Bye Bye Banks

I considered everything that you and the guys stated here and decided to pull the trigger. Perhaps, I was just looking for support. Not like the wife is going to say, "Sure, spend $5,000 on a Jeep part from a company that's going out of business." There are many reasons I decided to go this way. I like the idea of being able to keep the 4.0 stock for repairs and low-cost rebuilds. I also got the intercooler because, let's face it, there is no other intercooler like it on the market. I found out that the pump that the Banks intercooler uses is a standard that'll be around for a long time. You are also right about the turbo. They didn't say it was a Garrett, but what I did get out of them is it you bring in one of their turbos they ca replace or rebuild it. They tell me they still get turbos off of vintage aircraft that they replace. The kit has only two moving parts and those are both serviceable. This install is going down at the end of the month. Let me know if anyone wants a play-by-lay on the install.

One more big thing for us guys who live in sunny CA: I just got my rig smogged yesterday - I showed the tech the C.A.R.B. certification stickers for the turbo and header, and sailed through the smog check. The Banks system was the only boost system (turbo or supercharge) that is fully C.A.R.B. certified that I could find.
 
One more big thing for us guys who live in sunny CA: I just got my rig smogged yesterday - I showed the tech the C.A.R.B. certification stickers for the turbo and header, and sailed through the smog check. The Banks system was the only boost system (turbo or supercharge) that is fully C.A.R.B. certified that I could find.
That was one of the most important reasons for the Banks system. I found a supercharger that was legal almost everywhere, but not California. Then I would have to register it out of state and that can be...problematic. How do you like the header? Banks I am assuming. Did you notice any improvement? Just for fun, I was thinking of tapping the old header for methane injection. If it didn't work I would get a nice new shiny banks header.
 
I purchased a kit with intercooler and torque tubes in July, my rig is still not running and Banks hasn’t been too interested in helping to get it working.

I purchased the kit directly from Banks, and they gave me no indication that it was about to be discontinued, but this would explain a lot about their lack of responsiveness.
 
I purchased a kit with intercooler and torque tubes in July, my rig is still not running and Banks hasn’t been too interested in helping to get it working.

I purchased the kit directly from Banks, and they gave me no indication that it was about to be discontinued, but this would explain a lot about their lack of responsiveness.
Uh Oh. Don't tell me that. I ordered 3rd party, so they'll take it back. I really want to make it work though.
 
Uh Oh. Don't tell me that. I ordered 3rd party, so they'll take it back. I really want to make it work though.

Yeah, I didn’t mean to discourage you, just make you aware that you may be on your own should you run into technical issues.

I don’t regret my purchase even though mine still isn’t running (the major components of the kit are solid and built to last) I just need to figure it out and it would be much easier to do with some help.
 
How do you like the header? Banks I am assuming. Did you notice any improvement?

Hard to say about the improvement, as I installed it at the same time as the turbo kit. My OEM manifold was cracked in two places, so it was a good excuse to get a header. The Banks seemed to be in the same price range as other SS headers, and since I was getting the turbo from them I thought why not. I later added the Banks cat-back exhaust to make sure the exhaust flowed freely too. It's hard to quantify what improvement the header or cat-back made, Banks claims something like an additional 102hp at the rear wheels for the turbo/intercooler system, so going from 140 to 240 is such a huge improvement that it's hard to notice an extra 5 or 10.

I will say it's far more fun to drive now!

jeep_4L_intercooler_chart.jpg
 
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Yeah, I didn’t mean to discourage you, just make you aware that you may be on your own should you run into technical issues.

I don’t regret my purchase even though mine still isn’t running (the major components of the kit are solid and built to last) I just need to figure it out and it would be much easier to do with some help.

What's the issue? There are lots of knowledgeable people on this forum that are always willing to help.

Did your Jeep run fine before the install?
Who installed it?
Does it not start, does it start but not run smoothly, what does it do?

Mine idled and ran smoothly before (only had 40,000 miles) and ran exactly the same after I installed the kit. The only difference was feeling the extra power as the boost came on.
 
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What's the issue? There are lots of knowledgeable people on this forum that are always willing to help.

Did your Jeep run fine before the install?
Who installed it?
Does it not start, does it start but not run smoothly, what does it do?

Mine idled and ran smoothly before (only had 40,000 miles) and ran exactly the same after I installed the kit. The only difference was feeling the extra power as the boost came on.

Yes, mine ran fine before the install as well. I did all of the pre-installation engine “health” checks prescribed in the installation manual and everything was in great shape.

I installed the kit and exhaust manifold (had to replace the exhaust too due to one of the mini cats was beginning to collapse)
after completing the install the engine starts, idles fine (great actually) until the engine warms up and goes into closed loop, then the ASD relay begins to momentarily drop causing the engine to cut out and eventually stalling (no codes). Open the throttle everything is fine, hold the throttle open (cruise mode) and as soon as it goes into closed loop same problem. The only difference is that if I continue to work the throttle to keep the engine running the PCM will begin to malfunction (gauges start malfunctioning, erratic rpm, backfire, etc)

I installed new NTK O2 sensors with the new cats and did swap the original OEM sensors back in to see if it would correct the problem, but no.

The only time the engine seems to run correctly is when all of the O2 sensors are unplugged?
 
Do you really need to ask?
DONE!!! The Banks Sidewinder Turbo installed and test drives conducted. I am pleased to report that I have zero error codes first time out. And the power! I can't believe the difference. I believe my '06 Rubi now out accelerates my R/T Charger.

I'll be honest though, this was not an easy mod. Keeping in mind that I have been accused of being, how shall I put this, anal retentive, I am into it for three, three day weekends at four to eight hours a day. But, worth it? Oh hell yes!

The installation manual was severely lacking. Had to do several work arounds and a bit of guess work. One bolt when the manual said look for two, no reference to automatic fluid lines, no instruction for what to do with old ports, etc. etc.

Before the final re-read through and double check, I called Banks for three issues I couldn't figure out. I was on hold for only 10 minutes. Some people have complained that they were on hold for hours. Not my experience. The guy at Banks was very knowledgeable and not only helped answer the questions, but offered some suggestions. I was afraid he was going to say, "We don't support that kit any longer," but no mention of it.

And, the sound! So bad ass! That is one good sounding unit. I think I'm going to pop for a Banks exhaust next. Anyway, highly recommend! Very very pleased. Anyone want to see a video?
 
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That is sad. The intercooled turbo for the 4.0L was my dream.

This puts them in there with AEV. Fabulous engineering savvy. Zero marketing credibility.
Banks & AEV, 2 names I'll never consider again. Cannot imagine the jumpers on the skyline when AEV dumps all the JK & JK Brute support.

View attachment 116471
If it is your dream, I recommend pursuing your dream. I just got done installing the intercooled turbo and it is amazing!
 
DONE!!! The Banks Sidewinder Turbo installed and test drives conducted. I am pleased to report that I have zero error codes first time out. And the power! I can't believe the difference. I believe my '06 Rubi now out accelerates my R/T Charger.

I'll be honest though, this was not an easy mod. Keeping in mind that I have been accused of being, how shall I put this, anal retentive, I am into it for three, three day weekends at four to eight hours a day. But, worth it? Oh hell yes!

The installation manual was severely lacking. Had to do several work arounds and a bit of guess work. One bolt when the manual said look for two, no reference to automatic fluid lines, no instruction for what to do with old ports, etc. etc.

Before the final re-read through and double check, I called Banks for three issues I couldn't figure out. I was on hold for only 10 minutes. Some people have complained that they were on hold for hours. Not my experience. The guy at Banks was very knowledgeable and not only helped answer the questions, but offered some suggestions. I was afraid he was going to say, "We don't support that kit any longer," but no mention of it.

And, the sound! So bad ass! That is one good sounding unit. I think I'm going to pop for a Banks exhaust next. Anyway, highly recommend! Very very pleased. Anyone want to see a video?

Ha ha ha, if I was the kind of guy to say "I told you so...."

Glad to hear you're as impressed with the improvement as I was. Go for the Banks cat-back system too, less restrictive than the stock system, and nice mellow sound.

Yes on the video.
 
Do you mean the cold air intake? I did on mine - it broke my heart to cut a big hole in side of the hood, but I wanted to make sure the system got outside air.

I couldn't bring myself to cut a hole in the hood so I left the cold air intake off. As I recall, the Banks dyno results for the turbo with intercooler were without the scoop. The dyno results for the turbo without the intercooler used the scoop. I will speculate the scoop doesn't make much difference if you have the intercooler.
 
Im hoping to pick one up soon for install as well. Did you install the hood cowl?
No yet. But, diffinately going to. It is going to make me a little sad because I'm going to lose the con of my Rubicon. I'm not worried about cutting the hood though. I already cut almost all the top off and installed a poison spider louvered hood to let the heat escape. It was amazing the difference that made. I attached a picture to show the louver. As I looked at most of the plastic pieces and wiring near the engine they are very heat compromised already. So what's another chunk on the side of the hood. I also need to rotate the cam sensor still.

IMG_20191002_182305~2.jpg
 
I'd have to go check mine, but I think the turbo is made by a turbo company, like Garrett or someone. So that means parts will be available regardless of what Banks does.

Soon after I installed my system, the three rubber mounts for the cold air housing sheared off. I contacted the company and their response was "we never saw that before", and that was the last I heard from them. I made my own mounts with a bolt all the way through the rubber mount, and they never sheared again.

I guess I don't expect much service from companies any more, so I'm rarely disappointed with what I get.......View attachment 118512

Same, damn thing happened to me. I think I'm going to replace with some stainless steel springs. I think that give will allow the vent and filter to mate better.