I am just going to run low boost. . . yea right!, A warning for anyone who wants to boost a 5sfe Options

[HardHead93]

This is a cautionary tale to anyone who thinks they are going to slap a turbo on a high mileage engine and run low boost. DON’T DO IT! In December of 2014 despite all the posts that say, don’t boost your engine unless it is low mileage or rebuilt, I went for it. Is the 5sfe a great engine to boost, yes, but do it right. This post will tell the LONG, expensive, frustrating story to creating my 5sfte. The below write up is what happened.

Background
It has been a long road for this 5sfte build. Here is the engine I started with:


I saw what Supershannon77 did with an Ebay T3/4 turbo for her 6th gen Celica 5sfte and I tried to duplicate it (with a few upgrades). I bought an Ebay kit with the idea that I would need to modify or replace some of the parts that came in it but the bottom line was it would give me a turbo, intercooler, exhaust manifold, downpipe, and some miscellaneous needed parts.

As I started the build I found the kit seriously lacking. The big one was the downpipe was for a CT26 turbo not a T3/4 so I had to order one. There was no oil return line and there was not enough intercooler piping. It took 3 months to resolve all the issues with the advertised “bolt-on” kit (there is no such thing as bolt on from Ebay), I ended up with the following build:


8 psi boost
T3/T04E Turbo
Turbosmart Wastegate
2.5 inch full exhaust
Magnaflow Muffler and Catalytic Converter
AEM FIC Piggyback
SSQV Blow Off Valve
460cc RX-7 Injectors
FMIC
Walpro 255 Fuel Pump
3sgte 3 Bar MAP Sensor
Custom downpipe from Demon Motorsports
Ebay tubular exhaust manifold

I started noticing when I would pop the hood after a drive that there was an extreme amount of heat coming out of the engine bay. I also saw that the under hood insulation was burning away. After doing some digging, I found that the tubular manifold I was using was giving off too much heat instead of shooting it down to the exhaust. I needed a 3sgte manifold. I went to the Toyota dealership and they told me that all their warehouses are out of stock and that the best bet was to find a used one. That led to one option, Ebay. After about a week of missing out on bids I finally scored a 3sgte manifold. It arrived and I was so excited, I ceramic coated it and put it on and the car was back!


Then another problem reared its head, the clutch started slipping. I bought a SPEC stage 2 clutch, got it installed and the car ran like a champ. In the process of tuning the car, I sprung a fuel leak that lead to an engine fire. I think it the Walpro fuel pump put too much pressure on the original lines coming from the fuel filter and something popped.




Now here I am, where I should have started. In hindsight I should have rebuilt the engine before going down the turbo route. My plan was to fix the fire damage and rebuild the engine to a 14-15 psi boost-able monster. My goal is 280-300 horsepower. Based on what I saw in Pressure2’s build, I can use stock pistons and rods but I will need a metal head gasket. I planned to swap the California cylinder head with a Federal head so the fuel injectors fit perfectly.

[HardHead93]

The Engine Pull
I found this great video series of someone pulling, rebuilding, and installing a 5sfe in a Camry. There are some minor differences from this video and my car (engine mounts and automatic vs manual transmission). This video was a really big help. The link is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBHJZ_x0neI

Also, these 2 books will become your best friend:


As I started removing parts from the car I found more fire damage than I expected. Nothing that cannot be fixed or replaced but it is still surprising. Initially I only thought I lost my 3 bar MAP sensor, vacuum lines, and some electrical wiring, but there was more than that. The damage included the power steering pump, distributor cap, passenger side axle, A/C trinary switch, EGR recirculation valve, and all the splashguards on that side of the car.

Now starts the engine pull. I took out the exhaust, turbo, downpipe, intake, battery, and radiator.


After that I disconnected the upper and lower heater hoses, then the motor mounts. Also, the A/C condenser and the power steering pump had to be disconnected. When disconnecting the A/C condenser I had to make sure I did not unplug any hoses. I hung it with the heavy duty ties on the front of the engine bay. Then the engine pull began.


As I went through the process of pulling the motor I had to make sure that nothing else was connected as I pulled the motor. I ended up missing the fuel return line to the charcoal canister. This lead to me breaking the Bimetal BVSV Evaporative Vacuumm Valve luckily I found a used one for $20.

Here is the empty engine bay.


I could see all the fire damage. Damn, this is going to be some hard work!


Here is the engine out of the car.


From the back. . .


Looks like I will need a new upper and lower timing belt cover too.
Here is a picture with the transmission off the car. It breaks my heart to see a brand new performance clutch on a burned up engine.