noblesablepuma Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 i have a 4WD 1986 GL hatchback and i live in CO so it is a dog. could i put a turbo & MPFI into it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblesablepuma Posted January 29, 2010 Author Share Posted January 29, 2010 so here's where i'm at. I have an EA81 with a hitachi carb and i live at 6000 ft. so if it had 73HP originally with about 15 less for the altitude and another 5-10 for the age i'm looking at around 50HP. so i cant get out of 2nd going up a hill. is there a way to put the SPFI or MPFI and turbo system from a EA81T or EA82T on my engine? I'm just looking to get the HP up to a functional level... any reccomendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 MPFI means dual port heads. Getting EA81 turbo heads is going to be hard to come by. Any turbo setup would need to be custom built unless you have a donor car to swap everything out of. It is quite do-able though. Honda guys do it all the time on cars that never had a turbo on them. A SPFI swap would help, so would a weber carb swap. What's the emisions testing like there? If you can't take it out of 2nd on hills I'd say there's something more than altitude wrong with the engine. The hitachi carbs are often in poor shape by now so I'd suspect that. Either a weber or SPFI would help a fair bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblesablepuma Posted January 30, 2010 Author Share Posted January 30, 2010 what years/engines of SPFI would fit? i'm primarily a junkyard scavenger for these things... Also, if after i got an SPFI, i found a turbo set up from a EA81 (manifolds, turbo, etc) can i put it on without changing the heads/compression ratio? I guess i'm wondering if there is an "easy" turbo system i can toss on to my current setup to compensate for altitude and increase performance a bit. i'm new to the subie world and am not familiar with my options. I exagerated some about the 2nd gear... it's just really sluggish compared to OH where i lived before (now in CO). it runs fine with its stock config. thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 The MPFI won't work without a set of turbo heads and the system is quite complex - not to mention dated and very difficult to source parts for. The SPFI system doesn't have the injector overhead to accomidate a turbo and in any case the ECU goes all funny when the manifold crosses over from vacuum to pressure. Again - complex if you are going to turbo it - you would need at least a mega-squirt setup and an enrichment injector plus all the tuning aids to make sure you don't blow the heads off or punch holes in the pistons. Your best bet (all joking aside) is to swap over to a carb that handles forced induction. I've done it with a Weber 32/36 but something that's not progressive would be a better choice - like a 38/38 DGAS for example. Then just get some EA82 turbo manifold bits and run the turbo right into the carb. Properly jetted and tuned it will run like a demon. Far easier given the stock configuration of the EA81 than any kind of fuel injection will be. As I said I was involved with such a swap using a 32/36 but it was on a Suzuki Samurai. We used a VF7 from an EA82T and built a custom exhaust manifold to bolt up the VF7 to. The carb was basically stock - it was modified with o-rings on the throttle shafts, and a sealed box was fabricated for the pipe from the turbo to blow into the carb. The only thing that you will have to source (and I can get the supplier's info if you like - they offer them online) is a rising rate fuel pressure regulator as the fuel pressure inside the float bowl has to climb as you add boost so the boost pressure doesn't slam the inlet needle shut. It wasn't terribly expensive (less than $100) and they come out of Italy somewhere. You don't want to run more than 4 or 5 psi into a stock EA81 block - you'll cause big issues if you go higher than that. That should be enough though - 5 pounds into a stock EA81 should push it well over 100 HP. Anyway - that's my sugestion. If you really want to do it you can. Although an EJ22 swap would be better (135 HP) and likely simpler if you aren't into custom fabrication. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblesablepuma Posted January 30, 2010 Author Share Posted January 30, 2010 thanks for the input guys. I didnt know you could run a turbo through a carb. That seems somewhat appealing because i hate trouble shooting electronics and it doesnt involve a whole new engine. I'm ok with some fabrication as well. what all needs to be custom made for the turbo? you mentioned exhaust manifold and inlet to the carb. anything else? The last concern is cost. what's the ballpark for both the weber/turbo option and then also for the EJ22 swap? I've also heard that the EJ22 doesnt quite fit into the engine bay so there are a "lot" of mods needed there. true? -NSP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 provided you have access to any part from any donor car, the best apporach would be to use the ea82turbo engine crossmember, and drop in a whole ea82 turbo engine. use the turbo wiring harness. if you are lucky with donor cars, an ea81 turbo harness and electrical system is almost identical to 85-86 ea82 turbo, if you look at a schematic. so in theory, you can run an ea82 turbo engine in an ea81 turbo car's harness(you would have to custom tie the engine harness to the body harness) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPGsuperchargedBrumby Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I've also heard that the EJ22 doesnt quite fit into the engine bay so there are a "lot" of mods needed there. true? -NSP it fits....its tight but there is one in my ute so they fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Anyway - that's my sugestion. If you really want to do it you can. Although an EJ22 swap would be better (135 HP) and likely simpler if you aren't into custom fabrication. GD EJ22 would be a better option I believe. It will fit just fine where you're EA81 is now. More power and more reliable and better gas milage. Everything is "bolt in" in a sense. Stripping a loom and wiring it in isnt' easy...........but it's not that hard either. And accomplished with a soldering iron............cheaper and easier to use than an exhaust bender and welder. Turbo though carb can be done......but it's not something to try without alot of research of concepts nad knowledge first. Plus you'll have to spend money on a turbo, a good running carb, and figure out how to plumb water and oil to your turbo (more modification of heads, fabrication of brackets)....... Save your money and go to the wreckers and pull and entire harness, ECU, and Ignitor and Air flow meter from a donor car and get to striping harness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Island Roo Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 just reading and came across the post and lead to username lpg Brumby I was going to say run propane through your turbo my thinking would say the cool charge from the turbo cool it would it not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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