Looking for opinions - T25/28 or T28 FM3
 

OK, I sent my FM3 T28 out for an inspection (rebuild) the other day. My T25/28 combo is burning a little oil and I plan on rebuilding it (just slapping in an oil seal) myself. The question is, which should I put in my car?

T28 pros:
won't worry about cracked manifold again (cast iron log vs SS tubular)
maybe 30 extra horsepower
will be able to more easily put store bought heatshield on

T28 cons:
will be expensive to rebuild (the blades on the compressor are eaten up)
won't spool fast like the T25 does
will have several issues with hoses/bolts that I don't yet have
will have to redo some of my IC piping
DP is only 2.25" and rusty as hell - may require a remake

T25 pros:
fast spool up
will be cheaper to rebuild
already have it tuned in

T25 cons:
manifold will break again
dp is still screwy (is not parallel with the ground due to it being cheap)
power dies at 6500 rpm
never really did fit in the engine bay

I guess I should say that it is a lightweight street car (kind of) that sees an autocross now and then.

the t28 from FM and the t25 have the same flange. why not mount that on the the cast manifold and see if the dp fits? the gt25r has the same turbine housing as the gt28r.

His T-25 is off the mitsu car so the manifold he has is setup for a DSM turbo were the Fm turbo is step up for a T2 turbo.

ah. that explains it.

if you have the fm3 manilfold you can use an external wastegate. that should help negate the lag of the t28. if the compressor wheel is all that needs replacing, i would do that.

i have and fm3 manifold, but i have the external WG blocked off and am using an interna WG. i may try to use the ext. wg at some point.

I might try to build my own DP with the flanges on the existing DP. That should be fun. I just need to find a source for piping. All I can find around here is really heavy big gauge pipe and not that thin light stuff that the FM manifold is made of. I'll try the external WG since it is different (a new experience) than what I am doing now.

BTW, the external WG ties into the dp at a 90 degree angle. Is that normal or should I try to bring it in at an angle? It seems like that would make for smoother exhaust flow.

i don't know. i guess i'm thinking that it's like blowing across the top of a soda bottle. b efire i can go exWG, i need a 90* pipe for it to clear the turbo. whether i would plumb it back to the DP depends on how loud it would be and the danger facter of the fumes.

you can get a 14B off a a 1st gen eclipse pretty cheap.

Not sure how big that is?

Been working on posting an ad for the car on ebay this morning. Have been thinking about moving on to another project. The car has not been burning oil since I worked on the manifold (not sure why) and all this swapping turbos, and working on the website has made me think that this project is about to wind down. I just GOT TO work on something and I think this one is about finished.