Turbo 2.0 Caravan

[UnaClocker]

So I'm doing something that I imagine most people in here would urge me not to do.. I'm putting a SMALLER motor into my van.. So let me save you the hassle of chewing me out for that. I'm going to dyno it with the 2.5L before I remove it, and I'll dyno it again with the 2L when I get that installed and feel that it's done being tuned. It'll be on the same machine, the numbers should tell the story nicely.
Obviously, I feel it's going to work out fine, or I wouldn't be doing the swap. I also want to go down in engine size to see if I can get any more gas mileage out of this thing. With the automatic, I was getting a very consistent 19mpg. I converted to 5 speed last summer and that went up to a very consistent 25mpg. I'd be thrilled if I could get 30mpg with the smaller motor. Oh and the reason this all matters is that this is my work van. I don't take it to the strip, I don't really race the thing (aside from beating slow-arses down the on-ramp), I just drive it from dealership to dealership for work.
I got a 2L SOHC motor from a '97 Neon, and a DOHC head from a friend, and I have a headshim. All together, the compression will be 8.3:1. I have a 2.4L Caravan intake manifold that I will be running on it. And I will be using an SRT4 turbofold for a turbo. It probably won't spool in the nearly psychic way that it does on my 2.4L, but I imagine it'll be better than the Garret TII turbo I have on the 2.5L right now.
Anyways, I have pictures and will be documenting the progress on my blog. I'd be interested to hear constructive comments on this project. I think I'll be the first to put the 2.0 Neon motor into one of these vans..

[UnaClocker]

No comments? :) I guess that's better than a bunch of naysayers.. :)

[dynodon]

Go for it .....you'll just have to twist the snot out of it to get the same feel as the 2.5 ...unless the 2.5 is tried

[UnaClocker]

Yeah, the 2.5 has 250k miles on it, I've been running it at about 5psi since the 200k mile mark, when I put in the 5 speed. Mostly to improve gas mileage, but also because the back window was constantly covered in oil when it was at 12psi.. ;) heh, too much blowby, and leaky seals are a bad combo.. :)
It'll be very interesting to compare the dyno plots when I'm done.

[danristheman]

Thats neat. You are doing a good job on that setup. Nice intake.

Dan Rose

[glhs0426]

Random thoughts:

The intake will help the torque output since it was designed for a mini. I feel this is one place where the smaller 2.4L intake cam into a 2.0L will be a benefit.

Are you running E85 in the van? If so, you might try to keep the compression up, but not 10.5. Juggle the amount of deck surface removed with the thickness of the shim to get around 9-9.5to1. Will the shim hold boost when stacked with a gasket?

Unless the dyno will make 1,000RPM to 3,000RPM graphs, the before and after dyno will be of no use to you.

Are you running the 2.5L on MS? There is some mileage hiding in the 2.5L by running leaner when not in boost (wideband). 2.7L coils from the pick-a-part yards are cheap.

This would be a great package, but wouldn't resealing the 2.5L be cheaper/easier?

Step back to the Mitsi turbo to get your instant spool back in your 2.5L. Steve M. proved years ago the Mitsi turbo was not the bottle neck when he put his J body in the 12's.

John

[UnaClocker]

Nope, No E85 in the van, there just aren't enough stations around yet. The closest one is about 30 minutes out of the way from my normal day to day route, and with the hit in gas mileage I'd take with E85, I don't want to make that trip that much more often.
Yes, my dyno can start at 1,000rpm, and I fully intend to. It can hold the engine at 1,000 until the turbo spools, THEN start the run.. Very advanced dyno machine.. :)
I have run the 2.5 on the MS, but the 2.2/2.5 HEP decoder hadn't been written yet, so I went back to the stock ECM. Yes, I did try leaning it out, it didn't seem to help much, so I stopped, driveability was suffering greatly.
The 2.5 has 250k miles, it'd need a full blown rebuild. I think I can pull off this swap cheaper, it's just a bunch of junkyard parts really.. I already have the MS and the wideband. I got the head in a trade, as well as the turbofold. The intake was bought almost a year ago, with this in mind..
The shim should hold, it's steel, and the mating surface of each headgasket will be against each side of it.. I figure if the headgasket can seal against the block, or the head, it should seal against the shim just as well. It's a very smooth machined surface.
I do have a set of 2.7L coils, those are going on the 2.4L in my Omni when I have a big turbo sitting where the stock coilpack is now.. ;)

[thedon809]

Sounds like fun. I think the fast spooling of the turbofold should help make up for the loss in torque.

[UnaClocker]

Me too.. :) That and that intake manifold. :) I don't know about the 2.4 cams though.. I dyno'd the 2.0 and 2.4 cams in my Omni, and found that the 2.0 cams simply shifted everything up.. Even low end torque.. So I'll stick with the 2.0 cams..

[glhs0426]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnaClocker Me too.. :) That and that intake manifold. :) I don't know about the 2.4 cams though.. I dyno'd the 2.0 and 2.4 cams in my Omni, and found that the 2.0 cams simply shifted everything up.. Even low end torque.. So I'll stick with the 2.0 cams..

So, why wouldn't you use the 2.4 cams in the 2.0? This is a torque application.

Are you reusing the 33lb/hr injectors from the 2.5?

This build will rock. I hope the Omni is prepared for a few months of DD.

[UnaClocker]

This is the dyno plot from my 2.4 the dark lines are the 2.0 cams, the light lines are the 2.4 cams.. Find me a spot where I lost something due to the 2.0 cams.. That's why I'm not using 2.4 cams. They simply make more power and torque EVERYWHERE..
Yeah, the 33lb injectors should be plenty, smaller displacement engine and all.
Actually, I intend to do this swap over a weekend. Assuming I run into a couple snags with the motor mounts, I won't be able to drive the van that next week. Wrap it up the week after. But yeah, the Omni is amazingly reliable, aside from the POS ball joint I put in it last January that I need to swap out.. ;) So it'll be no problem driving that around. Gets about the same mileage as the van, but uses cheaper fuel (E85..).. :)

[glhs0426]

What power steering lines are you going to use? From what I remember all 2.0L brackets save for the JA body put the pump high and up front. I don't know if the JA P/S pressure line will work because it runs the back of the cylinder head between the valve cover and exhaust manifold (heat wrap?). Don't go ghetto on the pressure line, fire is ugly.

For a remote P/S resevoir there is the 3.3/3.8 FWD C/Y body (Dynasty, New Yorker, Imperial), and the NS vans 96-00 (very nice, tucks into the strut tower). The PT uses a metal resevoir bolted on the back of the cylinder head like the plastic PL piece. It might stand the heat of the turbofold.

Do you run A/C in the van?

[UnaClocker]

I'm using the Stratus 2.0 accessory setup. Essentially identical to how the stratus 2.4 stuff is, which is what I have on my Omni. I had the Stratus 2.4 PS pump on my Omni for awhile. I needed to clearance the frame rail to clear the pulley, so I took it back off for a bit. I used the original Omni PS lines, they hooked up just fine. I plan to do the same on the van, stick with it's original PS lines. No big deal. Reservoir, as you noted, there are a million options, I'll go with whatever fits whereever I need it to fit.
I do plan to run AC in the van, I'm ASE Certified for automotive Air Conditioning.. It'll be no big deal.. Stratus AC compressor, 2nd gen van radiator/condenser, custom lines.

[glhs0426]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnaClocker I'm using the Stratus 2.0 accessory setup. Essentially identical to how the stratus 2.4 stuff is, which is what I have on my Omni. I had the Stratus 2.4 PS pump on my Omni for awhile. I needed to clearance the frame rail to clear the pulley, so I took it back off for a bit. I used the original Omni PS lines, they hooked up just fine. I plan to do the same on the van, stick with it's original PS lines. No big deal. Reservoir, as you noted, there are a million options, I'll go with whatever fits whereever I need it to fit. I do plan to run AC in the van, I'm ASE Certified for automotive Air Conditioning.. It'll be no big deal.. Stratus AC compressor, 2nd gen van radiator/condenser, custom lines.

Just throwing out ideas that I have. I am slowly putting together a 2.4L swap for my GTC.

[UnaClocker]

Yeah, that's cool.. Also why I'm blogging the whole swap, so people can see what all I did to do this swap.. :) I know my 2.4 swap blog has come in handy for a few other people, even if they went other routes, they can see the route I went.. :)