Has anyone had their Turbo tweaked

[DiscoTDI]

I am pondering having my turbo and fuel pump "adjusted", I have been asured that this will not have any ill effects on my vehicle, and will increase my power.

The question is, has any one done this and if so what has the outcome been

Thanks

Scott

[Shifter]

I would be pleased to hear from anyone who has their turbo tweaked. I am considering getting mine done, 1997 Disco 300TDI.

[one_iota]

DiscoTDI,

You may have come across this already, but any way here it is.

http://www.lrenthusiastforum.com/ubbthread...sb=5&o=0&fpart= (http://www.lrenthusiastforum.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=LR_technical&Number=91564&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=)



I don't know anyone who has done this.

[crawfy]

I'll be honest with you I looked at tweaking the Disco Turbo, I read the LR enthusuaist thread, spoke to some LR Legend's!!!!! 8) I came to the conclusion that yes by tweaking the turbo you can increase your Power,but at the end of the day, " Why did LR place this seal over the adjustment screw" ?, My mate in SA did the same to his 130, found he increased hispower, but found that he had a large increase in smoke on his take off, he then readjusted the screw which fixed it for a while but then found his vehicle started to run hot? So he ended up taking it back to a LR Specialest here in SA, who then readjusted it back to what it should have been. He now has a larger intercooler, which has increased his power marginally, like one of my previous Post's I have found by increasing the intercooler size and installing a J&N air filter ( Like K&N but made in France) I have increasedmy power by 15-25%. Mind you I have also noticed better power and fuel economy when I run Shell or Mobil Diesel!!!! might be a interesting post in that???
So my point is yes in England there are guy's willing to change there Turbo setting's, and have found that it is ok, but here in Aus we have different Temperature's and climate, so hence I would be very wary of changing my Turbo setting'd style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif
Mind you ther will be guy's who will disagree and hey that's ok that's what this site is all about,getting as much info out there so we can all make educated decision's based on other peoples experiences and mistakes. 8)

[pug303]

Hi, I did mine about 18 months ago and it is great!!!!! I have a 95 300 tdi and I unpgraded the intercooler with a better core and then made the adjustments as per the LR site.

I fitted an exhaust gas temp gauge and am able to watch the outcome. Temps can run high but with modest fuel settings are quite OK. Even my wife reckons it's the best thing ever (it's her truck, she thinks!?). I have a friend with a 100 series with aftermarket turbo and intercooler and with matching camper trailers I can hold him anywhere.

My guess, based on time to 100km, is that it's 25-30% better. Slight fuel economy cost, maybe a couple of miles to the gallon, but still always manage better than 12 litre/100km.

Happy to discuss in more dfetail what I did if anyone wants. It is my belief that the $700 for the better intercooler was well worth spending as it improved turbo pressure at the manifold by 3 or 4 lbs.

I have not had any ill effects and I think I would have done at least 30,000 km since it was done, including some fast hot runs in Qld with the camper behind.

Incidently the adjustments some of the poms talk about seem way out there. I'm not anywhere near the extent they recommend.

Cheers

Jim

[crawfy]

I'd be interested in your setting's style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif As I am only going on what other people have done!! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[pug303]

Hi, my settings currently are as follows:

. Main Fuel, returned to zero - had up to 1.5 turns on but this results in too high EGT.

. Diaphragm - 45 degrees

. Star Wheel - 45 degrees

. Torx - 3/4 turn, still a bit of smoke on lift off so i may come back slightly more.

Cheers

Jim

[crawfy]

Thanks Fella, I might actually have a look at this!! 8)
And you have honestly had no prob's? :wink:

[pug303]

Hi, no worries at all and on reflection it's probably getting on for 2 years now. There is a guy (thermoman) who makes the exhaust gauges and that is a useful safety feature.

Cheers

Jim

[DiscoTDI]

Thanks for the info guys you have given me something to think about now, one thing is that I live in Ipswich Qld where it gets bloody hot in summer plus I am looking at a few trips to Alice Springs so if heat is a factor it will be a serious consideration


Scott

[CraigE]

I have spoken to people who have done this mod with no real ill effects. You will get more smoke as it is actually the smoke control that is adjusted. Just be aware that by making this mod your vehicle may not pass a vehicle smog/emmission test. In England a lot of guys have done this and have to switch the settings back prior to their MOT annual inspections. The better option is may be to increase boost on the turbo slightly and fit a bigger intercooler. I have a TD5 and plan to add a bigger intercooler and a aftermarket chip. The graph I have been shown shows a dramatic increase in power alledgedlly up to 173kw. The cost for this set up is around $1900 fitted. Jordan Rover Tech and Discovery Automotive in Perth fit these mods.

[GrahamF]

Hi Jim,

What (larger) intercooler did you use? I have a 300TDi '95 Disco, and am looking at a larger intercooler (currently thinking of the UK-sourced allipsort, add-on model, which is about 370quid + P&P). Any suggestions for an OZ-based supplier?

Cheers

Graham

[Shifter]

G'day Guys,

Pug if your out there, could you give me details on exactly where you got your exhaust gas temperature gauge.
I adjusted the diaphragm about 20 deg over the weekend and it has made a striking difference, especially now the suction to the T/B is now very clean and a new fiter has been fitted. You can actually here the turbo spool up.
Shifter.

[pug303]

Hi Shifter, sorry for the delay in replying, I've been away.

I got my EGT from Ian Petersen who I think had an email address of thermoman@bigpond.com It was either bigpond or hotmail, but I can't remember which. I have had computer problems so I haven't got my old mail but I may have the definite one at work. I'll chase it up on Monday and get back to you.

Cheers

Jim

[pug303]

Hi, I checked the email address on another forum (landroverenthusiasts) it is ThermoMan@bigpond.com

I will alert him to your interest.

Cheers

Jim

[Shifter]

Pug,

Thanks very much. I did some playing at the weekend, tweaking the smoke screw, diaphragm position and the star wheel. It made a considerable difference to performance and smoke discharge. I then put every thing back to how it was with just a slight tweak on the diaphragm position. Seems to give a little better power at mid range. However before I start in earnest I would like to fit a boost gauge and an exhaust temperature gauge to really see what is going on and what effect the various adjustment have on the engine.

I'll drop that guy a line.

Thanks and regards,


Shifter.

[Leo109]

Originally posted by crawfy
I'll be honest with you I looked at tweaking the Disco Turbo, I read the LR enthusuaist thread, spoke to some LR Legend's!!!!! 8) I came to the conclusion that yes by tweaking the turbo you can increase your Power,but at the end of the day, " Why did LR place this seal over the adjustment screw" ... So my point is yes in England there are guy's willing to change there Turbo setting's, and have found that it is ok, but here in Aus we have different Temperature's and climate, so hence I would be very wary of changing my Turbo setting'd style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif 8)

Hi All,

I haven't spent much time on this forum but, having noticed my name mentioned on this thread, thought I'd toss in two cents worth...

Crawfy, if you're still out there, there seems to be a bit of confusion here over what we're talking about. You talk about "turbo tweaking" but it's really about external injection pump adjustments. With the standard turbo, intercooler and boost pressure settings, you can get appreciable and satisfactory improvements in a Tdi's performance - without moving the 'sealed' adjustment screw and without too much smoke.

The core of all the Tdi 'tuning' threads is making adjustments to the boost compensator (aka: manifold-pressure compensator, aneroid). This changes the relationship between the full-throttle fuel charge and boost pressure, as it climbs from zero (at idle) to full (around 1.0 bar) (typically at around 1900 - 2000 rpm at full throttle in a manual). The factory settings of the Tdi compensator appear to be very conservative to ensure very low (read: zilch) smoke emissions on every vehicle leaving the production line. There seems plenty of scope to lift off-boost and low-mid rpm performance appreciably, without generating too much smoke.

I agree it's potentially dangerous to increase the maximum fuel delivery by 'playing' with the 'sealed' screw in the back of the Bosch VE pump. And even 'sensible' boost compensator adjustments can result in dangerously high EGT. So, while having an obvious vested interest but knowing what I've learned in working on my own 300Tdi, I really wouldn't make fuelling adjustments beyond the basic off-boost setting of the diaphragm stop screw (erroneously called the 'smoke screw' - hate that term!) without fitting an EGT gauge.

But back to the original question of this thread - yes, I've done the 'tuning' thing. It's been running excellently for nearly three years and 70,000 km now and no discernable ill effects. But remember, there's no such thing as a free lunch: if you improve the power/torque output of any engine, it must be working harder at least some of the time, and components may wear-out sooner than they otherwise would. If you get things seriously wrong (or don't fit an EGT gauge!), they may well 'wear-out' a lot sooner...

[merlin]

I am about to trade my 1993 3.9 V8 on a 1996 Diesel Disco (for enconomy reasons) we do about 600 kms a week in school trips alone !

With a noticable power difference I am interested in what I can get out of the Diesel without compromising the engine too much hence I am interested to know where I can get a larger Intercooler from and also the J&N air filter referred to in earlier posts

I live in SA so any local info would be great !

[CraigE]

Try Jag Spares in Adelaide. I believe that there is another Jag/Rover high performance specialist in Adelaide from memory, I think in Nailsworth. If no luck try Jordan Rovertech in Perth, Rover high performance specialists or Discovery Automotive in Perth (Wangara) as I know they can supply bigger intercoolers. If you have a TD5 a intercooler/chip option is available for about $1700 kit and $1900 fitted that will increase power to 175 kw odd.

[Leo109]

Originally posted by merlin
I am about to trade my 1993 3.9 V8 on a 1996 Diesel Disco (for enconomy reasons) we do about 600 kms a week in school trips alone ! Hi Merlin,
While I doubt you'll ever get over loosing that immediate off-idle grunt of a petrol V8, the little oil burners can win you over with their willingness and economy. If you're at all mechanically minded, send me a PM and I'll send some info on 'tuning' the 300Tdi for very satisfactory results, without having to fork out for a bigger intercooler etc. Mind you, a nice big intercooler can't do any harm either... - especially in our summer temps.