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Let me start off by saying this is my first turbo car. I have 3 VF11 turbos (I think, one is the stock USDM turbo and the other two were from the EJ20 twin turbo JDM motor I'm putting in) right now and from what I have read on here so far I believe they are a pain in the ass to get to mate up with a TMIC. The car came with a WRX TMIC, not sure which year. I found a TD04 for around $100 with 34K miles on it. I think that's a decent price.

Do I need a turbo timer? What exactly does a turbo timer do and which one should I buy? Anything else I should buy to make this setup work right?

Anything else I should know or "search for" before I dive into this project?

Alright I googled it and I learned that the turbo timer allows your engine to run a little while after the key is removed to keep oil flowing through the turbo to allow it to cool down. It also prevents the turbo from baking the oil onto the insides and preventing heat from escaping and thus damaging the turbo. Plus it prevents super hot oil from sitting in the turbo oil lines and leaving residue which clogs the lines up over time.

Is this correct? Up until now I though it was some sort of mechanism that controls boost levels or something like that. I learned something new today! Yay!

Are there specific turbo timers or harnesses for each car? Is there one for a 91 SS?

Anything else I should know before I buy this TD04? Will it bolt right up to the stock exhaust? Do I need any oil lines or coolant lines when I get the TD04?

Dont think its neccesary for these turbos and how small they are, however allow the turbo to prime when you start the car (Turn the key all the way without turning the car on)

And let your car warm up as much as time allows you!

Good luck!

Turbo timers are mainly for non-cooled turbos. You can run one but its not absolutely necessary since the TD04 stays relatively cool with respect to the fact that it has coolant running through it.

The above explanation of priming a turbo confuses me so could you fully explain what you mean.

Turning the key before depressing the clutch to fully on whatever it is called, allows fuel to be pumped and Fresh oil to be pumped through the turbo, Keeping it from Starting on old dry oil, of course it wont matter unless in the long run, eventually damaging your turbo, i think?

94SS_Canada wrote:Turning the key before depressing the clutch to fully on whatever it is called, allows fuel to be pumped and Fresh oil to be pumped through the turbo, Keeping it from Starting on old dry oil, of course it wont matter unless in the long run, eventually damaging your turbo, i think?

The oil pumps are purely mechanical on all EJ turbo's and will not pump anything till the engine is started and running.

GD

So, you're saying that simply turning the key to the "on" position and leaving it there for a few seconds before actually starting the car will prime the turbo with oil?

In other words...

Key is on and car not running at all; right?

GeneralDisorder wrote:

94SS_Canada wrote:Turning the key before depressing the clutch to fully on whatever it is called, allows fuel to be pumped and Fresh oil to be pumped through the turbo, Keeping it from Starting on old dry oil, of course it wont matter unless in the long run, eventually damaging your turbo, i think?

The oil pumps are purely mechanical on all EJ turbo's and will not pump anything till the engine is started and running.

GD

That's where I was going with my questions but I had to be sure I fully understood what he was saying.

Letting the car run for a few seconds prior to putting it in gear is never a bad idea but the key is that the car does indeed have to be running for oil to be flowing.

If I just bought a TD04 by itself, would there be anything else I would need to bolt it in with this 95 EJ20 DOHC TT? I saw one that was just the turbo and I saw another for sale that had 1K miles on it and came with oil and coolant lines. Do I need those or does this motor already have them?

Turbo timers on Subaru's are a waste of money. Save that money for an exhaust.



With the water cooled turbo and the coolant expansion tank, coolant continues to flow through the turbo even after the motor has stopped, due to convection. Turbo timers aren't a bad idea when using an oil cooled turbo, but a total waste on a normal Subaru.






If you got a TD04 without the lines, I think you should be able to reuse your lines off the VF11. You just need new copper washers, or you can re-anneal the old ones. I'm not sure if the bolt spacing on the oil drain would be the same though. I've never had an IHI turbo in my car.

You're going to need a reducing 90-degree silicone elbow hose for the inlet, since the TD-04 has a straight inlet. Also a short length of connector pipe, like 2" PVC to hook it up the stock intake pipe.

Replace the exhaust gaskets at the up-pipe and down-pipe connections (turbo exhaust in and out) if they're bent up or rusty.

Your VF-11 lines will bolt right up to the -04, no modification.

Even with the WRX TMIC I have?

I'm talking about the turbo compressor inlet... the WRX intake goes straight under the intake manifold, ours turns 90-deg and points up towards the hood. The TD-04 has no provision to attach the metal 90-deg elbow, you have to make one.

Alright, probably no big deal. I'm not sure what you're saying but I'm sure I'll see what you mean when I get the motor in. Thanks

If you have the turbos off EJ20H or EJ20R they are not VF11's.
They are smaller & have an oddball 4 bolt DP flange.

Didn't know that. I actually thought that might be so but wasn't sure. I have both the twin turbos and the single turbo from the EJ22T that came out of this car.

How do I tell which EJ20 it is? I was told it was a 95.

It's a 20H with the VF-13/14 combo.