NA into FI?

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:25 pm

well i recently purchased yet another engine (attached to a car lol) for my 87 RX - luckily (or unluckily) enough it was an 89 MPFI that just happens to have FI heads on it! (yes that's right). i was going to part out the engine and the car, but i've just thought of something i might be able to to.

obviously the NA has higher compression pistons, but considering i have a WAIC for the engine, could I just swap the FI stuff over to the NA engine and run with a higher compression engine? i'll just back the timing off a bit to compensate. has it been done?

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:42 pm

It has been done by people on the USMB? Reports by those in here of not too successful, but I wanna try it myself one day, intending to do it NA block, efi heads and manifold LPG fed- first into Brumby then whack the turbo bits on later stage once I get EA82 settled in.

Check list is that your NA efi block has the rear breather tube RHS feeding the baffle plate behind drive plate/ flywheel and casting boss taper threaded to accept the knock sensor. Sure you will find both. Imagine the power developed outta that combo

and no need to increase boost, just wind ignition back a bit, keep good fuel into it....

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 9:58 pm

Isn't that the heads from EFI engine?
Cheers
AP

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:08 am

Yeah, I suppose the holes could be drilled and tapped into the turbo side head for oil feed and return without head removal getting some swarf into sump. Turbo heads are same as NA efi heads other than the oil holes and originally the turbo exhaust valves were thicker in valve itself.

Spike the sump like after market Cruiser Diesel turbo kits and get oil from T piece off ol pump !!

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:11 am

why has it not been successful? using the NA ems (ie with no knock sensor)?

which would be better in terms of ems - the NA one with no knock sensor - a 4 plug ems, or my FI ems with a knock sensor, but it's a 3 plug????

heads - they have the coolant and oil pipes there ready to go. just unscrew the blocking bolts and it's right to go

but i'm doing to do more checks today. while i think of it - what compression should the engine have? 9.5:1? (any idea on what the dynamic (in psi) should be using a compression tester?)

another good point - NA cams

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:40 am

what do you mean by "FI" ?

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:44 am

forced induction

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:09 pm

may need to search USMB but sure they went,but maybe not too long - who knows what sort of boost they gave them or what condition NA motor was in in the first place, whether they considered other things you consider such as knock control.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:15 pm

The oil pipes are on your NA efi head already? Who knows what has gone on in twenty years.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:51 pm

It's possible you do actually have a fully turbo motor but at some stage the turbo died or something and the owner opted to "convert" it to just n/a.

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:27 pm

i certainly wouldnt be going much about stocko boost. majority of the time stock, a few extra psi when required but certainly not often!

yeah oil pipes on the heads - just plugged up.

FI converted into NA is possible - will see what compression tests give me and that should be a pretty good indicator. my current EA82T has a max of about 130psi on the cylinders i think and i thought that was pretty good. my astina (with 9.7:1 compression ratio and big cams) has about 170-180psi per cylinder so if it's something similar to that on this current engine it's a NA engine with FI heads for sure.

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 3:17 pm

and it's an NA engine with FI heads. the compression ratio is all 180 (3 is 185). no exhaust gas in the radiator - so looks like the engine is in pretty good shape too

the block has the spot for the knock sensor and the breather tube right behind it in use - i assume that's the tube you were referring to jonno

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:01 pm

That's the tube. When I shove turbo mpfi heads on NA carb block without turbo I plan to use hose off the heads oil return hose for a breather as the carb block not have one.

You are a few steps ahead of me, wonder if it was a turboed engine gone back to plain efi car? Yeah, supposed to be 130 psi in new condition for 7.7:1 comp ratio in EA82T

My Gregories states the 85 EA82 should be 1108 kPa, and 86 87 model 1079kPa

For what it is worth to you, my Gas Guru 'simply' whacked a turbo on his NA motor on LPG and staked the advance mechanism , so there was no advance, no decompression plates or pistons and it has been a reliable beast with more go and more economy - setting the seed for my ideas....

From someone who knows no mathematical theory in this case of turbos, compression ratios etc, surely a starting comp of 180 and add 6 psi of boost must be like 7.7:1 ratio on 10 or 12 psi of boost

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:34 pm

interesting on the 1079kpa - 180psi = 1241kpa. it's an 89 engine though (8#####) engine number, so surely one of the last EA82 blocks built

i know with my astina engine, guys put turbos on them all the time with stocko internals. they do blow, but that's because the rods are made out of balsa wood. good rods and they last for ever

the thing that's making me really want to do this is i have a waic - helps so much!

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:41 pm

They still made L Series EA82 into 92 or 94 didn't they? The Brumby EA81 stopped in 94

Go ahead, do it if you can, then you can be the Aussie to have done it, just not into an interstate running car in case....

Funny you have a WAIC and you wanna build this all around it. I have just scored a left hand tail light assembly from a 2003 Forester (with a small hole in unused lens). I am wondering when I am gonna grow up, get sick of stuffing around with old cars, sell the lot and get myself a 2003 Manual Forester and a trailer .. new job , life....

twilightprotege · Post by **twilightprotege** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:07 pm

not really building it around the waic - i just have the parts to try a few things out and other parts that make it safer lol