Starting tonight, and going into Saturday and Sunday, I will be performing maintenance on the server that hosts my web sites. This should not effect static content like downloads (FAST, FSMs, etc). Maintenance with be performed on the software that powers this site as well as the backend (database). If you experience some odd pages or errors, don’t worry. Try back in a few minutes or a few hours if you continue to get the errors.
I will update this post when the maintenance is complete.
Update: Maintenance has been completed. It appears that everything has gone smoothly, but if you experience any problems, please email me.
Site Updates
I found a new theme, called Subtle, that I wanted to give a try. I saw it on another site and I was struck by it’s simple and effective layout. I still plan on customizing the layout, but this was a welcome change from the bland default WP style.
Site Updates
It seems the sub-prime mess has sent a shock wave through the entire economy. A few people I know said their companies are going through lay-offs. This past week the company I work for went through a reduction in workforce as well. This rattled some cages, and has left me with a lingering feeling that things will continue to get worse before they get better.
What does all of this have to do with my car? Well, I am cutting back on some unneeded spending which includes the purchase of car parts. Progress will still be made and I will continue to post updates as well as other information. Things like buying wheel bearings, a wastegate and blow-off valve (all of which I planned to purchase in March) will be pushed back.
Later this week I received my wire and shrink wrap from Jameco, so today I put it to good use extending some of the wires on my B14 ECU harness. It took me about an hour to extend the wires that I needed to. Tomorrow I will cut the wires down so they are all the same length. I also purchased some larger shrink wrap to clean up the batter relocation kit I built about a year ago.
Last weekend I removed the air conditioning compressor and hoses in the Sentra. Doing so revealed that the system was bone dry, which would explain the lack of cold air! The condenser is still in the car, since I will probably have to remove the radiator to get to that.
New pictures can be found in the gallery.
Chris' 2000 Sentra SE, Turbo Project
My quest to run an external wastegate has led to a bit of a problem that people in many car communities have went back and forth about for years.
Most factory turbo manifolds (including the GTi-R ones) are made from cast iron. When welding other materials to cast iron you run the risk of it cracking. In addition since the two materials expand and contract at different rates you also run the risk of cracking occurring further down the line. Several people have modified GTi-R manifolds for an external wastegate, but I have yet to get a good answer as to how they held up over a long period of time.
The process of welding to cast iron is sensitive as well. From what I have read, the cast iron must be pre-heated, welded, and then allowed to cool slowly. I have found a local fabricator (JM Fabrications) that has been doing this to DSM manifolds for a while with good luck. Their process seems to be spot-on with what I have read as well. Their cost is about 1-2 hours of labor plus the cost of materials (This should be minimal). Once I receive the Synapse Engineering 50mm wastegate, I will bring it along with the manifold and turbo to have everything welded up. The turbo will have the internal wastegate flapper welded shut.
Why go through all of this and set myself up for a possible failure down the road? There are aftermarket turbo manifolds available for FWD SR20’s, but the problem comes with the rest of my setup. I want the turbo to sit in the stock location (IE: The location that the OEM GTi-R manifold puts it). This will allow me to use the GTi-R J-Pipe and downpipe which can be purchased for a reasonable price. I figure the less custom parts I have to have fabricated the less money I will have to spend. I’m not cheaping out (Which can be a bad idea on a turbo setup), I’m just trying not to reinvent the wheel.
The one tubular manifold that will put the turbo in the stock location is some Chinese made piece on ebay. Based on the experience of others, I’m willing to say that the $240 Ebay manifold is just as likely to crack as my modified GTi-R manifold. Someone in the SR20 community is also working with LoveFab to create a tubular FWD SR20DET manifold that will put the turbo in the stock location. I figure by the time the modified GTi-R manifold cracks (if it does) I can upgrade to that manifold once it is available.
Chris' 2000 Sentra SE, Turbo Project
While researching external wastegates on SR20Forum, I saw that Mike Kojima suggested using Synapse Synchronic wastegates for their superior response. Based on this recommendation, I went and did a bit more research. It turns out that Synapse Engineering has a group of great products!
Their wastegates and blow off valves don’t use diaphragms like other products which helps them respond faster to changes. In addition, their wastegates have built in boost adjustment which can eliminate the need for a boost controller for most people. They also have a fuel pressure regulator that will bolt directly to the factory fuel rails of most Nissan engines.
I’m no engineer, so below you will find links to Synapse Engineering’s website as well as links to videos explaining how their products work.
Synapse Engineering
Video: Tial WG Vs. Synchronic WG
Video: Synchronic BOV
More Synapse Engineering Videos
Chris' 2000 Sentra SE, Parts & Vendors