T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
30 posts • Page 1 of 1
T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
Hi there after a lot of people still not understanding the t3 conversion guide and needing more details of the conversion i.e. with pics and step by step guides I have with the permission of Adrianfrst have decided to do my bit for the website and help some of the people out by compiling some more detailed info and pics. Some will be from Adrian’s guide merged with my guide I hope this helps people out.
Converting your FRST to a T3 is one of the best ways to increase power and potential power of the car. The larger size of the turbo flows more air and also provides more of a kick than the almost lag-less T2. The T3 provides more mid range than the T2 and maintains boost higher up the rev range than the T2, which has a tendency to tail off above 5500rpm. For serious power a larger turbo is the only way to go, but the T3 conversion need not be expensive. The parts are available for a few hundred pounds and fitting is a fairly straightforward task.
When Ford released the Fiesta RS Turbo in 1990 they fitted the smaller T2 turbo rather than the Escort's T3. The smaller engine bay of the Fiesta meant that the Escort turbo wouldn't have fitted between the block and the radiator. This is the first obstacle to overcome when doing the swap. This will be explained in detail later. The T3 conversion requires a number of parts from a donor Escort or parts supplier. There are a few alternatives in certain aspects of this, such as the down pipe arrangement and oil returns. Some Fiesta parts can be modified and re used such as the cone filter if fitted.
The car in question does not have an amal valve, has a full scorpion exhaust system, aftermarket induction kit.
1. First of all you have to strip the car down ready for the t3 to go on the things you need to remove as follows the radiator so that you can get access to the turbo and get it off , its quite easy to do there is a couple of bolts that hold radiator the front panel and a couple of water hoses that need to be taken off I found the best way to tackle all the coolant leaking everywhere is to jack the car up and place a bucket under the bottom left had radiator hose and undo that hose you will find most of the coolant will escape this way . Once that is done you then need to unscrew the oil feed to the t2 by unscrewing it from behind the block you will see it screws into the block next to the oil pressure switch. There is an earth lead which runs from the engine carrier hook to the suspension turret so ensure this is refitted after removing the oil feed bracket. Unbolt the oil return from the middle of the block leaving just the threaded section protruding. Disconnect the hoses from the actuator to turbo or actuator and turbo to amal valve (depending on setup). If the car has an amal valve labels the hoses to avoid confusion. Undo the downpipe from the turbo and remove the downpipe from the exhaust centre section. This should now leave the turbo completely disconnected from everything and ready to remove. Undo the exhaust studs on the head and lift the turbo off the engine. Here is a pic of what you will be left with once the turbo is removed.
once the turbo is removed you get direct access to the bit on the block where the oil is returned to the block because the t3 has a push on type of return and does not screw onto the block we cannot you the old return pipe so the old bit on the block has to be removed this is easily done with a bit socket it simply unscrews from the block and can then be discarded the new type you need from a escort rs turbo this piece highlighted below I believe you can still buy this part from ford I will have part numbers for every part you need at the bottom of the page
this is a simple push fit onto the block be very careful as the part is not very strong when pushing it in be patient as it is very tight but does go in.
once that is done you need to buy a new exhaust manifold gasket for a escort rs turbo PLEASE DO NOT USE A FIESTA ONE these can be purchased for buttons once placed on the head it will look something like below
Now you have to screw the new oil feed to the turbo you can pick these up for buttons from eBay, 2nd hand and of this website. They are a much better design and flow much better with out having to flow oil through sharp angles which the t2 suffered from it screws no problem into where the old t2 oil feed was and you have to reroute the pipe over the gearbox
REMEMBER: Screw thee braided oil feed pipe into the block, the block end is the one with the slightly longer metal L bend before the braiding.
Once that is done just leave the oil feed pipe don’t connect at this moment in time.
Next its time to put the t3 on bolt up the exhaust manifold to the turbo and bolt up the actuator to it to and give it a good clean and make sure that the turbo is in good condition and that the blades move freely. Once that is done you will hopefully have something that looks like this.
Next its time to put the turbo on very carefully thorough the front panel lift the turbo onto the studs and bolts it up. It is advisable to replace the bolts and washers with new ones and torque them to the correct settings. Then you will have something that looks like this.
Next fitting the oil return, once the turbo is on the car you need to get under that car and push the rubber hose on you can get the hose from ford but is a bit pricy here is pic of the hose and it fitted to the car
Use hose clips to tighten the seal, making a mental note to tighten them again after running the car the first time, when they have softened with the heat.
once that is done pour some oil down the oil feed hold on the top of the turbo shown highlighted below this is to ensure that there is oil before the car is started so that the bearings don’t dry out and damage the turbo once that is done bolt up the oil feed pipe to the turbo
next its times to put radiator and fan back in this will take no time at all connect up all the water hoses ,The T3 water feed pipe is further away from the radiator so the Escort pipe is needed. It should be possible to connect the T2 return pipe to the T3 as the connections are roughly in the same place. A little trimming of the hose may be required. There is some variation in how the radiator will sit with the t3 on it will be very close it all depends on the actuator and the bracket some will have to move their rad slightly in forward however I was lucky and didn’t need to move it but to make sure when the car runs and engine moves slightly I put a bit of foam to protect the radiator as show below
On our project car we removed the water cooling to the turbo. This has the advantage of allowing the car to run cooler, as the water is not passing through the hot turbo. The downside to this is that the car must be allowed to warm up and cool down properly before and after use, which can be inconvenient for short journeys. To disconnect the water cooling it is necessary to block the takeoff on the side of the radiator and on the radiator top hose. An Escort Series 1 top hose will suffice for this as they run no water cooling.
Next its time to sort out the boost hoses the top one bolts up ok to the intercooler however the bottom one needs moded as the compressor wheel sits on the opposite side to what it did with the t3 this is simple modification and its not scary at all what I did was get the top boost hose from a escort rs and the bottom hose from the intercooler and chopped them down to size and fitted a steel band in-between to hold the two hoses together you can use other things as well .Once hoses joined together they will look something like this.
Then you have to slide it onto the compressor and see how it’s to the intercooler there will be trial and error so you will have to keep putting it on checking it and trimming it suit and will look hopefully something like this
Next its the downpipe this varies from car to car depending on system however I had a full stainless system from the downpipe back you CAN chop a fiesta and escort one and weld them together however its not good for air flow so what I did was get a custom made downpipe for a good price and can supply them too it looks something like this
Finally with everything in place its time to set up the boost control there are many variants depending on how you car set up my loom was originally a xr2i loom so I had no amal valve so I ran a hose from the actuator plumbed into one side of a bleed valve then the other side goes to the compressor wheel , the other way you can do it is to run a direct feed from the actuator to the compressor and let the actuator control the boost and the other option is to extend wiring for the amal valve to the passenger side and plumb into system.
After reconnecting the water hoses, plug leads etc the car is ready for a test run. Keep an eye on the boost gauge and make adjustments if necessary - shorten the rod to increase boost, lengthen it to decrease boost. After the run allow the car to cool down until the hose clips around the pipes can be tightened further. The oil return has a tendency to leak if not tight. If everything appears to be in order the next step is to get the car tuned by a specialist. This will ensure the fuelling and boost are correct and the car is not detonating.
Here is a list of everything you will need and is recommended
Escort RS Turbo T3 turbo (or aftermarket replacement, hybrid etc)
Escort RS Turbo exhaust elbow (90 degree bend mounted directly to the turbo)
Escort RS Turbo exhaust manifold n/a
Escort RS Turbo downpipe (or aftermarket replacement, stainless etc)
Escort RS Turbo oil feed pipe (braided hose with threaded fittings)
Finis Code 1647776 price £52.05
Escort RS Turbo oil return drain pipe (metal pipe with flanged fitting) n/a
Escort RS Turbo oil return elbow pipe Finis code 1640090 Price £34.86
Escort RS Turbo water feed pipe n/a
-31 or equivalent actuator (a new one is preferred)
two (11mm usually) nuts to fit the actuator thread
4 extra 50-70mm hose clips
Escort rs turbo Manifold Bolts Finis Code 1549071 £0.34 each
Escort rs turbo Manifold Washers Finis code 1465430 £0.07 each
I would recommend that you try either ford or http://www.fordpartsuk.com for the nuts bolts and pipes etc
hope this helps and feel free to add anything
Converting your FRST to a T3 is one of the best ways to increase power and potential power of the car. The larger size of the turbo flows more air and also provides more of a kick than the almost lag-less T2. The T3 provides more mid range than the T2 and maintains boost higher up the rev range than the T2, which has a tendency to tail off above 5500rpm. For serious power a larger turbo is the only way to go, but the T3 conversion need not be expensive. The parts are available for a few hundred pounds and fitting is a fairly straightforward task.
When Ford released the Fiesta RS Turbo in 1990 they fitted the smaller T2 turbo rather than the Escort's T3. The smaller engine bay of the Fiesta meant that the Escort turbo wouldn't have fitted between the block and the radiator. This is the first obstacle to overcome when doing the swap. This will be explained in detail later. The T3 conversion requires a number of parts from a donor Escort or parts supplier. There are a few alternatives in certain aspects of this, such as the down pipe arrangement and oil returns. Some Fiesta parts can be modified and re used such as the cone filter if fitted.
The car in question does not have an amal valve, has a full scorpion exhaust system, aftermarket induction kit.
1. First of all you have to strip the car down ready for the t3 to go on the things you need to remove as follows the radiator so that you can get access to the turbo and get it off , its quite easy to do there is a couple of bolts that hold radiator the front panel and a couple of water hoses that need to be taken off I found the best way to tackle all the coolant leaking everywhere is to jack the car up and place a bucket under the bottom left had radiator hose and undo that hose you will find most of the coolant will escape this way . Once that is done you then need to unscrew the oil feed to the t2 by unscrewing it from behind the block you will see it screws into the block next to the oil pressure switch. There is an earth lead which runs from the engine carrier hook to the suspension turret so ensure this is refitted after removing the oil feed bracket. Unbolt the oil return from the middle of the block leaving just the threaded section protruding. Disconnect the hoses from the actuator to turbo or actuator and turbo to amal valve (depending on setup). If the car has an amal valve labels the hoses to avoid confusion. Undo the downpipe from the turbo and remove the downpipe from the exhaust centre section. This should now leave the turbo completely disconnected from everything and ready to remove. Undo the exhaust studs on the head and lift the turbo off the engine. Here is a pic of what you will be left with once the turbo is removed.
once the turbo is removed you get direct access to the bit on the block where the oil is returned to the block because the t3 has a push on type of return and does not screw onto the block we cannot you the old return pipe so the old bit on the block has to be removed this is easily done with a bit socket it simply unscrews from the block and can then be discarded the new type you need from a escort rs turbo this piece highlighted below I believe you can still buy this part from ford I will have part numbers for every part you need at the bottom of the page
this is a simple push fit onto the block be very careful as the part is not very strong when pushing it in be patient as it is very tight but does go in.
once that is done you need to buy a new exhaust manifold gasket for a escort rs turbo PLEASE DO NOT USE A FIESTA ONE these can be purchased for buttons once placed on the head it will look something like below
Now you have to screw the new oil feed to the turbo you can pick these up for buttons from eBay, 2nd hand and of this website. They are a much better design and flow much better with out having to flow oil through sharp angles which the t2 suffered from it screws no problem into where the old t2 oil feed was and you have to reroute the pipe over the gearbox
REMEMBER: Screw thee braided oil feed pipe into the block, the block end is the one with the slightly longer metal L bend before the braiding.
Once that is done just leave the oil feed pipe don’t connect at this moment in time.
Next its time to put the t3 on bolt up the exhaust manifold to the turbo and bolt up the actuator to it to and give it a good clean and make sure that the turbo is in good condition and that the blades move freely. Once that is done you will hopefully have something that looks like this.
Next its time to put the turbo on very carefully thorough the front panel lift the turbo onto the studs and bolts it up. It is advisable to replace the bolts and washers with new ones and torque them to the correct settings. Then you will have something that looks like this.
Next fitting the oil return, once the turbo is on the car you need to get under that car and push the rubber hose on you can get the hose from ford but is a bit pricy here is pic of the hose and it fitted to the car
Use hose clips to tighten the seal, making a mental note to tighten them again after running the car the first time, when they have softened with the heat.
once that is done pour some oil down the oil feed hold on the top of the turbo shown highlighted below this is to ensure that there is oil before the car is started so that the bearings don’t dry out and damage the turbo once that is done bolt up the oil feed pipe to the turbo
next its times to put radiator and fan back in this will take no time at all connect up all the water hoses ,The T3 water feed pipe is further away from the radiator so the Escort pipe is needed. It should be possible to connect the T2 return pipe to the T3 as the connections are roughly in the same place. A little trimming of the hose may be required. There is some variation in how the radiator will sit with the t3 on it will be very close it all depends on the actuator and the bracket some will have to move their rad slightly in forward however I was lucky and didn’t need to move it but to make sure when the car runs and engine moves slightly I put a bit of foam to protect the radiator as show below
On our project car we removed the water cooling to the turbo. This has the advantage of allowing the car to run cooler, as the water is not passing through the hot turbo. The downside to this is that the car must be allowed to warm up and cool down properly before and after use, which can be inconvenient for short journeys. To disconnect the water cooling it is necessary to block the takeoff on the side of the radiator and on the radiator top hose. An Escort Series 1 top hose will suffice for this as they run no water cooling.
Next its time to sort out the boost hoses the top one bolts up ok to the intercooler however the bottom one needs moded as the compressor wheel sits on the opposite side to what it did with the t3 this is simple modification and its not scary at all what I did was get the top boost hose from a escort rs and the bottom hose from the intercooler and chopped them down to size and fitted a steel band in-between to hold the two hoses together you can use other things as well .Once hoses joined together they will look something like this.
Then you have to slide it onto the compressor and see how it’s to the intercooler there will be trial and error so you will have to keep putting it on checking it and trimming it suit and will look hopefully something like this
Next its the downpipe this varies from car to car depending on system however I had a full stainless system from the downpipe back you CAN chop a fiesta and escort one and weld them together however its not good for air flow so what I did was get a custom made downpipe for a good price and can supply them too it looks something like this
Finally with everything in place its time to set up the boost control there are many variants depending on how you car set up my loom was originally a xr2i loom so I had no amal valve so I ran a hose from the actuator plumbed into one side of a bleed valve then the other side goes to the compressor wheel , the other way you can do it is to run a direct feed from the actuator to the compressor and let the actuator control the boost and the other option is to extend wiring for the amal valve to the passenger side and plumb into system.
After reconnecting the water hoses, plug leads etc the car is ready for a test run. Keep an eye on the boost gauge and make adjustments if necessary - shorten the rod to increase boost, lengthen it to decrease boost. After the run allow the car to cool down until the hose clips around the pipes can be tightened further. The oil return has a tendency to leak if not tight. If everything appears to be in order the next step is to get the car tuned by a specialist. This will ensure the fuelling and boost are correct and the car is not detonating.
Here is a list of everything you will need and is recommended
Escort RS Turbo T3 turbo (or aftermarket replacement, hybrid etc)
Escort RS Turbo exhaust elbow (90 degree bend mounted directly to the turbo)
Escort RS Turbo exhaust manifold n/a
Escort RS Turbo downpipe (or aftermarket replacement, stainless etc)
Escort RS Turbo oil feed pipe (braided hose with threaded fittings)
Finis Code 1647776 price £52.05
Escort RS Turbo oil return drain pipe (metal pipe with flanged fitting) n/a
Escort RS Turbo oil return elbow pipe Finis code 1640090 Price £34.86
Escort RS Turbo water feed pipe n/a
-31 or equivalent actuator (a new one is preferred)
two (11mm usually) nuts to fit the actuator thread
4 extra 50-70mm hose clips
Escort rs turbo Manifold Bolts Finis Code 1549071 £0.34 each
Escort rs turbo Manifold Washers Finis code 1465430 £0.07 each
I would recommend that you try either ford or http://www.fordpartsuk.com for the nuts bolts and pipes etc
hope this helps and feel free to add anything
Last edited by Farooq on Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- Farooq
- Elite Post Master
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- Location: Glasgow
Good guide, as for that rubber oil return pipe it was about £40 from ford, i got mine of a renault turbo in the scrappy and its twice as thick as the ford one.
- Brammer
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- Your car: Sierra Cosworth
hi mate as it says in the guide DO NOT USE FIESTA EXHAUST GASKET the pics not very clear but that gasket shown in the pic is the escort rs gasket look the port holes are round to match the round holes on the exhaust manifold cheers
- Farooq
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- AW3K
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- Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire Guide Master
im guessing you can just use a escort rst bottom boost hose for this conversion??
my old frst: 185bhp @11psi stage 1
my new frst: unknown...
my new frst: unknown...
- turbodaily
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- Joined: Wed Sep 21, 2005 11:36 am
T3 HELP
IN YOUR FITTING A T3 GUIDE YOU SAID YOU CAN GET CUSTOM T3 DOWNPIPES FOR FIESTA....CAN YOU GET ME ONE?HOW MUCH?AND WOULD I BE ABLE TO GET ASAP OR SUNDAY?
TA DANNY
TA DANNY
- turbofi-uk
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- Location: leicestershire
you can get customs downpipes made at exhaust manufacturer i can get them made for you however it was would more or less be the same as mine however there is no garuntee it will be a 100% fit as each exhaust sits differently etc
- Farooq
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- Location: Glasgow
Good guide, this will come in handy over the winter.
Gareth
Gareth
The return to standard, from the above sig pics - back to how Ford intended..............
and-so-it-begins-update-24-02-08-vt162934/
- black2
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thought id mention is what do you do with the old turbo wastegate regulating valve thats normally by the old t2 airbox?
- rsturbowales2k
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- jayrs
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- Your car: FRST, XR2, ST170, ST225
Car: 1991 Ford Fiesta RS Turbo
Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
my downpipe looks as if its been hammerd and bent to fit lol also the driveshaft weight is hitting it sumtimes how much is that custom one ?
- adie_mwell
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Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
i paid 110 quid for mine its got a lifetime garuntee and is the same bore as rest of system and has lambda boss welded in too
- Farooq
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Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
hi could you tell me what the internal diameter of the oil return elbow pipe is please. many thanks karl
- moodster1
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- Joined: Sun Dec 30, 2007 9:26 am
Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
a very well detailed guide mate
just finished my t3 hybrid conversion last weekend on my silver fiesta turbo..
still havin trouble with rad.. extremly close 2 the actuator..
just finished my t3 hybrid conversion last weekend on my silver fiesta turbo..
still havin trouble with rad.. extremly close 2 the actuator..
- FRST SILVER
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Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
thre is a bit on the actuator bracked that can be grinded away made to make extra space, also stick in a thinner fan from autopseicalists (they are abuot 30 quid) and you can move the rad further forward no bother .I also fabricated brackets so that i can could move my rad forwards can get pics if required
- Farooq
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Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
can u gert some pictures if possible mate
- FRST SILVER
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Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
So you dont need an amal valve? what do you do with the vacuum pipes?
- AceFrst
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Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
you can run a pipe driectly from the actuator to the compressor housing if you have a dash 31 if not then a blled valve can be used
- Farooq
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Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
Nice one thanx.
- AceFrst
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Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
Hello mate i was just wondering can u use a silicone pipe for the connection between the block and turbo or has it got to be a rubber one.Great guide,very helpful
- ianbatch
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- Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2010 7:32 pm
Re: T3 conversion detailed GUIDE with pics
goo guide this will come in handy very soon :)
- russ-RST
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