Making a turbo Z5

[Project Protoge]

10psi.

[strutman]

wow, thats awesome. hopefully i can push my car to 10, even 8 i'd be happy!

[Shaun32390]

Well dude, you have proved me wrong so far!
I never guessed this engine could hold boost as well as you have managed to date.

Keep up the good work. I can't wait to see some numbers.

[Project Protoge]

Well I havn't had any trouble with the turbo or the engine but now I just had the damn alternator go out. I was driving and the charging system light came on. I had no where to pull over so I decided to go to a store a few miles away. My belt was good but the car was cutting out and surging so I checked the check engine light and just about **** myself. The codes I got were P0100, p0110, p0120, p0340, p0505. Basically all the main sensors had circuit malfunctions. I havn't been able to do a good test on the alternator but the voltage reading I got from the voltmeter was 9.2 and was slowly dropping so I think it popped a few diodes. If anyone else has had this problem let me know. I hope it is just a lack of a 12volt signal to the ecu.

[strutman]

well what happened to me was a bolt on my alternator got bent somehow, so my belts kept slipping off... if your battery light comes on while your heat rises... its your water pump/alternator belt...i had to replace mine, the sensors measure and convert the signal to varying voltages...so if you aren't getting enough power, the voltages that the sensors give off won't be accurate, i'm willing to bet it's the alternator. not sure what else it could be...alternator or battery... probably alternator.

[z5power]

Sounds like an alt to me. Even though it's a pain, take the sucker off and get it tested. Could also charge the battery and see if it runs fine for awhile. If it does then it's the alternator.

[Project Protoge]

Yeah, it was the alternator. I already replaced it though. It blew a diode so it wasn't charging enough.

[pigeon]

Well dude, you have proved me wrong so far!
I never guessed this engine could hold boost as well as you have managed to date.

Keep up the good work. I can't wait to see some numbers.

I am impressed and happy to see project protoges enthusiasm and persistence in this project!

I however still remain a skeptic on the engine itself, after 40,000 kms of 10psi and some drag strip/autoxing, and he posts a compression test with perfect results. I will the publically admit that this engine CAN infact be boosted well.

At that point, we will ALL have to return to the drawing board to isolate why his valves didnt burn, but more than half of the other members do.

Then all the lucky bastards who come after us will have everything spoonfed to them, lol

[Prototender]

where was the spoon feeding before i started my swap?

[pigeon]

where was the spoon feeding before i started my swap?

haha you're one of the ones holding the spoon biaach!!

[Prototender]

yeah unfourtunately it was the wrong spoon biaach!!!

[Project Protoge]

Sorry guys bad news. I didn't make it to my dyno apointment. I got withing 15miles of their and my ****ing alternator went out again. I should have bought the good one. I am now going to have to try and find the reason for the damn failure of the new alternator. It ran great for a week but then just cruising down the highway the car started lugging and the alternator diodes blew. Right now all I can figure is the stock 70 amp alternator can't handle a decent amplifier hooked up to it. Both times I was listening to my stereo. I don't know when the next time I can get in to get a dyno is but I know it won't be running until next year. Has anyone else had this problem with running around a 1500watt amp?

[Project Protoge]

Well I went ahead and did the math. 1500watts/15volts(max charging voltage) = 100amps. With a 70amp alternator the longer I run it the more the alternator must be working to keep the battery charged and sooner or later falls behind and fails. **** I wasted $135 on an alternator and blew it by listening to my damn music. What a waste.

[strutman]

just gut your **** totally, that's what I did, and you do notice a difference.

[dannyboy]

i got a 800watt amp for the mid and highs and a 2400watt for 2 subs...
car runs fine, rpms lower a little when the subs hit hard but I also have 2 capacitors (1 farad each).