So how tough is an FJ20ET you ask?

[TheGoodDR]

I'll show you.



this is what one will do to nine grade 8 plated washers. I pulled these out of my number 4 cylinder about an hour ago. Not only does it still run, it still purrs like a kitten and drives as well as it ever did. So it seems an FJ can chew up and spit out grade 8 washers with no apparent side effects.


Full story about how they got in there in a little while. (I am the dumbest and/or luckiest man alive.

[DevilMB3017]

Wow.

I think your Jesus, cuz thats a straight miracle. Congrats man, I'm glad to hear its still okay.

[Loki]

I couldn't resist....

[kyles1988]

Not sure what an FJ20ET is from...I know it's a single cam two liter fuel injected turbo motor...but that's about all I've got.

Any motor that that happens to and survives is impressive.

[TheGoodDR]

That is freaking hilarious. I'm definitely keeping that one. Thanks man.

[VirginiaPS13]

Thats amazing

[DevilMB3017]

Not sure what an FJ20ET is from...I know it's a single cam two liter fuel injected turbo motor...but that's about all I've got.

Any motor that that happens to and survives is impressive.

DR30 Skyline. Only two known running in North America.

[Dattebayo]

Not sure what an FJ20ET is from...I know it's a single cam two liter fuel injected turbo motor...but that's about all I've got.

Actually you are wrong. Its a dual cam. Nissan just wanted to confuse you and make you look like a newb.

[OutToWinPAHC]

Hmmm I wonder what the cylinder looks like now. Id check the compression, I hope there no bad scoring or divets.

[TheGoodDR]

Hmmm I wonder what the cylinder looks like now. Id check the compression, I hope there no bad scoring or divets.

cylinder and piston look fine. I borrowed a see snake from work and checked it out. (You know, lense and lights on a thin flexible stalk and an LCD display at the handle.) The are some marks in the top of the piston but none more than a fingernails depth at the worst.

I'm going to pull the head for a proper inspection soon but so for she purrs and seems to have suffered no significant damage.

[FlatBlackIan]

Just one more reason why I want something, anything, with a FJ in it.

Hurry up with the full sotry, I really want to know.

[ADDirishboy]

holy shiz that's ridiculous. nine washers and it still runs great?? ummm...full story please!

[TheGoodDR]

STORY TIME!!

So first, where the washers came from.

I had glued all those washers together in a stack to use as a hasty spacer for my MAF sensor so it wouldn't rub on my belts. I was cleaning my MAF yesterday so I had the washers sitting on top of my valve cover. At some point I bumped them with my elbow and they dropped into the engine bay and I searched for nearly a half hour in (what I thought) would be the only area they could have fallen into. Turns out I was wrong. They had somehow traveled only 6 inches down but nearly 8 inches sideways. Right into my disconnected charge pipe. Even looking at my MAF and charge pipes after the fact I can't understand how they got over so far, hence why I didn't even think of checking in the pipes.

Second, the noise.

Afetr driving nearly an hour after doing this work the washers were far from my mind. I pull into the my GF's place of work to pick her up and as soon as it hit's idle it starts making clacking noises. I say WTF and shut her down. Having no tools I left it there for the night. next day I pack my tools and head out to fix it. I check the plugs first and one of them has no gap. Mashed flat. Break out the see-snake and the magnet. Broken and flattened metal sitting on top of my number four piston.

Third, the solution.

So I fished six of them out through the spark plug hole with the magnet but to my dismay three of them were still uncrushed. Therefore not able to fit through the spark plug hole. "Oh well, the damage has been done" I say. I put the plugs back and fire it up for about 20 seconds until the noise changes. Pull the plug and behold two of the three left are now squashed enough to be pulled out through the hole. Repeat process. After I pulled the remains of the last one out and put everything back together she runs like a top.

Fourth, the aftermath.

There is none really. It starts fine, idles fine, runs fine and I can't feel or hear that anything suffered more than some scratches on the top of the piston. I plan to pull the head this weekend and inspect it more thoroughly but so far everything seems normal.

Like I said, I must be the dumbest and luckiest man alive. That or the FJ is one of the toughest old engines out there and I'm just dumb. Either way I'm relieved. I thought it was something serious like a spun bearing, not something minor like sucking 9 plated washers into my engine.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

I once sucked a rag into a 13B. It survived with minimal damage.

That, however, is more impressive. What's the compression of the FJ? It can't be an interference system, could it?


Modified by charlieo at 4:20 AM 5/9/2008

[ADDirishboy]

that is freaking unbelievable. i can't believe it only scratched the piston. amazing

[TheGoodDR]

that is freaking unbelievable. i can't believe it only scratched the piston. amazing

I can hardly believe it myself. I fully expected it to make more bad noises and run like crap after I fished all that out. Imagine my surprise when it ran like it did the day before.

It's official now, I will own and drive this car until I die. Anything that can live through that and keep ticking is a car I want to drive forever.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yeah, but can it survive an active port/polish session with sand through the intake?

[ADDirishboy]

Yeah, but can it survive an active port/polish session with sand through the intake?

lol. the ultimate fj test.

[pflicht]

Yeah, but can it survive an active port/polish session with sand through the intake?

Hmmm... I want to see this!

[DeXteR]

Yeah, but can it survive an active port/polish session with sand through the intake?

OMFG

This thing can't have an aluminum head... There's no way you chewed up a bunch of washers and didn't suffer serious damage to an aluminum combustion chamber. Unless of course you are indeed a lucky SOB and only hit pistons and valves... You have to post pictures of the head.

Amazing.

[ca18detgabby]

thats crazy

[srpowered240sx]

wow, craziness in here. i would still do a quick compression test to see if it smacked any valves. all in all, id lean towards the "youre one lucky SOB.".

[shift_240_s13]

wtf, this is crazy!

i like how you just cranked it to crush them up. HAHAHAH

[Z Style]

Holy crap, that is amazing. How hard is it to find parts for that motor if you did break some stuff just out of curiosity?

[xekushnr]

Wow, thats awesome. Props to the FJ, no wonder they are such a sought after engine.

[themadscientist]

OMFG

This thing can't have an aluminum head... There's no way you chewed up a bunch of washers and didn't suffer serious damage to an aluminum combustion chamber. Unless of course you are indeed a lucky SOB and only hit pistons and valves... You have to post pictures of the head.

Amazing.

aluminum head, cast iron block and big beefy pistons a 350 chevy would be proud of. Dr. let me know if you need stuff, you silly bastard.

[240life]

Wow, that is the craziest thing I have ever heard.

[Mr1der]

jesus christ.

I really want one of those engines...

[TheGoodDR]

[Update:

Two days and 100 miles later the FJ is still running like a top. Idles fine, starts fine and pulls very hard. So much so I scared myself on the highway. Put the pedal down in third gear at 60mph and it went from 60 to 110 in the blink of an eye. Then I shifted into fourth and realized I was going well past the speed limit and slowed down.

You definitely have to be paying attention to drive an FJ at full throttle, even at only 12psi.

[themadscientist]

12psi is not the same 12psi with that turbo silly!