Another running RB, it must be that time of year

[skillzilla]

My car started right up last night for the first time, settled into a nice, smooth idle and purred away

I couldnt drive it, as I dont have the dump pipe modded yet, but Im happy none the less. Big Thanks to you guys on here for helping me out in the rough times.

I do have a small valve tick, does anyone know if the RB20 has hydraulic lifters? If so, could it be that they just need to be cycled with oil for a bit, and it'll go away?

Heres some pics (notice the duct tape bumper, )

[PROJECTRB240SX]

I can almost bet what your hearing is the injectors firing not a valve tick. and yes we have hyd. lifters.

[skillzilla]

I tested the CAS before I fired it up, and if thats how the injectors sound all the time, then nope its the lifters. This is louder, but also just a different kind of sound, not as precise as the injectors.

Im thinkin it just needs to idle for a good 10-15 minutes and it might clear up. If not, valve adjustment time

[goofynick6]

Congrats by the way...you liking it?

Nick

[skillzilla]

Waiting on payday for the dump pipe, then its cruisin time. I can almost taste it Im so close

Next month will see the GReddy stuff go in, and dyno tuning, plus the coilover install and wheels/tires.

Thanks for the reply

[gprodigy85]

good stuff man... always good to see more rb's running, just pisses me off that ive been so lazyin getting mine goin! lol

btw where did you get the ic piping? or did you fab it yourself... im probably getting some prebent mandrel pipes and cutting/welding mine up

[skillzilla]

I was looking at BOV's on ebay, and found this Blitz one mounted on full R32 GTS-t piping, so I scooped it up. I wish it was GReddy, but hot damn, I felt lucky to find that piping. I had to Ghetto Fabricate the hot pipe out of the stock IC piping, but only until it meets the fender well, then its R32 piping from there.

[gprodigy85]

are you venting that bov to the atmosphere? or back into the intake...

[skillzilla]

Atmosphere, with the vacuum line hooked up after the TB. I havent driven it yet, but it idles fine for venting to atmosphere. Then again, I havent boosted it, so who knows.

[gprodigy85]

yeah youll probably have trouble with that...

[rbsileighty]

Awesome job bud!

We've got two (mine and RBSpecialFin who doesn't post much) about to come to life in the next two weeks... it must be the time of year...

If it is what I'm thinking it is... it's normal (the tick). After running the car for a while it should go away. My first motor did this (now Hybrids motor), and it went away. Granted it did not do it after it went in his car, but it had only been out of my old car for a few months.

[Imissmyturbo]

My RB25 somtimes has a loud valve tap when I start it up. It's goes away after a few mins.

[emperor_lunchbox]

yeah youll probably have trouble with that...

do RB20's have a problem with venting to atmosphere?

[leroy0053]

i am running the blitz blow off valve also. uuuuu know its loud and the looser the spring the louder it is. well when u come to a stop after venting all that air your car will die just like lots of people that dont run a filter on their mass air flow senser. just tighten the spring down. and u will be good. a way to check it is to just rev if up to about 3-4000 rpm real quick and let completely off the throttle if it dies tighten it up.

[lyon23]

congrats skill let me know when your coming to jax race I'll meet you up there. And yeah mine knocked a bit at the beginning but it stoped.

[skillzilla]

Well, heres the deal. I was driving the car to get the dump pipe fixed, and it started blowing mass coolant from the thermostat housing. I got it to a nearbty friends house and parked it, turned the fans on (love the electric) and let it cool down. Looks like Im not donr workin yet

Im thinkin the RTV wasnt good enough and I need a gasket (didnt have one on there when I took it off), or I didnt tighten the lower radiator hose on there all the way.

Ill get to the bottom of this.

[AustinSilvia]

I've asked this on many different RB swaps but I'm hoping you'll reply, but was there much custom fabrication done with this engine swap?? I'm trying to be as educated as I can before I go buying a CA, SR, RB, or anything for that matter.

[skillzilla]

First off, I had left a heater hose clamp loose during the swap, so it was leaking from there. Car is good to go now :P

Second, about the swap, theres not much to do as far as custom work goes. Pretty much the only thing that had to be modified for my car was the FMIC piping (it was for an R32), the bumper (to clear the FMIC), and the dump pipe (it hit the steering linkage). Other than that, its drop it in, wire it up, and youre good.

A few things to think about though:

Most everyone has to trouble shoot a bit to get it running. Its usually something dumb, and easy to fix

Motor mounts or R32 X-member are needed

Electric fans are a must

Tach needs to be made to work, either aftermarket or R32 tach

You need a tad of wiring skill, not a whole lot, just enough to run/extend wires and trouble shoot for grounds, etc.

Its a good idea to change out timing belt, water pump, idler pulley, rear main seal, and clutch when the motor is out.

Expect it to take longer than you thought, but if you hustle and stay on the ball it will be about 2 weeks total (average, dont flame me on this )

Good luck though, homie, I hope you go RB. Mine is quiet and sounds mean, pulls hard on stock boost, and is now the love of my life.

[AustinSilvia]

thanks skillzilla. I have deeply considered my options many times over and I still can't make up my mind. Availability of wear out parts is my main concern, do you know where clutches, timing belts and such can be found??? these wear out parts can be costly which is one thing I'm trying to avoid.

[lyon23]

skillzilla do you still have the your stock bov mine is broken and need a new one dont want to spend on a new yet. let me know if you got it ad give me a price. I got a 1st gen eclipse bov vlave on now and is holding boost again not leaking...but is not mineso i need to find another.. let me know, I see if I can pick it up or maybe meet half way.

[skillzilla]

Well, I some how have an RB20 without the BOV on the over-the-valve-cover pipe. I guess mine was on the stock hotpipe like an SR, cuz its not anywhere to be found, and I didnt get that pipe with my motorset. Sorry bro, but I WILL ask the local tuner shop if they have one laying around, which is a good possibility, and ask how much it is (prolly cheap).

As far as wear out parts, theres only a few things that cant be found in the US from Nissan's here. Thats one great thing about Nissan, they made essentially 3 cars in 1990, and mixed parts between all three. For example, A31 Cefiro and I think Cedric's have the same suspension as S-13's. The floorpan and underbody of the S-13 is the same as the R32. The RB20 came in the HCR32 Skyline and the Cefiro. The list goes on and on.

Well, what this means for us is that a thermostat gasket (for example) from a Z32 300zx will fit the RB20.

Heres a off-the-top-of-my-head list of things that cross onto the RB20:

Clutch: 89-96 300zx n/aOil/Fuel Filter: 89-96 300zx n/aFuel Pump: S13, Z32, Maxima, etcCoilpacks: 89-96 300zx n/aSpark Plugs: Z32 turbo, but make sure gap is set rightIgniter: 89-96 300zx n/aAccesory Belts: Any Auto parts store has the right size

Now, theres some things that cant be found here, like timing belts, head gaskets, cams, etc., but they can all be found online and shipped from Japan fairly cheap and easy. Look on http://www.takakaira.co.jp for these things, they are quick and have great CS.

[AustinSilvia]

thanks again, and just a couple more question for you. How much time would you say you put into getting the engine in, and I don't mean days, I mean actual hours you spent working on it. And how much $$$ did you spend total that you can think of. I'm shooting for under 2000 to get the engine and maybe in a couple of months I'll have 2000 more for exhaust, intercooler, and some misc. stuff that would be good to have for the install. I already have a nice 60-1 turbo that I think will do nicely on the rb20. thanksZepp

[lyon23]

thanx for cheking anyway man. I got a couple of people looking for me down here as well. If all else fails I'll get it from ebay they're rangin from $40 to $65 and $5 shipping is not bad. good thing is made by mitsubishi and it fits. it has to be a 1st gen dsm thou.