Shadowravens Mk2 'best Of Oem+'
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Not even started trying to put the turbo in the track car and yet more issues. Clocked the turbo as best I can, yet there is a fitment issue...
![Wood Finger Gas Machine Auto part]()
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Guna have too. Lol. So far we are at a point where just the oil and water lines haven't had a problem from this kit, yet to try and fit them though 😂😂😂
This comment aged like table wine.
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So quick update for everyone else. Installation is being hammpered by incorrect or missing parts.
As I already found when I ordered it Kraken forgot to include a set of studs and washers with the manifold. He had no intention of correcting this when I raised it after ordering so I've had to order them (I had forgotten about this until recently). The same has been true for all the coolant and water lines hose clamps and crush washers, they're little parts but it's an unecessary PITA that I did actually pay for.
The coolant lines provided will not clear the coolant hose take offs on the thermostat. It looks like they might be reinforced fuel lines and there is no flex in them at all to allow them to clear the bead on the outlet. I've ordered a set of actual coolant line and it looks like they should fit.
The intercooler kit has been a shit in a number of ways:
Both myself and half a dozen other people have had similar experiences, and when looking online at youtube videos to see if I was doing something wrong with the fitment it seems like these are common complaints. There are a number of threads from the last few years over on the US forums which have a large number of people who have also experienced similar issues so I'm surprised nothing has been done to improve upon them.
Other problems atm also include not being happy with the straight threaded oil drain fitting so I've bought a tapered one which should secure and seal much better. I've also had to order a new wastegate actuator as they OE one on the 2860rs doesnt allow it to be clocked as needed. Actually positioning the turbo is extremely challenging without the intercooler piping to actually know how it's going to line up.
On the plus side I've sorted the gauge wiring that I can do out of the car, and ordered my ECU. I've goine for MS3 mini as they are well reviewed, well documented online, and given the public slagging matches between ME and customers on FB really don't want to risk any issues as it's not that much cheaper.
As I already found when I ordered it Kraken forgot to include a set of studs and washers with the manifold. He had no intention of correcting this when I raised it after ordering so I've had to order them (I had forgotten about this until recently). The same has been true for all the coolant and water lines hose clamps and crush washers, they're little parts but it's an unecessary PITA that I did actually pay for.
The coolant lines provided will not clear the coolant hose take offs on the thermostat. It looks like they might be reinforced fuel lines and there is no flex in them at all to allow them to clear the bead on the outlet. I've ordered a set of actual coolant line and it looks like they should fit.
The intercooler kit has been a shit in a number of ways:
- It fouls the PS lines so I've had to redo the cooler loop lines to clear.
- It also fouls the chassis legs both sides so I've had to add even more spacing to correct that otherwise it'd rub through.
- The BOV (which was missed in the kit because he was out of stock despite me having paid for it, and took forever to get a refund for as he didnt want to send out a replacement) fouls the AC fan and alternator pulley as it's just not positioned very well. It's a small Forge one so shouldnt really have been an issue.
- The throttle body coupler pretty badly fouls the rad hose meaning I'm going to have sort out some form of custom hose routing/setup.
- The coupler and cold side don't line up making trying to situate everything in a way that both clears and can be connected very challenging.
- It looks like the cold side hard pipe is about 2" shorter than it needs to be, even with the hardpipe pushed up against the ARB it still only sits into the silicone coupler off the throttlebody by about 1cm.
- The hot side hard pipe is 100% for a low mount kit and Kraken is showing no sign of sending a replacement. I've been chasing for it constantly now and I've had the usual number of excuses of "o i'll send it XX date" (despite not even asking for an address) followed by "O I forgot" and now just outright ignoring me.
Both myself and half a dozen other people have had similar experiences, and when looking online at youtube videos to see if I was doing something wrong with the fitment it seems like these are common complaints. There are a number of threads from the last few years over on the US forums which have a large number of people who have also experienced similar issues so I'm surprised nothing has been done to improve upon them.
Other problems atm also include not being happy with the straight threaded oil drain fitting so I've bought a tapered one which should secure and seal much better. I've also had to order a new wastegate actuator as they OE one on the 2860rs doesnt allow it to be clocked as needed. Actually positioning the turbo is extremely challenging without the intercooler piping to actually know how it's going to line up.
On the plus side I've sorted the gauge wiring that I can do out of the car, and ordered my ECU. I've goine for MS3 mini as they are well reviewed, well documented online, and given the public slagging matches between ME and customers on FB really don't want to risk any issues as it's not that much cheaper.
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You mean like raw milk in the sun, lol.
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Few more sturggles with the AC this weekend, no amount of tweaking of the pipe is going to help. Kraken didn't have time to discuss it when I enquired on Saturday (fair, it's the weekend and no one really wants to deal with work), going to get back to me Tuesday so will update then.
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Despite claims that you just "bend the pipe" there's no way in hell that my kraken system works with AC on a UK car. The pipe comes off the firewall and the other side goes straight down off the compressor with 2 mounting points, under the other line and up around the chassis leg area. There's not the length in the pipe to bend it towards the engine and the 2 mounting points mean there's absolutely no way the pipe can really take any other route.As you can see in the above picture you also can't bend it the other way as there physically isnt the space for it between the DP and chassis. As a result I've had to take my AC out, a PITA when the kit is sold as specifically fitting with AC.
Dealing with Kraken continues to be a nightmare, delay after delay, being ignored, etc. The intercooler pipe was apparently made 2 weekends ago and due to be shipped that Thursday, yet a week on and nothing, no tracking number, no reply to say it's been posted. It's ofc all a lie, he's no intention of actually sending me the correct intercooler pipe, he's just hoping i'll give up chasing for it. I've come to expect it now but it doesn't make it right. How he's still in business I don't know. Given all the issues and how crappy the service has been with literally every order I've placed now I couldn't recommend him, in fact I'd go so far as to encourage people to avoid buying from him.
Dealing with Kraken continues to be a nightmare, delay after delay, being ignored, etc. The intercooler pipe was apparently made 2 weekends ago and due to be shipped that Thursday, yet a week on and nothing, no tracking number, no reply to say it's been posted. It's ofc all a lie, he's no intention of actually sending me the correct intercooler pipe, he's just hoping i'll give up chasing for it. I've come to expect it now but it doesn't make it right. How he's still in business I don't know. Given all the issues and how crappy the service has been with literally every order I've placed now I couldn't recommend him, in fact I'd go so far as to encourage people to avoid buying from him.
. Sorry i cant help.
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Yeh most people dont, and those who do likely dont have it working so are more than happy to remove it.
You say that but I've seen a few posts on FB of them cracking. Some were hard track use, but I think a lot were the old td04 manifolds, I duno if it was design related as there was a huge amount of material around the flange area which could retain too much heat? I duno. Likely a safer bet than ebay cast or tubular, not that there's really any other options.
In an ideal world I'd get the TSE manifold as it looks to have more open runners, but they dont make it anymore. The Kraken one looks like basically a copy so might be little in it tbh.
You say that but I've seen a few posts on FB of them cracking. Some were hard track use, but I think a lot were the old td04 manifolds, I duno if it was design related as there was a huge amount of material around the flange area which could retain too much heat? I duno. Likely a safer bet than ebay cast or tubular, not that there's really any other options.
In an ideal world I'd get the TSE manifold as it looks to have more open runners, but they dont make it anymore. The Kraken one looks like basically a copy so might be little in it tbh.
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That'd likely be the only solution, but they charge £100-150 per hose so likely not something I can justify atm. I'll get the kit in, the oil drain run and see if reinstalling AC is something I want to revisit next year. Given the routing, I'm pretty confident the oil drain will be difficult to clear the AC compressor in a way that doesnt have a horizontal section of pipe.
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For my records timing belt and water pump done on the track car at 58,000 miles. It was done according to schedule but the belt was already showing signs of wear so good job I didn't try and risk it until after the turbo was fitted. I also gapped the plugs down to 0.7mm and sorted some other small items on the to-do list.
The turbo still isn't fitted, but now the waterpump is done there's not much left. I basically need to fit the ECU, fit the gauges for which all the wiring is basically done, drill the oil drain, mount the turbo itself and then connect up the oil and water lines. The lines will need some brackets made to secure them but it won't take long. I also need to run a few more vac lines, sort something out for repositioning the brake ducts, make a mid-pipe and sort my oil cooler. I did make a mount for it but it's too close to the intercooler piping so I'll need to redesign it to offset it to the right another 3" or so. I test fitted the thermostatic oil sandwich plate on my spare engine and it'll clear everything needed (by like literally 2mm) so once the cooler mount is sorted I can measure up and have my lines adjusted to fit.
Once the turbo is in I can also see how much space I'm going to have for a filter and order something appropriate. No pictures as I'm just trying to power through atm. I'll post pictures of the finished setup once it's done as everyone knows the process by now and I've not done anything revolutionary, pictures at the end will just show some extra attention to detail things that most people don't bother with.
I am still missing the Kraken intercooler pipe which he's still not sent despite 2 further rounds of "I'll post it Monday"..... while it's not acceptable, it's hardly unexpected at this point
The turbo still isn't fitted, but now the waterpump is done there's not much left. I basically need to fit the ECU, fit the gauges for which all the wiring is basically done, drill the oil drain, mount the turbo itself and then connect up the oil and water lines. The lines will need some brackets made to secure them but it won't take long. I also need to run a few more vac lines, sort something out for repositioning the brake ducts, make a mid-pipe and sort my oil cooler. I did make a mount for it but it's too close to the intercooler piping so I'll need to redesign it to offset it to the right another 3" or so. I test fitted the thermostatic oil sandwich plate on my spare engine and it'll clear everything needed (by like literally 2mm) so once the cooler mount is sorted I can measure up and have my lines adjusted to fit.
Once the turbo is in I can also see how much space I'm going to have for a filter and order something appropriate. No pictures as I'm just trying to power through atm. I'll post pictures of the finished setup once it's done as everyone knows the process by now and I've not done anything revolutionary, pictures at the end will just show some extra attention to detail things that most people don't bother with.
I am still missing the Kraken intercooler pipe which he's still not sent despite 2 further rounds of "I'll post it Monday"..... while it's not acceptable, it's hardly unexpected at this point
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