# My Holden Cruze 1.8 Turbo Project!



## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Exhaust cont.:









Intercooler and Pipes: Went with a mishimoto intercooler as they were on sale at the time of the build and got the IC pipes powder coated black.


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

At this point all that was left to do was tune the car. The wastegate was set at 7PSI and held that pressure nicely whilst tuning. The car has only been road tuned, so I dont have any figures on power but it is a hell of alot quicker than its' previous naturally aspirated self lol. 

The car was running great for about 5000KM then something gave in...

Transmission upgrade: My stock 6T30 could only hold up to the abuse for so long and decided that the diff didn't want to rotate anymore and exited the case. I realized this was inevitable and had already planned on a trans upgrade but what to swap in? Once again the 1.6T comes to the rescue sporting a 6T45 which is rated to ~320Nm opposed to the 170Nm that the old one was rated to. I expected this to be a major PITA but everything directly swapped in and didn't even require reprogramming of the TCM. I picked a trans from the same year as my car but with much lower mileage with only 40K KMs and it had the exact same OS as my old TCM had. Another benefit of this transmission is it allows for a much higher top speed with different gearing, unfortunately at the sacrifice of a bit of torque but oh well... 








New Trans:








Transmission installed:


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

The final mod completed are larger front brakes. The newly installed transmission uses different axles which use different bearings which use different bearing hubs lol. Luckily when I purchased the new axles they came with all of this for free! The new brakes are 300MM and the old 276MM so I painted them up and got them installed so I could get the car going again. With the extra power this thing is making its nice to know I have more stopping power available. The 1.6T Cruze also has MUCH larger rear brakes so I'm going to try and track some down and get them installed.


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

Nice. There are more enthusiasts left than I thought.


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

JLL said:


> Nice. There are more enthusiasts left than I thought.


Thanks! I wish there were more, I really enjoy how the Cruze drives and looks it just never really kicked off in the aftermarket department


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

F18D4T said:


> Thanks! I wish there were more, I really enjoy how the Cruze drives and looks it just never really kicked off in the aftermarket department


A lot of people have the philosophy of why not buy the HP in the 1st place. Which is a valid argument. I've spent USD $8,500 so far on my build and I'm probably going to end up spending $10,000 once I actually get the engine built; And another $3,000 after that once the transmission blows. So for an additional $13,000, I could have bought a Camero with about the same amount of power that I'll end up with.

But that would be boring....


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

JLL said:


> But that would be boring....


Couldnt agree more!


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## jay1185 (Feb 13, 2016)

This is amazing! I love following builds like this because I don't have the funds to do the same to mine. I can dream and imagine how it is through watching individuals like yourself and Matt, though! I love his vids btw and freaked out when I found them lol.

Enjoy and major major props on your build! That's freakin' AWESOME!


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

Wish we could find an aluminum one to bolt to the 1.4.. you guys over in Aus seem to get all the luck in this department.. My other project had the same thng happen, As it turns out you guys had an actual multiport injection intake from the magna i believe it was that just so happen to fit the mitsuxplode 2.6 in the Starion/Conquest 80's car


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Mr_Pat said:


> Wish we could find an aluminum one to bolt to the 1.4.. you guys over in Aus seem to get all the luck in this department.. My other project had the same thng happen, As it turns out you guys had an actual multiport injection intake from the magna i believe it was that just so happen to fit the mitsuxplode 2.6 in the Starion/Conquest 80's car


We're lucky in some ways where we get a mixture of vehicle variants from different regions but we get absolutely wrecked on pricing compared to you guys! I actually bought my manifold from the UK as they're really hard to get here without being attached to a motor


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## Crewz (Jul 12, 2011)

Love this build! So clean. We need more videos! lol


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

F18D4T said:


> We're lucky in some ways where we get a mixture of vehicle variants from different regions but we get absolutely wrecked on pricing compared to you guys! I actually bought my manifold from the UK as they're really hard to get here without being attached to a motor


LOL Fair enough still loving the build and the look


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

Mr_Pat said:


> LOL Fair enough still loving the build and the look


RacerX makes an alloy intake manifold for the LUJ. I don't really see a point in it though. The factory manifold is designed for boost already.


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

Yeah I saw that one .. I more meant the availability of metal stock variation from a different vehicle.


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

Mr_Pat said:


> Yeah I saw that one .. I more meant the availability of metal stock variation from a different vehicle.


You mean like a valve cover, water outlet, or thermostat housing....  

Hopefully that GM engineer is working in a different department.


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

Gettt ouuuttttaaa my head


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

Mr_Pat said:


> Gettt ouuuttttaaa my head


Great minds think alike


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Ali express sells metal valve covers, water outlets and such, but not for the 1.4


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Blasirl said:


> Ali express sells metal valve covers, water outlets and such, but not for the 1.4


I have a metal valve cover waiting to be installed. Getting a second pcv outlet welded on soon, have an issue that arose which requires a fix from my fabricator and going to get some extra stuff done whilst its' in the shop. 

Some videos if anybody hasn't seen them yet


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

F18D4T said:


> I have a metal valve cover waiting to be installed. Getting a second pcv outlet welded on soon, have an issue that arose which requires a fix from my fabricator and going to get some extra stuff done whilst its' in the shop.
> 
> Some videos if anybody hasn't seen them yet


You need to turn the bunker into a Skunkworks lab!


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Blasirl said:


> You need to turn the bunker into a Skunkworks lab!


Wow I was so young in that video! I had a crack at clearing it out but never decided to do anything with it as when it rains it fills with water and water proofing it would be beyond my skills.


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Update on the car: 

Drove over a faulty expansion joint which flicked up and ripped my exhaust back  broke the dump pipe and put a hole in my oil pan... 









I like to see the positive side of things so this gave me a chance to put my oil drain plug in a better spot on the new pan, and the car park owners’ Insurance should be covering the damage. 








While looking for some other parts I needed at the wreckers I grabbed some bigger brakes and the watts link suspension from a 1.6 they had there! Can’t wait to get it installed it should only need slight modification to bolt up


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Got it in, only required 2 holes to be drilled and some longer M12 bolts. Can’t wait to see if there’s much difference just need to get my exhaust remade :/


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Little update:

The rear suspension upgrade was a huge success, cornering and really givin' it to the car in bends and sharp turns the car feels unbelievably more planted. The body roll in the rear was previously horrid and that is all but gone. Highly recommend this upgrade as you'll get larger brakes too and it is a really easy and cheap mod with great performance gains. 

At the end of the week I'm finally getting my exhaust redone and getting some sensor flanges welded into my ic piping. The car doesn't open the throttle more than 65% without a TIAP so I'm adding one and a BARO sensor. I had to pin them into the ECU, I simply found a wiring diagram from the 1.4 with the same ECU and not so simply unwrapped the entire loom. I also used this opportunity to remove things the car no longer has like the variable intake plug. The loom is wrapped more neatly now so the engine bay looks cleaner  

















The final change I have made is colder spark plugs. I was still using the stock IR 6 heat range plugs and was getting weird hesitation in low load situations. I upgraded to ones designed for the 1.4 which are NGK IR 7 heat range plugs and all the issues have gone away.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

F18D4T said:


> Little update:
> 
> The rear suspension upgrade was a huge success, cornering and really givin' it to the car in bends and sharp turns the car feels unbelievably more planted. The body roll in the rear was previously horrid and that is all but gone. Highly recommend this upgrade as you'll get larger brakes too and it is a really easy and cheap mod with great performance gains.
> 
> ...


I must have missed something. Did you install a Z-Link rear or what?


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Blasirl said:


> I must have missed something. Did you install a Z-Link rear or what?


Sure did!


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Thought I'd post an update, hopefully the info further down can help at least 1 person! Finally got the car repaired and to a point where it drives perfectly now with my added TIAP and BARO sensors. Its' got a full 3" exhaust this time with a high flow cat. The only thing letting me down is the stock fuel pump... It is dropping pressure badly on e85, tuning around it is easy but its' not consistent so I'm looking into dropping in an AEM 340LPH pump which I have sitting around. @Crewz do you know if the stock FPR in the tub will handle such a high flow pump, I know you have a similar sized one but not sure if you've tested it yet...


















For anybody looking to turbo your 1.8 Cruze with a torque based ECM EG: E78 you absolutely need to install an additional TIAP and BARO sensor. Without it your throttle will only open WOT to ~60%, your low throttle will command too much throttle causing high boost and really low spark to compensate and tuning VE will be impossible to get right as your BARO which is calculated will be completely wrong. The BARO just needs to hang somewhere in the engine bay, and the TIAP needs to be post turbo/pre throttle body. To do this you need to pin the ECU as follows:
*TIAP*:
X1 Pin #25: 5V REF
X1 Pin #11: Pressure Signal
X1 Pin#39: Low Ref/GND
X2 Pin #46: IAT 3 Signal
*BARO*:
X1 Pin #37: Low Ref/GND
X1 Pin #23: 5V REF
X1 Pin #09: Pressure Signal

Then in your tune (I use HPTuners) you need to switch the sensor config in Engine>Airflow>General>Sensor Config. This will enable the TIAP and BARO sensors and you need to adjust AAP1 for the TIAP sensor offset and AAP2 for the BARO offset which depends on which sensors you chose.








And you need to change the induction type under Engine>Torque Management>SC/TC General> Type fitted. This will use the TIAP for throttle calculations instead of BARO. 








Your throttle will now operate correctly, your fueling will be able to be tuned accurately and the car will be so much nicer to drive!


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## Mr_Pat (Mar 7, 2021)

Nice. I was wondering if fuel pump would become an issue for you guys going from NA to boosted ,,


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Got the new AEM 340LPH pump installed with an AFPR. My fuel pump assembly is a bit different to the ones I have seen on YouTube, with the venturi jet being separate to the fuel pump in the fuel filter. I decided to ditch the venturi for now which means I have to be careful with low fuel. I was going to keep the venturi but broke one of the hose connectors and just wanted the car to be running again. I installed a return bung in the fuel hat and ran the FPR near the charcoal canister (not boost referenced as of yet). Car runs great now that fuel pressure doesn't fall on its face WOT 

OEM style fuel pump:









How I installed the pump:

















How/where the AFPR is mounted:


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Finally working on the car again! Have installed a paddle shifter steering wheel, which suits my large hands better than the skinny stock one. Have got my ac working with custom lines I made and installed a stock air box from a 1.6 to get some nice cold air as my IATs sucked when stationary/slow moving.


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Turned up the boost to 14psi let’s see how the stock block takes it… running fine after a few hard pulls but watch this space for a blown engine update lol


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

F18D4T said:


> Turned up the boost to 14psi let’s see how the stock block takes it… running fine after a few hard pulls but watch this space for a blown engine update lol


What compression ratio are you running?

14 psi seems low.


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

JLL said:


> What compression ratio are you running?
> 
> 14 psi seems low.


Unopened 1.8L 10.5 CR. I actually think it's pretty up there for a NA motor haha


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

F18D4T said:


> Unopened 1.8L 10.5 CR. I actually think it's pretty up there for a NA motor haha


Ah. Then 14 psi is actually considerable. 

Brave move on stock internals. I turbocharged an early GM 3800 L36 on stock internals when I was younger 20 years ago. It held up for 3 years! But that engine was built like a tank.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

F18D4T said:


> Finally working on the car again! Have installed a paddle shifter steering wheel, which suits my large hands better than the skinny stock one. Have got my ac working with custom lines I made and installed a stock air box from a 1.6 to get some nice cold air as my IATs sucked when stationary/slow moving.
> View attachment 295299
> 
> View attachment 295301
> ...


What vehicle is the steering wheel out of?


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Blasirl said:


> What vehicle is the steering wheel out of?


Holden SSV Redline Commodore


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## DGM_Insignia (12 mo ago)

Hi mate, I am doing a similar build on an Insignia 1.8 (so same engine). I am good with all the mechanical bits, but I was hoping you can give me a bit more info in regards to the electronics. What did you use and what it took to make it right for the boost. Am I right to think , that with this HP tuners kit, all I need is to plug it in, calibrate the fuel maps and the ignition and it would be job done? If I can somewhat use the original ECU I would definitely prefer that. Also what car have you selected as I can't find 1.8 petrol Cruze or Insignia? Thank you in advance. I will post in Matt's thread as well. I love what you guys are doing, thank you for the information, as what you 2 did is pretty much what inspired me to do this build.


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

DGM_Insignia said:


> Hi mate, I am doing a similar build on an Insignia 1.8 (so same engine). I am good with all the mechanical bits, but I was hoping you can give me a bit more info in regards to the electronics. What did you use and what it took to make it right for the boost. Am I right to think , that with this HP tuners kit, all I need is to plug it in, calibrate the fuel maps and the ignition and it would be job done? If I can somewhat use the original ECU I would definitely prefer that. Also what car have you selected as I can't find 1.8 petrol Cruze or Insignia? Thank you in advance. I will post in Matt's thread as well. I love what you guys are doing, thank you for the information, as what you 2 did is pretty much what inspired me to do this build.


Hey and welcome! I use the stock ECU which is an E78. I needed to add some sensors (in an above post) to get it to run right. The same ECU is used to control the turbocharged models so there were no problems there. You will definitely need a wideband to tune the car and its a little more involved than tweaking fuel and spark with this ECU as it's torque command based. Probably best off to see what ECU is in your car and see if it's compatible with HpTuners.


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## DGM_Insignia (12 mo ago)

F18D4T said:


> Hey and welcome! I use the stock ECU which is an E78. I needed to add some sensors (in an above post) to get it to run right. The same ECU is used to control the turbocharged models so there were no problems there. You will definitely need a wideband to tune the car and its a little more involved than tweaking fuel and spark with this ECU as it's torque command based. Probably best off to see what ECU is in your car and see if it's compatible with HpTuners.


Thank you very much for responding. I think mine is E83 , I will double check though.


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

FINALLY got it to the dragstrip! Ran 14.147 @ 97.8 mph at 13PSI. I was going to poke a hole in the wastegate vac hose but the track was closing and not enough time for another run


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## landrystephane92 (Jan 3, 2012)

F18D4T said:


> FINALLY got it to the dragstrip! Ran 14.147 @ 97.8 mph at 13PSI. I was going to poke a hole in the wastegate vac hose but the track was closing and not enough time for another run
> View attachment 295933


If you'd improve on that reaction time, you'd be in the high 13's! :O


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

landrystephane92 said:


> If you'd improve on that reaction time, you'd be in the high 13's! :O


R/T doesn't effect the E/T in this case but I hit high 13s today anyways


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

@F18D4T , Winter COTM Winner?

We'll never know if you don't make a submission before March 1st...


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

Trans seems fine now, reverted to a previous tune which seems to have fixed the trans shift issue  I haven't been doing burnouts to save my nice tyres and I'm spinning off the line, best 60" was about 1.9s so I should be able to go mid 13s.



JLL said:


> @F18D4T , Winter COTM Winner?
> 
> We'll never know if you don't make a submission before March 1st...


Got it posted just then


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## landrystephane92 (Jan 3, 2012)

I'm currently in the really slow process of supercharging my 1.8L, do you have anything you'd recommend me knowing regarding boosting the 1.8L?


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

landrystephane92 said:


> I'm currently in the really slow process of supercharging my 1.8L, do you have anything you'd recommend me knowing regarding boosting the 1.8L?


Depending on what ecu it’s running you need to get the airflow sensor config right. I needed to add a barometric pressure sensor and a tiap sensor to get my throttle working right


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## landrystephane92 (Jan 3, 2012)

I'm currently running in BARO in HP Tuners, but I don't physically have a sensor other than the one integrated into the current MAF, which would become useless when it seems pressure, right?

Where exactly do you relay these sensor to?


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

landrystephane92 said:


> I'm currently running in BARO in HP Tuners, but I don't physically have a sensor other than the one integrated into the current MAF, which would become useless when it seems pressure, right?
> 
> Where exactly do you relay these sensor to?


In a previous post I explain how to add the additional sensor for an e78 ecu. I basically wired the tiap sensor into the existing maf wiring and removed the extras, then pinned in a baro sensor. The tiap needs to be before the throttle pretty close if possible, and I have the baro sensor under the intake manifold in free air.


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## landrystephane92 (Jan 3, 2012)

F18D4T said:


> In a previous post I explain how to add the additional sensor for an e78 ecu. I basically wired the tiap sensor into the existing maf wiring and removed the extras, then pinned in a baro sensor. The tiap needs to be before the throttle pretty close if possible, and I have the baro sensor under the intake manifold in free air.


So you don't use your MAF anymore at all then?


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

landrystephane92 said:


> So you don't use your MAF anymore at all then?


Nope, probably could with my new air intake having a larger diameter but I’m running in SD mode


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## JLL (Sep 12, 2017)

F18D4T said:


> Nope, probably could with my new air intake having a larger diameter but I’m running in SD mode


Why did you switch to exclusively using speed density?


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## F18D4T (Sep 24, 2020)

JLL said:


> Why did you switch to exclusively using speed density?


MAF was exceeding hard airflow limit with the original setup. I may buy a new wiring harness and include the MAF as my intake is now larger


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