T3/T4, dual exhaust and PiMPx project

The turbo is mounted at last. Remembering the slight thread damage I saw on the turbo outlet, I put that end of the hose on and ran it on several threads to protect the soft aluminum. Next I slid it on the manifold studs not even bothering with any of the nuts and crawled underneath to connect the other end of the hose. To get it positioned to not interfere with the lower bracket took some trial & error. Turning the 45* fitting on the block moves the hose forward & backward compared to the lower mount and I found a spot with no interference and tightened the hose up. When I got topside to install the nuts that hold it on I found that I could not push the turbo against the manifold by hand and make contact at the top side, the bottom side touched though. The hose is so short there wasn't enough play to make it happen. Not wanting to stress it by wrenching the nuts on, I went back under and finessed it enough that I could push the two together by hand, then tightened everything up. It's tight, maybe that 45* -10 AN fitting I read about on here would have made this part of the job easier. 
   
With that part done I turned to the oil supply side. Here is the fitting that comes with Stingers oil supply line.
   
Do yourself a favor and remove the upper intake manifold right now if it's in the car so you have some room to work. Tightening this was a chore that I found myself alternating an end wrench, crescent wrench and channel locks until I got it tight enough. I put the AN on the side port because the hose wouldn't reach the end. When trying to thread on the oil sender it was hitting the EGR tube. I scrounged up a 90* fitting to correct that and got the sender on. Even with the upper intake removed it was tight quarters. Sorry the pic is fuzzy the camera didn't want to focus on the fitting.
   
I'm taking a break from this project for work but I will be back with more of my experiences and pictures. Feel free to share yours.

Well that was a long break. Actually I'm in the tuning phase now, I just haven't been keeping you all current. So continuing on, I started looking at the exhaust pieces and the limited amount of space I had when it's on car ramps and decided I'd farm that part out. Let the name calling begin but me working alone trying to hold pieces together, aligning them where they should point while dirt/grit falls inn my eyes with only18" of space under the car just didn't sound like fun. I had a local shop assemble it, they weren't as meticulous as I would have been but I can work with what they left me to make it right, just too excited about finishing this to do it right now. First thing I'll fix is this. What,,, they couldn't see how far those are sticking out?

   

Now the PimpX install. The instructions are pretty good, the fit is tight getting it back in there, hook up the usb cable before stuffing it back in. When running the vacuum line I was thinking about running it under the dash to the drivers side and drilling a hole but it didn't really look like an easy route. Then I started looking for other possibilities. The instructions recommend punching a hole in the grommet the factory wiring uses but that didn't look very easy to do. Then I discovered this rubber hole plug.

   

I couldn't even see it until after I moved these wires out of the way.

   
I popped it out, ran a piece of 12 gauge wire in and down and it practically fell right where I needed it. This kind of luck is rare for me, taped the vacuum line to the wire and pulled it up and yes my smile was that big. Grabbed my assortment of drill bits I drilled the hole in it, gradually stepping up in size until the hose fit snug. You'll be surprised how big of a bit it takes because the rubber stretches and then shrinks back. This shot shows the boost controller I got from Stinger zip tied to the inner fender and my air inlet setup. Most of that is a BBK cold air kit for a Fox body Stang that I probably wouldn't have used again and hoses/fittings to connect the line to the valve cover breather. I don't have the charcoal canister plumbed yet but I should be able to put a tee in where the VC breather is now. Anybody need a big VAM or a Gillis?

   

There's plenty of posts on here regarding proper routing of the vacuum lines for cruise control that hook to the inter-cooler & air inlet and whether they're even necessary. I can confirm that they aren't needed for the cruise to function. This shot shows where mine comes out of the vacuum tree and tees one side to the cruise controller and the other to cap right after what must be a check valve. I put a plug in the inter-cooler where the tee used to be, my cruise works fine.

   

As I said, I'm in the tuning phase, I can say that the sound of compressing air is a lot more noticeable now. Stingers site gives instructions and WARNINGS so I'm taking it slow but more to follow. Again, if any of you who've boldly gone here before me want to chime in with suggestions/advice, please do.

Thanks for the pictures. I just recently finished my Stinger exhaust install and it took a lot of time, cutting, welding, grinding to make it fit right. I ended up cutting the straight tail pipes off and welding in a 45 degree dump right in front of the rear bumper, much like the stock exhaust.

So you're running the computer controlled boost control that stinger offers? I'm curious to see how that works out for you because that's what I'm planning to do as well. I think I know the grommet you drilled for the vacuum line, it's just behind the dryer, right?

Spittinfire, yes the one Stinger offers, I haven't got too aggressive yet to actually test it. I'm still learning my way around the tuning software, there's a lot there and I don't feel the documentation is as good as it could be. Oh well, that's why he has a users forum. The grommet is within an inch to the right of where the factory harness goes through the firewall.

I need to get back to my updates here letting others like me know how it's going, but, the weather...  I'll get a crummy evening or weekend and sit down and start typing. I did manage to update my signature

Just a word of caution about the Pierburg boost controller from Stinger. Mine tested fine on the bench but under load it stopped working (see link below). I spent most of last summer pulling my hair out and working with Stinger to figure it out. They sent me a second one and it had the same issue. In the end, the Pierburg boost controllers were knock-off versions. They had no markings or name on them like the one Stinger shows in their picture. Stinger then sent me a MAC boost controller and it works flawlessly.

I'm not bashing Stinger as they may not have noticed the knock-off issue and they did step up and make me happy. But make sure you're Pierburg says Pierburg on it like in the Stinger picture.

This test applies 20psi to the boost controller, monitors the control signal from PiMPx on the scope, and shows the action of the wastegate. You can hear the boost controller cutting out at 20 psi. Imagine trying to tune boost control with this going on. That was me all last summer until I came up with this test.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/XtWPh7668R3rLMQNA

Good find and fix ! That would drive me nuts.

BradM That's a cool test you came up with. I just ordered the Pierburg control valve from Stinger last week so I guess I'll see what I get when it gets here.

Brad - thanks for that info. It looks like I may be in trouble, mine don't say Pierburg anywhere on it. I've been playing with the boost table as I'm letting it autotune. I started by setting all the cells at 100kpa and doing some pulls in 4th gear so it has plenty of time to adjust, then increasing the cells and doing it again. I'm up to 150kpa now and so far no issues with the controller. 150kpa = 21.755660659 psi fingers crossed.

My boost control valve showed up today and it looks like what is pictured but it does not say Pierburg anywhere on it. Not sure what to make of it at this point.

Anybody need a big VAM or a Gillis?

I ordered a new Gillis valve but might be interested in the big VAM. How much bigger is it? What did it come out of originally?