C20xe turbo HELP! (Please Read)

[Steve_1991]

Hi, I'm currently running a XE nova had it on the road a year now with no probs fitted by myself and a friend, decided now I want to go turbo so been looking at lets. Couldn't find a decent 1 for under a grand.

Anyway recently a XE converted turbo came up for sale, quite cheap so bit the bullet and went for it. Suppose to have early XE block with let pistons, let head, turns out when I got it home it's got XE cams in it, XE loom and ecu.

So now I'm thinking I've just bought a XE with a turbo bolted to it,

it came with let inlet and throttle body, mani and turbo, oil feeds etc drilled and tapped into block, air flow, fuel pressure reg, inter cooler, boost pipes, starter alternator etc.

So do I now run it as it is? Or do I strip it, let pistons. And cams? Find a let loom and ecu?

Or do I leave it XE pistons and cams and use thicker gasket for compression? And use let ecu loom? Or XE loom and ecu that's with it and map it?


Need to to keep cost down as much as possible. Not aiming for big BHP as needs to be reliable as it will still be my daily. Looking for 200-300 bhp and I'll be happy.

Any advice welcome, thanks.

[brucer]

if I was you, id get hold of the guy you got it off and tell him to have it back

I think your only going to have problems with it, granted you will with a LET, but you know what you have from the start.

if you were going to carry on with what you have, then I would be finding whats missing to make it into an LET. I started off with an XE engine and bought what I needed to build an LET. most of what you need to convert it is sensors/loom/ecu, pistons/rods, etc etc.

I only went this route due to it being cheaper as I wanted to do a full rebuild on the engine, where as most LET's you buy for a grand still want a rebuild.

[Steve_1991]

Tried telling him to take it back but he having none of it saying it was advertised as a XE turbo and he had no idea it had XE cams in it but is assured it's got let pistons, taking the head off now to check. He said it ran fine on that loom and ecu with the fuel pressure reg and that there's nothing wrong with it and he's not having it back. He's not exactly down the road either so not like I can just pop back, 4-5 hour round trip.

Thinking let pistons and cam, loom and ecu and see how it goes?

Any other suggestions?

[Southie]

Sell it on and hope someone wants the same as you did ;)

[Stuart]

You use one of the xe cams anyway, so all you need is a loom and ecu.... Easy.

[Steve_1991]

You use one of the xe cams anyway, so all you need is a loom and ecu.... Easy.

Yh but need let pistons? Or will XE 1s be ok with thick gasket?

And southie. I couldn't do that mate, don't like getting ripped off and wouldn't do it to anyone else, plus they might come back if local ;(