Solved Exploring Forced Induction: The Fluid MotorUnion Ford Explorer Turbo Build Thread!

[wood1]

I think I would be torn between sitting in the garage marveling at the workmanship and driving it...

Not being critical, just trying to learn something... is there some provision for a failed water pump, overboost or other fault in your system? A MIL or audible alert or something? Maybe it's just not necessary? I suppose the pump only cycles when the water hits a certain temp. Again, wow.

 

[rocket 5979]

I think I would be torn between sitting in the garage marveling at the workmanship and driving it...

Not being critical, just trying to learn something... is there some provision for a failed water pump, overboost or other fault in your system? A MIL or audible alert or something? Maybe it's just not necessary? I suppose the pump only cycles when the water hits a certain temp. Again, wow.

The main thing that a failed AWIC water pump would affect would be IAT's. The ECU tune can be calibrated to pull allot of timing above a given IAT so as to keep detonation in check if a pump fails.

A boost gauge takes care of knowing what your boost is doing. If you wanted some sort of alarm or something then it would be no big deal to plumb a hobbs pressure switch into the intake, adjust it to 1-2 psi above what your planned boost is, and then wire it in series to a 12VDC ignition switched power source and 12vdc piezo buzzer from Radio Shack or even just a simple LED light.

Being that the system being built in this thread is aftermarket there is no real off the shelf provision in the ECM that would allow it to set a MIL code if you overboost. About the only way I can think of where you could go about setting something like that up would be if the newer Explorers have a stock MAP sensor which can be replaced for a 2 bar MAP and then reprogram the pressure level that the ECM considers a "failed MAP" and then set it up to throw a MIL code when it sets that status. The scenario I just outlined would be overly complicated and not really worth the effort though; let alone that it assumes the the newer Explorers have a MAP which I sort of doubt. Plus it sometimes takes a little time for a MIL to set which would be far too late for you to react and get off the gas if the vehicle truly was over-boosting due to a cut WG boost/vac line or the like.

The pump for the AWIC should cycle all of the time to ensure that IAT's are kept as low as possible at any given time. The lower the IAT the more spark advance that can safely be ran which means more power. It is not like the stock radiator coolant system for the vehicle which needs a thermostat to ensure that a minimum temperature is achieved to allow proper operation of the engine and passenger heating system.

 

[wood1]

Hey, thanks for the explanation. I've always been very interested in forced induction, just never took the plunge. Some day...

 

[joecrna]

Did you say kit?

 

[FluidMotorUnion]

Today it’s back to some archived pictures from Scott’s twin-turbo Explorer build. We’re almost caught back up on it! Sorry we've been so slow on getting pictures out -- we're almost finished with a really intense SEMA build for a Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series, and it's been sucking up a lot of the blog time.

Last time we talked about the TT build, we mentioned the intercooler piping. Not all the A/N fittings in the last set of pictures had the lines connected to them, so here’s an idea of what the color scheme will look like with all the new lines and fittings under the engine bay.

Well, there’s a lot more than intercooler piping that needs to be run, too. There’re various fluids that need to be integrated into the turbo build, such as the oil vapors in the PCV system. Speaking of positive crankcase ventilation, let’s take a look at how that’s working with the turbos. Starting with the valve covers…

…And working its way to the two catch cans positioned in the frontmost corners of the engine bay. Back when we started, there was more room in that bay than Ford would ever need. But! Was it enough space for Fluid MotorUnion to fit a twin-turbo setup? Yes, yes it was. But not by much. And yes, we know the pictures are a bit out of order (all the lines have been run by now), but this was the best shot of the ones available.

Finally, as others have mentioned, heat’s going to be important in the functionality of the turbo system. Important in that you’ll want to remove as much of it from the equation as possible. In order to keep various fluids and electrical/plastic components safe from the heat, we created some heat shields. The most important part of the heat shield lies in the gold foil we’ve used on several occasions before. It does a great job of reflecting heat away from surfaces that would otherwise become subject to heat-related issues such as melting or boiling. The driver’s side shield is big and easy to see, but the passenger side requires a clever eye and a steady hand, as it’s hidden in there pretty well. Hidden doesn’t matter, though, because it’s in the right spot to do the right job.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

WoW this build is going to be worth more than the entire Ex!

 

[FluidMotorUnion]

Update!!

Seeing as how all the above-ground work is done on the Explorer (under-hood work, intercooler/oil/coolant lines, etc.), it’s time to dig deep. So deep, in fact, that we’re going all the way UNDERNEATH the car. This is a first for Fluid MotorUnion, working on something underneath a car, so we’re super excited to make this so-called “exhaust” we’ve been reading about on the internet. Since it’s a relatively simple design (two downpipes on either side, connecting to a Y-pipe, then to a single pipe, and out the side before the rear axle), it shouldn’t be too many blog posts before we get to the fun part — the tuning. Here was the Y-pipe (plus the connection to the driver’s side downpipe) during construction:

And the connection from the passenger side downpipe to the Y-pipe. They were still separate at this point solely due to size; trying to rotate and work around an incredibly large exhaust setup is demanding, to say the least. Connecting this part to the Y-pipe last makes it so much easier to work with:

And here it is, welded together and installed, from the downpipes to the Y-pipe. We also tapped and welded the holes for the O2 bungs:

One more gratuitous weld shot for the road.

Now, we’re focusing our efforts (and our filler rod) on the second half of the exhaust, which consists of more piping (what a shock!!) and some pieces that will help to not make this car sound like it’s going to wake the neighbors every day.

 

[willied]

That looks way too sick! It's kind of a shame to see that beautiful exhaust surrounded by rusty metal.

 

[FluidMotorUnion]

That looks way too sick! It's kind of a shame to see that beautiful exhaust surrounded by rusty metal.

Such is the life of a car that sees Chicago winters (and the 250,000 tons of salt that comes with it -- no joke, we just fact-checked it).

 

[willied]

Such is the life of a car that sees Chicago winters (and the 250,000 tons of salt that comes with it -- no joke, we just fact-checked it).

That's pretty crazy. Maybe you can bring it down here where we use no salt so it can live a better life.

 

[joecrna]

Those look like stock style exhaust hangers on a stainless exhaust system, yes?

 

[FluidMotorUnion]

As we said yesterday, this exhaust wasn’t going to be a long job at all, as the downpipes connect to a single 3.5″ pipe via a Y-pipe connection, then the system goes through a muffler before emptying just in front of the rear wheels. On the second day of work, everything up until the muffler was done, as was the tip:

And so work pressed forward. As always, the welds came out pretty darn well. Somebody deserves a gold star!

After the gold stars were applied to fabrication’s report cards, they set about putting everything back together, and here you have it. One completed twin-turbo Explorer exhaust:

The sound, as we mentioned yesterday, has a healthy growl without any drone or obnoxious levels of noise. And the tip, while definitely not in the factory location, is subtle enough to go unnoticed by anybody who doesn’t own an Explorer. Not that the tip matters much in this case; once Scott steps on the pedal, all the other guy will see is tail lights.

Next on the agenda for the TT Explorer is the tuning and the dyno! If there’s one thing your humble narrator enjoys, it’s a good dyno run. Get excited!

 

[bojans]

Will there be video of the dyno run?

 

[Willcall]

I sure hope there will be a vid. This is freakin amazing!!!
-Will

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

did u do a dyno video of it and u should do a drive by video of it too and a start up video too

 

[FluidMotorUnion]

Will there be video of the dyno run?

I sure hope there will be a vid. This is freakin amazing!!!
-Will

did u do a dyno video of it and u should do a drive by video of it too and a start up video too

We will have a video showcasing all of that, don't worry! It's one of my favorite types of media to mess around with, so I never let a bespoke build go silent

Speaking of which, I'll just put this here...

Video's coming!

 

[sport97]

There are not to many people I trust to do work on my car. I would let you guys do anything to mine. Your work is excellent. I'm sure the owner will be very pleased.

BTW, I love the gratuitous weld shots!

 

[GRNMACHINE]

There are not to many people I trust to do work on my car. I would let you guys do anything to mine. Your work is excellent. I'm sure the owner will be very pleased.

BTW, I love the gratuitous weld shots!

So TRue!!!! Let me know if you guys need an OHV V6 "test" vehicle to install/mod fabricate things on.... I can be there by 9am! Heh Heh

 

[FluidMotorUnion]

There are not to many people I trust to do work on my car. I would let you guys do anything to mine. Your work is excellent. I'm sure the owner will be very pleased.

BTW, I love the gratuitous weld shots!

Thanks so much! We're always trying to do something different, and this build is definitely one of those. Appreciate the kind words; just wait until it's finished! It'll be a beast!

So TRue!!!! Let me know if you guys need an OHV V6 "test" vehicle to install/mod fabricate things on.... I can be there by 9am! Heh Heh

We open at 8.

 

[duner]

Very nice guys!