Can You Turbo a Carburated Engine.....If Not Why?

Question

I have a ford 2.3 4 cylinder with a holley 350 cfm carb and I just wanted to know if you can turbo it with a carb......I know it can be done with fuel injection. thank you

Answer 1

Absolutely, they supercharge carbureted engines. Same basic principles apply to turbo charging.

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Answer 2

Yes it can be done with a lot of engineering. Not worth the effort when you could convert the engine to fuel injection, then add a turbo. A 2.3L engine probably won't last long with the extra power so don't try.

Answer 3

there are draw thru and blow thru designs, they work differently... A draw thru places the carb upstream of the turbo, and compresses atomized fuel along with the air charge at the same time. A blow thru places the carb between the turbo and intake. I'm not particularly familiar with the air/vacuum in that setup, but the previous poster sounds likely. The blowoff valve doesn't actuate per valve closing, it's controlled by boost levels (I believe). It's designed to open when you close the throttle to help the turbo from slowing down as much.

Answer 4

Yes, I saw a custom car once with twin turbos and dual 4barrel carbs. The carbs were "upstream" of the turbos, the turbos sucked air through the carbs, not pushed air in them. Not sure if that matters except that the hot compressed air from a turbo might negatively effect your carb. Carb would stay cooler if mounted before turbo.

Answer 5

You sure can. The carburetor is inside a box so it is pressurized inside and out. With a torbo your four banger will have more power and better fuel mileage. Turbos were arould long before fuel injection. They were first used on aircraft.

Answer 6

Yeah, by installing an external turbo charger.

Answer 7

yes...........it can be done.........even with a super charger.......but don,t attempt this unless you are thoroughly knowledgeable on this subject........mistake,s have known to cause explosion,s.