Reply With QuoteAwesome to hear its running good.
I would want to test drive all the other power mods before I would make a decision like that. I wouldn't want to go through the effort of uninstalling the turbo and installing another mod just to discover that I should have stuck with the turbo.
If I could just magically have my money back and my Jeep returned to stock instantly, but still have all the knowledge I've gained, and couldn't test drive any other power mods first, I would definitely buy the Prodigy stage 2 kit with the Precision, with the newer (and nicer) TIG welded pipes. The installation would go so much more smoothly the second time around now that I know everything about the kit and the install procedure
Since I don't know how any of the power mods drive, it's impossible for me to know whether a test drive would cause me to prefer something else. I'd still be limited to bolt-on supercharger/turbo options (no V8 or diesel conversions) due to budget. Wes at Prodigy has assured me that I would be more impressed with the turbo kit if I had the opportunity to drive the competitor's power mods for comparison.
Awesome to hear its running good.
Well, my fears of an exhaust leak have been confirmed. Had the top and doors off this weekend and I could hear the ticking sound of a leak during low speed light acceleration. Then I got a CEL that can be caused by an exhaust leak near the upstream O2 sensor. I'm starting to see the value in paying a competent performance shop to do the install. Getting all the exhaust pipes properly aligned and leak-free must be one of those things that just requires the magic touch of an experienced mechanic.
I'll report back when I get it fixed. There is a slight possibility that the leaks could be significant enough that i'll notice performance/driveability improvements after fixing them.
Last edited by UselessPickles; 07-06-2015 at 01:27 PM.
C'mon Pickles. You did a great job on the install! Pros do have the "magic" touch. But the honest ones will tell you that they use their magic to conjure up a generous helping of luck when it comes to exhaust installation.Originally Posted by UselessPickles
is this exhaust leak solved? is the new turbo superior?
Exhaust leaks are not resolved yet. I have found some more bad/leaking welds on the pipes. Wes also sent me a new tune, saying that the engine codes I received were actually caused by a mistake in the tune he sent me originally, rather than the exhaust leaks. So it sounds like the exhaust leaks are not as bad as they first seemed, but they are still leaks that I want to get fixed. If nothing else, it will at least get rid of the annoying exhaust leak ticking sound that I can so clearly hear every time I drive now that I know what I'm listening for.
I've reported the bad welds to Prodigy. Waiting for a decision from them on how they will handle this.
Yes. Read my previous posts for descriptions of how it is superior. Once I get the exhaust leaks fixed, there's potential for me to have a bit more boost and a bit less lag, making things even a bit better.
Quick update on what's going on with my Jeep...
Exhaust leak is still not fixed yet. The one confirmed leaking cracked weld, I might just have to pay a local shop to grind it out and re-weld it.
Driveability generally seems nearly perfect when the engine is fully warmed up now. There's been a few specific situations I've run into occasionally that cause the engine to stumble and reduce power around 2200-2500 rpm at freeway speeds while pushing on the throttle a bit to maintain speed up a an incline (like when the freeway passes over another road). This was with the Jeep fully loaded up with the family and a small trailer packed full of camping gear for a week.
I still consistently get some annoying hesitation/stumbling at specific engine speeds for a while after a cold start. I'm hanging on to a small amount of hope that this will improve after I finally get the exhaust leak fixed.
I have two projects I plan to get done before winter:
1) Add an oil catch can to the breather hose side of the PCV system and connect it up to the air filter for a fully closed PCV system. I have the catch can and I have a plan for where/how to mount it. I'm getting a custom bracket/spacer made so I can mount it nicely. After that, I'll be handing it over to a local performance shop to finish the install. The tricky part is the exact details of how to route the hose to the air filter and exactly what fittings to use to connect it to the air filter, etc. The performance shop should have familiarity with what types of fittings are available and have access to suppliers to come up with a solution much more quickly than I could (and possibly cheaper, because I'd probably have to use a trial and error approach, potentially ordering many fittings).
2) Switch to a lighter wastegate spring (which will produce less boost purely based on the spring), but add a boost controller to set the boost level higher than spring pressure alone. This setup will both allow me to get a bit more boost than I have now, and will cause the turbo to spool more quickly because the boost controller will hold the wastegate completely closed until the target boost is reached. With the wastegate alone, the valve starts partially opening about halfway to target boost, slowing down the spool. It will also allow me to turn the boost down to stage 1 levels. This could be useful if I need to let someone drive the Jeep that I don't trust with full power.
You might wonder whether it's safe to just add more boost than I have now. Well, I used to get up to 8.5 psi boost with the Garrett turbo during a 2nd gear full throttle acceleration. Now with the Precision turbo and the same wastegate spring, I only see about 7.5 psi in the same situation. This is most likely due to differences in the turbine side of the turbo (also part of the reason it spools more quickly and at lower rpms; I think I discussed this already earlier in the thread).
Also, Prodigy is now running their Jeep with the Precision turbo and a boost controller setup for 9 psi. Check this out:
https://www.facebook.com/prodigyperf...8717512221883/
They ran a 1/4 mile in 12.76s @ 106.5 mph!
In the comment thread, they say:
9lbs on 93 octane pump gas
Jeep has made 427rwhp and 411rwtq
427rwhp and 411rwtq!!!
Pickles! are you going to put your rig on a dyno? Yours is probably faster with the stock suspension and zero weight.
Stage 2 @ 9psi
I have no plans to put it on a dyno, but I do intend to take it to a drag strip at some point.
Mine will be slower because of the manual transmission (slower gear shifts, loss of turbo spool during gear shifts, and I can't brake-boost for the launch) and because of my 3.21 gears vs Prodigy's 4.10 gears. I think I'd be lucky to get quicker than 13.5s in the 1/4 mile.
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