# My GA16DE-T upgrade



## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

Here are some pics of my soon to be upgrade. I'll be running 50#/hr injectors and a cobra MAF.


Fuel Rail
Fuel Rail
MAF
MAF

Along with this upgrade I'll be relocating the battery to the trunk, removing the EGR system and redoing my pre-turbo and possibly hot side IC piping.
I'm hoping to do the upgrade either late January or early Feb. I'll up the boost to about 16 PSI soon after the upgrade, once I've worked any bugs out.
Right now I'm running between 11-13 PSI. The annoying thing is that as it gets colder I've had to lower my boost quite a bit to avoid maxing out the injectors/MAF. At least twice I've broke 100% duty cycle, very dangerous. It'll be nice to have some breathing room.

After I'm comfortable with 16 PSI, I plan to up the boost to 18 PSI with water/alcohol injection. I think more than 16 PSI on a 9.9:1 engine is REALLY pushing it on pump gas.

My goal is 300 whp, yes 300 whp. Yes I realize that's a high goal, and yes I realize I may blow the engine in the process.
I'm prepared to do that and build the engine if need be. I think if I can control/avoid any detonation, 300 whp is attainable on the stock block. Of course it's just as likely I'll throw a rod.

Oh and of course a big shout out to Mike and Wes, without which we'd have no serious support for the GA16DE.


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## 94sentragtr (Jan 5, 2004)

Looks to me you have a pretty nice setup. Can you give the guys like me a quick rundown on the type of setup you are running right now. Thanks! :thumbup:


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

94sentragtr said:


> Looks to me you have a pretty nice setup. Can you give the guys like me a quick rundown on the type of setup you are running right now. Thanks! :thumbup:


Sure it's a HS turbo kit. Currently running 370cc injectors, S14 MAF, GT28RS turbo. Stock fuel rail, Aeromotive FPR ( at stock fuel pressure), Walbro 255lph fuel pump, 3" cat and 3" catback, Fidanza flywheel, JWT dual sprung PP and half organic/half metallic disc, UR underdrive pulley, 215/50R15 tires. Other than that, stock


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## dundee (May 11, 2002)

Finally a good thread in this section. Great to see someone pushing the limit and not another "I want to turbo my car for $0, and use junkyard turbo XYZ."

Keep us updated aminidab. I should be installing my kit around the same time. Hopefully things will get a little more interesting around here!


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## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

Great stuff, good luck with the boost plans! While not as publicized as Mike and Wes, TBH I think there are plenty of GA16DE wanting to go turbo that look up to you as an example. Good luck with the 300whp goal!


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## 94sentragtr (Jan 5, 2004)

Thats a great setup. I look foward to see what the outcome is. The GA has to have 300whp potential. Best of luck to you!


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

As always, looks good man! Can't wait to see what kind of results you get!


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## NotAnotherHonda (Aug 7, 2003)

good luck man


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

Thanks guys, I plan to take a ton of pics and to dyno after the upgrade at around 16 PSI.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

You will NEVER make 300WHP on a GA16DE, it CAN'T be done! 






This message brought to you by the guys that said both 200 and 250 whp were not possible :thumbup:


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## Chuck (Nov 19, 2003)

wes said:


> You will NEVER make 300WHP on a GA16DE, it CAN'T be done!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You can make 300... but you will NEVER, and i mean NEEEVVERRRR make 1000hp..

wned

.. id like to see the limits on my KA really... i plan on blowing it up, to replace it with a lower mileage one.

i guess ill hook a 1/2" line into the intake, and run a Direct shot of nitrous in it... set the SAFC to 100% duty cycle (550cc injectors), remove the wastegate off the turbo, and let stuff die.. haha

ill make a vid

I might even do it on a dyno, to see what kind of power can be attained


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

wes said:


> You will NEVER make 300WHP on a GA16DE, it CAN'T be done!


LOL, well I knew someone would say it 



Chuck said:


> You can make 300... but you will NEVER, and i mean NEEEVVERRRR make 1000hp..
> 
> wned
> 
> ...



Haha, well I don't WANT to blow my engine, but I'm willing to in order to hit my goal. As long as it doesn't blow from something stupid mistake like having the timing set too high, boost spike, running out of fuel, or whatever then I won't mind too much.


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## Chuck (Nov 19, 2003)

well yea, but my engine has over 212,000 miles on it.. I just want to put it out of its misery... in the most painful way


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

I finished the first part of my upgrade today, relocating the battery to the trunk. I used Ninety-Nine SE-L's writeup as a guide, http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=57663 but I did a few things differently, mainly putting the battery on the passenger side.

Here are some pics, check out what I used for my battery box:
Battery closeup
Battery box
Battery box again
Engine bay
Driver's side engine bay
Grounds
Battery relocation parts
Parts for the upgrade

I didn't really spend much time mouting the fuse box since I figure I'll have to move it around again soon. Right now it's just zipped tied to the motor mount.

I also ordered my new chip from JWT this week. Since it's my daily driver I couldn't ship them the ECU ... so you can have them ship you a chip, then you swap in the new chip and send the old one back. And get this, I know a lot of people complain about long waits with JWT, but I ordered on Tuesday and the chip shipped out on Friday.

So if all goes well I'll be fabbing up a new pre-turbo intake pipe next weekend, then get it welded and do the upgrade in 2 weeks.

I'm using a 45 degree coupler right off the turbo to fit the intake piping between the fan and radiator hose. I would have switched the fans to puller, but with AC there is only 1 1/8" clearance between the condensor and the IC, not enough room for even a slim fan. The 45 degree coupler is a tight fit, but it fits. I was really worried that it wouldn't, so much so that I was cheap and bought a rubber coupler instead of a silicone one.


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## scrub brush (Dec 31, 2002)

Glad someone is sticking to the GA for high power. I have an extra GA with a manual tranny if you need it.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

aminidab said:


> I finished the first part of my upgrade today, relocating the battery to the trunk. I used Ninety-Nine SE-L's writeup as a guide, http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=57663 but I did a few things differently, mainly putting the battery on the passenger side.
> 
> Here are some pics, check out what I used for my battery box:
> Battery closeup
> ...


Looks good man. Why so many grounds?


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

scrub brush said:


> Glad someone is sticking to the GA for high power. I have an extra GA with a manual tranny if you need it.


Well hopefully I won't need the engine, but my tranny has kinda been acting up .


For the grounds, I was following the writeup. It made sense to me not to run a huge cable and have to have a have a big bolt for the ground. 4 is probably overdoing it, 2 probably would have been good, but hey it can't hurt.


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## NotAnotherHonda (Aug 7, 2003)

looks great...i love the tupperware haha


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

NotAnotherHonda said:


> looks great...i love the tupperware haha


I shopped around at a few different places for battery boxes, but none of them would fit the battery and the tie down. So I went and looked at rubbermaid stuff and found one that was the perfect size.


This weekend I started work on fabbing up the pre-turbo intake pipe. Here are some pics of what I did:
PIcture of the mock up I used
Picture of the pipe
Engine bay with new pipe
Another shot of the engine bay

I was able to do this using 2 90 degree bends. It's hard to tell from the picture but under the vent tape there is a 90 degree bend and then another small maybe 20 degree bend in there. Ideally it would have been better to have a 120 or 180 degree bend, but this worked.
I'm having some trouble finding small diameter SS pipe to use for the BOV, IACV and PCV fittings. If I can't find a local source by the end of the week, I'm just going to cut the ones off of my current piping and use those.
After that I just need to get it welded and then I'm ready to install the MAF/injectors and everything.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

aminidab said:


> I shopped around at a few different places for battery boxes, but none of them would fit the battery and the tie down. So I went and looked at rubbermaid stuff and found one that was the perfect size.
> 
> 
> This weekend I started work on fabbing up the pre-turbo intake pipe. Here are some pics of what I did:
> ...



New intake looks good man. Ever think of taking the Intake and maf straight down in front of the tranny. I wanted to do this on my car but my IC piping comes up through that loaction..


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

wes said:


> New intake looks good man. Ever think of taking the Intake and maf straight down in front of the tranny. I wanted to do this on my car but my IC piping comes up through that loaction..


It's crossed my mind, and I think it would be possible. Although I think you'd need to use an even tighter bend than I used. I wasn't crazy about the big angle I had to use as is. The first, off the compressor, is to avoid the release lever on the trans and the second is to place the filter where it is. Really I don't think you could do it much differently and still place the filter where it is. 
I'm fairly happy with the filter placement, it should be able to get a good amount of cold air where it is, definately cooler than where it was. I'll keep an eye on the IAT readings and see what the difference is. With the old placement I'd see a max of about 40 degrees over ambient.
It'd be interesting to see a comparison of different filter placement though.


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

OK so I installed the new MAF/injectors on my car today but I ran out of time and wasn't able to fix some issues I'm having. Right now the car isn't idling well, the RPMs aren't staying constant, and it's running rich as hell (there is a large black patch on the ground from the exhaust. When I get some time I'll be pressure testing it, checking timing, setting the idle etc... The good news is it drives ok, other than the idle, I took it up to 11 PSI and it felt great.

Since I was running out of time I had to ghetto rig a few things, but I'll fix them when I get the chance. Here are some quick pictures. The last one is a pic of my oil fittings, I also fixed an oil leak I had. The intake pipe came out really well, the shop that did the welding did an awesome job. Only issue is somehow I got my measurements wrong and the fittings for the IACV and PCV are a little too big. I can still fit the hoses on there, but it takes a bit of work.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

Looks good man! Intake pipe is nice and the welds look good. Placement of the recirc fitting are nice. It aims towards the inlet which is great! Glad to hear it is running OK thus far and I can't wait to see the new numbers!


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## dave_f (Dec 11, 2002)

looks good :thumbup: :thumbup: 
-dave


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## nismo jimmy (Dec 16, 2005)

Hiya mate can you please tell me where you bought the fuel rail , battery relocating kit , and any info you have on them ? Does the fuel rail come complete with the anodised fittings shown in the pics mate ?Its a nice looking set up be interested in the final results .
Ta


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

wess said:


> You will NEVER make 300WHP on a GA16DE, it CAN'T be done!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



bahahaha.... I remember those guys,,,funny how they disappeared after we achieved it


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

nismo jimmy said:


> Hiya mate can you please tell me where you bought the fuel rail , battery relocating kit , and any info you have on them ? Does the fuel rail come complete with the anodised fittings shown in the pics mate ?Its a nice looking set up be interested in the final results .
> Ta


I got the fuel rail made from a local shop, Protech/PTP Motorsports. They have CAD drawings made up for the rail, so they can make more. Their website is at http://www.ptpmotorsports.com. The rail came with the 90 degree AN fitting and the straight AN fitting. The 180 degree barb fitting I bought separately, I think from summit racing.
For the battery relocation, I didn't buy a kit but put it together from parts I bought separtely. When I get a chance I'll post a list of the parts I used.

As an update, I was able to get the car running better and it doesn't seem to be running as rich now. Mainly I fixed some boost leaks, and checked/set timing, fuel pressure and TPS. Now I'm at least able to get it into timing mode, but the idle still wanders by about 200-300 RPMs. I'm pretty sure I can fix any remaining issues this weekend and get the idle where it should be.


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## nismo jimmy (Dec 16, 2005)

Many thanks ill look forward to reading about your battery relocating as i want to re-do mine a bit better incorporating my HKS circle ground earth kit and ive just emailed PTP about the rail , again thanks mate , how did you find the finish and performance of the fuel rail ? made any diference you think ? Are you still running std injectors with it ?


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

nismo jimmy said:


> Many thanks ill look forward to reading about your battery relocating as i want to re-do mine a bit better incorporating my HKS circle ground earth kit and ive just emailed PTP about the rail , again thanks mate , how did you find the finish and performance of the fuel rail ? made any diference you think ? Are you still running std injectors with it ?


You have to switch to top feed injectors. We used a JGY top fuel feed rail on the NPM evil twin project. They work great and allow you to use top feed injectors.


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

Here's a list of what I used to relocate by battery.

25ft Red Battery Cable Coil, 1 Gauge
25ft Black Battery Cable Coil, 4 Gauge(don't need 25ft, 20 would probably do)
6 3/8" Copper Lug, 1 Gauge 
6 1 gauge solder pellets
10 3/8" Copper Lug, 4 Gauge 
10 4 gauge solder pellets 
2 Marine battery terminals 
1ft Triple Wall Heat Shrink, 1 Gauge 
2 grommets for 1 gauge wire(I used 3/4" I think)
2-3ft 4 gauge shrink tubing
battery box
150amp fuse/fuse holder

Most of the parts I ordered from www.delcity.net, except my 'battery box' and the fuse/holder.

Like wes said, the fuel is rail for top feed injectors. I installed it so I could switch to larger injectors. I haven't really driven with the new rail yet, but it fits good and no leaks.


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

I got the car up and running today. It still isn't perfect but it's running pretty good. Basically I removed the EGR system and fixed all the leaks I could find.
Removing the EGR helped since I was able to get rid of about 5 vacuum lines. I cut off the fitting from the EGR valve where the EGR tube connects to make an plug. I used JB weld to fill it and attach the end of another EGR fitting from an old manifold( it had a nut on it). I made a block off plate for the intake maniold EGR fitting out of some 1/4" steel. With this block off plate, I figure I can drill and tap it in the future for another vacuum port to hook up to a vacuum manifold and get rid of all my vacuum tees.
I also installed a 99 intake plenum with all of this because it has an extra vacuum port on top.

I've been doing data logging of MAF voltage, injector duty cycle, O2 sensor voltage and timing. 
I did a comparison between my old setup and the new setup at the same boost level, about 11 PSI, S14/370cc injectors had a MAF voltage of 5.01 and 95% duty cycle. With the Cobra MAF/50 lb injectors I hit 3.82 V and 70% duty cycle, much lower. The timing is interesting, this program adjusts timing at a finer level, and it drops a little lower under boost. I'll post some comparision graphs when I get the chance. I know narrowband O2 sensor voltage isn't all that accurate, but I've been using it make sure nothing is horribly off and it looks good about the same as with the previous program under boost.

Here is some info on how to wire the Cobra MAF, it has 4 wires A-D, stock harness has 3.
A--- 12 volts
B--- Ground
C--- Ground
D--- Signal out

Stock harness
White/Red-----12V
Red-----------Ground
Green---------Signal

So this means
White/Red------> A
Red------------> B & C
Green----------> D

In addition I added an extra ground for the MAF harness to the body.

Once I've worked out the rest of the bugs, I'll start turning up the boost. From there it'll be off to the dyno!


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## SubaruBlue200sx (Mar 21, 2004)

in your opinion.. would it be wise to remove the egr system? im planning to do the same upgrade as you in about 2 weeks.. ..i want to eliminate all possibilities that would cause my rich conditions..

if remvoing the egr will not harm the setup up id remove it so that its one less problem to worry bout down the road.. plus it'll keep the bay a little cleaner lol

awesome work man.. hope you get it running perfectly


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

Great post! Glad to hear you got it running OK thus far. I removed the EGR setup completely, I removed the valve and everything from the vehicle. I also did what you described in using the IM port as a vacuum source for a vacuum manifold. I cut the flange off the upper EGR pipe and tapped it for an NPT fitting. It really works good and makes fora lot less clutter in the bay.


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## myoung (Apr 15, 2002)

Can't wait to see the results... :thumbup: 

I got got money on it you'll move ahead of me.... Honestly, I don't think I'm really interested in pushing it much more, but you never know :: shrug ::... pretty happy with it where it is, dependable, fun to drive, not over the top...... I've set my eyes on looking for a new car to build now... ::cough:: skyline:::cough:::


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

myoung said:


> Can't wait to see the results... :thumbup:
> 
> I got got money on it you'll move ahead of me.... Honestly, I don't think I'm really interested in pushing it much more, but you never know :: shrug ::... pretty happy with it where it is, dependable, fun to drive, not over the top...... I've set my eyes on looking for a new car to build now... ::cough:: skyline:::cough:::


I kinda feel the same way. 250 WHP in our light cars is just right IMHO. I will of course continue to see if it can make more, but I will always try and keep it at 250ish for track days and autocrosses...


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## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

Thanks guys, should be fun to see what this engine can do. It'll probably be a little while until I get the water injection installed, but I'm going to do a dyno before I install it.




SubaruBlue200sx said:


> in your opinion.. would it be wise to remove the egr system? im planning to do the same upgrade as you in about 2 weeks.. ..i want to eliminate all possibilities that would cause my rich conditions..
> 
> if remvoing the egr will not harm the setup up id remove it so that its one less problem to worry bout down the road.. plus it'll keep the bay a little cleaner lol
> 
> awesome work man.. hope you get it running perfectly


If you're going to remove the EGR, it's a good time to do it when you do the upgrade. Makes it much easier to track down leaks.



> Great post! Glad to hear you got it running OK thus far. I removed the EGR setup completely, I removed the valve and everything from the vehicle. I also did what you described in using the IM port as a vacuum source for a vacuum manifold. I cut the flange off the upper EGR pipe and tapped it for an NPT fitting. It really works good and makes fora lot less clutter in the bay.


Your setup was what game me the idea to do it that way. I still have 1 leak at a vacuum tee that I can't completely get rid of. I figure a vacuum manifold would be a much better way to do it.



> Can't wait to see the results...
> 
> I got got money on it you'll move ahead of me.... Honestly, I don't think I'm really interested in pushing it much more, but you never know :: shrug ::... pretty happy with it where it is, dependable, fun to drive, not over the top...... I've set my eyes on looking for a new car to build now... ::cough:: skyline:::cough:::


One of the main factors in doing this upgrade was being fed up with maxing out the injectors/MAF. Any drop in temperature meant I had to lower my boost level to avoid hiting 100% duty cycle. A skyline would be awesome, it'd make a great project car.

I feel that way about 300 whp, being about right. More than that in a FWD car isn't that useful unless you're running slicks.


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## nismoafterburn (May 28, 2014)

I know this is an old thread but does anyone know the final power figures for this setup?


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