View Single Post
      07-21-2017, 02:27 PM   #1
houtan
Colonel
houtan's Avatar
707
Rep
2,446
Posts

Drives: 2011 135i
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: socal

iTrader: (17)

Garage List
2011 135i  [9.80]
Pure Turbos N55 Stage 2 (PS2) results, reviews, install tips and docs, pictures, etc

I recently finished installing my PS2 turbo and wanted to share my experience with the forum. My goal is to share various bits of information that hopefully help out the next person. I will try to update this thread with whatever I think may be useful or from suggestions you may have. Initially, I plan to add dyno results, logs, race videos, install tips and documents, and pictures. If you have any questions or recommendations, please let me know. Last but not least, use this information at your own risk; I am not responsible for anything that happens to you or your car as a result of this thread. Also check out the cross post on e90 where users share good tips: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...9#post21977089

Before I get into all of the results, details, etc, I want to give a big thanks to Jesse and his staff at Pure Turbos for their superb product and customer support and Ken at Wedge Performance for the excellent tunes; my car rips because of you guys!

There are many reasons why I choose the Pure Turbos Stage 2 for my turbo upgrade. As I mentioned earlier, their customer service is top notch. One conversation with Jesse, who is the owner, and it becomes very clear why the company is successful. I had numerous questions before I made my decision, and he answered all of them. He understands his product well and I know, if for some unforeseen reason I have an issue down the road, that he will do everything within reason to fix the problem. In addition, the PS2 has probably been around and out in the field longer than any other stage two upgrade for the N55, so it has an excellent track record and has proven to be reliable. Lastly, I believe it is an excellent value for the huge bump in performance you get.

I don't know what else I can add about the PS2 that hasn't been said already. The spool time is similar to stock and the pull to redline is addicting. Even at 17-18psi at redline, my car absolutely flies and it's good to know I have at least another 5-6psi of boost left if I decide to get the supporting mods to run it. Day to day driving is similar to stock, which I attribute to both the the turbo and the tune from Ken at Wedge Performance.

The other big part of this upgrade was the tuning. My decision was very simple, I own a DCT car and Ken from Wedge Performance owns one as well. The DCT needs some unique tweaks compared to AT or MT cars, and the benefits of owning a DCT car have shown in my tunes from Wedge. My DCT shifts perfectly and there is zero slip from the stock clutch pack. In addition, Ken has a ton of experience on the N54 and N55 platform as well as MHD. His turn around time on tuning updates is very quick, and the revisions build off of your last tune so you go through an efficient process until you achieve your final tune. Finally, Ken listens to what I want in the tune and makes changes so I am satisfied, which isn’t always the case. If you need an N55 tune, Wedge is the way to go.

Engine mods currently on car:
PS2, Pure inlet, 3.5 inch y-pipe back exhaust, Injen intake, ER CP, DP, ATM intercooler, stage 2 fuel pump, AEM 30-3350 meth kit with Devils Own DO10 single nozzle, n20 plugs gapped at .022, Delphi coilpacks. Full mod list is in garage link.

Videos:
I participated in the No Fly Zone event held in Gila Bend, AZ on 10/22/2017. Unfortunately, the weather was over 90 degrees pretty much the entire day. Waiting to run, IATs would be in the 140 range at the start, but the Meth Injection would bring them down to the 90s very quickly; Meth is Awesome!! Overall, my friends and I had a great time.

My car ran great the entire day (except for the very last run, more on that later). The Pure Turbos Stage 2 turbo performed flawlessly and after a few tweaks to the Wedge Performance tune to dial in boost to around 18psi at redline, I was able to hit my goal of 150MPH. An awesome result considering the run was done when it was around 94 degrees outside.

On the last run of the day, which was the third run in a row, 3/4 of the way down the track the cluster goes dead, shifter light is out, nav screen is out, windshield wipers turn on by themselves, and when I pull over the car just dies. Wouldn't stay started. Got towed back to the parking area and after letting her sit for twenty minutes with the battery disconnected, she started up and went straight to the trailer hahaha. Looking at that particular log, Rail Pressure just crashes, and I see the volts read by the DME shoot up to 17v, which is way to high. Water and oil temps were fine, but maybe the alternator or some electronics got way to hot and just went berserk. Was kind of worrisome at first, but she is running fine so far!

Here are a few of my races. I am also attaching the videos from Newguy's car. He is much more talented at recording races and it will give you a good perspective of how my car stacks up since I have video racing his car and also shows what 4 more psi looks like. His best speed was 159MPH.

Links to datalogs of last three runs. The log the link opens to is the 150MPH pass, which was run 2 of 3. Then there is a log of the run before, where the car fell flat on it's face in 6th from too much fuel I believe. Then the third log is when the car went crazy. https://datazap.me/u/houtan/wedge-e3...og=1&data=4-18


My runs:


Newguy:






Dyno:

FBO PPK 91 octane vs FBO, E30, E-tune: I believe the E30 tune had more power left in it, but I had my PS2 in hand around this time so I didn't invest more time trying to extract more hp. Timing in the top end is more conservative than stock by about 3 or 4 degrees, so there was more power left up top. IIRC, I don't think we were maxing out the turbo at tip in and midrange, so there was probably some room for improvement in that area as well.



[Update 4/24/18]
Got on the dyno to get some numbers. Big thanks to Jesse and the team @PureTurbos, newguy for my emergency Meth refill haha, and WedgePerformance and sbrach for helping me tune my car. Solid results IMO.

PS2 E30 - Dyno of my best pull along with the results with the stock turbo are below. This result is at 20-21ish psi. For some reason, the DCT was shifting a little early so that is why the PS2 graph is a little shorter than the stock turbo graphs. Run number 6 is the datalog, which is below, for the dyno pull. Really happy with the results. She was spitting some nice flames as well

PS2 E30 at 20-21psi vs FBO PPK 91 octane vs FBO, E30, E-tune

PS2 at 20-21psi. Run 6 is the corresponding datalog below.

Fireball 1


Fireball 2


Logs:

PS2 E30 – 4/24/18 dyno logs
Run 1 and 2 (only pull in 4th just to try): https://datazap.me/u/houtan/sbrach-v...olo=22&mark=22

Run 3 and 4: https://datazap.me/u/houtan/sbrach-v...og=0&data=4-18

Run 5: https://datazap.me/u/houtan/sbrach-v...og=0&data=4-18

Run 6, 7, and 8: https://datazap.me/u/houtan/sbrach-v...og=0&data=4-18

Turbo removal and install:
I completed this install at home on jack stands. To be honest, it’s A LOT of work and many steps. The entire install can be done by one person IMO, except for pushing the new turbo back up through the sub frame. The turbofold is about 30 or 40 lbs and I don't think it’s possible for one person to do when working under a car on jack stands (big thanks to @newguy123 for helping me get over this hurdle, thanks brother!). It wouldn't hurt to have someone help remove it as well.

For me, the biggest challenges and most time consuming parts of the install were removing the coolant lines on the turbo and block. They literally are stuck in their locations and it took me hours to remove them. Literally hours!!! Like half a day! Ahh man, I am so glad that is over haha.

I am including everything I used from the bmw instructions in this thread and things I learned along the way are documented below. If anything is missing, please let me know and I will try to add it.

Turbo removal and reinstall notes:
- look at this thread: (http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45828). Thanks to the OP for creating it and also taking the time to answer some questions.
- remove the coolant expansion tank, it gives much more room to remove the manifold bolts and is very easy to remove.
- when removing the turbofold through the subframe, angle the turbofold toward front of car and toward center to get it through the opening between the subframe and the car. This angle gets you just enough room to allow the waste gate to clear. It's hard to explain, but if you are down there doing it, it should make sense. There is only one particular angle the turbofold will fit through.
- get another set of hands to install the turbofold. It's heavy and tough to maneuver through a small opening at a specific angle, especially when laying on the floor.
- use HF trim tool to remove manifold gaskets and they will come out easily. I initially started with a pic and it kept breaking the gasket apart. It would have taken forever this way. (picture below)
- for the coolant lines, all I can say is wiggle and pull and eventually you will feel them loosen. You can try to use a screw driver to pry, but be careful not to damage anything. I ended up getting the big coolant line out by just pulling and wiggling for a few hours.
- the two coolant lines off of turbo are difficult as there are two lines held on by one screw with the bracket for each line overlapping each other. The bracket for the lower line is below line coming off of top, so remove top line first; I ended up man handling the top line to get it to break free, which bent the hard pipe portion of the line. Then the lower pipe was seized so I used a pry bar and mallet, which ruined that one. Replacements are about $45 each. Sucks, but that's what I had to do to get them off. (Some members indicated they removed these lines after dropping the turbo. Definitely gives you more room to work. But still PITA and still may need to be replaced)
- loosen the hose clamp going to the large hard coolant pipe so you can move the hard pipe up and out of the way
- put gaskets on manifold before installing.
- when installing turbofold, watch top row of nuts. If one nut is not screwed down far enough and another nut gets tightened too much, a nut may be sticking out too far and will get pinched between itself and the manifold, making it impossible to get a socket on it. Hard to explain but this was a large amount of rework for me as I buttoned down all the nuts snug, one nut in the top row was only partially threaded on and with the manifold snugged down, I was not able to get a socket on it. So I had to loosen all of the nuts!
- if you upgrade to the GFB diverter valve, it will block the torx screw for the oil line behind it. Some use a hex head bolt to fix the issue. I have heard of others installing the GFB diverter valve after the turbofold is installed. I found that a 4mm allen was a snug fit so I cut the allen a little to get it to fit in the tight space and it worked like a charm. The torque on the oil line and coolant line torx screws is around 8nm, and I was able to get much tighter than that without having the allen slip off the torx screw. (picture of allen below)

Alternate way to install the GFB DV is to install it after the turbofold is installed onto the head. That way you can tighten the oil line torx screw, and then install the DV. Multiple people have told me they installed the DV this way.


Misc notes:
- There are two sets of small o rings in the Pure Turbos install kit. One is for the turbo oil lines, the other is for turbo coolant lines. They look similar, but are actually slightly different so make sure you use the right o ring for the right hose
- lubricate all o rings and hoses before installing. Some say it is safe to put a small dab of motor oil on all o rings and coolant quick disconnects. I ended up using oil for oil lines, and corning DC4 silicone lube for all other o rings and hoses.
- if you use the HF engine support, put some painters tape on your fenders to prevent any marring.
- if you are using the HF engine support, when not working on the car, use a jack to help support the motor by jacking up on the exposed corner of the block near the transmission. Probably don't need to do this, but I am paranoid and wanted to help the HF engine support hold the weight of the motor since my car was sitting for long periods of time until I could work on it again.
- buy or make a boost leak tester! Once you have everything installed, do a boost leak test before installing the under tray. This will save you so much time! Nothing more annoying than finding out you have a boost leak after finishing the install and seeing a boost leak in your logs. Also, it is hard to judge how tight to make the hose clamp on the pipe coming off of the turbo because it is fragile. If you over tighten, it may crack or deform. The boost leak test will help you understand if you have the hose clamp tight enough without over tightening it. This company sells the tester, but I ended up making one (http://turboboostleaktesters.com/).

Pictures:
Stock compressor


PS2 compressor


Stock turbine


PS2 turbine


Coolant lines coming off of turbo. The line coming from the top goes over the line coming from the bottom. So try to get the top line loose first. I could not save these they were so seized and ended up buying new replacements. About $45 each I believe.


This is a picture shows the number of threads on my waste gate arm prior to moving over the waste gate to the PS2. You want to replicate the number of threads when you transfer over. I used blue Loctite.


Harbor freight engine support bar and painters tape on fender for protection.



This is where I placed my jack to help support the motor from the lower side when not working on my car or when trying to get a little space to remove/reinstall the engine mount and arm.



Harbor freight tool that was perfect for removing turbofold gaskets from head. This tool comes in a panel removal kit from HF.



Shortened 4mm allen to tightened torx bolt covered by GFB DV during reinstallation of turbo.
Attached Images
File Type: pdf R&R Cooling System.pdf (1.75 MB, 1861 views)
File Type: pdf R&R Turbocharger.pdf (3.41 MB, 3065 views)
File Type: pdf Torque Spec - All.pdf (582.0 KB, 871 views)

Last edited by houtan; 05-02-2018 at 12:50 PM.. Reason: Adding additional method for coolant lines off of turbo
Appreciate 9
Turbod395.50
OTN5538.50
Xer0449101.50
135j22.50
AndyW667.50