Tip & How To about Nissan Cars & Trucks
Turbo Charging a 91-94 Nissan 240SX
Posted by 
Rick Davis on Tuesday, December 01, 2009
This is not really a simple job....until you find out that you can have a fun and high HP, high performance boosted engine WITHOUT making it hard OR expensive.
First thing I highly reccomend, is do an engine rebuild AND break it in first. Tell your machinist you plan on adding a turbo and ask them to use the lower compression pistons. A turbo adds a lot of pressure, even at low boost. Lower compression will help daily drivability. Wheather you boost 6-8lbs or 25-30lbs.
Another thing no one ever says is BE SURE and run a "one step" colder spark plug!! Gap it at .027-.030 to keep from blowing out the spark. A plug the book calls for will detonate and blow the engine the first time you boost it!!
You'll read on the internet how there are those pushing 30lbs of boost and 500hp!! Well, God love 'em, THAT's where one spends a LOT of money on things like forged pistons, forged rods, a lot of "upgrades" to make it do that without blowing up.
There are turbo kits out there that allows one to run up to 10 lbs of boost and still have a daily driveabled car that's just a blast to drive!!
10lbs of boost in a stock rebuilt KA24DE, which is the factory engine in the 240SX, will produce around 260whp. That "W" means at the wheels. So your producing over 300hp at the crank.
The drive train on your factory 240SX will easily handle up to 400hp so don't worry about breaking the trans or rear end. Although a stage 4 pressure plate will be needed to keep the clutch from slipping. You'll be around 300lbft of torque onced turboed.
One more upgrade I highly recommend is a 255lh fuel pump to keep up with the fuel pressure. About $100.00 and worth it even if you don't ever add a turbo. Plenty of fuel pressure saves one from detonating and burning pistons....boosted or not. Again, that's just my opinion. Take it or leave it. lol.
The external wastegate is the secret to an "inexpensive but fun" kit. Look for a kit that includes a 6-8lb boost waste gate. This will save you from having to upgrade fuel injectors, ECU, Mass Airflow Sensor, ect. The ECU alone will cost anywhere from $300.00 to over $600.00. The MAF will be around $100.00, so you see what I mean.
Above 10 lbs and those things will become nessasary. If that's what ya want go for it... but get ready to be working and tuning on a daily basis. Always tinkering to keep it running.
Now the first thing is the kit. CX Racing has, IMO, the best one. It will come with every thing needed under the hood. Exhaust manifold, compressor, intercooler, piping, clamps, gaskets and couplers all in one order. Very convienant. No that's NOT a commercial. Check out EBay, Amazon, where ever you shop. One of these kits will cost as little as $650.00 to $900.00. The "name brands" will run up to $5,000.00!! That's crazy, if ya ask me.
The T3 T4 hybrid turbo is, IMO, the best one to go with. It allows you to run the small boost smoothly but also allows you to go balistic with the higher boost if you decide to do so. Up to 35lbs.
If you have any mechanical ability at all, you can do this install. It's not hard, and the reward of horse power is just awesome.
Do your research, read all you can on forced induction. Read the 500hp guys with a grain of salt. You can do that later if you want, but I'd start small and build up, if I had it to do over.
Hope this helps. Go after it. It's a GREAT father son/daughter project. YOU CAN DO THIS!!
First thing I highly reccomend, is do an engine rebuild AND break it in first. Tell your machinist you plan on adding a turbo and ask them to use the lower compression pistons. A turbo adds a lot of pressure, even at low boost. Lower compression will help daily drivability. Wheather you boost 6-8lbs or 25-30lbs.
Another thing no one ever says is BE SURE and run a "one step" colder spark plug!! Gap it at .027-.030 to keep from blowing out the spark. A plug the book calls for will detonate and blow the engine the first time you boost it!!
You'll read on the internet how there are those pushing 30lbs of boost and 500hp!! Well, God love 'em, THAT's where one spends a LOT of money on things like forged pistons, forged rods, a lot of "upgrades" to make it do that without blowing up.
There are turbo kits out there that allows one to run up to 10 lbs of boost and still have a daily driveabled car that's just a blast to drive!!
10lbs of boost in a stock rebuilt KA24DE, which is the factory engine in the 240SX, will produce around 260whp. That "W" means at the wheels. So your producing over 300hp at the crank.
The drive train on your factory 240SX will easily handle up to 400hp so don't worry about breaking the trans or rear end. Although a stage 4 pressure plate will be needed to keep the clutch from slipping. You'll be around 300lbft of torque onced turboed.
One more upgrade I highly recommend is a 255lh fuel pump to keep up with the fuel pressure. About $100.00 and worth it even if you don't ever add a turbo. Plenty of fuel pressure saves one from detonating and burning pistons....boosted or not. Again, that's just my opinion. Take it or leave it. lol.
The external wastegate is the secret to an "inexpensive but fun" kit. Look for a kit that includes a 6-8lb boost waste gate. This will save you from having to upgrade fuel injectors, ECU, Mass Airflow Sensor, ect. The ECU alone will cost anywhere from $300.00 to over $600.00. The MAF will be around $100.00, so you see what I mean.
Above 10 lbs and those things will become nessasary. If that's what ya want go for it... but get ready to be working and tuning on a daily basis. Always tinkering to keep it running.
Now the first thing is the kit. CX Racing has, IMO, the best one. It will come with every thing needed under the hood. Exhaust manifold, compressor, intercooler, piping, clamps, gaskets and couplers all in one order. Very convienant. No that's NOT a commercial. Check out EBay, Amazon, where ever you shop. One of these kits will cost as little as $650.00 to $900.00. The "name brands" will run up to $5,000.00!! That's crazy, if ya ask me.
The T3 T4 hybrid turbo is, IMO, the best one to go with. It allows you to run the small boost smoothly but also allows you to go balistic with the higher boost if you decide to do so. Up to 35lbs.
If you have any mechanical ability at all, you can do this install. It's not hard, and the reward of horse power is just awesome.
Do your research, read all you can on forced induction. Read the 500hp guys with a grain of salt. You can do that later if you want, but I'd start small and build up, if I had it to do over.
Hope this helps. Go after it. It's a GREAT father son/daughter project. YOU CAN DO THIS!!
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