# Turbo'd Auto?



## b14sleeper (Dec 31, 2004)

Okay, i have the oppurtunity to get my hands on a complete turbo kit for a 96 sentra for about one hundred bucks. i also am really good friends with a shop near me and they say that they will install it for free, i just have to put a sticker or something on my car, well i want to buy it, but since i have an automatic unfortunately, i do not think that i should get it, because i hace heard that it is not good. but should i, and i have talked to james about this, and he said that he swapped out his auto soon after he turboed for a manual, thing is, i dont have the money for a manual, so what can i do to build my auto, or should i do the shitty mods, such as I/H/E/timing?


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

b14sleeper said:


> Okay, i have the oppurtunity to get my hands on a complete turbo kit for a 96 sentra for about one hundred bucks. i also am really good friends with a shop near me and they say that they will install it for free, i just have to put a sticker or something on my car, well i want to buy it, but since i have an automatic unfortunately, i do not think that i should get it, because i hace heard that it is not good. but should i, and i have talked to james about this, and he said that he swapped out his auto soon after he turboed for a manual, thing is, i dont have the money for a manual, so what can i do to build my auto, or should i do the shitty mods, such as I/H/E/timing?


If you talked to James then you should know that the auto does not hold up well to the turbo. While you CAN modify your auto tranny to hold the power it is more expensive than the manual swap if you have it done by a reputable shop such as Level 10. For $100 I;d buy it in a second, but if you can't afford to maintain it then I am not sure how wise of a decision it is. 

Secondly I would be skeptical of a kit that costs $100. No one in their right mind is going to sell you a proper turbo kit for $100. You better know what your getting in to before you jump...


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## b14sleeper (Dec 31, 2004)

trust me, i know what i am getting into, the car was found at a junkyard, and the people their do not know what is on their hands. i can buy the car for six hundred, then sell it for five hundred to another junkyard. theirfore, i am really only paying 100 bux, but the turbo looks in good condition, also do you know of any good shops that can swap my tranny for less than a grand that are in southern cali, and maybe install the turbo for a little more?


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

b14sleeper said:


> trust me, i know what i am getting into, the car was found at a junkyard, and the people their do not know what is on their hands. i can buy the car for six hundred, then sell it for five hundred to another junkyard. theirfore, i am really only paying 100 bux, but the turbo looks in good condition, also do you know of any good shops that can swap my tranny for less than a grand that are in southern cali, and maybe install the turbo for a little more?


I thought you had a hookup on that.... The swap will cost you a couple hundred in parts alone, labor is another issue. 

So this car is a GA16DE from a junkyard with a complete turbo kit in it? What size are the injectors, what is it using for fuel management, does it have all of the associated parts, what size is the turbo?


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## b14sleeper (Dec 31, 2004)

wes said:


> I thought you had a hookup on that.... The swap will cost you a couple hundred in parts alone, labor is another issue.
> 
> So this car is a GA16DE from a junkyard with a complete turbo kit in it? What size are the injectors, what is it using for fuel management, does it have all of the associated parts, what size is the turbo?


i have a hookup on the turbo installation, not the swap, and asking for your opinion because you seem to be the turbo guru... also it is not a complete turbo kit, it has everything but the intercooler, the piping is their, but no intercooler, it has 370cc injectors, not sure about the fuel management, and not sure what you mean by associated parts, but my question is, should i just swap in a manual, and maybe do the turbo some other day??


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

b14sleeper said:


> i have a hookup on the turbo installation, not the swap, and asking for your opinion because you seem to be the turbo guru... also it is not a complete turbo kit, it has everything but the intercooler, the piping is their, but no intercooler, it has 370cc injectors, not sure about the fuel management, and not sure what you mean by associated parts, but my question is, should i just swap in a manual, and maybe do the turbo some other day??


Decide what your goals are....Then formulate a plan of attack.


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## LIUSPEED (May 29, 2002)

turbo what kind and it should rebuild it that a must.. intercooler and piping fuel management and a buncha other stuff should be on your list as well as well as ecu upgrades to handle all this and such.. sure you can get the turbo gear for 100 bux but make sure everything is right and your doing everything right and the safe way and not blow a motor.. also if you do want an auto i say level 10 transmission is the way to go it the only proper way that your auto tranny can handle that power


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

i would go with a manny tranny. hehehe, go to the sr20 forums, those guys are constantly selling their GA trannies for super cheap b/c they just completed an sr swap. the stick will def. hold up better, and is tons more fun. level 10 is great from what i've heard, but you gotta ship the tranny out to NJ for a while.


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

Since there are very few people who have a turbocharged auto trans B13/B14 let me talk about the pros and cons. 

Pros:

- I have had the trans in for 4 years and had zero problems: 
How many manual trans turbo cars have gone that long without needing a clutch? 

- The auto trans is very easy on the chassis: 
I still have the stock motor mounts. How many manual trans cars have destroyed the mounts? 

- I have never missed a shift. 

- I get 2.0 second 60' times at the drag strip. Not bad for launching at 3200rpm. [I'm sure I can do better with some practice.] 

- Four speed trans. Low gear is higher than 1-st in a manual. This allows more control on take-off. On street tires I can take off at 6psi and get a bit of tire howl when the boost comes on at 3500rpm. Most manual trans cars get uncontrollable wheel spin at that boost in 1-st. 

Cons: 

- Costs > $3500 for parts and labor 

- Taking off fast takes some practice 

- There are no high efficiency radiators with an auto trans cooling section. I had to build custom trans oil coolers to avoid overheating the oil when I installed the Nissan Motorsports radiator. 

- The trans kick-down function sucks. It will not shift down into low at speeds above 20mph except manually. 

Lew


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

lshadoff said:


> Since there are very few people who have a turbocharged auto trans B13/B14 let me talk about the pros and cons.
> 
> Pros:
> 
> ...


slushbox=boring, 

stick is crazy fun, and theres a sense of gratification in nailing a perfect heel and toe, that can never be had with the auto


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

himbo said:


> slushbox=boring


You've obviously never driven in a turbocharged auto trans car.

Lew


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

grand nat'l, sure lots of fun, but like i said, nothing compares to a stick, and my friends modded volvo 850 turbo,


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## BII (May 13, 2004)

b14sleeper said:


> trust me, i know what i am getting into, the car was found at a junkyard, and the people their do not know what is on their hands. i can buy the car for six hundred, then sell it for five hundred to another junkyard. theirfore, i am really only paying 100 bux, but the turbo looks in good condition, also do you know of any good shops that can swap my tranny for less than a grand that are in southern cali, and maybe install the turbo for a little more?


So they missed that snail-like device on the exhaust manifold?


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## Omega3k1 (Jan 6, 2005)

wait wait wait... so your getting this turbo off a car thats in a junkyard... Well what is the shape of the tranny in the junker, you could just keep it and swap the tranny from it into your car.


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

Well, I think auto turbos would be fun if you build it up to take the increase power... in response to Lew, your 3500 would buy me almost 10 clutches


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

James said:


> Well, I think auto turbos would be fun if you build it up to take the increase power... in response to Lew, your 3500 would buy me almost 10 clutches


You must enjoy changing clutches.  You put no value on the time and effort or the down time.

Also you forgot to include the cost, time and effort for the auto to manual swap.

Lew


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

i think its because you race alot lew.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

tony200 said:


> i think its because you race alot lew.


HUH? What is this post relating too, what did I miss?


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

boosting on an auto


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

tony200 said:


> bi think its because you race alot lew.


As much as I can at Angleton Dragway and Houston Raceway Park.

Lew


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## se_limited (Sep 18, 2002)

There is nothing wrong with putting a turbo kit on an auto. I happened to have one.


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

se_limited said:


> There is nothing wrong with putting a turbo kit on an auto. I happened to have one.


So do I. My trans lasted 18 months of mostly street driving. When boost came on, the trans slipped, the engine screamed to the rev limit, and the trans shifted to the next gear. All the clutches and the band were cracked, glazed and black. 

The problem is that the stock trans has 'soft' shifts, which means that the clutches are slipping when it shifts. This generates a great deal of heat in the clutch packs. When the engine's power is increased, the heat cannot be dissipated fast enough, and the clutch plates get too hot.

A performance rebuild uses: 
- high performance friction material in the clutch plates 
- thinner plates which allows more plates to be put in the clutch pack, giving more area 
- a high pressure pump which puts more clamping force on the clutch packs 
- a modified valve body which shifts harder with less slip 
- a high stall torque converter, which gets the engine into the power band much faster 

Your engine has more power than mine, and the trans probably won't last as long. 

Lew


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

i was wondering if a tranny cooler would help you out some?


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

tony200 said:


> i was wondering if a tranny cooler would help you out some?


An auxiliary trans cooler is necessary with a high stall torque converter because they generate so much heat. I built two fan-cooled coolers in place of the fog lights. You can see them here. 

What's nice about fan-cooled heat exchangers is they cool when the car is not moving. This is important at the drag strip since I hold the brake and build about 3# of boost on the line at ~3200rm. 

Lew


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## tony200 (Mar 23, 2005)

man ishadoff, thats a nice set-up you did on the tranny cooler and fans.


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