Turbo Charged MAF adapter??

[glenn]

Guys,

I made this "turbo charged MAF adapter" by installing an 80mm computer cooling fan. I had to file the corners of the fan housing to make a snug fit in the MAF adapter. I chose a fan with blue leds and it will be powered by the engine's battery.

I "invented" this gadget to test all the theories that I have read regarding ramming more air into the intake, much like a real turbocharger, to gain more horsepower. The fan's rated airflow is about 30 CFM, which I believe is more than what gets sucked into the intake while the engine is idling. No scientic measuring devices were used, I based my findings by just "feeling" the flow of air. This thing is like the turbonator, the difference is, this will actually draw more air into the intake.

I intend to tap into the car's 12v system. An led labeled "TurboCharger ON" somewhere in the dashboard will be a nice touch.

Will this work? I really don't know. But it was fun making it. What do you think?

[byrdman]

Some thoughts for comparison:
1. the fan is rated 30 cfm with little or no restriction... to get boost you have to be able to PUSH fan hard enough to build pressure, and this takes POWER.
2. Read on the little fan how many watts the thing draws (or multiply the voltage X amperage) then for fun convert to horsepower (1watt = 0.00134102209 hp)
3. A rough number on power to drive a turbo to 8-10 psi boost on a 3.0 liter would be 40 hp (recovered from exhaust gas energy in the case of a turbo) or about 29,800 watts (1 hp = 745.699872 watts).
So, you've got the right idea, but you need alot more power. Interestingly, some manufacterers use a little fan wired as a generator to measure intake air (backwards from your idea).

[glenn]

Now that sounds like rocket science to me.

Anyhow, I was thinking more on the very low end of efficiency boost to the intake. We've got people claiming an increase in power by just replacing the air filter. Since the discussion on gaining power thru less restricted airflow focused on using high-end air filters and more cold air, without the use of turbochargers, wouldn't a little boost of air from a small device help in anyway?

[challenger]

Good luck Glenn. Look forward to seeing your results.

Ciao
Dave

[byrdman]

Okay, I looked it up. A sample 12 volt 80mm cooling fan from your computer has less than 1 watt of power (or less than 0.00134102209 hp). You need a powerful fan like nearly 30,000 watts to produce usable boost.

Your 80mm fan would be a restriction itself because your engine would suck so much air past it that it would be driven at a speed much faster than it can spin under its own power.

You are right that a 3.0 at 1000 rpm idle may only draw 50 cfm or so. The difference is that your 80mm fan is rated at 30 cfm with no load! So, let's imagine a load on that little fan to see what kind of power its got. Here's what I'm talking about: try to blow up a small kid's balloon with the 80mm fan (you may need some kind of funnel)... you'll see what I mean.

All a turbo is is just a ~30,000 watt (~40hp) fan. You've got the exact right idea, just not enough power.

[glenn]

This post is just a minute late: anyway here goes.

For byrdman.

I am actually waiting for more feedback before I install this thing. I still have to order the K&N cone filter.

One of the things that I would like to determine is at what RPM will the intake suction start to rotate the blades of the fan without the 12v DC power. It will also be interesting to note what engine RPM is needed to equal the fan RPM on DC power. This will be done visually using the blur that the blades create while rotating. I have no equipment to make an exact measurement.

The reason for this testing is to determine if the fan will just be an obstruction to the airflow or not. If a 2000 engine RPM suction rotates the blades faster than the 12v DC power, I assume that the blades will be just a restriction on the airflow. But if it takes around 5000 engine RPM to equal the fan RPM on DC power, it will be logical to assume that the fan is providing more air to the intake.

I guess the previous post took care of all this assumptions.

[byrdman]

The 80mm fan I found was rated at 1600rpm. It will be an obstruction to flow. Be careful it or anything else doesn't get sucked into your engine, or explode from rpm's. Experiment with something smaller, like your lawnmower - its cheaper and less likely to hurt you. Try the balloon experiment.

The numbers against you are large. You've got the right concept, but no where near the required power. A turbo is an awesome thing.

That 80mm fan has about enough power to run 8-10 psi on a bumble bee.

It would have to be a thousand times more powerful to make boost on a 5 hp walk-behind lawnmower!

And more than 30,000 times more powerful to make 8-10 psi boost on a Montero.

[Joel_CA]

Don't do it! If that low duty fan breaks apart, you're Mass Airflow sensor will be toast- and quite possibly.. your engine toon if the debris makes it down there. A small fan such as that cannot create positive pressure in the intake (aka: boost) to make any difference. Remember, the engine works on vacuum. To make any difference, you've got to create so much airflow, that you're force feeding the combustion chamber with a pressurized air/fuel mixture. To create this kind of pressure will take a much heavier duty fan that is SEALED around the impeller to prevent pressure loss.


Check this out- this is the real E-Ram


Joel, CA

[glenn]

Thanks for your input. It was a crash course on turbocharging.