econman's GTX2867R Install

[econman]

There have been a number of how-to installation threads for big turbos, but few of them are fully detailed. With the number of GTX and BNR turbos going into cars, I thought I would put together a detailed how-to for my GTX2867R install. Please note I am terrible with socket/wrench/bolt sizes, so I may be wrong in a few places below.

I'd like to cite the follow threads as they were extremely helpful.

1. How to: ATP Drop in Turbo
2. BNR S3 Swap How To
3. 3071 HOW TO:

Things to buy before install:

• Anti-Sieze
• 2" Metal Exhaust Coupler
• Oil Catch Pan for Coolant
• Clamps
• Any tools you may be missing - I picked up some wobble attachments

Here's my starting mod list:

1. HTP 3.5" Intake (you will need a different coupler to go with the GTX2867R - I ordered both (stock and BT size) from HTP when I bought the intake
2. JBR All Mounts
3. Cobb EBCS
4. UR Full Turboback
5. JBR Battery Box
6. 3Bar MAP Sensor w/ Harness
7. JBR TIG and TB Gaskets
8. Corksport HPFP Internal & BPV
9. Cobb Accessport V3
10. Other stuff I'm forgetting

Here is the process I went through for the installation:

1). Remove TMIC/FMIC hot-side pipe, intake (tip included), battery box, battery. Basically you need full access to the turbo and exhaust manifold



2). Remove the 5 8mm bolts securing the heatshield to the top of the manifold.



3). Remove the TMIC brace (i think these are 13mm). I was able to feed a socket though the manifold to crack the bolt that is closest to the drivers side. Moving the brace will make it easier to remove the manifold. Remove wires that are clipped to brace



4). Remove the second heatshield on the manifold. It is held in place with 3 8mm bolts.



5). Remove the upper two 8mm bolts securing the heatshield on the turbo



6). Remove the 5 14mm Downpipe nuts and the 22mm O2 sensor. If you are using the stock downpipe, you can reach them all from above the car using various extensions/u-joins/luck. If you have an aftermarket downpipe, you will likely have to remove the bottom nuts from under the car. Once the bolts are removed, go under the car and detach the downpipe from the rest of the exhaust. You do not have to remove the downpipe from the car. Put the O2 sensor in a safe place by the turbo inlet for now



7). Go under the car and remove the last 8mm bolt holding the turbo heatshield on. Remove the heatshield from below the car



8). Unclip both the upper and lower O2 sensor harnesses. Once removed, you can pivot the downpipe out of the way. You do not need to remove it from the car



9.) Remove the 4 14mm nuts holding the turbo to the manifold. I used a 1/2" ratchet to break these loose and remove them. They weren't too bad.



10). Remove the 10 14MM nuts holds the manifold to the engine. 7 of the 10 can be removed from the passenger side while the other 3 are removed from the drivers side. There are two that are difficult from the passenger side - the one directly above the alternator and the one under the manifold to turbo connection. I removed the one directly above the alternator buy squeezing a 3/8" ratchet and socket in there to break it loose and then used a 1/4" socket to remove it. The one below the manifold was removed using a 12pt wrench.



In order to make your life easy, remove the primary EGR to have better access to the 3 drivers side nuts. There are two 10mm bolts securing the EGR. Be sure to have something to catch the coolant the leaves the EGR. Also be sure to keep the gasket.



the upper most nut can be removed using a 1/2" ratchet while the other two can be removed using a 14mm ratcheting wrench.

There is also a small 8mm bolt on the passenger side of the manifold that is a bracket that holds the oil feed line to the manifold. Remove that bolt.

Heres a pic of the manifold removed to help. The left side is the passenger side.



11). Remove the oil feed banjo bolt from the top of the car on top of the turbo. I believe it is 12mm. Be sure to get both crush washers.



12). At the bottom of the turbo, there is a 10mm nut that needs to be removed so that you can remove one of the brackets that holds the turbo in place.



13). Go under the car, remove the two bolts holding the oil return line to the turbo. Then remove the two bolts (I believe they are 8mm) holding the line to the engine. Put aside the line.



14). Remove both coolant banjos. Start with the banjo closest to the firewall (coolant return). Be sure to have that oil catch pan under the car because you will begin to loose coolant. Go above the car and remove the hard line from the car. You will not reuse this.

Remove the coolant feed banjo bolt (closer to the front of the car). Again, more coolant will visit you. Wait until all the coolant drains and then you can remove the hard line from the car (I left mine and removed it later). You will reuse the line



How much coolant I lost



15). Now things get real. All the is holding the turbo in is the turbo brace below the car. Grab a friend, spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, neighbor, etc to help with this next part. Start by removing the bolt holding the brace to the turbo. Then remove the drivers side bolt. Once those two are removed, tell you friend to hold the turbo. Remove the third bolt.

The turbo will more than likely not drop due to the studs holding it against the manifold. Start the removal by wiggle the manifold and turbo to free the turbo studs from the manifold. The turbo will drop so be sure you are holding it. Have you friend extract the manifold from the top of the car and set aside. Remove turbo from the car (through the top) and set aside. Put all the remove banjo bolts back in the stock turbo so you don't lose them.



16). Prep the new turbo. You'll need to attach the oil return flange to the new turbo using the supplied hardware from ATP (be sure to use the gasket). Remove the studs and nuts from the turbo as it will make your life easier. Also remove both banjo bolts and all 4 crush washers and set aside. Take the stock turbo to manifold gasket and put it on your new turbo at this time

I didn't do this at the time, but you should. Take the coolant feed hard line and go ahead and attach it to the turbo (goes in the back of the turbo). You will need to bend the line to get it around compressor housing. The hard line goes next to the intake side and will point towards the back of the car. The easiest way to bend it is to thread in the banjo bolt a good part of the way and then just bend the line so it clears. Don't forget the two crush washers. You can install the line once the turbo is in, but it is hell to do so. It is very difficult to get a 19mm wrench or socket to tighten the banjo bolt due to clearances and the stock oil feed line.

17). Go back under the car and attach the supplied oil return flange to the block using two of the 8mm bolts you removed from the stock oil return line.

18). Take photos of the two turbos to show to friends/dog/neighbors/co-workers



19). Have your friend put the new turbo back in the car from the top while you are under the car waiting to receive. Once you have the turbo, have your friend place 4 studs in the top of the turbo. You can set it gently by the downpipe and go above to help your friend with the manifold

Put the manifold back in the car (don't forget your gaskets) and securing it loosely using a few nuts on the passenger and drivers side of the car. You want to make sure the manifold is secure, but has ample wiggle room

Go back under the car and push the turbo towards the manifold while you friend guides the 4 studs into place. Once the studs pass into the manifold, secure at least two of them (diagonal ones) using the supplied washers and 15mm nuts.


20). Put the other two washers and nuts on the turbo to manifold connection and tighten using a 15mm socket and ratchet.



21). Tighten the 10 14mm manifold nuts. Alternate between sides to avoid dragons.





22). Go under the car and attach the oil return line to the turbo and engine. Attach the coolant feed hard line to the rubber tubing and secure the clamps.



23). Put 5 studs on the turbo so the downpipe can be connected. Pull the downpipe up from its resting place and slide it into place. Don't forget your gaskets. Put your upper O2 sensor back in. Don't forget to go back under the car and hook up your O2 harnesses!





24). (Optional) Replace lower heatshield and 3 8mm bolts



25). Now it is time for the worst part, the oil feed banjo. The oil feed line is very inflexible and is not your friend. What you will need to do is take the appropriate sized socket (15mm I think - I could be wrong though) and stuff it with paper. Insert the banjo bolt into the socket and see how far down it goes in the socket. Put more paper in if the head of the banjo bolt slides at all beyond the lip of the socket. You want to ensure the bolt does not slide into the socket and you get maximum pressure on the bolt. IF YOU SKIP THIS YOU WILL LIKELY BE ANGRY. Get your crush washers set and secure the banjo bolt. I used a 15mm wrench to push on the oil feed line to make my life easier.



Socket:


After!:


26). (Optional) Replace the TMIC Brace and secure the wires to it



27). (Optional) Secure the upper heatsink using the 5 8mm bolts



28). Replace the EGR using the 2 10mm bolts. Don't get the gasket



29). Wire your EBCS and EGR and also hook up the coolant return line from the turbo to the EGR. It is also a good time to put your intake coupler on. If you are using a Cobb EBCS and are not using the stock intake bolting location, you can actually secure the EBCS to the bolt. It works great!



30). Reinstall your intake and battery/battery box. You will likely be using a larger intake and you will make to use magic to get it all to fit. Reinstall your hot-pipe for the FMIC or TMIC.



You will need to modify the coupler sent by ATP in order to get everything to work. I went to Autozone and picked up a 2" diameter exhaust pipe (about 4"-5" long) and cut the ATP coupler. Using the exhaust pipe, connect the stock TMIC (or whatever coupler you were using before) and ATP coupler to the exhaust pipe. You should be able to slide both couplers completely over the metal piece. This will likely differ substantially for you, but I wanted to let you know how I did it.

31). Reinstall hot-side pipe for FMIC or TMIC



32). Start car. I drove the car around for a few miles just to be sure everything is good. Now I am taking a break before the tuning begins!

I apologize if this lacks any details and hopefully it'll help someone else out in the future.

[7mileshome]

Nice, you are really going to enjoy that turbo.

[Agent_Orange]

Nice.

Got a tune lined up for it?

[econman]

Originally Posted by Agent_Orange Nice. Got a tune lined up for it?

I will be self-tuning

[TimidDurkmagurk]

Nice write up can't wait to see the build. Good work. May the Weim tuning begin.

[JakeMS3]

What size is the inlet on that turbo? Is it 4" like the GT's or a 3" inlet?

[econman]

3" inlet

[BigBoostMS3]

Nice writeup!

A tip for the oil feed: Attach it before you mount the turbo to the manifold. If you pull the manifold out and have someone hold the turbo from under the car, it's easy to attach the oil feed. Then throw the manifold on the head and put one nut on. Then start two of the studs on the turbo. Start studs on the opposite corners so the turbo can hang without putting any awkward pressure on the manifold.

Doing it that way has saved us a bunch of headaches recently.

[MizzyMS3]

Great write-up! Subbing for my upcoming install.

[Mast]

great write up!!! subbed for future install hopefully sooner than later.

[Zpuhalla]

This was a huge help! Thanks!

[speed3 britz]

Nice, I'll be installing my BNR S3 here in couple weeks

[econman]

Originally Posted by Zpuhalla This was a huge help! Thanks!

I'm glad it was helpful! What turbo did you install?

[Zpuhalla]

Gtx3067r. Smaller 3" inlet.

The only thing I did different was leave the manifold in on the car and sneak the turbo in and out the side by removing the egr.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[econman]

Originally Posted by Zpuhalla Gtx3067r. Smaller 3" inlet. The only thing I did different was leave the manifold in on the car and sneak the turbo in and out the side by removing the egr. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought about doing that, but since it was my first swap, I wanted to make sure I had plenty of room. Congrats on the upgrade

[TeckniX]

Nice detail write-up and great step-by-step pictures. Can't wait to see some numbers on this!

[tmulls3622]

@econman

where did u get the turbo from & how much? How much more hp are u getting now?

[econman]

Originally Posted by tmulls3622 @econman where did u get the turbo from & how much? How much more hp are u getting now?

I got my turbo from Edgeautosport during their tax sale. It was about $1600.

Here's my latest log. I need to make an adjustment to my WGDC but the car feels good. VD shows 340hp/343lbft w/ 1.01 CF, 3 smoothing 180lb occ. weight on 93 octane. I've got a tiny bit of KR up top, so it might be time to add some E85 to the tank.

[tmulls3622]

Originally Posted by econman I got my turbo from Edgeautosport during their tax sale. It was about $1600. Here's my latest log. I need to make an adjustment to my WGDC but the car feels good. VD shows 340hp/343lbft w/ 1.01 CF, 3 smoothing 180lb occ. weight on 93 octane. I've got a tiny bit of KR up top, so it might be time to add some E85 to the tank.

I figured it was from Edge. Is VD the virtual dyno on the access port? Also how long have u been tuning?

[econman]

Originally Posted by tmulls3622 I figured it was from Edge. Is VD the virtual dyno on the access port? Also how long have u been tuning?

Virtual Dyno. I got my first mazdaspeed in late 2011 and started tuning it in the spring of 2012, so about two years now.

[tmulls3622]

Originally Posted by econman Virtual Dyno. I got my first mazdaspeed in late 2011 and started tuning it in the spring of 2012, so about two years now.

that's awesome. Is it hard or complicated? Have u tuned other friends' cars or anyone else?

[econman]

Originally Posted by tmulls3622 that's awesome. Is it hard or complicated? Have u tuned other friends' cars or anyone else?

It is mostly a big time commitment. You have to learn what each table in ATR means and how it is related to every other table, so you are reading a lot on the forums. IMO, it is the dynamics that are difficult.

[JSmith]

Where you able to reuse the support bracket from the k04 on the gtx2867?

edit.

This is the link to modifying the stock bracket.

ATP 3071r swap how to , lenny gets BT fever too

See post 75.

After install edit.

Does not fit. Modifying per the link above would not remedy.

[econman]

Originally Posted by JSmith Where you able to reuse the support bracket from the k04 on the gtx2867?

No, the turbo is held in place by the manifold and downpipe. I think there is a thread somewhere about how to modify the bracket to reuse it.

[econman]

A small update. I put a few gallons of E85 in the tank and moved forward with some additional timing. My goal has always been around 350/350 without meth and it looks like I've hit it with with 21psi and 12.5° peak timing. With additional fueling, this car would easily be 400+hp given how much is left in the turbo.

I need to do a little more work with the boost comp tables and I'm going to lean the car out from 11.32 to 11.6 for a little more fueling headroom. I will just say that the 2867R is an incredible turbo.

Attached is my latest log and VD from the log.

[2011speed]

This is gonna come in handy

[shaneski]

With the E85 in it crank that timing up hehe.

[brainiac5572]

First post... thanks for the writeup and pics. I'm planning to order gtx2867 soon and get Stratified. I'm dreading the install but, wtf, if bleekas like you can do it

Update... 4/5/2016... upgraded in march 2015... install took all weekend (took off accessories and DP/GTX most of Saturday, put it all back together most of Sunday)... spent waaay too much time looking for sockets and wrenches (I gotta get more organized)... nothing was horrific, but it was a pain in the ass at times (like the Cobb DP that goes in real easy only once you orient it correctly)... I did ask the wife to help me with turbo (I held turbo from below and she threaded a screw from above to hold it in place)... she said WTF are you doing to the new car (oh well)... I said a little prayer before starting the car cause I wasn't sure if I put it all back together correctly (all the supporting mods, hose rerouting for intake/BPV/3 port EBCS/guardian angel...)... it started up and I started the tuning process with Stratified... have had e85 tune for @ 9 months and @15K miles... I couldn't be happier... have @370/380 WHP/WTQ... traction in first 2 gears and torque steering in 3/4 gears are the biggest issues now, so I try not to WOT in 1st, I try let off early and not redline in 2nd, and hold onto steering wheel in 3rd/4th (you get sorta used to it, but it still surprises me if I'm not paying attention)... I've never taken car to the drag strip but I can say it's @ as fast as current generation Camaro SS and Ford Mustang GT's (highway rolling, not from a dig cause no traction)... I can only say good things about Stratified Auto, EdgeAutoSport, JBR, Corksport, Cobb, and Synapse.

[Yousuf]

Like everyone else already said, great write up! Thanks man

[econman]

Thanks! The install isn't too bad - just take your time and it'll go well

[Mastertrixter]

This is an awesome write up. Noted for my forthcoming bnr install

[shamie]

Good write up! I just put my 2867 in this weekend. I decided to just drain the coolant first after looking at all the install threads and how much they caught around the turbo. I also left the EM on and just removed the EGR. It was a tight squeeze and a little pain doing it alone but I got it in. I also was able to just push the DP to the side. I put the studs in the turbo after I got it in place - made for a lot more room.

As far as calling the ATP a bolt on kit I guess they are technically correct - everything does bolt right up. But man everything other than the EM & DP fought me every step of the way. It took me 4 hours to get that fucking oil feed line attached! Another set of hands probably would have cut that time drastically. I guess I was expecting it to go on like a Corksport intake or something. I also had to move the WG as it was hitting the firewall heat shield as delivered. That entailed setting the preload again...

Now I'm just working the tune with the new intake and ECBS. Hitting and holding (finally) my boost targets but lots of tweaking to go.

Sorry to thread jack but I thought some of my experiences would be helpful.

[faeker]

Originally Posted by Mastertrixter This is an awesome write up. Noted for my forthcoming bnr install

just a heads up; look up ziggo's bnr install thread. he goes into great detail about it.

[econman]

Originally Posted by shamie Good write up! I just put my 2867 in this weekend. I decided to just drain the coolant first after looking at all the install threads and how much they caught around the turbo. I also left the EM on and just removed the EGR. It was a tight squeeze and a little pain doing it alone but I got it in. I also was able to just push the DP to the side. I put the studs in the turbo after I got it in place - made for a lot more room. As far as calling the ATP a bolt on kit I guess they are technically correct - everything does bolt right up. But man everything other than the EM & DP fought me every step of the way. It took me 4 hours to get that fucking oil feed line attached! Another set of hands probably would have cut that time drastically. I guess I was expecting it to go on like a Corksport intake or something. I also had to move the WG as it was hitting the firewall heat shield as delivered. That entailed setting the preload again... Now I'm just working the tune with the new intake and ECBS. Hitting and holding (finally) my boost targets but lots of tweaking to go. Sorry to thread jack but I thought some of my experiences would be helpful.

How did draining the coolant work out for you? Was it relatively mess free when you removed the EGR and coolant lines from the turbo?

[shamie]

The EGR was mess free but the coolant return still had some in it (as did my face!). Probably a cup or so was all.

[shamie]

It was also asked how/what did I do to relocate the WG (actuator actually).

I loosened the two bolts holding the WG actuator bracket to the cold side (top bolt circled - you can find the other one) and rotated the whole assembly down. It gave me about a 1/2" of clearance. Then I set the preload using this thread -> Adjusting preload IWG. I had to lengthen the distance between the standoff and the WG attachment part of the rod. I secured that extended portion with loctite and by galling the threads some. Seemed like that was my only option other than taking the bracket off and machining new holes to locate the WG actautor closer to the cold side. All in all just another thing that fought me on this 1.5 day install.

[drogahnus]

Cheers, man. I may just stick something between (maybe heat wrap) the WG and heat shield for now. No performance impact, just a slight rattle in low RPMs.

[tbutts333]

This helped out so much thank yoU!!!! Im currently changing out the turbo on my girlfriends speed 3 (she blew it and got it rebuilt from tubrorepair.com) I own a STI so new to this mazda, so my question is do you have to replace the oil feed line? the company that rebuilt it says you do, but it looks fine and so i just want to double check before I start taking off the alternator and what not... Thanks guys

[JSmith]

I didn't replace the oil feed line. As long as its clear of debris I don't see the reasoning behind replacing.

Have you looked around to see the other basic modifications for speeds?

[tbutts333]

Thnaks Jsmith, I have looked around a little bit, but unfortunately i havent been able to find much, i followed this forum to take the turbo out...now its time to put it back in and i just want to make sure nothing is gonna get screwed up.