Turbo Charging A Tundra!

Got the approval to start testing boost.

 

I don't have mine yet, but I'm practicing....

https://youtu.be/h09Liq9eHSw?si=llO0FvIndqzj1E9y

 

4K pounds with ease. Didn’t even get into boost but you could feel it coming on accelerating through 4th around 50mph. I skipped honey do’s last weekend for truck work so I gotta finish this project before I can do more tuning.

 

The extra power is so nice with a 1/2 ton truck!

 

Water meth switch is installed and functional. Prolink is installed and functional. Question. What is everyone setting their start and full psi at on the meth controller?

 

I was on around 1.8-2psi, full at 5psi, 500cc nozzle.

If I end up doing water/methanol, I'll be on around 7 or 8psi, full around 12psi, probably still on the 500cc nozzle.

Prior to this motor plan, I was looking at changing to on at 5psi, full at 8psi (about my max boost level).

With the injectors doing the majority of the cooling and with the duty cycle and pump to support it, the AEM really can be a safety net, not a requirement. If the tune was being worked without it, then you're in a great spot.

 

We haven’t started boosting tuning yet but that’s my plan. Tune without it and just use it when I’m towing in the heat of summer.

 

Boost is fun. That is all.

 

No AEM controller but using the 500cc pintle. I'm full on at 8.5-14 psi. Using fuel for the majority and W/M for IAT cooling. But I have no data or way to measure...

 

I never understood how controllable in/out of boost could be, too! It's pretty nice at baseline of just riding that 0.0psi line.

Excited for you. Enjoy!

 

I was struggling to get in to boost honestly. It wanted to just hold right at 0 unless you really got in to it. Then it would come online and the tires would spin and I'd have to get out of it. Didn't think the road was that wet and the power would come on that hard but wow. Can't wait for the roads to dry up so I can get some better logs. Speaking of logs, I got the below back from Jesse this morning.

Logs look great, KR is flatline, if not learning up. IATs 79*. Trims in boost are well under 5%, so they aren’t affecting target fueling. Can you confirm what boost level, for some reason it’s not reading on my logs… AFRs are a tad on the lean and I don’t mean dangerous or scary, but it’s hovering around 12, I’d like to see it more in the mid 11s range, but first I need to see what boost we are at. It could also have pulled the AFRs back a tad due to traction control and the loss of load mid run. The reason I am not concerned…. Look how happy the engine is!! It’s adding back 3* of timing and learning up right in the meat of the run. Engine = Happy


Look at actual spark, 16* which is solid timing, look at the KR, it’s at 0, meaning it’s loving it and adding as much timing and learning up as possible!

 

What about turbo cool down? I've always been told you need to let them idle for a minute before shutting the engine off so as not to coke the bearings but I've never done it on my diesels. This a real thing or just more internet folklore?

After driving this thing for a little over a week, it's incredible how easy it is to drive around town and never get in to boost. It's like driving a stock truck. I understand why people use tow haul mode for driving around. That makes all the difference in the world and drives much more like my OTT tune did. Still need to wrap up some minor things like denting the down pipe for tire clearance, adding a grommet on the wire, bolting in the brake line, and finding a permanent home for the meth LED (I can't find a spot I like). I ordered some DEI heat shield stuff for a little extra protection. The tune is coming along nicely and the truck seems very happy. KR is low or non-existent, fuel trims are right where they should be, AFR's are in the 11's. We are getting ready to start doing some full throttle runs once we get the boost gauge reading correctly in HPT (need to put in a user defined formula as the pre-set doesn't match what the gauge is reading) and then upping the boost and adding in the meth. I'm getting excited for my upcoming road trip to Arizona. The turbo really sucked out a lot of the noise from the exhaust so it's again like driving a stock truck on the highway but really roars when you get on it so that'll make it nice for the family. I'm sure the extra power will be nice going up the mountains with the elevation changing.

 

Done no research, but my intuition says it's massively overplayed and very situational. I don't see how idling the truck for a few minutes is getting the turbo any cooler when you were already idling through a neighborhood or parking lot for minutes beforehand. If you were just in boost instantly before, like doing a pull and then stop, sure I can understand letting the turbo cool down. But if it wasn't loaded up immediately before, it seems like a waste of time.

 

It depends on driving style and aggressiveness during the drive. If you've ran to the store to get milk and just cruised, 5-15 secs of idle before shut off... If you've been towing or hot lapping, give it 30 secs to a min. The 2008 haad the Turbo on for 30000 miles and 3-4 years and I treated it like crap, beat on the truck daily, never really worried about hot shut downs and the local guy that bought the truck, drives it every day still But to be on the side of caution, give it a small amount of time. I live down a dirt road and a long dirt driveway, so by the time I pull into my garage or parking spot, it's been cruising / idling for 30 secs if not more anyway.

Heck yeah, tame when you need it, rowdy when you want it! Can't wait to get into the meatier boost levels!

 

Exactly... Very situational!

 

That's always been my intuition and how I treated them but figured I'd ask the question.

 

You'll smell it the first few times you're working it. You'll know when it needs to idle/cool down.

As already mentioned, just use common sense. I tend to pull off at the rest area and give it a minute or 2 if I've been towing hard, especially when pulling up to a gas pump where I know I'll be shutting the truck down. Just a little forethought and it's easily worked into your routine. This applies to the cold start as well. You have an idea for how fast (or slow) the oil gets up the line (you purged it) - don't start the truck and then immediately slap it into drive and go. Give it a second or 3 to get the oil where it is needed.

While I can only speak to mine, I'll that that it appears to be a resilient piece of hardware. It's still free spinning despite my motor being seized. That really changed my perspective since I have also read how sensitive they are to oiling, coking, etc.

 

For those of you that have asked exactly how / what we do to make our injectors a TRUE PERFORMANCE Drop-In Injector. Here are some quick pics. We are going to take some better, more site worthy pics next week, but here are a few quick ones. As you can see, we take the performance injector, add the correct spacers, orings and grommets, solder and then pot in the factory clip extension wires and remove extra material so they fit between the tight space between the IM and Head casting.

https://www.turbokits.com/2007-2021-tundra-5-7l-880cc-drop-in-performance-injector-set.html

 

I know you got some other install pics and curious the amount of extra wire from under the rail?

 

I wanted to install into the junk yard MOTOR jig motor, that we check all of the piping sets on, but it was soo dirty and nasty, I didn't want to mess with bran new injectors in the gunk. I will take more videos and pics as we install them into the 2016 TRD pro tho! The wires stick out a bit, but make it easy to connect and are NOT in the way of anything once installed.

 

Thanks!

 

Got 280 miles on the setup so far. Just got the 6th code revision. Timing is rock solid and we just finished the MAF. Now starting PE. Currently running the 3psi and 1.5psi spring in the wastegate which is giving me 3.8psi on the gauge. Been doing pulls from 2500-4500 at full throttle getting things setup. Truck is happy and it’s fun to drive. My favorite part is coming off a light with a heavy foot. First jumps up, second it loads up, and then by third we are flirting with boost and well over the speed limit. And that’s just quarter throttle. It’s so easy to ride the 0psi line and just twitch your big toe and here comes boost. All the while you’ve got the turbo whistling sweet sweet sounds. I think I’m gonna have the wastegate connected to the exhaust though because when it opens it drowns the turbo out. Huge thanks to @TurboKits for the support and answering all the questions. Been a real pleasure working with them.

 

Awesome, can't wait to have mine ready to go!

 

It’s a freaking blast. Driving around normal and it’s just NA power. You don’t hear it, you don’t feel it. Stomp on it and you get that little brief second lag that’s asking if that’s what you want. Drop a couple gears and it’ll jump to 0psi and you’ll feel it want to turn on.

That’s really the thing I’ve enjoyed most so far is the control. It’s hard to describe but you can accelerate right up to 0psi and the truck is moving fast and the turbo is spooled and it’s just a toe twitch and boom, here’s the boost and away you go.

That and the feel of the turbo coming online. It’s been 20yrs since I’ve played with turbos and I forgot how much fun a turbo coming online was. Hold the truck at 2500rpm in second gear and floor it and you can hear the turbo change pitch and then feel the push back.

It’s just to much fun and I can’t wait to crank the boost higher and add in the meth and start doing some redline pulls on this thing.

 

You turbo guys really need to get out your cameras so we can hear these beasts

 

I’ve got a short video I need to post on the tube and share.

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/nFPsDu0VgGI?si=lr19DwKQLlQ7GPAR

 

Yup. That's what it sounds like.

Jesse offers that other nose cone or whatever it is called for the turbo intake if you need/want more sound. Towing, under load, is pretty fun in the sound department .

 

@TurboKits what is this nose cone that bflooks speaks of?

 

Well what started as just denting the pipe has become a total fiasco. Started with a hammer and moved to the press and at some point the pipe tweaked and now they don’t align. It’s never simple. Time to go buy a couple tools.