Maximum es fa Ge) 41a.)Copies of this book may be purchased from selected booksellers, or 'y [rom the publisher by mail. The publisher encourages com- ments from the reader of this book. These comm ons have bees and will be considered in the preparation of this and other manuals Please write 16 Robert Bentley, Inc.. Publishers at the address listed on the bottom of this puge, Since this page cannat legibly accommodite all the eapyright nesices, the art credits at the back of the book listing the source of the photo- taphs or illustrations used constitutes an extension of the copyright page: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bell, Co ‘Maximum boost: designing, testing, and installing irbocharger systems / by Corky Bell pcm, Includes index. ISBN 0-8376-0 160-6 (alk, 1. Autoniabiles-Motors- TL214.TS7B45 1997 629.25'04-—dde2t wiper) Furbochargers 1. Title 97-9087, cP Bentley Stack No. GTUR 0S 040302 120 M987 jon is acid free and meets the require: Perm: The paper used in this pul inents af the National Standard for [iformatin Sciences of Paper for Printed Library Materials, e Maximum Boost: Designing. Texting. aad dastalliag Turbocharger Systems, hy Corky Bell Copyright 1997 Corky Bell, Robert Benticy, Ine |All rights: Teserved. All information contained in this book is based on the information available to the publisher a the time of editorial clos: ing. The right is reserved to make changes il any time without notice. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys- tem, or trinsmitied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechs cal, photocopying. recording. 07 otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher. This includes text, figures, and tables. All rights reserved under Bernie and Pan-American Copyright conve anuifa ed in the United States of America Front cover: Phote by John Thawley Back cover: (clockwise fram top center) a) Turbocharger eu courtesy of Mitsubishi; by installing an aftermarket turbo on Miata, photo by the author; ¢, d) Volkswagen Cabrio turbocharged by New Dimensions, photos by Robert A, Fredrich: e, 9 turbe Hom ERX courtesy of “Turbo and High Perfor snagazine, photos by -y; g, hy bi-turbocharged Por BENTLEY PUBLISHERS Automotive Books & Manuals Bontlay Pubyishers, a dhiston of Robert Bentley, Inc 1784 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02188 USA 800-423-4695 817-547-4170 Information thut makes the difforence” wwe. BentleyPublishers: com WARNING—Important Safety Notice ‘The information in this book represents a general summary of engineering principles involved in turbocharger system design and construction and their application to vehicles, using examples and instructions which we believe to be aveurate. However, the examples, instructions, and other information are intended solely as illustrations and should be used in any particular application only by personnel who are experienced in the repair and modification of vehicles and who have independently evaluated the modification or accessory. Implementation of a modification or attachment of fan accessory described in this book may render the vehicle, attachment, or accessory unsafe for use in certain circumstances. Do not use this book unless you are familiar with basic automotive repair procedures and sufe workshop practices. ‘This book is not. a substitute for full and up-to-date information from the vehicle manufacturer or aftermarket supplier, or for proper training as an automotive technician, Note that it is not possible for us to anticipate all of the ways or conditions under which vehicles may be modified or to provide cautions as to all of the possible hazards that may result. The vehicle manufacturer and aftermarket suppliers ‘will continue to issue service information updates and parts retrofits after the editorial closing-of this book. Some of these updates and retrofits will apply ta procedures and specifications in this book, We regret that we cannot supply updates to purchasers of this book. We have endeavored to ensure the accuracy of the information in this book, Please note, however, that considering the vast quantity and the complexity of the information involved, we cannot warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this book. FOR THESE REASONS, THE AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, THAT THE INFOR- MATION IN THIS BOOK IS FREE OF ERROR, OR THAT IT WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ANY PARTICULAR APPLICA: ION. THE AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM HE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, EVEN IF THE AU- THOR AND PUBLISHER HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF A PARTICU- LAR PURPOSE, AND EVEN IF A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK. THE AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER ALSO DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INC DENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM ANY USE OF THE EXAMPLES, INSTRUCTIONS, OR OTH: ER INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK. IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR LIABILITY, WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, EXCEED THE COST OF THIS BOOK. ‘Your common sense and good judgment are crucial to safe and successtl automotive work. Read procedures through before starting them. ‘Think about, how alert you are feeling, and whether the condition of your vehicle, your level of mechanical skill, or your level of reading comprehension might result in or contribute in some way to an eccurrence which might cause you injury, damage your vehicle, or result in an unsafe modification, If you have doubts for these or other reasons about your ability Lo perform safe work on your vehicle, have the work done at an authorized vehicle dealer or other qualified shop, *Dhis bool és only intended for persons who are experienced in ropairing automobiles, and who are seeking specific information about. turbocharger systems. It is not for thase who are looking for general information on automobile repait REPAIR AND MODIFICATION OF AUTOMOBILES 15 DANGEROUS UNLESS UNDERTAKEN WITH PULL KNOWLEDGE ‘Of ‘THE CONSEQUENCES. Before attempting any work on your vehicle, road the rnings and Catitions on the inside front cover and any ning or caution Lhat accompanies procedure or description in the book. Review the Warnings and Cautions cach time you prepare to work on your vehicle =INTRODUCTION A turbocharger is a simple device. It is nothing more than an air pump driven by energy remaining in the exhaust gases as they exit an engine. Of the energy released in the combustion process, approximately one-third goes into the cooling system, one-third becomes power down the crankshaft, and one-third is dumped out the tailpipe as heat. It is this last third that we can use to power the turbo. Consider that a 200 bhp engine dumps approximately 70 bhp equivalent of raw heat straight out the tailpipe. That is a tremendous amount of energy that could be put to better use. By comparison, when was the last time you saw an air fan operated at 70 horsepower? Thus, it is not so hard to imagine the turbo’s potential for moving huge amounts of air. A turbocharger system consists of a turbocharger and the parts necessary to integrate it into the engine’s operation, A turbocharger system is not a simple device. Nowhere in these pages, however, do I discuss such things as the shapes of vortices Author Corky Bell created by the tips of the compressor wheel. Therefore, you may read on with confidence that this is not an engineering treatise on the mys- teries of the inner workings of the turbocharger. The specific contribution I intend this book to make is as a handbook on the practical aspects of apply- ing the turbocharger to the internal combustion engine. The turbocharger An intercooled twin- turbo big-block is a serious power proposi- ton. The big Pontiac V-8 has a liquid-to-air intercooler and came within 1 mph of exceed- ing 300 mph with a stock Firebird body,vi INTRODUCTION has, pure and simple, greater potential for improving the power output of an engine than any other device. What the turbo is, how it does its magic, and the equipment necessary to civilize it are the focal points around which this book is written. Amodern fuel-injected twin turbo system creat- ed by Ivan Tull of San Antonio for the smail- block Chevy. The system features Gale Banks exhatst manifolds, Garrett AiResearch turbos, Dean Moon cross-flow intake mani- fold, and TWM throttle bodies. This ievel of preparation (inel, inter- cooler, not shown.) is ca- pable of 800+ bhp on street gasoline. The Indy car is today's best example of engineering of turbo» charged power plants within the restrictive rules of the racing- series sanctioning clubs.