RockVegas
Sport Mode
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2005
- Location
- Rock Hill, South Carolina
The "D.I.Y. Manual Boost Controller"
....Home Depot? style
Found at http://www.geocities.com/chmwatson/FAQs/mbc.html[/b]
....Home Depot? style
Found at http://www.geocities.com/chmwatson/FAQs/mbc.html[/b]
This controller was conceived from deep within a tight pocket, along side the lint and gum wrappers. There are two reasons I made my own MBC. First, I was not going to spend money on an expensive MBC (though I did want something that would properly and effectively control boost). Second there was the challenge to build it and be able to think "heh.. see.. I didn't need to spend 50 or 100bux to buy a pre-made one!"
Since a fellow Club DSM Canada member shared the basic idea behind this controller with me, thanx Steve
I'm sharing it with you... If you have even the slightest bit of mechanical ability you can make one of these; building this MBC won't cost you more than about $12 in parts from the local hardware store and an hour or two of your time... NOTE: Before making and installing a MBC you MUST have a Boost Gauge installed to monitor the changes you will be making while adjusting your boost. Failing to do so may result in nasty engine destroying demons attacking your engine. I would also highly recommend doing the fuel pump rewire mod if you plan on increasing boost beyond 15 pounds
the parts:
all of the following parts should be available at the local hardware store, in my case, it was Home Depot in the air tool section.
- 1/4" NPT Tee (I'll refer to it as the 'Body')
- 1/4" Male NPT coupling
- 1/4" Female NPT x 3/16" hose barb
- 1/4" Male NPT x 3/16" hose barb
- 5/16"-18 x 1 1/2" SHCS (I'll refer to it as a 'Bolt')
- 5/16-18 Jam Nut
- 1/4" dia ball bearing (I actually purchased mine from a bicycle shop)
- Spring ~ 1.69" lg x 3/16" dia
- Straight thru 3/16" plastic hose barb coupling (commonly used in windshield wiper systems)
- length of 3/16" I.D. vacuum hose to connect MBC
the tools:
- drill
- 1/32" drill bit (to drill vent hole in plastic straight thru coupling)
- 5/16"-18 UNC tap
- hack saw
- teflon tape
the procedure:
1. Cut the top part off the coupling using a hacksaw as shown.
I will refer to this piece as the "Cap"
2. This is what the Cap will look like after being cut. Discard the piece you cut off.
3. Since the hole thru the fitting is already slightly over .257" (required taps size for a 5/16-18UNC thread) drilling to the correct size to tap is not necessary. Tap the Cap all the way thru. Make sure the hole is tapped straight (concentric to the hole)
4. Take the jam nut and thread it part way up the Bolt. Wrap the Bolt with Teflon tape, to prevent air leaking between the threads, and thread the Bolt and nut into the Cap, place aside for now. I will refer to this as the 'Cap Assembly'.
5. Use some teflon tape when threading the following together... take the male hose barb and thread it onto one end of the tee. Take the female hose barb fitting and thread it onto the middle part of the tee.
6. Place the ball bearing into the tee, so that it is now sitting at the bottom against the Base. Gently follow with placing the spring down on top of the bearing. Now take the Cap assembly and using some teflon tape thread it into the tee.
Note: The dimensions I have given for the spring are what worked for me. Your spring will have a different 'rate' and therefore will act differently, a little experimentation for length and compression is required to find what works for you. MAKE SURE the compression on the spring (from the Bolt) is completely released and increase compression on it, which increases boost, gradually.
6.1 Here is a basic cutaway view of what the internals will look like once the controller is completely assembled. Because the spring is sized closely to the inside of the Body, there is no need to modify the Body or spring to eliminate any lateral deflection that might occur if the clearance between the two components been greater.
As a side note, a second ball bearing can be added between the spring and the Bolt. I've found though, that due to the spring's size, it seats fairly well on the Bolt without binding (which could cause problems with adjustment accuracy) and doesn't require it.
7. Carefully drill a small (1/32") hole into the body of the MBC as shown by the arrow in the cut away aside. With the bleeder hole in this position the same end result is achieved as with the coupling, but it reduces the number of parts required to fabricate and install the MBC.
The bleeder hole is not large enough to affect the signal to the Waste Gate but it is necessary to gently vent off excess vacuum or pressure in the line which causes a type of signal lock. If the hole wasn't put in, the controller would have difficulty controlling boost above about 15 pounds.
8. Attach this 'bleeder' to the fitting on the side of the MBC with silicone hose. Attach a piece of silicon hose to the other side of the 'bleeder' this line now goes to the waste gate.
9. Take another piece of silicone hose and attach one end to the Base of the MBC and the other will tee into the signal line between the BOV and the manifold.
Refer to the above Schematic for a visual layout of what I have just explained
the result:
You can now begin to adjust your boost by turning the Bolt in or out of the Cap (turning the Bolt in, will increase boost; turning it out will decrease it). This places resistance, thru the spring, onto ball bearing which will reduce or increase the signal that the waste gate sees (thus controlling the boost). Once you find the 'sweet spot' of the controller, you will notice that it should only take minor adjustments to the Bolt to increase or decrease boost. Once you have achieved the desired boost setting, snug the Jam Nut against the Cap to lock the position of the Bolt.
Additional installation and adjustment
You will require:
- length of 1/8" I.D. vacuum hose [or equivalent]
- (1) 1/8" plastic tee [or equivalent]
- (2) 1/8" rubber cap [or equivalent, a piece of vacuum hose with a bolt will work too)
- zip ties
Procedure:
1. Determine where you wish to mount the MBC. Find an area that is easily accessible, so it can be adjusted without difficulty. Mounting to the radiator cooling fan shroud as seen in the aside picture, for example, is convenient.
2. Before connecting the boost controller you must disconnect the BCS (Boost Control Solenoid) plumbing from the waste gate, air can and turbo outlet.
Note: If you have the Knock LED mod installed in your car you likely have the resistor1 installed inline with the LED circuit and must leave the BCS connected electrically. If you do not have the Knock LED mod, or wish to remove the resistor1 from it?s ?inline? position, you can install the resistor1 into the connector for the BCS after removing it.
-For information on the Knock LED mod see the following url http://members.home.net/dsmweb/ledmod/ courtesy of Damian Sigman
-resistor1 is the appropriate resistor value for the LED used in the above mod, either as described in the mod, or calculated for your specific LED
3. Using the below plumbing schematic, cut the vacuum hose to an appropriate length and connect to the MBC. Secure all connections with zip ties and the MBC in it?s mounting position.
4. Cap off the nipple on the air can and the turbo outlet with the rubber caps. Secure them with a zip tie as the example in the aside picture depicts for the turbo outlet.
NOTE: due to minor revisions to the MBC it is no longer necessary to install a straight through coupling with a small hole, described as the ?Bleeder? in my FAQ. The bleed feature has now been incorporated into the body of the MBC (small hole drilled into the body)
Adjusting the MBC:
It is critical that the MBC be adjusted before you drive your car under sustained boosted conditions; Failing to do so could result in boost levels higher than the engine maybe capable of maintaining, leading to possible engine damage. I have preset the MBC at approximately 15psi of boost to provide a basic adjustment starting point. This may be slightly higher or lower on your car.
After you have installed the MBC, gently drive your car in a controlled environment (ie. empty parking lot or unused country road) gradually ease on the accelerator building boost and noting maximum pressure on the boost gauge. Under any circumstance DO NOT operate your car over the maximum known sustainable boost pressure according to other modifications completed. If you are not sure what the maximum sustainable boost pressure for your DSM is, do not exceed 13psi.
To Increase boost:
Loosen the jam nut off gently and turn the bolt in (clockwise). Adjustments are very minute, so do them in small increments, adjust, test, adjust, test?etc. failing to do so could result in generating extremely high boost levels and damaging your engine.
To Decrease boost:
Loosen the jam nut off gently and turn the bolt out (anti-clockwise). Adjustments are very minute, so do them in small increments.
Once you have achieved your desired boost level setting, tighten the jam nut down against the body of the MBC. This will lock the bolt into place.
Failing to tighten the jam nut could result in the bolt backing itself out which would create higher than desired boost levels. The worst case would be loss of the bolt and internal components, resulting in complete loss of control over boost.
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