JDM Engine Experiences - NOOBS READ

[NolimitZ32]

Legion's unfortunate experience has given me an idea to keep a tally and inform all the noobs who ask about JDM Engines. This thread is to document all the good and bad experiences anyone has ever had with a JDM Engine. Lets post up outcomes of your purchase and what happened as far as mileage driven on new engine, importer/resaler, and such. Please share your experiences with these JDM engines to hopefully enlighten the new up and coming members of our community. Please Copy and Paste the format so we can keep this thread easy to read.

Engine Purchased: Early Style VG30DETT w/ TT transmission, engine harness and ECU
Importer/Seller: Japan Star Motors, Albany NY
Warranty Offered: 30 day startup, guaranteed good compression
Price: $1450
Engine Condition: Engine arrived with a bent rod, Cut harness with missing Injector and COP connectors, ECU sent was for Z31
Additional Comments: after inspecting the harness, discovering ECU was for Z31, and finding bad compression in cyl. 5, I contacted seller about warranty. Seller sent some cracked, crap condition connectors for injectors and COPs, told me they had no "extra" ECUs and basically told me that when they tested compression it was good and that I was SOL. Thanks Japan Star Motors

[red 300zx]

I got a jdm n/a from tiger auto in canada. The wiring was all hacked up also, they said it had 25-30,000 miles on it... uhh no. Try more like mid 70's but whatever, for around $1,000.00 + all kinds of new s*** it has been running pretty well for almost a yera now. However i would not buy from them again.

[BigTDogg (MA)]

I guess Anton edited his post after the fact, but thanks anyway Tony, you still rule

Engine Purchased: jdm n/a
Importer/Seller: tiger auto in canada
Warranty Offered:-
Price: $1150
Engine Condition: they said it had 25-30,000 miles on it... uhh no. Try more like mid 70's
Additional Comments: it has been running pretty well for almost a year now. However i would not buy from them again.

[NolimitZ32]

Haha I actually edited my original post after red posted lol.

[legion]

Engine Purchased: JDM TT longblock
Importer/Seller: Z1 Motorsports
Warranty Offered:-
Price: $1900
Engine Condition: I had emailed them asking about the engine and they said they most likely had ~50K miles on them, with good compression. I got the engine and on the timing cover it said 86,xxxK miles. Not a big deal really but false advertising somewhat.
Additional Comments: It ran pretty damn strong for the first few days. Pulled like a f*** freight train. Then I boosted it pretty high in the rpm's and now my #6 cylinder has very low compression (all compression numbers were pretty decent before hand). I still like Z1 but I will never buy a JDM engine again.

[LIBRILZ]

Engine Purchased: JDM, N/A
Importer/Seller: Motortime(arleyleghorn)
Warranty Offered: 30 day, 3,000 mile
Price: $900
Engine Condition: "circa 40,000"
Additional Comments: Engine arrived, looked pretty decent, not alot of corrosion or anything, engine harness was cut going to the ECU, engine came without accessories. First time start up engine ran pretty damn good, had PCV pipe sticking the throttle, also had lifter tick 80% of the time. Bad oil leak from behind timing covers, wasn't cam seals either, I suspect it to be the timing gears. Eventually 4k miles later, engine spun a rod. My old N/A engine with 170k was far healthier than this JDM engine.

[canadian booster]

that sucks guys my engine is great but it came with the car.. these jdm engine sale places sound pretty shady from what you're saying. i really should do a compression test, maybe in a week when the temp is above 0C again, just to get some numbers in my head

[A Paratroopers 300zx]

Engine Purchased: Early Style VG30DETT
Importer/Seller: Don't know... Engine came in car due to previous owner
Warranty Offered: ?
Price: ?
Engine Condition: Very low compression in #2, #4 and #6 cylinders. Turbo seals were shot on both sides. Driver's turbo had a chewed up turbine. Lots of random bolts missing (may have been due to improper install by PO.) 1 faulty injector. Bad coolant temp sensor. Bad knock/det sensor. Dented oil pan.
Additional Comments: Just by looking at the amount of damage and negligence that JDM motors have, I would never purchase one. I decided to rebuild because of it.

Here is a pic of the neat little surprise that I found:

[a.blanco0905]

Engine Purchased: JDM VG30DETT
Importer/Seller: JDM Engine Zone, Clifton NJ
Warranty Offered: 30 days
Price: $1,174 (Shipped to TX) PO provided me with receipt.
Engine Condition: Just did a compression test last weeks and these are the results...
Cylinder 1: 150 2: 155 3: 145 4: 140 5: 150 & 6: 145 The engine pulls hard and smooth and it definitely feels good, PO said mileage on engine was around 40k (riiiiggghhhttt!!!.) ...and the receipt doesnt say anything about mileage.
Additional Comments: Just like Paratrooper's engine (and the pictures you guys have seen) there's a lot of random bolts missing, probably from an improper install. Car has 112k miles on the odometer which is a little surprising to me as to why the engine had to be replaced so early, nah? Also, receipt didnt mention anything about turbos coming with the engine, so I guess I'm running with the original turbos.

[300ZXttZMAN]

[jona300zx]

we need stickie!!!!

[Chattzx]

I think its just a good idea to not buy JDM engines unless you plan on doing a full rebuild before installing them into your Z, because 99.9% of them are beat to hell and have x2-x3 the amount of miles they advertise.

[NolimitZ32]

t t t

[legion]

I think its just a good idea to not buy JDM engines unless you plan on doing a full rebuild before installing them into your Z, because 99.9% of them are beat to hell and have x2-x3 the amount of miles they advertise.

If that's the case then just buy a spare block to build up on the side while you still drive the Z. Or if you have a DD then just pull out your existing motor to rebuild. No need to spend ~$2K for a s*** engine that you're just gonna be rebuilding anyways. Just sayin'.

[Ace2cool]

Added to Jerry's sticky at the top of the page.

[BigTDogg (MA)]

Added to Jerry's sticky at the top of the page.

$20 says it doesn't matter and some pneubie posts about JDM engines again

[300ZXttZMAN]

Added to Jerry's sticky at the top of the page.

$20 says it doesn't matter and some pneubie posts about JDM engines again

I bet $40 (or lets make it interesting does anyone want to bet arp rod bolts)???

{Meaning if i win you buy me arp rod bolts. If you win ill buy you them.... LOL }

[minlow88]

I put my vg,trans and ecu harness, everything on craigs list. 150000miles, #6 had the lowest compression at 140. Some kid gets ahold of me asking why i want so much. only posted 1200obo. which I think is reasonable, no jdm crap either. he told me he only wants the motor and I wanted way to much for everything.
and he said he was just gonna go buy a JDM motor from St. louis for $1000.
I told him it was a much better idea LOL

[nuttin but Z32]

Added to Jerry's sticky at the top of the page.

$20 says it doesn't matter and some pneubie posts about JDM engines again
Called it haha

rebuild-or-jdm-t538336.html

[Ace2cool]

Dude PMed me back too all butthurt and started calling me names. He got the permaban.

[NolimitZ32]

What did you think, its the interwebz, its super serial!

[sydwyZ32]

Engine Purchased: jdm n/a
Importer/Seller: I don't remember
Warranty Offered:- none
Price: $2000
Engine Condition; 30,000 miles on it... so they say.
Additional Comments: I bought my first N/A and within 500 miles that motor blew, the dealership ended up covering it after a lot of fighting, so I picked up a JDM motor...i know i shoulda gone TT at the time, but I figured I'd just buy a TT as well... On my new N/A motor-I made it 50 miles before that one started overheating, then knocking...there was a whole bunch of other problems with it.. by the time all was said and done, i had paid 7k for the car, and put another 8k into it to try to get it just to run... Next time I will make sure there is a warranty and do a bit more research before making a purchase like that again. (I know what your thinking, 7k for an N/A? this was back in 2005.)

[dan4010]

I bought mine with a JDM TT already installed. Not sure where it was bought or the warranty conditions. It has old syle injectors and one is faulty. Knock sensor is also inop. I wouldn't buy a JDM. They seem to be more trouble then they are worth.

[A Paratroopers 300zx]

I know there is a JDM engine thread, but I thought this was funny as hell. I got bored today and decided to remove all the guts of my old block. Here's what I found:

The #2 piston:


The #4 piston:


The #6 piston:


Someone beat the hell out of this thing!

[NolimitZ32]

Hypereutectic pistons are the SUCK. This happens all the time with STIs that get pushed a little too hard which makes me wonder why the hell do Japanese car companies do this, have a full forged rotating assembly on their flagship sports car and yet don't spend the extra couple hundred on forged pistons. I mean s***, add it to the price I'm sure anyone buying that car wont mind paying the extra $200 plus a 100% markup (so extra $400) on top of the $30 some thousand and would be happy to do it.

As for your particular engine; if its only on one bank I would guess something happened in the rubber line between the PS and DS fuel line and starved the whole bank. Still JDM is JDM

[vulcanrush]

Hypereutectic pistons are the SUCK. This happens all the time with STIs that get pushed a little too hard which makes me wonder why the hell do Japanese car companies do this, have a full forged rotating assembly on their flagship sports car and yet don't spend the extra couple hundred on forged pistons. I mean s***, add it to the price I'm sure anyone buying that car wont mind paying the extra $200 plus a 100% markup (so extra $400) on top of the $30 some thousand and would be happy to do it.

As for your particular engine; if its only on one bank I would guess something happened in the rubber line between the PS and DS fuel line and starved the whole bank. Still JDM is JDM

hypereutectic pistons (cast iron, right?), if maintained, have some advantages over forged ones....they're quieter, and have better longevity.
both are important for oem manufacturers.
also, if you get knock, i think forged pistons can better withstand it, but it's not like they're invulnerable.

[A Paratroopers 300zx]

Ya, who knows what happened. The previous owner was a little bit on the douchey side... and Lord knows what it went through in Japan. Glad I rebuilt hahaha!

[BigTDogg (MA)]

hypereutectic pistons (cast iron, right?)

OEM pistons are aluminum, with silicon added to put them into a hypereutectic state, which means they can handle higher temperatures. The HU referrs to the chemical composition, the cast/forged referres to the manufacturing method.

While it's true that each has their advantages, I agree with Anton's point that a STI or a Z32 or a R35 should be made with forged pistions from the factory. You can size a forged piston to be relatively quiet (relative being that it's going into a high-performance car, and the owner has less concern for NVH than your average owner).

[NolimitZ32]

That's exactly what I was talking about, not all factory cars just the "high performance flagships"

[vulcanrush]

i agree with you, but just saying, hypereutectic pistons have some benefits.
i have forged pistons, i would like to get 100k miles out of them+, who knows?
and the piston slap stinks.