Carrera 3.2 N/A To Turbo Conversion How To
 

Well I just got done with a Turbo build on my carrera 3.2 and I thought I would post a how to to help with those who do the same and also to help show how straight forward and easy of a way this is to gain another 100+hp on your stock engine. All in 20 easy steps!

Since there is no longer a kit you can buy (at least that I am aware of) You will have to piece it together yourself, however here is a list of everything you will need:

• turbo of your choice (I recommend at least .63 a/r)
• 930 J pipe or 930 turbo manifold (OBX ebay special works great)
• 38mm or larger external wastegate with no more than a 7psi spring
• wastegate dump pipe (ebay special works fine here)
• boost gauge
• intercooler piping kit (ebay special is also fine here)
• blow off valve, and blow off valve adapter pipe
• if your turbo outlet is 2" than an adapter coupler to whatever diameter you intercooler piping was is needed
• Fuel management unit (FMU) 8:1 fixed or begi adjustable unit is ideal
• oil feed/return line kit
• Cone filter napa/shucks brand is fine
• -10 AN TO 20MM-1.5 adapter
• -6 AN TO 1/8th NPT adapter
• -6AN TO 16MM X1.5 adapter (male-female)
• -6 TO 16MM X1.5 adapter (male-male)
• 6 AN Stainless steel hosing (High pressure rating)
• 4 -6AN Hose ends (female)
• about 12' of vacuum line
• oil/oil filter
• Protomotive chip or some form of piggyback (not needed, but highly recommended)
• Some form of exhaust for the turbo (I run a straight pipe)
• Wideband air fuel ratio guage/kit (not needed but highly recommended)

Many of those things can be ebay specials and many can not, what you want to go cheap on is your choice. Just keep in mind if you go cheap on intercooler piping or exhaust when/if they fail it won't blow up your engine while on the other hand if the FMU or your wastegate fails that could be a costly expense...

Okay I started this project on a friday afternoon and finished on a sunday afternoon. It was pretty straight forward, if you can change spark plugs or brake pads this is a project you can complete entirely yourself. Before we get started I would like to apologize for not including pictures, I had brought my camera and planned to do so, but i dropped it taking it out of the car and it broke. I have some before pictures of the parts i will include and thats it... Sorry.


Step One: Remove that rusty old exhaust!
I bought an OBX 930 turbo manifold off ebay for around $340 it will bolt right up to your 3.2 and looks great!
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/2056/dscf1538m.jpg

After unbolting your exhaust (hopefully none of those 30 year old studs gave you trouble) go ahead and bolt up your new one. I also removed the plate under the bumper in the back of the car during this step

Step Two: "Clock" The Turbo
Line up the outlet on the compressor housing so it goes straight into the engine bay. (I also removed the plate in the bottom of the engine bay during this step) Here is a youtube video on clocking
Step Three: Put On That Shiny New Turbo!
WAIT! Before bolting it on the manifold, why don't cha bolt on that shiny new oil feed line to the top of that turbo and route it into the engine bay. I forgot to do this and it was a pain to hook up after everything else was on! Okay. Now bolt on the turbo.

Step Four: Bolt on the wastegate
Do it.

Step Five: Take off all your old intake boxes and hoses and airflow meters and set them aside. Some purist might want that airbox for top dollar on ebay.

Step Six: Drain the oil
Make sure and drain BOTH oil resevoirs I almost forgot. Also put on your new oil filter.

Step Seven: Go drink some water and get your wife to make you a sandwich. The next step sucks and you want to be properly fed and hydrated for it.

Step Eight: Connect the oil feed line.
This is probably the least fun part of the project, but if you are used to pulling engines and doing things like that it will be cake. I Highly recommend removing the intake manifold to do this I somehow did it without doing this step but it was nearly impossible. Okay find the oil pressure sending unit. It has a single green wire plugged into the top of it and is in the near center of the very back of the engine bay. unplug it and try to fit a socket on it or wrench and take it off. Now use the brass fitting that should have come with your oid feed\return line kit and screw the 1/8 -6 AN adapter on it. Now screw the brass tee in the spot where the sending unit went and the screw the sending unit on the top of the tee. Now screw the -6 AN hose into the adapter fitting. You now should have a working oil feed for the turbo. Sounded easy didn't it? it's not.

Step Nine: Connect the return line
Screw the 20mm to -10 AN adapter where your drain plug went and then connect that to your 10 AN Stainless hose that came in your kit. Now connect that to your turbo oil outlet. Easy peezy.

Step Ten: Remove the heater fan thing
It's on the left of the engine bay, it's easy to unbolt. Do it.

Step Eleven: Connect The FMU
In the very back of the left side of the engine bay you will see a fuel line that goes back tawards the front of the car. Near the back of the intake manifold there is a place to unbolt this hose. have a rag near the bottom and unbolt it, some fuel WILL leak out but it's all good just be careful where you flick your cigarettes. Now use all those 6 -AN to 16mm adapters and make your 6 AN hose. Connect it to put the FMU inline with the fuel return line. It's easy, you will know what to do when you are looking at it. Now that the FMU is inline with you fuel system mount it somewhere ( I mounted it where my heater fan thing used to be because i live in hawaii and don't need a heater anyways.

Step Twelve: Route the intake
You Are on the Home stretch!!! put your adapter coupler on the turbo and figure out how you want to route the intercooler piping. (FYI I did not use an intercooler in my set up but you do not need one for below 7psi, I bought an ebay intercooler piping kit and it had MORE than enough pre-bent piping and couplers to make a working route to the intake.) Route the piping directly into the intake at the AFM, but don't forget to put the blow off valve adapter pipe somewhere along the line. Make sure all those hose clamps are tight, especially the AFM to intake manifold one.

Step Thirteen: Bolt On The Blow Off Valve If You Haven't Already
^that

Step Fourteen: Vacuum Lines
Hook them up from the Stock FPR to the BOV wastegate and FMU also route a vacuum line into the interior of the car for your boost gauge.

Step Fifteen: FILL THE ENGINE WITH OIL
I almost forgot to do that... that would have been silly... and unfortunate...

Step Sixteen: Hook up your boost gauge and mount it somewhere
I'm sick of typing, you can figure this out on your own.

Step seventeen: Install Your Chip or Piggyback if You Have One
For the record I do not currently run a tune but I have a 11:1 Air fuel ratio from just the FMU and the car runs strong... I still recommend some sort of tune but if you are brave or stupid (like me) you might be fine without one...

Step Eighteen: Connect Whatever You Are Using For Exhaust.
I like a straight pipe, it sounds sweet.

Step Nineteen: Smoke a cigar
You're done congradulations your carrera should now make over 300hp and decimate all.

Step Twenty: Go For A Drive!!!
On the first Drive work into flooring it VERY SLOWLY. You want to make sure the wastegate and FMU are working properly, get on the highway and stick it in 4th gear and slowly give more and more throtle while keeping an eye on your boost gauge and AFR. If all checks out then have fun and yet again Congrats!


In my build I spent $2150 all set and done and made 315 WHP at 7psi. The car runs great and sounds great. It's a good feeling DESTROYING an STI in the straights. More people should do this. Good luck all!!!!

I'm sure there are some spelling errors and i probably forgot something, just let me know and i will edit it.
EDIT: also, videos coming soon!!!!

Well done... Btdt... Just one recommendation... Change that 0.63 hot housing to 0.82. You are severely restricting exhaust flow and choking the motor. You will easily make more power too. If you are running an intercooler, you can safely run 10psi for approx 400hp at the flywheel. Been running mine for years ;)

Btw, which FMU did you use? Fixed 8:1? You should have gone with the BEGI adjustable FMU so you could fine tune the fuel:pressure ratio. 11.0:1 AFR is a bit too rich under load. I'd try to get it closer to 12:1... You will make a bit more power and your plugs wont foul too fast too ;)

Edit: if you ever plan to intercool for more boost, I highly recommend a MSD 6ABTM ignition system. Allows you to pull back ignition timing under boost. 1 degree per psi is a good starting point.

All very true, I realize 11.0:1 is a bit rich but Since like I said i am not running a custom tune, I would rather have it a bit on the rich side. I do really like the idea Of the MSD ignition system, when i get an intercooler, I will definitely add that as well.
My FMU is currently fixed, I think i will leave it for now. When i increase to 10 psi and add an intercooler it should lean it out a bit more towards where i want it.

As far as my turbo sizing goes, I realize I could go bigger but the way it sits It spools very quick and pulls all the way to redline, I will only go bigger if I am looking to make 400+hp.... .82 A/R seems pretty huge, is that what you're running? I don't really think it would be needed for a stock 3.2, especially one only revving to 6000rpm. either way I'm just glad to be a part of the turbo carrera club! :rockon:

EDIT: I would like to also add that the 315hp I made was WHP. For crank add around 15% more

Our 911 motors like to breathe... There won't be a huge difference in spool between 0.63 and 0.82, with the later being the "sweet spot" for 911 single turbo setups. 0.63 is typically used for twin turbo setups running smaller turbos. The idea is to minimize back-pressure as much as you can. 0.63 would be creating too much back pressure in a single turbo configuration on a 3.2 motor... 0.82 is not huge. When you go to 0.96 - 1.06 A/R, now that is huge!

A blown 3.2 is a very fun car! Welcome to the boost club! When you get bored of 0.5-0.7 bar, slip in some 0.5mm c2t head gaskets and you will be able to run 0.85 bar ;)

great thread and it is tempting. but I do have one concern. DE/track use.

anybody do this turbo conversion and do much track time?

My hat is off to you.

Yep, I know people who drag race and track their cars once turbocharged. The trick is not to get twitchy with the boost control for more boost... As tempting as it may be! Set it and forget it! Use a wastegate with a fixed boost spring and leave it alone :thumbup:

At only 7psi, it's not much boost at all. Oil temps won't even budge.

It's when you run higher boost where you need efficient intercooling.

(not my video)

have a friend who boosted his NA 3.2 decided to try a little more boost and his motor blew a rod through the case. since the NA 3.2 was not built for boost, concerns me to turbo mine at 130K since most of the time it is on the track. but a little more power is tempting.:evilgrin:

saving this link for future consideration, and I would also like to put a supercharger on my 928.

so many options, so little funds..... :surr:

Would be great to see some pictures of your system installed.

OUCH! That's why I recommend setting the static boost mechanically (7psi spring) in the wastegate and forgetting it. Installing a boost controller is just TOO tempting :evilgrin:

When you want a bit more HP, change the spring to a 10psi unit, and fit an intercooler :evilgrin:

Want even more HP? Go into the motor, strengthen with better fasteners, and decompress using 0.5mm head gaskets OR slipping in lower compression JE's OR using 97mm 930 7.0:1 P&C's :rockon:

like i said my camera broke... fortunately I'm picking one up today so i should have pics up tonight :rockon:

that's what i did :thumbup:

Good man :thumbup: