[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

No time to work on the Pf last weekend. I had a minor setback, the down-pipe wasn't long enough. I had to remove it and add an inch to it. I also thermal wrapped the up-pipe and down-pipe. Someone also asked what the merge pipe and T3 flange looked like. I also added a heat shield to master cylinder.

 

Up-pipe

 

Down-pipe

 

Merge of the up-pipe and T3 flange

 

With the down-pipe extended, I was able to finish off the exhaust and added the muffler.

 

I will get a video of the Pf in action this afternoon when the wife gets back from skiing.

[Synthetic VS. Cheap]

I have driven over 400,000 miles in a multitude of different new-to-me vehicles. Everyone one of those vehicles had dino oil in the crankcase and I did oil/filter changes at ~4000 miles. Not one of those vehicles had an engine failure due to inadequate oil protection. IMO it is better to remove contaminated oil every ~4000 miles than have it circulate for ~25,000 miles.

 

The advent of synthetic oil came from jet engines. Those engines have items that are rotating 100,000 RPM and are glowing red. Dino oil will quickly fail in those applications. Synthetic oil was engineered to survive in those conditions.

 

A car engine is not a jet engine.

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

I'll finish hooking up the muffler/exhaust this weekend. Then I'll shoot some video and post it.

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

how much for ECU? great job btw.

 

Thanks! A MSI kit is about $150. An option for ignition is to get a Ford's EDIS6 system and merge it into the engine. That is another $50.

[Update on twin turbo project]

Man you are balls deep in this one. That first pic looks bad ass! Where are the turbos at?

[What did you do to your Pathfinder today?]

Added a turbo and intercooler!

 

 

[Help with oil supply and return for my turbo install]

I'll post my results here in case someone searches for it. I wound up modding a banjo bolt to 3/16 brake line for the supply. I punched and tapped a hole for a 3/8" pipe thread.

 

 

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

Thanks - forgot the intercooler. I bought it a couple of years ago.

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

Cost... ok here goes.

 

Ebay turbo $150

V-band flange $22

2 - 1 3/4" U-bends $25

2 - 2 1/2" U-bends $30

1 - 3" U-bend $17

2" 1 3/4 exhaust tubing $6

6" 2 1/2" exhaust tubing $24

Exhaust gaskets $25

3 2 1/2" silicone coupler, straight $20

1 2 1/2" to 2" silicone reducer 90 $20

1 3" silicone coupler, straight $7

Hose clamps $10

Oil supply/return $20

Crossover pipe flanges and gasket $10

Downpipe flanges and gasket $15

Muffler $75

Thermal wrap and bands $50

O2 sensor bung $10

Oil change $13

Air filter $27

Ebay intercooler $110

 

So that adds up to $686 - I'll round up to $700, but you will have extra mandrel bend tubing for the next project.

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

All right! So I did a quick highway test. There is a hill close by that the Pathfinder (Pf) could only go up at 50 MPH in 4th gear. I got the Pf up to 75, shifted into 5th and it maintained that speed. And that is with the exhaust leak and stock ECU. That was a cool feeling. I got back and everything was dry (no new oil leaks).

 

 

 

 

Still a lot to finish - exhaust, air intake, thermal wrap the up & down pipe, heat shield, and lastly MegaSquirt.

[How much does our pathfinder weigh?]

Or for the really lazy (efficient) americans we just use our Iphone app.

James

 

Yeah better that a machine thinks for us.

[How to Replace broken exhaust studs]

An option here - go to a junkyard and remove grade 8 exhaust studs until you get your fill. The yard may not even charge you.

 

Summit Racing sells 10 for ~20 bucks.

Ebay

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

I had 4 broken exhaust studs on my Pathfinder - awful exhaust leaks. Three of the four came out pretty easy, but the forth one. That one is being a bitch. I found "grade 8" exhaust studs on a Mitsubishi at the junk yard. I removed them and they wound up on the Pathfinder.

 

The oil pan make-a-hole exercise went very smooth. The punching action rolls the metal into the pan and makes more of a cylinder to tap. Then I put grease on the threads of the tap and start cutting threads. I cut about three revolutions of threads and then back out the tap, clean off the metal shavings, regrease and cut more threads. This seemed to capture a lot of metal chips. If any chips did fall through (which I am sure a few did) the oil filter is after the oil pump so the filter will capture any chips.

 

I drove around the block today. No oil leaks, but a bad exhaust leak from the broken stud on the driver's side. Boost is about 9 psi and the vehicle already accelerates quicker.

 

It is late and I am going to sleep.

[Why did my odometer start working again?]

There is a motor that drives the speedometer (and trip meter). I purchased a Pathfinder with the odometer not working. I went to a junkyard and removed the motor from another Pathfinder, popped into my speedometer housing and off she went. I would say that motor is potentially getting flaky.

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

Don't forget to bring a towel!

 

Why?

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

Yeah the master cylinder is close to the turbo. I will be adding a heat shield to it.

 

The factory pressure regulator increases 1 psi per every 1 psi of boost.

 

I can barely fit 2 1/2" out of the turbo.

 

15 psi at my elevation is about 10.5 psi at sea level. I am currently running 22 psi boost on a forged piston Subie with 9.25:1 compression. I do have to pull some timing and I also run a E85/premium mix to bump up the octane.

 

The exhaust manifolds are the stock ones. I flipped over the driver's side and merged the crossover into the T3 flange. I will get some pics of the set-up at a later time.

 

On to progress! I researched on the 'net and I have heard about knocking a hole with a punch in the oil pan. To me it is a lot like green eggs and ham. It just doesn't sound good.

 

Ok, ok, I will try it. I put a hole in the oil pan. And threaded it too!

 

Added the threaded pipe and sweated it in with solder. I think it will work out good.

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

BTW - thanks for the comments and suggestions. The people over at nissanforums.com had nothing to say about this project that I am taking on.

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

What will you be running the set up with? Z31 ECU? Nistune? Megasquirt? How many PSI? Are you going to retain the factory NA injectors? Are you going to go with 3"+ exhaust?

 

Looks good man! Can't wait to see it finished!

 

Your link doesn't work by the way.

 

OOPS! Link fixed.

 

I have a MegaSquirt mostly ready to go. I've done a similar swap to a Subaru with awesome results.

 

 

 

I will run the stock ECU for a bit to chase out the mechanical bugs. I'll run easy on that with no more than 5 psi boost. At my elevation (~10,000 feet) air pressure is about 30% less than sea level so I need to run at least 5 psi to be on par with you shore lovers.

 

Ideally I'd like to run 15+ psi boost once everything is working correctly. I probably will have to change injectors and fuel pump. As for exhaust it will be 2 1/2" mandrel bent tubing into a Hooker max flow muffler (flows as well as a straight tube of the same size).

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

Finished up the oil supply. I tapped a banjo fitting with a 1/8" pipe and screwed in a 3/16" female flare. Then I ran that to the turbo. Always fun trying to get metric stuff to work with American stuff.

 

 

 

Two more hurtles. The oil return for the turbo and the broken exhaust stud on the passenger side. I broke an easy-out in that stud.

[Help with oil supply and return for my turbo install]

I would have to use a pump to return oil to the valve cover and I am trying to stay away from that. The turbo is tight but I believe there is room between itself and the master cylinder. I have to put a heat shield between the master cylinder and the turbo.

[Help with oil supply and return for my turbo install]

This seems to be a pretty strong technical area. So I am adding a turbo to my '95 Pathfinder. For the oil supply I was going to tee into the oil pressure sensor on the passenger side and run the supply to the driver's side. Looking around I found a oil plug bolt on the block underneath the alternator (driver's side). I can make a banjo bolt work and get oil supply from there.

 

Any suggestions for the return. I don't see any plates to add a nipple to. I don't want to remove the oil pan - that looks like a pain the butt. I have researched on the 'net and have found that a few people have punched a hole in the pan and added a fitting.

 

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

the 300zx had a bolt on plate where the oil filter goes to supply oilt to the trubo. The oil filter screwed onto the plate. If you got a smaller filter(to clear the frame rail) or a remote filter kit you could use the OE 300zx part for your oil supply.

have fun

 

Thanks for the heads up on that. I will look into that.

[Adding a turbo/intercooler to my '95 Pathfinder]

I'll assume that I am in the right area. I have been posting this build at nissanforums.com and here is the link to it -> My link. One of the members said I should post this up over here so here I go.

 

I have the up-pipe and down-pipe for the turbine done. The intercooler is plumbed to the turbo and intake manifold. What's left is getting oil to the turbo and returning back into the pan.