Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

ok i got a ep3 its got 80,000 miles...i got cash, this is my second car (bmwr 03 3 series)

question is , this is a fun car for me ive seen kits for 500 plus prob a oil regulator. im wondering in a honest forum like this has any 1 had one on their ep3s, howd it work? last long?

im a big believer in generics i really am, but i also am smart about what i choose to buy. i can aford time on a rebuild as this is my second car and im doing this my self. im only gonna run it at 5 psi and get it tuned (just looking for some fun with it).....


tell me what your thoughts are.

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

i will try to answer you without flaming you.

if you search the forum, you will find the answer (along with the OP being grilled).

long story short, you pay for what you get. ebay rarely fit properly, leak, are made out of poor quality and are complete junk. even if they were only $100, you would be wasting that $100.

so save yourself the hassle and either save up for a good quality turbo, or no turbo at all.

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

Don't do it, because even if the turbo didn't fail and their are many example of it happening, you need to shell out another $1000 for k-pro to get the engine to run reliably. It's not like a b16 where you can slap a $75 14b turbo, a blow off valve you found in an old volvo and a intercooler from an unknown source you bought on craigslist then tune with a $50 chrome chip. Aside from all that, you might get $40 hp out of it, so why not just put in stage 1 cams or something?

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

Have a read over this thread as well,

http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2720179

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

thanks man it was more just a question for purly honda users, cause i searched on line , watched youtube videos , did everything. but you never know till you talk to the guys first hand. some might just want to **** with people and had a shitty time with them.

Also thank you for telling me i had a chain, no matter where i look, even my dealership said i have a belt, cause i called about the 02 civic si service for the timing they said 800, i was like WOW, seems high. but they said belt not chain, so i was confused? and every where online gives u mixed results.

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

I'm staring at a k20a3 sitting next to me at the moment, the engine you have in your car, it's definitely a chain. Ep3s are just uncommon and dealerships really aren't that knowledgeable in my experience.

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

thanks man! thats a big help, ive been around an engine, but didnt know if hondas had it in someweird jap place, lol......Ive always had V8s before my BMW and this, 93 camaro z28, 94 mustang 5.0 ford f250, chevy avalanche (my former cars/trucks) all had american V8s....all fairly easy to work on besides the 93 camaro engine compartment was a bitch!


so now that i know its a chain, is there any service i should do for the chain ( besides regular oil(i only use synthetic) changes anything affect the chain that wares out that i should change?

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

Honda claims the chain is a lifetime part that never needs replacing, I'd pull the cover off an inspect it at 150k miles to inspect it though. Keep in mind that not all synthetics are created equal, on a budget Royal Purple is definitely the best I've used.

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

Mobil 1 here...always worked good for me. but i do hear royal purple is the best out there.

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

Do some research, mobil 1 isn't even completely synthetic, it's a waste of money in my opinion. The trick I use is buying a complete case of royal purple at a time it'll last for 3 oil changes and it's a bit annoying to have it hanging around, but it costs less per change than mobil 1 that way because parts guys give you a good discount usually.

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

Shell rotella t6 is MUCH better than mobile 1. It's been proven over and over in UOA reports

Re: Oh no the Dreaded EBAY TURBO question!
 

I believe the weak point of the K-series/chain was the tensioner, read that in one of the older Honda Tuning issues.