KA24DET Downpipe Fitment Help

[Hoffman5982]

Hey guys, I have a dilemma. I'm finishing my KA-T setup and was hoping to have it sitting back in the car tomorrow. Today I got the transmission stabbed and put the turbo elbow on and noticed it was extremely close to the trans. I attached the downpipe and it looks to me like it isn't where it should be.

The setup is a hybrid KA/SR manifold, 2871 turbo, Tomei Elbow, and ISIS DP. The manifold was given to me because the guy "decided he wasn't going to use it" or because he found out he couldn't use it. I've heard of downpipes with these bottom mount KA setups hitting the floor of the car because they need to be a hair longer, but I don't know if that's the case here. Let me know what you think! I don't want to put it back in until I figure this out for sure. Thanks!

[Standard]

Based on the pics alone, I think you'll be fine. The trans mount bracket looks like the only questionable part, it is ISIS so... yeah. Even if it would be slightly off though, nothing a bfh or a pry couldn't adjust, good luck man!

[brndck]

yeah, as long as the flange where the turbo elbow mates to the DownPipe isn't hitting the trans, you should be good.

I would for sure recommend cutting off that L-bracket (the one that should mount to the trans) and relocating it better so it bolts up properly to the trans. it will save you from having to replace elbow/downpipe gaskets in the future

[randyjordan]

you would have to extend the downpipe vertically so it doesnt hit your floor

[Hoffman5982]

Originally Posted by brndck

yeah, as long as the flange where the turbo elbow mates to the DownPipe isn't hitting the trans, you should be good.

I would for sure recommend cutting off that L-bracket (the one that should mount to the trans) and relocating it better so it bolts up properly to the trans. it will save you from having to replace elbow/downpipe gaskets in the future

Hypothetically speaking, what if it did hit the trans

[Ratpack_Chad]

Mine was always super close to the trans before i got my PBM flex. No issues.

[derass]

I think a Tomei turbo manifold would solve your problem. It's designed to place the turbo in the factory SR location so that you can use all of the SR exhaust parts that are already on the market, such as your elbow and downpipe. The cat and exhaust follow the same path for both KA and SR engines.

[DomChan]

Based off of my own readings on zilvia and the Internet, I haven't seen people run into issues running the ISR downpipe, in fact, they say it hangs up well compared to the Megan flex DP and haven't seen anything about clearance issues.

Most likely the hybrid manifold is causing the issues. I'm sure you know this, but might be a good idea to secure the trans mount somehow, else those vibrations could be issues in the long term for your turbo studs and manifold.

This is all my speculation, correct me if I'm wrong about ISR downpipe clearance.

[mewantkouki]

Hybrid manifold is the problem. The flange that was welded on isn't the same thickness as the stock sr flanges that were cut off. The manifold is now closer to the head, that's why it has problems clearing the transmission. Nismo motor mounts and that setup won't work. You'll need soggy stock mounts to clear the floor. Depending on how your manifold was welded & what flange was put on the downpipe might hit the bellhousing. A PBM or circuit sports one piece downpipe will work with a ka-t setup using the tomei cast iron manifold.

[Hoffman5982]

Thank you guys for all the input. I went ahead and threw the motor in and will see shortly if it's going to clear. If not, I'll be having CodyAce make me a proper hybrid manifold

[Hoffman5982]

Ok, it's going to work. The downpipe slightly hits the floor where it bends upwards into the firewall, but I have a hammer for that. It only needs a few mm of persuasion. As mewantkouki said, if I was using stock mounts it would be more than fine, but I'm running Megan mounts which raised the motor.

[spooled240]

You might need more clearance than that since the engine will move counter-clockwise under load. It's kinda mickey mouse, but you could get a 3 bolt flange between the outlet pipe and the downpipe to get more clearance. More of a reversible modification than the BFH approach.

[240sxScores]

I have a CodyAce modded manifold on my KA and had to get my cx racing downpipe extended to comfortably clear the floor board. The further away the downpipe is, the less heat will transfer into the carpet/ floor/ feet. Its win win.

[Ilya]

Originally Posted by spooled240

You might need more clearance than that since the engine will move counter-clockwise under load. It's kinda mickey mouse, but you could get a 3 bolt flange between the outlet pipe and the downpipe to get more clearance. More of a reversible modification than the BFH approach.

I was going to say the exact same thing. Use a flange or two as a spacer between downpipe and turbo elbow to give you some extra verticals length.

Heads up to those looking for a new product to make:
Make downpipe extensions that are between 0.5-3" in lengths, that are in 0.5" increments. So I can go and measure how much my downpipe needs to be extended, and order the spacer that size.

Never mind: http://m.ebay.com/itm/151273899334?_...98&_mwBanner=1

[Hoffman5982]

^I think that would have been too much. I ended up ordering a 1/2" thick flange and with that on top of massaging the floor in a little, there is plenty of clearance. Also, we need a 2.75" 3bolt flange, not 3" like I originally thought

[Ilya]

Originally Posted by Hoffman5982

^I think that would have been too much. I ended up ordering a 1/2" thick flange and with that on top of massaging the floor in a little, there is plenty of clearance. Also, we need a 2.75" 3bolt flange, not 3" like I originally thought

Can you snap a pic and post, that would really help some people understand what we are talking about.

Nice job!

[Hoffman5982]

Ok so I finally got it permanently mounted today. Once I added both gaskets, the studs on the tomei elbow were not long enough, so I backed them out and replaced them with bolts. If you have to do this go to home depot, not Lowe's. They are m10 x 1.25 and the ones at Lowe's have a 17mm head, which is too big. The ones at HD have a 13mm flange head and it's also a serrated flange which is better. I went with 50mm length bolts which were perfect. Here's some pics of the fitment. You can see where I had to cut a rib out of the bellhousing. Also, the flange I got as a spacer is a 1/2" thick 2.75" 3 bolt flange.

You can see I ended up with plenty of clearance. I also had to massage the floor a hair towards the back

[Ilya]

Did the downpipe match up to the exhaust?

[Hoffman5982]

Originally Posted by Ilya

Did the downpipe match up to the exhaust?

With some force it did, but there's a lot of pressure on it. If I don't at least weld in a flex joint I will have cracks in the near future. It's a mixture of the manifold not being perfect and my exhaust being messed up from a drift accident(it bolted up fine before going turbo). The plan is once I get it tuned I'm going to get custom piping made to meet up with my RS*R exmag muffler. This exhaust never fit great anyways. It hung down pretty low and could have very easily been tucked up better. ~$500 not well spent

[Ilya]

I plan doing a very similar setup for my car with a T25 and SR Megan Downpipe. Im going to make sure I have a few of those "Flange-Spacers".

Where did you source such thick flanges?

[Hoffman5982]

eBay. Heads up, you need 2.75" flanges, not 3". Most of the flanges I saw were 1/2", which is what I got. The gaskets make it a little more.

[Hoffman5982]

eBay. Heads up, you need a 2.75" flange, not 3". Most of the ones I saw were 1/2" thick which is what I got.

Here is what I got:http://www.ebay.com/itm/192149028997...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

You could most likely get one for cheaper. I needed mine quick and this seller had the quickest estimated arrival at the time.

Double post fail

[Ilya]

The other option you have is to add a flange as a spacer between the turbo and the manifold, making the turbo sit lower. I have seen the RB guys use this method to get the turbo elbow spaced properly away from the steering shaft.

I saw in your pictures the big bundle of stainless steel lines for oil and water cooling. May I bother you for the lengths?

[Hoffman5982]

Originally Posted by Ilya

The other option you have is to add a flange as a spacer between the turbo and the manifold, making the turbo sit lower. I have seen the RB guys use this method to get the turbo elbow spaced properly away from the steering shaft.

I saw in your pictures the big bundle of stainless steel lines for oil and water cooling. May I bother you for the lengths?

Damn, that's a good idea!

As for the lines, I honestly can't tell you because I didn't measure. What I can tell you is I ordered 10' of -6AN and have about 3 feet leftover. I order 4' of -4AN for the oil feed and have about a foot and a half left. Here's some better pics of how I ran them:






Sorry I'm not more help. I should have measured them. What I can also tell you is it is going to be an absolute nightmare if I ever have to work on them lol. The coolant line running under the turbo and to the outter port clears the turbo/elbow fine, but I am going to wrap it with heat shielding just to be safe. I've driven the car a few times and let the car get nice and heated up and it isn't a problem, but I don't want to take that chance on a track day.

[derass]

Very nice oil and water lines, well done!

[Ilya]

The more pictures you post the more questions I have to replicate your set up because it looks so well done.
I like the oil sandwich plate and would like to know which one it is?
How and where did you tap your pan(fitting type etc)?

[Hoffman5982]

Originally Posted by Ilya

The more pictures you post the more questions I have to replicate your set up because it looks so well done.
I like the oil sandwich plate and would like to know which one it is?
How and where did you tap your pan(fitting type etc)?

The sandwich plate is a $20 ebay special. I ran the same one on my SR for years with no leaks or anything, but I lost the fitting needed for KA. Here's a picture of the oil pan drain setup. I got the oil pan a while back already tapped. It is just a barb fitting welded in. I had the hose laying around and it fit perfectly after some trimming. It is 3/4" ID hose and the setup clears the ac compressor perfectly.

Also, for the oil feed they recommended a restrictor. I went with this one. Twisted Motion says it has a built in restrictor but then they say the recommend using another, which is weird. I have a 45* fitting coming off of that:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262579762314...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

And this is the oil drain fitting. I had to widen the mounting holes to fit and used a genuine oem gasket:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291856171807...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Here's a better pic of the drain setup:

[Ilya]

I'm really enjoying your work!!!! Very inspirational.
Do you have a photo of your water source?
About the EGR, I see that you removed yours. I have to keep mine due to cali or at least make it look like I have one, so I was thinking of adding the egr block off plate between the egr and the manifold. This way it looks like it's there, and operates, but it is not really sucking in gas, while leaving the the gas tube disconnected by the exhaust manifold(maybe add a cap to it. Any opinions on this?

[Hoffman5982]

Thanks man. This is the only pic I have


Before this I had deleted the lines running through the throttle body by looping this line to the one further back under the manifold. I just used one as the feed and the other as the return for the turbo. You can see the other line in the last picture of the lines I posted previously.

As for the EGR, I don't have much of an opinion. When I got the car it had no motor. I bought this motor and before dropping it in I resealed it and went through deleting everything I possibly could, so I never experienced what the motor felt like with the egr vs without, performance wise. I mainly did it to clean things up under there. Do they just do a visual check for the egr there or will deleting it mess with your emissions numbers and fail the test? If it's just visual then your suggestion would be fine.

[w0nderbr3ad]

Just put an EGR cap on. I had used one before I ripped all the EGR stuff off.