Saab part pulling
 

So I just pulled a turbo from a 99 Saab 9-3. I know I've heard a ton of people say go for a larger turbo because its not worth it but from the stats I've been seeing it'll push me over 200 while staying right in the comfy range where I shouldn't need to rebuild my engine :)

I only pulled the turbo due to time and frustration but everything else is still there as well. My question is what else should I get off that 9-3 to go with the turbo? I've heard exhaust manifold but what else would you guys recommend?

Also on a dumb note: will the turbo from a 99 Saab 9-3 even work? The age worried me but I jumped on it anyways....

Thanks for any help!

Forgot to mention my car is a 2010 cobalt Lt with the lap 2.2

Big question is does it have SAI, if you don't modify it to work you'll have a massive exhaust leak like I am having now.

im curious as to what everyone is doing about the wastegate actuator that is running this turbo

What do you mean, isn't it a built in with canister?

Turbo outlet, to boost controller to top of the WG canister. That's really all it is.

theres a solenoid inline between the compressor housing and the wastegate actuator itself because the saab's control boost electronically like the LNF's.

Yeah I had that too, on my EFR 6758, just unscrewed it and put it in a box. Then hooked it up as I said.

ah ok, just wasnt certain you could do that on one that was already setup for electronic control, that makes more sense now

heres another question you might be able to answer, blow through or pull through on the MAF setup? I was debating which way to go on that as well, ZZP sells a recirculating bypass valve as well. Looking into how to deal with pegging the MAF on a blow through setup.

Yeah, it's not like you'll have any boost leak from removing it, you'll just have open bolt holes.

I have a pull through setup, only problem is I probably will need to wire in an LSJ MAP at some point so I have the real intake air temps.

ill be running the IAT on the intake charge pipe going into the turbo, ive found that in boosted setups you can more accurately control fueling with the changes of the seasons and weather by measuring how it comes into the turbo/supercharger first rather then measuring at the intake manifold which is more susceptible to heatsoak from the engine. There is a smaller degree of variation in the IAT's in the manifold vs the IAT's coming through the intake and it lets the car make changes for air density better measuring that way. This mainly goes for car's that were designed to read that way as well.

Really? Then I wouldn't have to rewire anything.

Im sure someone will tell me im an idiot on here but what ive experienced previously with car's that are originally NA and get boosted seems to verify this fact. You have to take two things into consideration, 1) the compensation tables that adjust fueling for the car to operate within its normal A/F ratio year round without needing much adjustment from the fuel trims is specifically designed for a IAT that is reading in the intake charge. 2) Say you boost your car, and your IAT in your manifold is 100 degrees in the winter (this is assuming post blower/turbo heatsoak) and 130-140 in the summer time during a WOT pull, these compensation tables are designed to assume fueling requirements for ambient temps, however since the actual air charge coming into the blower/turbo is either 20 degrees, or 90 degrees, the air density is actually significantly different then what the car believes it is which results in a more wild fluctuation in AFR if you arent tuning it on a regular basis to allow for that or, completely rewriting the IAT compensation tables to adjust for fueling requirement tables for that winter to summer swing in your in manifold IAT temps. So in one sense, yes the IAT is more accurate to what the engine is breathing in, but the ECU isnt tuned for reading that way.

On my boosted b series I would see fluctuations from 12:1 in the summer at WOT on 8psi to almost 13.5:1 in the dead of the winter with no tune changes using the IAT in the manifold. Vice versa for winter to summer, I would tune the car for 12:1 in the winter and wind up being 10.5:1 in the dead of the summer. It wasnt until I put the IAT in the intake charge pipe that I was actually able to stabilize the afr swing to about .5 from winter to summer. Tuning IAT compensation tables isnt fun nor easy either lol having to take the car out and dial in the IAT multiplier every time it hits a certain temperature.

Thanks for the information.

No problem, it could be a bit different when dealing with a maf/map car vs just map but like i said this is just what ive experienced with na jap cars going to boosted. Hptuners is way more program then i ever had to work with before, the options are almost endless and gm basically builds these things to be tuned. Gm cars are the only cars ive been able to use narrowband o2 mv and get good afr on both boosted and na vehicles without the need of a perminent afr gauge install as well. Lol

Might as well close this thread because the 9-3's with parts that are swappable are 2003+

Tons of great info in this thread but thats the tidbit I was looking for! Thank you!

On an off note what would the general consensus be for using a t25 turbo with a lower HP build? I'm shooting for 230-250 whp to have a bit of back roads fun while keeping reliability. I heard it will give a ton of torque in the low end but not so much in the high end, but would it really be that bad up high?

I just did a 2.4 TB and IM swap on my 2.2 so I can't imagine to much being as bad as the stock 2.2 high end.