When the new Eclipse came out with the 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine, there was hope that it would share some components with the 1995 to '99 turbo 2.0-liter Eclipse. Wishful thinking indeed. With the engine and transmission inverted, hardly anything at all interchanges. With so many people attracted to the car's edgy styling, only its performance was lacking. Rated at over 150 hp from the factory, Doug's Dynopower surmised a power gain of at least 80-90 ponies would make the 3g four-banger complete.
The company decided to develop a bolt-on turbo kit using a tried-and-true Mitsubishi turbocharger along with some other Mitsubishi components. With an end goal locked in, the pipe bending began in earnest. Installation of the kit is a moderate affair. The toughest tasks are the two oil line connections. The turbo's oil feed comes from the block along with the stock oil pressure switch connection. The return tube routes back in the engine's oil pan. The turbo is water cooled and uses the stock lines from the back of the intake manifold.
A K&N cone filter cleans the air on its way to the stock mass air adapter and into the compressor inlet of the Mitsubishi turbo. Then it's off to the Spearco side-mounted intercooler, where the charge air is chilled enough for the lower boost pressures used in this kit. A special wastegate canister is employed to enable boost adjustments down as low as 5 psi.
For fuel, the kit includes an in-tank pump and Holley FMU regulator for low boost. Anything over 7 psi is better addressed with an APEXi AFC and larger fuel injectors that are available from RC Engineering. So far the stock ECU has worked in harmony with the turbo kit. Upgrades are being tested for later release.
A reliable Mitsubishi blow-off valve is used to release pressure between shifts for the five speed as well as throttle lifting on automatic transmission-equipped vehicles. The kit uses a VDO boost gauge as well as an air fuel monitor to keep track of the two most vital conditions of a turbo car. Off To The Dyno Cell
The kit in our test was installed on a 2001 Eclipse, 2.4-liter outfitted with an automatic transmission. Baseline testing resulted in only 109 hp to the wheels.
The dyno chart displays 5-psi and 7-psi runs overlaid. The red lines (5 psi) indicate 197.2 hp and peak torque of 201.3 lbs-ft. At the high-boost setting (7 psi) the 2.4-liter pounded out 216.3 hp and 233.0 lbs-ft of torque.
A similar 5-speed checked in at almost 125 hp, so Doug's Dynopower set a goal of 200 hp to the wheels on premium pump fuel. Bolting on the base 5-psi kit netted 197.2 hp and 201.3 lbs-ft of torque. Bumping the boost to 7 psi brought the power up to 216.3 and 233.0 lbs-ft of torque.
Recent dyno runs with a manual transmission car at 6 psi of pressure netted 247 hp at the wheels. Not bad, considering the engine has a single, over-head cam arrangement. It should be noted that these tests were all done through the stock exhaust systems. So if Doug were to bolt on a system, he would eclipse his 200-hp target at the base boost of 5 psi. Pretty cool.
With the stock engine's compression ratio being fairly high, boost levels greater than 10 psi are not suggested. Fuel economy remains outstanding and driving is no different than stock until the boost hits. Virtually no lag is present. None of the factory accessories--i.e.: AC, power steering or cruise control--are affected by the kit.
As more companies produce performance parts for these engines, greater power gains can be had. A new camshaft comes to mind as one item of great help in this engine. That would certainly put it on par with some of the other DOHC engines on the market today not to mention how much better the turbo system will work.
If you have the 3g styling but lust for more of the 2g's 4G63 thrust, Doug's Dynopower may have the solution.