Water/Alcohol Injection

Installation Instructions

Last updated on 10/07/08

Please read all instructions before beginning.

Washer tank modification: Remove the plastic fairing that conceals the washer tank and air vent intakes. This will give you easy access to the tank. Find a location on the side of the tank where you will mount the 1/8" NPT(male) by 3/16 " hose barb fitting. This location should be on the side of the tank, as close to the bottom as possible. Make sure that you will have clearance to mount the fitting and run a hose back toward the center of the drain channel. Mark this spot on the tank with a permanent marker or a scribe. Remove the washer tank by disconnecting the hoses, removing the mounting screws, and unplugging the existing pump motor. Leave the existing pump, it will continue to serve its function. Let the fluid drain before lifting the tank. Using your mark as a guide, drill and tap a hole for an 1/8" NPT(pipe thread) fitting. You can get the drill and tap at a local hardware store. Next, clean the tank to remove any plastic pieces and sediment build up. I suggest a soapy solution and a "bottle brush" . Follow this with a 50/50 water/alcohol solution. You don' t need to fill the tank, just a cup or so will do. Rinse the tank with clean water. Wrap the 1/8" NPT (male) by 3/16" hose barb fitting threads(not the hose end) with teflon pipe tape (2 turns). Be careful not to leave any loose pieces in the system as they can block the flow! Thread the fitting in, finger tight, then 1/4 turn by wrench. Attach the 10ft. piece of clear tubing to the hose barb and reinstall the washer tank. You can ease the fit of the tubing with a little spit or K-Y jelly on the barb. Don't use petroleum based jelly as it will stay in the system and attract dirt.

Pump installation: The pump may be located anywhere you wish, as long as the "IN" fitting is below the minimum water level. The pump must also be positioned upright, so that the fittings are near the bottom of the pump. I found it convenient to mount the pump in the drainage channel near the was her tank. You can also mount the pump on the side of the tank and seal the screw hole with RTV. Now, run the hose that you attached to the tank, to the"in" fitting on the pump. Leave enough slack in the hose so it cannot kink. The length is unimportant; a long hose just increases your capacity (no pun intended). An added benefit of using the drainage channel for this system is that it will divert the fluid safely to the ground, should a leak develop.

Switch Mounting: If you plan to manually activate the system, you will want to mount a switch in the cabin. I prefer a pressure switch and have included one in the kit. It may be located anywhere, but you will have to run a vacuum tube to it, so keep this in mind. Again, I chose the drainage channel for a neat installation. I attached it to the screen on the air vent with a ty-rap. Now, run a length of vacuum hose to a source of boost pressure. This can be a nipple on the turbo outlet, the throttle body, or the intake manifold. A tee into an existing line may give you more options. If you mounted the switch in the drainage channel, cut a small slot in the weather stripping, so the tube will not be crushed when the hood is closed. If you want to make your switch adjustable, mount a vacuum restrictor and brass bleed valve(aquarium store), in the line. The bleed should go between the restrictor and the switch. Leave the bleed closed for now.

Wiring:Using the wiring diagram as a guide, connect the red wire of the pump to either of the terminals on the switch. Connect the black wire to any good ground. I find it convenient to use the screw that holds the windshield washer hoze(to the washer nozzle)in place, but anywhere on the body will do. Connect the red wire with the fuse holder to the other terminal on the switch. The other end will go to the + terminal of the battery or a switched 12v supply.

Misting nozzle installation:The misting nozzle can be mounted anywhere after the airbox and before the turbo. I have a K&N filter directly mounted to my turbo, with the fitting mounted on the end, pointing toward the compressor. Airflow is sufficient under boost, that the nozzle need not be mounted at the turbo, the air stream will carry the vapor along. For that reason, I suggest that you mount the nozzle at the top of the turbo "in" hose, where it meets the air box. This way, the tendency to siphon will be reduced. Check first, that you have clearance between the hose and the hood. Drill or cut a ROUND hole slightly smaller than the misting nozzle, in the hose. The hole must be smaller to properly seal around the nozzle. Wrap 1 and 1/2 turns of teflon tape around the nozzle threads and insert the nozzle into the hose, from the inside, so that the screen is now on the exterior of the hose. It is advised that you use a washer on the inside of the hose to prevent the nozzle from pulling out. I don't supply these, because every installation requires something a little different. At this point, you may wish to leave the hose off of the airbox. That way, when you test the system, you can watch the nozzle to confirm all is working well. Connect the hose barb from the misting nozzle to the "out" side of the pump with a length of clear tubing. Be careful not to kink the hose or place it where the hood will crush it, or hot/moving parts will contact it.

Testing the system: Fill your washer tank with water(for testing) and check your connections for leaks. You will notice that water will flow into the hose until it reaches the level of the water in the tank. If water flows all the way to the nozzle, remove the hose(allowing the tank to drain) from the nozzle and proceed to the section below entitled "Siphon Block". If the water does not reach the nozzle, then you are ready to activate the system. If you wired the pressure switch to a "switched" 12v supply, then turn the key to the "on" position. Using a short length of wire, jumper the two connections on the switch(be careful that the wire does not touch the body). The pump motor will turn on and water will flow to the misting nozzle. The pump will buzz loudly, so remember to jump a foot in the air, like I did. Remove the wire jumper and observe the water flow. It should drain back from the nozzle. If it doesn't, proceed to the "Siphon Block" section. If the flow stops when you shut the system off then you are almost done. Observe the mist from the nozzle when the system is activated, if it is spraying then you may reconnect the hose to the airbox. Now start the car and repeat the above test to ensure that the water drains back down the hose when the system is shut off. If so, then you are ready to take it for a drive. Make a few full throttle blasts to the speed limit to use up some of the water. If you have a 12v light connected to the output of the pressure switch, you will be able to see when the system turns on. Note the fluid level when you stop the car, it should have gone down a little. If you do not have a "low-fluid" level indicator, you must be careful not to run the system dry, as the pump life will be shortened significantly. At this point, make one more check to ensure that the water has drained back from the nozzle.

Siphon Block: Why is this section in Red? Because if you screw up here, you can hydrolock the engine. If you mount the discharge nozzle lower than the water source, the water will siphon through the hose and the tank will empty into the turbo the first time you use the system. This is easy to prevent by using a siphon block. However, it is best to mount the nozzle at the highest point in the intake system that you can find. On Chrysler turbos, this is in the hose exiting the airbox. This will minimize, BUT MAY NOT PREVENT, siphoning. If, after "blipping" the system(turning it on/off for a couple seconds), the fluid does not drain back from the nozzle you need a siphon block. Do this test with the engine idling, as the vacuum in the intake may affect the siphoning action. For a siphon block, I used an aquarium check valve mounted to a vacuum tee. Tip the tee on it's side and mount the check valve to one end. You should be able to blow in the free end of the check valve, but if you blow from the other end, it should feel blocked. Attach the output of the pump to one of the free nipples, and the hose leading to the nozzle on the other one. When the system is activated, the tubes will fill with fluid. When it is deactivated, the tube to the nozzle should drain itself, and not refill until the system is reactivated. In other words, when the pump shuts off, no more water flows out of the tank. If the water continues to flow out, elevate the siphon block until it does not. My Daytona currently uses this system with the water going into a turbo mounted filter. Since the nozzle position is much lower then normal, this should be a worst case example for siphoning. With the siphon block mounted at the base of the windshield, I have had no problems. If siphoning continues to be a problem, or you want an extra margin of safety, you can use a solenoid valve to block the flow. Just wire it into the output side of your pressure switch. You can use the boost control solenoid from a post 84 T1 application. Since mine is no longer being used (see Hybrid Boost Controller) I used mine to test this method. It worked fine. However, I don't supply one in the kit, since it's usually not needed.

Experimenting: You can add alcohol to your water tank during cold weather(to prevent freezing, 50/50), or to add fuel while under boost. I like to keep at least 20% water in the mix to get it's anti-detonant and cleaning effects. Remember that water injection is not a substitute for an excessively lean air/fuel mixture. If you plan to use this system to supplement increased boost, you should get an EGT gauge, or an air/fuel gauge. If you are primarily concerned with using this system as a fuel enrichment device, you may wish to add additional misting nozzles to achieve the flow that you require. Observe the misting action as you add nozzles, if it begins to lag, an extra pump can be added in series with the first. DO NOT USE GASOLINE IN THIS SYSTEM!!! (DUH!)