolant line into the small coolant line coming off the thermostat for the a/c. As for the oil, I removed the stock oil sending unit and ran everthing, including my oil pressure guage off of that. Only downfall is now I have a check oil light on constantly. All of my vaccume lines I spliced of the vac line running from the throttle body(the name doesn't really come to mind right now... but it's the hard-line coming off the tb).

**ONE MORE THING, YOU MUST UPGRADE YOUR OIL PUMP. YOUR STOCK OIL PUMP WILL GO OUT ON YOU IF YOU TRY TO RUN IT WITH YOUR TURBO SET-UP. This is incorrect. You will be fine with the stock oil pump. Of course it would never hurt to swap in a new oil pump while you are in there, especially if the existing one has higher miles. There are aftermarket options, but they are completely optional. - hul kogan (12/09)

Anyone feel free to throw in any changes or add-ons you feel should be added. I'm trying to work as many specifics in here as I can.[/code]

One last thing... Doing this on a stock bottom end will cause premature wear. It's best to build your bottom end before adding a turbo, but not everyone can afford to do it or have their car down long enough to do it. I'm not saying that if you add the turbo that the engine will break down in like a month, but the added heat and stress can warp things, mess up pistons, etc. over time.

Usually you don't want to run say more than 8-9lbs of boost(with the srt turbo) on a stock engine. You could probably get away with a few more lbs, but it depends on what kind of condition your motor is in and how long you really want it to last. Not too sure but from what I've seen around 260whp is the popping point for our stock motors.

grindpunk16 · Post by **grindpunk16** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:50 pm

one thing i wont change in your post but post it myself.

2nd gen axles can handle the abuse of hard launches and slicks. cheap and very strong. keithrt ran many 12's on stock 2nd gen axles using slicks also. they will work for what you need its the diff you need to watch out for.

dawm · Post by **dawm** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 7:50 pm

good practice is to do your burnouts in 2nd if running slicks, ive heard this from many neon dragsters.. some who have broken stage3 axles =P

also the oil and coolant lines are all under $16 ea from the dealer. and alot easier to get then waiting for someone to sell theirs.

Novajoe · Post by **Novajoe** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 4:25 pm

unless I'm actually racing, then I generally start off in second from stop lights and such. The small turbo makes for one torquey SOB.

I would have figured the lines would be more expensive then that from the dealer, so I never even went through them for mine, but if $16 is the price tag on the lines from there, then that should be the best way to go.

grindpunk16 · Post by **grindpunk16** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 2:01 am

i already blew my oil pump

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:56 am

^^^
Thats a good note for anyone wanting to turbo there car. Its starting to sound like the oil pump does not supply enough volume to support the turbocharger let alone the motor also.mmm..
I wonder if it has todo with the high temps of the turbo cooking the oil before it goes back to the motor and prematurely wearing the pump...

grindpunk16 · Post by **grindpunk16** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 11:05 am

BlackRoseRacing wrote:^^^
Thats a good note for anyone wanting to turbo there car. Its starting to sound like the oil pump does not supply enough volume to support the turbocharger let alone the motor also.mmm..
I wonder if it has todo with the high temps of the turbo cooking the oil before it goes back to the motor and prematurely wearing the pump...

its actually not the wearing out of the pump since there really isnt any wear items on that pump. It weak to begin with. it doesnt take detination to well. even very very light shifts of the crank can prove deadly. Another problem is that the pickup tube is very limiting same with the inlet and outlet passages on the pump. during the "shifts" of the crank there isnt enough oil to cushion it enough and people have oil pump problems. a major problem on the srt. If you have no knocking or detination present you will be fine. a cryo treated oil pump will be sufficent enough to withstand detination and crank shift

pics of the pump and rotor

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:08 pm

ouch....
But its still a good point to make people aware of this...
Good notes grindpunk....

theHumP · Post by **theHumP** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:19 pm

what is a good aftermarket oil pump that will withstand the turbo add on?

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:30 am

theHumP wrote:what is a good aftermarket oil pump that will withstand the turbo add on?

ya all i can find are stock ones....

grindpunk16 · Post by **grindpunk16** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 12:07 pm

the melling m190 is suppose to have a stronger rotor pump to take some more abuse but what would actually be better would be to open up the oil pick up tube and then also open up the inlet and outlet ports on the pump so more oil can get in there and if you have detination it will cushion it a little bit. the only other thing you can do is run an pump off to the side driven by the crank

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:27 pm

you mean, like try to port out the oil pump a bit? i might buy one from a yard and see what i can do

grindpunk16 · Post by **grindpunk16** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:50 pm

kinda.........you would want to port the actual hole where the pickup tube connects to and then also the one that connects to the block directly. nothing else. just those to holes. that way more oil can sit in the oil pump.

Kevin_GP · Post by **Kevin_GP** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:23 am

OK, I would like to add to this post after putting my own turbo together. First off.... What can acctully be used to turbo a SOHC from an srt-4 and the modifications needed....

SRT-4 turbo- Fits but you need an adaptor plate. You also need to move your coolant overflow tank and build a heatsheild for the brake lines. I had about an inch and a half of clearence between the turbo and firewall.

SRT-4 o2 pipe- This bolts on to the turbo and fits into our exhausts. However, you need to extend the wires on the o2 sensor. The stock sensor is on the right of the exhaust, the srt-4 places it on the left. To do this you need to soider on about a foot of wire and shrink wrap all the connections. Not a major modification but the o2 isnt a direct fit.

SRT-4 down pipe- Your stock cat pipe will work fine, but if you want to use a wideband (you really should), you need to move the cat further from the exhaust. I used an ebay 3 inch catless downpipe and was one of 2 things that fit on my car WITHOUT any modifcations.

SRT-4 oil lines- The stock feed lines will not work with a T (for an oil pressure gauge). There are lots of ways to make them work, but take your time because oil leaks are not fun. I cut the middle part of the feed apart and extended it with -6 lines and clamped it on. I would not suggest doing this, but it works. I would cut the lines and flare the ends and add an-fittings. I will be redoing my oil lines soon.

The oil return tube works well but you need to figure out how to get the oil into the oil pan. A -10 hose fits on the end of the drain tube nicely. To get the oil into the pan I used an- bulkhead fittings. If you go this route YOU MUST USE STAT-O-SEALS. Ive driven about 1000 miles this way so far and I have had no leaks using bulkhead fittings.

SRT-4 injectors- This is the other part that needs no modification to fit a normal 00-05 neon. Just unbolt the old injectors, install the new ones.

SRT-4 intercooler- This does not fit without ALOT of cutting. You need to cut 2 huge holes in the radiator support. You also need to move/bend some AC lines for the passenger side end tank to fit though. You need to move the ECU on the driverside and fab up a new mounting location. In order for it to fit correctly, you need to cut out the back of your stock front fasica. Im not sure about this step but i needed to on my 01-02 ACR fasica. The srt-4 intercooler is a good choice because its cheap, thats it. You are setting yourself up for problems down the road with intercooler piping. I will explain further...

SRT-4 hotside Intercooler pipe- This fits like complete crap. DO NOT USE THIS. I made mine fit but I would not recomend using this part. If you do decide to use this, you need to remove a few things to make it fit. First problem is a brace that goes from the engine to transmission (MTX). This brace is directly below the compressor outlet. The next problem is the power steering cooler. This needs to be relocated. You cannot bend the lines enough to just "push" it out of the way, the lines need to be moved. After that is taken care of, the brace between the oil pan and trans needs to be removed as well. When all that is taken care of, you can force the pipe in. It will hit the cross brace and rub and hit the transmission as well. This is why I suggest not using it.

So to sum all that up, the only thing that fits with no modification is the injectors. Im not saying that everything eles wont fit, I just want to make it very clear that everything eles takes alot of work to make right. If I was going to turbo my car agian I wouldnt use anything intercooler related from the srt-4, because those parts just lead to more problems than they are worth.

Just remember to do things right the first time, and that there is no "budget turbo". Saving a few bucks is not worth the frustration and broken parts later on. Do it right the first time.

grindpunk16 · Post by **grindpunk16** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 9:08 pm

damn i didnt have nearly as many problems as you did on my hot pipe. cut an inch out use reinforced silicone or the bottom part of the cheap ebay intake , clamp back together and it fits perfect no rubbing no hitting, no deed to move ps cooler, you dont entirely need those 2 braces. mine fits snug up against the block and doesnt even rattle

INVUJerry · Post by **INVUJerry** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 12:09 am

You don't need an aftermarket Spark controller? Unless you decide to go standalone of course. I just need some guidance, I'm not sure of what I want to do yet.

bdecker12 · Post by **bdecker12** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:12 am

Kevin_GP wrote:OK, I would like to add to this post after putting my own turbo together. First off.... What can acctully be used to turbo a SOHC from an srt-4 and the modifications needed....

SRT-4 hotside Intercooler pipe- This fits like complete crap. DO NOT USE THIS. I made mine fit but I would not recomend using this part. If you do decide to use this, you need to remove a few things to make it fit. First problem is a brace that goes from the engine to transmission (MTX). This brace is directly below the compressor outlet. The next problem is the power steering cooler. This needs to be relocated. You cannot bend the lines enough to just "push" it out of the way, the lines need to be moved. After that is taken care of, the brace between the oil pan and trans needs to be removed as well. When all that is taken care of, you can force the pipe in. It will hit the cross brace and rub and hit the transmission as well. This is why I suggest not using it.

how does the coldside piping fit?

Kevin_GP · Post by **Kevin_GP** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:59 pm

I didnt use the cold side pipe. Honestly, buy a mandral bent J bend from jegs or somewhere like that, a stright 2.5 silcone coupler, and a 90 degree silcone coupler. That is probally the easiest way with the cold side pipe.

damn i didnt have nearly as many problems as you did on my hot pipe. cut an inch out use reinforced silicone or the bottom part of the cheap ebay intake , clamp back together and it fits perfect no rubbing no hitting, no deed to move ps cooler, you dont entirely need those 2 braces. mine fits snug up against the block and doesnt even rattle

The reason I was having so much problems was that I was trying to use the pipe without modifying it. I cleaned out the local shops supply of silcone connecters and had to have my car working asap. I agree that the biggest problem with it is the stock silicone connector being to tall. I dont know how you got away with out moving the power steering cooler, maybe yours is in a different location than mine. The pipe would physicly not fit behind the block where the ps cooler was. When I build the block im going to see if I can come up with a better solution.

03neonRT · Post by **03neonRT** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 11:19 am

So if the hotside pipe is a pain in the ass to put it, what would you suggest using instead?

Kevin_GP · Post by **Kevin_GP** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:04 pm

Buying a bunch of pipe bends and connectors and fabbing up your own. The best solution would be to take it to a good exhaust shop with a mandral bender, but doing it yourself gets the job done to. Last time I would try is the srt-4 hotside pipe unless you are using it for peices.

SolarYNeon · Post by **SolarYNeon** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:21 pm

would this setup be practical for an ATX?

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 9:55 pm

Is there like a step-by-step tutorial with pictures on this installation? I'm clueless as to where to start, but I want to learn. I know some basic stuff, but sometimes I get confused when you guys post...

srtjesse · Post by **srtjesse** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 7:05 pm

yellowpatrol wrote:Is there like a step-by-step tutorial with pictures on this installation? I'm clueless as to where to start, but I want to learn. I know some basic stuff, but sometimes I get confused when you guys post...

yes please bump for this if anyone knows where to fing it i have a full srt turbo set up and would like info on how to install it im king my head here

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:06 pm

The closest thing I can think of to a step by step is to check out my brothers progress log...it's not step by step, but there's just too much to do and you have to make some of it up as you go.

http://forum.2gn.org/viewtopic.php?t=10692

I'll try to take step by step pictures when we put it ALL back together after the engine is rebuilt, and comment on what all is being done so it makes sense. Give it a month or three and she'll be on the road again roasting the tires.

FTWNeon · Post by **FTWNeon** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:10 pm

Good, I'm gonna need a guide when i rebuild my motor

srtjesse · Post by **srtjesse** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:28 am

thanks this really heps

kArLoZ · Post by **kArLoZ** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:39 pm

srt4 fuel pump will be enough??? or walbro 255???

kc2005ptgt · Post by **kc2005ptgt** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 2:09 pm

srt is enough

zeRk_RT · Post by **zeRk_RT** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 3:01 pm

whats a good clutch to get on a 2001 rt neon for turbo?

yellowpatrol · Post by **yellowpatrol** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:19 pm

There are some good ones on modernperformance.com