Fellas,
I have an engine lined up. I told the guy I want to take a look at it. What should I look for??? It will be S14 motor...How can I tell if its been abused and crapped on??? I need advice here quickly!
Inspecting a SR20DET BEFORE u buy...
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yellow_jacket
- Posts: 1355
- Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2003 4:43 pm
- Car: 95 240sx
If it is a front clip, fire it up. If it is just the motor. Look inside the valve cover for discoloration due to overheating or buildup from not changing the oil. You can look inside of the intake manifold. Not quite sure how that would help you though. Pull the plugs and see what kind of condition they are in, and if possible look at the top of the piston.
Things to check before you buy the motor or install the motor1. Remove the oil cap and inspect the #1 cam lobe with a flashlight for any scoring (Remove the entire valve cover if you can). The needle-sized ports on the SR’s oil delivery tube are prone to clogging over the number one cam lobes and can quickly cause engine failure.2. The SR20DET is particularly picky about having a dent free oil pan, as a few dents in the right places will block the oil pick up tube and starve the engine of oil. This of course, will lead to premature, if not immediate, engine failure upon start up. We were fortunate in that our oil pan had no serious dents, but decided to be safe and bang out the small dents that were there. Once the oil pan’s bolts are removed, we used a thin piece of sheet metal to slice through the RTV and remove the oil pan. Do not use a screwdriver to pry off the oil pan, as it will mangle its flange. With the pan removed unscathed, we banged out the small dents with a hammer. Before installing the oil pan, make sure to scrape off all the old RTV before applying more and putting the pan back in place.3. Remove the spark plugs and inspect them thoroughly for signs of foul play. A normal plug will be a tan color with white speckles. Spark plugs are often considered an “eye” into the engine and can provide valuable insight into an engine’s past life. For example, an oily spark plug can be evidence of failed piston ring.