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Thread: Installing a turbo on a really, really beat up, old bmw 3 series

  1. #1
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    Arrow Installing a turbo on a really, really beat up, old bmw 3 series

    I have a really old 3 series that is an 89 I think. Everything is starting to fall apart on it, I guess the previous owner didnt take such good care of it at all. the belts are all going bad and there are rust spots everywhere to the point that I have holes in my body! Anyway, I was wondering if a car had to be in really good condition to support a turbo? Doesnt a turbo stress your car in a way? If thats the case, should I avoid putting one on my car?

    All feedback is greatly appreciated and might I ad this is a wonderful place for us BMW enthusiasts and I am thrilled that I am now a part of this community!
    I love my BMW

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Abel1337 View Post
    I have a really old 3 series that is an 89 I think. Everything is starting to fall apart on it, I guess the previous owner didnt take such good care of it at all. the belts are all going bad and there are rust spots everywhere to the point that I have holes in my body! Anyway, I was wondering if a car had to be in really good condition to support a turbo? Doesnt a turbo stress your car in a way? If thats the case, should I avoid putting one on my car?

    All feedback is greatly appreciated and might I ad this is a wonderful place for us BMW enthusiasts and I am thrilled that I am now a part of this community!
    I would address the other problems first before putting a turbo on. How many miles are on it?

  3. #3
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    Installing a turbo, or any other device which boosts your power level is going to put more strain on every part of your car. Issues will surface which will need to be corrected, certainly, but it's really impossible to tell you whether or not your car is in good enough shape. The engine, transmission, driveline, differential, axles, cooling system, and tires are just some basic things which will need to be in good shape to take on the task of extra power. That all said, do a comp/leakdown test. If it passes, strap a budget turbo system on there and smash it until the wheels fall off!

  4. #4
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    If it's falling apart anyways, then it wouldn't really matter
    if you blew it up right?

    I'm hitting 20psi on my m20 every day.
    350,000 miles on the block.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by YellowBed View Post
    If it's falling apart anyways, then it wouldn't really matter
    if you blew it up right?

    I'm hitting 20psi on my m20 every day.
    350,000 miles on the block.
    Lol I like your thinking man hahaha. Seriously though, this is the only car I have so I couldnt afford to have it break down. Oh and to answer another one of these posted questions, my car currently has 180000 miles on it. Oh I also have this weird problem with it where the gas pedal depresses almost by itself for the first 2 inches or so. I think its the cable.

    Im curious though, how much stress does putting a turbo on a bmw 3 series cause?
    I love my BMW

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Abel1337 View Post
    Lol I like your thinking man hahaha. Seriously though, this is the only car I have so I couldnt afford to have it break down. Oh and to answer another one of these posted questions, my car currently has 180000 miles on it. Oh I also have this weird problem with it where the gas pedal depresses almost by itself for the first 2 inches or so. I think its the cable.

    Im curious though, how much stress does putting a turbo on a bmw 3 series cause?
    You've already answered your own question. If this is your only car, don't do it. There is some downtime associated with a turbo install and things DO break, whether you plan for them to or not, so you need a reliable daily driver other than the car you're planning to modify. There's nothing wrong with daily driving a turbo car, but you always should have a backup plan.
    IG: @mikevanshellenbeck

  7. #7
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    Yea I guess youre right. But in all honesty guys, how many of you have more than 1 car for driving. Im not exactly rich. And judging by the way the economy is right now, neither are a lot of you guys!
    I love my BMW

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Abel1337 View Post
    Yea I guess youre right. But in all honesty guys, how many of you have more than 1 car for driving. Im not exactly rich. And judging by the way the economy is right now, neither are a lot of you guys!

    Your reliable daily driver doesn't have to be expensive. Just needs to serve its purpose as an alternative mode of transportation if/when your turbo car breaks.
    IG: @mikevanshellenbeck

  9. #9
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    But the costs of maintaining 2 cars has to be through the roof!
    I love my BMW

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Abel1337 View Post
    But the costs of maintaining 2 cars has to be through the roof!
    It is but maintaining a car thats falling apart and then putting something on the car the will only speed up the process of it falling apart is going to be more expensive.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Abel1337 View Post
    But the costs of maintaining 2 cars has to be through the roof!

    If that is your perspective, you can't afford to turbocharge a bmw.

    Geo metros are cheap to maintain
    IG: @mikevanshellenbeck

  12. #12
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    turbo it and expect the worse

  13. #13
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    If it's your only car and you're worried about costs, put the money into repairing/restoring it for now. For half the price of a turbo kit you can do quite a bit of good for the health of the car. Turbos will still be around tomorrow.

    Austin
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  14. #14
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    If it's your only car do NOT do it. I turbo'd my e36 as my only car but my ex had two cars so I dailyed hers, then rented a car from a friend after we broke up, and then I bought my e30 as a backup. I've driven my beater more than my turbo car in the last 6 months. You HAVE TO have a backup.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by SiGmA View Post
    If it's your only car do NOT do it. I turbo'd my e36 as my only car but my ex had two cars so I dailyed hers, then rented a car from a friend after we broke up, and then I bought my e30 as a backup. I've driven my beater more than my turbo car in the last 6 months. You HAVE TO have a backup.
    Really good advice man. I just wish I could feel what it is like to have a turbo on my car. I bet itll turn a 3 series into a car w/ neck snapping capabilities, no?
    I love my BMW

  16. #16
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    No offense, but why would you buy a BMW if the only one you could afford is one thats about to fall apart?

    If your going to put a turbocharger on a car, you need to start with a good foundation.


  17. #17
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    you will fall to peices if you put it in before you fix up the car i know this i got my 2002 330i in that condition fixed it up then modded it it runs great (just look at the sig and find out what i mean)
    I love my car

  18. #18
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    go for it!

    you have to dive under the hood anyways!
    E31 M73 Forever

  19. #19
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    you will regret it if you dont fix it up first
    I love my car

  20. #20
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    The car must be 100% caught up on maintenance first, otherwise you'll be breaking all kinds of crap.

  21. #21
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    you obviously dont have much money, you depend on your e30 as your daily driver, its falling apart...and you want to turbo it? boost will only make your car fall apart more. do you know how much it is to turbo a car? i say dont do it if your tight on cash and need this car. i can see it right now, you spend all your money turbocharging it, and the next day something brakes/blows up and your screwed.

    now if you didnt need the car, and not worried about its state of health, i think it would be better to strap on a nitrous kit before a turbo.

  22. #22
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