Skyactiv Remote Turbo Build

Chris_Top_Her said:
Updated parts list.


Where else am I supposed to source everything from? Walmart down the street? You think I'm going to spend 2,3,4+x on universal parts on a setup that no one else has claimed to have done on this car? Numerically, most of the parts are low priced tubing and fitting anyways. There are plenty of turbo set ups using "ebay" (as if it's a brand) parts that are not OEM. There is always room for improvement later once everything is working, if/as needed. That's uncommon at all with builds you find on tuner pages. The expensive part of any turbo build is the turbo itself, maybe the manifold and any custom work you have to pay for. Since there are not skyactiv manifolds, pre-bent and cut downpipe tubing, intercooler etc for this vehicle/engine there isn't really anything expensive to buy. The single most expensive item that I currently have on the list is the turbowerks pump. That's a critical item so money will be spent there. Not going to buy a $1000+ turbo when I can get an "ebay" turbo for < $200, have it rebuilt at a turbo shop for ~$100 for assurance and run it. And if it doesn't work out I didn't buy an extra expensive part. I will be checking home depot etc for the oil line and fittings as they usually sell fittings cheaply, for now I have an online source.
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Personally I would splurge a bit on the BPV/BOV. Those cheap ones tend to leak (hell even some name brand ones have a bad reputation). GFB makes some really good products and won't kill you on price like Turbosmart or HKS. Tons of guys in the Suby community run them with great results.

Also on going the route of a no name intercooler. I would definitely water/pressure test it to make sure all of the welds are good before installing. After that it is really just how well the core is built/designed.

Oh . . . and don't forget gauges. Boost and oil pressure are great places to start. Probably already on your mind since you are getting the oil sender adapter, just not on the parts list.
 
Ordered the 3 bar TMAP today because I need to make sure the ecu can read boost before I proceed to far in.
Got some fitment testing. Rear mount looks good, will have to omit the C/S exhaust though. I will Buy/weld a t3 flange with a 2.5' exhaust flange on it, and bolt it there. I will use the OEM exhaust flange locations in conjunction with the custom exhaust (from an exhaust shop) to secure the rest of the fitting.

Midpipe area would be alright if I had a smaller k04 type turbo. However I'm worried about flow with a smaller turbo since the distance is far.
mnqNchR.jpg


Basically this is the positon and clock it will be in. It's a bit low of course since nothing attaching it to the rear hangers and it's held on with zip ties lol.
kY3waMD.jpg


Vband exhaust side will just basically have a simple dual exit exhaust added.
bUUX30I.jpg
 
thedaddyb said:
Personally I would splurge a bit on the BPV/BOV. Those cheap ones tend to leak (hell even some name brand ones have a bad reputation). GFB makes some really good products and won't kill you on price like Turbosmart or HKS. Tons of guys in the Suby community run them with great results.

Also on going the route of a no name intercooler. I would definitely water/pressure test it to make sure all of the welds are good before installing. After that it is really just how well the core is built/designed.

Oh . . . and don't forget gauges. Boost and oil pressure are great places to start. Probably already on your mind since you are getting the oil sender adapter, just not on the parts list.
Click to expand...

I could spend a little more on a bov, I don't want my metered air to change. It should be easy to resell if need be. For now, I will be using torque pro to monitor OP/boost (assuming I can get the 3bar temp-map sensor wired correctly). One of the benefits to this type of set up is that you really could go IC-less. However, that's extra performance. Thanks for the leak tip, I wouldn't have considered that. If the cooling performance less than average that's alright for the application in this stage, since it's just a bonus item.
 
Ordered the 3 bar TMAP today because I need to make sure the ecu can read boost before I proceed to far in.
Got some fitment testing. Rear mount looks good, will have to omit the C/S exhaust though. I will Buy/weld a t3 flange with a 2.5' exhaust flange on it, and bolt it there. I will use the OEM exhaust flange locations in conjunction with the custom exhaust (from an exhaust shop) to secure the rest of the fitting.

Midpipe area would be alright if I had a smaller k04 type turbo. However I'm worried about flow with a smaller turbo since the distance is far.
mnqNchR.jpg


Basically this is the positon and clock it will be in. It's a bit low of course since nothing attaching it to the rear hangers and it's held on with zip ties lol.
kY3waMD.jpg


Vband exhaust side will just basically have a simple dual exit exhaust added.
bUUX30I.jpg
 
Y'all quit raggin' on the guy. It's his time and dime, not ours, he's having fun and we all may just learn some stuff as this goes along and gets its swirl on.
 
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CX5-SO said:
Y'all quit raggin' on the guy. It's his time and dime, not ours, he's having fun and we all may just learn some stuff as this goes along and gets its swirl on.
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Holy cow! You must be reading a different thread than the one I'm reading! I see a lot of suggestions that are intended to be helpful. I even had to skim the two pages real quick to double-check. Looks like you are focusing on one person who questioned the cost/effort/benefit ratio (which is a perfectly valid comment).

My biggest concern is the very vulnerable mounting position of the turbo itself. In my three years of ownership I would have torn that off no fewer than 30-40 times. But if you don't go off pavement like I do on a regular basis it wouldn't be such a big problem. But it would still concern me because it could leave the vehicle inoperable with no practical roadside repair.

It will be interesting to see this progress.
 
I've only managed to scrape the under body once; it was a slight scrape on the ultra racing front lower arm bar while going overly steep drive way at a bad angle. The nice thing about this set up is if I ran into an issue, all I would need to do is cap off the oil drain line (with this https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)), remove the oil pressure "t", or block of the feed line and undo the bolt for the turbo. Then just move the maf back to the TB (simply 10mm hose clamp). They would cover something like an oil leak, or if the turbo seized.
 
Oh and anyone with a FWD CX-5... the middle tunnel is PERFECT for mounting a remote turbo... no yoke, already heat shielded. You could add the turbo after the exhaust hanger and before the mid pipe, or in palace of the mid pipe (remember the first two oem cat/silencer are there and the turbo itself is a silencer). It would require more cutting/welding but the IC line would be shorter and the weight would be middle.
 
Any preference on placing the T for the vacuum hose to the BOV (bypass)? I'm leaning towards 13 or 9.
Htxp0MM.png

ubTDpnd.png

RHJ7QUP.png
 
A few things I haven't seen expressly addressed...

Fuel - are you certain both pumps are capable of fulfilling the fueling requirements needed for a turbo application?

Mounting - I see where you intend to mount it, and I agree with Mike. It looks horrifying. That does NOT look like a smart mounting location. And you're looking at a ton of plumbing, and probably some pumping losses from what will already be an underwhelming amount of CFM you'll be flowing.

PCV - It's already been mentioned, and its something that is often overlooked when people FI NA engines - you'll be introducing pressure to a system with FI, which only ever sees vacuum when NA. What's more, and I'm not certain how the PCV system plumbs/routes in these engines, but you also want to take where it lands on the intake tract into consideration.

BPV - You appear to have a plan, but if it can be managed with your tuning application/tuner, I'd suggest a blow through MAF arrangement. There are several advantages over draw through, and you wouldn't have to worry about having to dump the recirculation back into the intake, with the associated fueling adjustments that's needed to do this successfully. And you get your coveted VTA noises.

Wastegate - It's an internally gated turbo. And perhaps I missed it, but I didn't see how you intended to manage your waste gate...

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IHeartGroceries said:
A few things I haven't seen expressly addressed...

Fuel - are you certain both pumps are capable of fulfilling the fueling requirements needed for a turbo application?

I remember reading they usually are running no more than 60% duty as is. But now that you mention that I will make a data log and double check that.

Mounting - I see where you intend to mount it, and I agree with Mike. It looks horrifying. That does NOT look like a smart mounting location. And you're looking at a ton of plumbing, and probably some pumping losses from what will already be an underwhelming amount of CFM you'll be flowing.
That mounting location is standard for rear mount turbos. Corvettes, ford, lexus, Nissan rear mounts, etc. I don't sit as low as those cars, and they usually have it mounted even lower because they don't have the space above the bottom of the bumper cover like I do. For me to hit that I would have to contact something that went above the bottom of the rear bumper cover; highly unlikely unless I was trying to do some off roading which of course isn't even a consideration. If I had wrong wheel drive, I could put it in the yoke tunnel, but if I were to put my turbo there with awd it would be liable to hit something.

PCV - It's already been mentioned, and its something that is often overlooked when people FI NA engines - you'll be introducing pressure to a system with FI, which only ever sees vacuum when NA. What's more, and I'm not certain how the PCV system plumbs/routes in these engines, but you also want to take where it lands on the intake tract into consideration.
Initially I'm leaving it in the oem spot. The mazdaspeed has a similar PCV setup. As testing progresses it may be vented with a breather filter put on it if needed.


BPV - You appear to have a plan, but if it can be managed with your tuning application/tuner, I'd suggest a blow through MAF arrangement. There are several advantages over draw through, and you wouldn't have to worry about having to dump the recirculation back into the intake, with the associated fueling adjustments that's needed to do this successfully. And you get your coveted VTA noises.
As much as I wanted straight VTA, my tuner wants recirculating (a hybrid BOV is always an option down the road). I plan to have the bov right after the compressor exit, with a vacuum line to the engine, that way I don't have to string a thicker hose all the way from front to rear.

Wastegate - It's an internally gated turbo. And perhaps I missed it, but I didn't see how you intended to manage your waste gate...
With that wastegate, I can adjust the PSI by adjusting the rod length/tension on the actuator. Factory setting is 8psi. It will start at fully open and slowing work it's way up through tuning. bov/Bypass will be set at the same PSi (spring).
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Basically my tuner wants the set up to be like a mazdaspeed; bypass valve recirculate pre-turbo, maf pre turbo. I already have a maf housing from C/S so that's not an issue. I can get a maf sensor extension cable off ebay for about $30, from that I will splice the wire (vs splicing my OEM maf) and extend them through my car (with thicker wiring) and out the rear like the trailer hitch wiring. The only long air route will be the charge pipe to the IC. Since the turbo is capable of boosintg a lot more than I would ever be able to run, I don't anticipate any issues with CFM. The air will also become denser as it travels down the pipe due to cooling. A lof of people don't run IC's with rear mounts, but being this is a high comp motor (and I'm I tx) I'd rather keep temps as low as possible. I'm going to put the intake itself up into the bumper cover in the area around the reflector to help keep it from pulling water.
Currently I'm taking it slow until the 3 bar MAP sensor I ordered arrives and I can get it wired up. It's a bosch unit, just like the OEM sensor. It should physically fit, then it's just an issue of wiring it, if the wiring on the connector is different. If the tuner can't read boost there will be issues lol. Unless I wanna run 1.8 psi LOL.

5576m5cmc07_06-med.jpg
 
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I don't think you're pouring enough thought into this. There's some serious engineering, with alot of physics involved in turbocharging, and it isn't a matter of making it fit, making it boost and tuning for it.

A native, fundemental element to turbocharger operation is exhaust heat. You've chosen what looks like a pretty big TC, though I missed any specs if you posted any. You need to size your TC to your application, and what you have is probably too large. You're certain to experience significant lag. There's a reason why serious/professional turbo applications place the turbo/turbine as close to the engine as possible, just downstream of the manifold. There's a reason why alot of thought goes into manifold design, due to exhaust pulse spacing and such out of each runner.

I wouldn't bother with an intercooler at all. It will be a headache trying to mount it and plumb it. You'll experience pressure drop, using ypur spring controlled WG, with now way to modulate boost in anyway w/o a control schematic. It's just more opportunity to decrease volumetric efficiency. Instead, use water/meth injection. If you don't want to mess with that, explore using ethanol, but first ensuring there's enough fuel headroom.

You're in uncharted waters. But you're not going about this the right way. Really, you've got to pay to play here, and you really appear to be coping out on expense.

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IHeartGroceries said:
I don't think you're pouring enough thought into this. There's some serious engineering, with alot of physics involved in turbocharging, and it isn't a matter of making it fit, making it boost and tuning for it.

A native, fundemental element to turbocharger operation is exhaust heat. You've chosen what looks like a pretty big TC, though I missed any specs if you posted any. You need to size your TC to your application, and what you have is probably too large. You're certain to experience significant lag. There's a reason why serious/professional turbo applications place the turbo/turbine as close to the engine as possible, just downstream of the manifold. There's a reason why alot of thought goes into manifold design, due to exhaust pulse spacing and such out of each runner.

I wouldn't bother with an intercooler at all. It will be a headache trying to mount it and plumb it. You'll experience pressure drop, using ypur spring controlled WG, with now way to modulate boost in anyway w/o a control schematic. It's just more opportunity to decrease volumetric efficiency. Instead, use water/meth injection. If you don't want to mess with that, explore using ethanol, but first ensuring there's enough fuel headroom.

You're in uncharted waters. But you're not going about this the right way. Really, you've got to pay to play here, and you really appear to be coping out on expense.

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The only expense being copped really is a custom exhaust mani. I can't dismiss the numerous examples of rear mount turbos (from miatas to big v8's) putting out high psi, low lag and high HP. I can read around and find people complain about turbo lag and their turbo is on the mani! If the turbo is too large thus "laggy" then it can be easily changed later for a k04 type.. Really, as far a turbolag, it's not as if I am modifying a stock turbo set up and the mod introduced lag that wasn't there before.. right now I have 0psi lol. As the fundamentals are shown to function, better/additional parts of the system can be added or changed. Like adding a boost controller, meth injection etc.. but at this stage, with no SA-G builds to reference, those are just novelties which could end up being a waste of $ if the system proves to not function or be too inefficient. The more novelty the more parts to go wrong, that has to be kept to a minimum until the system is proven. I could omit the IC at the beginning and add as needed, but I'm not interested in adding meth injection to run like 5 psi.
 
Dude, I have a CX-7 K04. You can have it for free, if you pay for shipping. I'm in Fort Worth. You intend to rebuild the eBay junker unit anyway. Rebuild this one. It cane be done cheaply. Oil provisions are there, you can swap out the waste gate actuator to your liking and run spring pressure. It's a better turbo and its better sized.

I disagree with you, but your mind seems made up. I don't disagree you can likely make this work, and reap benefits, even if temporary. Ypu still need to factor in longevity and driveability. But, I think skimping on a custom manifold is a huge oversight, for reasons already stated. Just buy a beater if you don't have one, and piece this together over time and do it the right way, without rushing. It'll be more beneficial to the community and for yourself. Last plea, I promise. Lmao

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IHeartGroceries said:
Dude, I have a CX-7 K04. You can have it for free, if you pay for shipping. I'm in Fort Worth. You intend to rebuild the eBay junker unit anyway. Rebuild this one. It cane be done cheaply. Oil provisions are there, you can swap out the waste gate actuator to your liking and run spring pressure. It's a better turbo and its better sized.

I disagree with you, but your mind seems made up. I don't disagree you can likely make this work, and reap benefits, even if temporary. Ypu still need to factor in longevity and driveability. But, I think skimping on a custom manifold is a huge oversight, for reasons already stated. Just buy a beater if you don't have one, and piece this together over time and do it the right way, without rushing. It'll be more beneficial to the community and for yourself. Last plea, I promise. Lmao

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I'll keep the turboh in mind if this one turns out too big.
 
pdlpsher said:
Are there mufflers on this car? Or do the turbos act as mufflers?
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turbos act as silencers it also looks like, but not 100% that there is a muffler just before the flex exhausts this is just one example
 
I wonder if the throttle plate on the sky active actually closes during a shift.. on a lot of autos it never fully closes
 
There is more than enough room for turbos behind the fog lights, it's tight but do able. I void turbos in the rear because it add a lot more things that can fail.

Correct PCV system would be off valve cover, to catch can, then to intake side of the turbo. This insures under boos the crank pressure does not build up higher than necessary.
 
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