TheBigS_42's SR20DET Swap.

[Jah1mon]

Quote »How do I know if the turbo is beyond repair, ie getting it rebuilt or is there such a thing. Im trying to find the most economical option here since time and money are at a bit of a premium. I think I might briefly start the engine again before I pull the turbo with the PS belt off to see if the noise is the bearings in the pump or if it is the turbo.

Any thoughts?[/quote]It would depend on the condition of the shaft and wheel fins which would determine if your current turbo is able to repaired. As long as the turbine fins did not contact there housing you should be able to use your current turbo. I think the most cost effect way to go about this repair is to find another used T25.

Another option is to order a rebuild kit from somewhere like turbocity.com. You could also mail your turbo out to them and they could rebuild it for you. Just call them up before to get a quote. If there is no where in your area willing to rebuld your current turbo you may have to mail it out.

[TheBigS_42]

Im searching around for another used t25 to use that is in working condition that I can just drop in. So far no luck. However the place I bought the engine from said they will try and see if they can track one down this week for me that they could give me a good deal. Not sure whether I will have any luck there though. Put up a WTB in the classifieds here but so far have only come up with one with blown seals. Not sure if I want to tackle rebuilding that as I dont have a ton of space time with school and winter is approaching fast here.

[Kira-Hachi]

Judging by your last post it appears this is recent, so I'll throw a couple cents in

I have a 90 240sx with a silvia front end and a S13 blacktop that I finished in July/August of this year. First time build just like you, university student - like you, blew my turbo after 2 days lol.

I searched 'Saskatoon' to find this write-up so I'm guessing that is where you are from. If that's the case I'm thinking that you got your front bumper redone at Pro Bumper Recycling. Hopefully that is all true because if it is, it will be nice to have another SR20 cruisin around here.

I replaced my turbo with a eBay hybrid (Embarrasing I know, can't afford a good one at this time) So far it holds really well, so I imagine it'll get me by. And you are right, good luck finding someone to rebuild it here for you.

[s14brennen]

Looks frigin sweet your gettin there. Nice rusted turbo elbow by the way, thats how mine looked until i did the exact same thing and bought the greddy elbow its very shiny. Shiny Greddy Elbow FTFW

[TheBigS_42]

Judging by your last post it appears this is recent, so I'll throw a couple cents in

I have a 90 240sx with a silvia front end and a S13 blacktop that I finished in July/August of this year. First time build just like you, university student - like you, blew my turbo after 2 days lol.

I searched 'Saskatoon' to find this write-up so I'm guessing that is where you are from. If that's the case I'm thinking that you got your front bumper redone at Pro Bumper Recycling. Hopefully that is all true because if it is, it will be nice to have another SR20 cruisin around here.

I replaced my turbo with a eBay hybrid (Embarrasing I know, can't afford a good one at this time) So far it holds really well, so I imagine it'll get me by. And you are right, good luck finding someone to rebuild it here for you.

Hey! I certainly am in Saskatoon, and I definitely did get my bumper done at Pro Bumper Recycling. ( It came out awesome by the way I would reccomend it to anyone )

Im on the prowl for a working use t25 at the moment. Someone replied to my WTB thread but it seems he hasn't been online in the last few days so hopefully that works out.

And thanks s14brennen! Its been a long process being my first engine swap and all but its been good fun and I've learned a pile of things.

[Kira-Hachi]

Good stuff. Lookin forward to seeing ya on the road.

I went through JDM-Online.com (terrible service, as soon as he sent me the motor I couldn't contact him at all, left messages and e-mails. Not impressed) Spent 3 months putting everything together but it's definitely worth it in the end. I'm sure everyone agrees, so much more rewarding doing it yourself then just buying it all done for you.

Stoon isn't all that big so I'm sure we'll cross paths eventually. Good luck!

[positron1]

Updates!?

[TheBigS_42]

Well its been a while since I post an update. The largest reason being not a lot has happened. I got busy with final exams and was stuck in my big turbo dilemma.

The turbo I bought arrived the other day:

Someone painted the front.

Back

Intake, a little dirty/oily?.

Outlet, the part which scares me.

Close up

It doesn't appear to be in too rough condition overall. There is very little left-right shaft play, spins freely etc. however, what worries me is the almost same problem I had with my turbo on my engine. There is oil residue in the compressor outlet. It isn't a ton, but the pipe sure isnt clean and is dark all around. Im assuming a little oil may still be too much oil? If I had to guess i'd say blown seals, or is it possible the previous engine it was on had bad blow by, which might be why the intake is a bit dirty? Seems my bad luck may have got me again.

Any advice is welcome!
Modified by TheBigS_42 at 2:21 PM 12/26/2008

[Justin35ll]

Hmm idk try installing it and see what happens. Good luck with this one

[TheBigS_42]

Im tempted to. Curious what other people have for input? If I do install it and the seals are blown I could always pull it again and replace them then.

What do you other guys think?

[positron1]

Do it to it!

[TheBigS_42]

The new gaskets are on the way, so when they get here I can go at it. Posi or anyone got any advice or tips on the whole replacement job? Ie removing all the lines and what not. Hopefully I can get the garage warmed up a bit as its -30C in there right now.

[positron1]

Make sure you don't forget the teflon tape.

[AndrewMinervini]

interested in trading your hicas ps pump for non hicas?

[AndrewMinervini]

anything??? i need a hicas pump...save me

[positron1]

I already sold mine.

[TheBigS_42]

Hey, sorry for the slow response. I think I may still have the HICAS pump sitting in a box in the garage now, id have to look. Unfortunately the pulley on it is a bit damaged on the end, it got hurt when I was trying to take it off to use it on an S14 pump. (it never did come off, maybe I was doing it wrong.) But if you would like, I can look for it and take a few pics and you could decide if you want it?

[TheBigS_42]

So I started my turbo swap yesterday. Just a quick cry for help. full post will come in a bit. Anyone have any recommendations for getting the oil drain hose off? I took off both the screw clamps but I cant get the rubber hose to budge. Its the only thing left holding the turbo in.

[TheBigS_42]

Scratch that it kinked when I tried to loosen it so I just cut it off. Im going to try to find a replacement piece on monday, hopefully I can find something close because I'd rather not have to order the OEM part and wait another 2 weeks. Got the turbo out and the manifold swapped to the replacement one thought at least today

[positron1]

Just cut a small section of hose and put some thermal wrap on it to replace that one. That's all I did.

[TheBigS_42]

Just cut a small section of hose and put some thermal wrap on it to replace that one. That's all I did.

Thanks. Thats what I ended up doing.

I went at it over the last few days and finally got everything back together yesterday. I got it fired up and to my surprise it actually ran. Still got a bit of tweaking to do but this turbo definitely makes boost unlike the last one. The blowing the intercooler pipes apart at the front was the biggest indicator . Guess I need to tighten those puppys down a bit more. I ran it for a few minutes and took my intercooler pipes apart to look for oil and to my pleasant surprise I didn't see any significant signs of it like last time so I'm hoping I lucked out with the new turbo.

On another note, I still haven't been able to take it for a spin as I can't get the clutch bled. I haven't done the damper box bypass, I was hoping to keep it stock, but I just cant seem to get it right. I've tried jacking up the front end of the car while doing it, and ive bled from both the bleeder screws below. It seems that I can get pressure built up in the system when pumping the pedal a few times and it almost feels normal but then when I stop pumping I lose all pressure. I know it worked before I drained it but it seems like theres still some air or something it the lines. Anyone got any recommendations on how they did it?

[positron1]

On the clutch, I just had a guy pump it a couple of times and hold it down while I closed the line off. Did that a couple of times and my clutch was golden.

[TheBigS_42]

Ok its been a little while since I posted a proper update with some pictures, so here it goes.

So I mentioned before I got the replacement turbo in and got it running. Well that was that one day that it happened to run. I tried a few days latter to fire up the car again and it just wouldn't start, same thing a few days latter. I started checking wires and hoses and what not to no avail. It then dawned on me the perhaps replacing the spark plugs on an engine that may have been sitting for the past 5 or 10 years might not be a bad idea.

Well what an adventure.

So I decided about a week about to pull them out and see what was up. Well up here in Saskatchewan, spark plug changes in a -35 degree Celsius garage is bound to be fun. I discovered after half of my coil pack got left behind that when I had washed the engine down this summer, water had got down there and was now frozen, same thing in 2 of the other 4 plugs. So with some advice from a friend mechanic I began pouring boiling water on them and shop vacuuming it off several times until the ice was gone.

After it all dried up I got to the plugs and pulled them out... and holy crap no wonder the car wouldnt start. Its a miracle the car started in the first place, and whoever had this engine before really didnt give it any love with the turbo and all and now this. Heres some pictures of just how bagged the plugs in it were:





Also at this time I was trying to figure out why they were damp, I then smelled them and notice they were gas soaked. It then occurred to me that it was my own dumb fault from trying to crank the engine a bunch of times which eventually flooded it. Sure enough each of the the cylinders had a good lining of gas at the top.

So after letting it sit open to air out over night, I popped in the new BKR6EIX's, changed the oil to get any residue of gas out, and after getting everything hooked back up gave it a crank. Well I'll be damned if that isn't the biggest difference ive ever seen before. It fired up within a half second of turning the key.

Now my valve cover spark plug ring seals may have been going a bit because there was a touch of what looked like oil on the plugs but I thought I would at least try this first and get a few miles on the motor to let everything settle in before I go farther.

On the clutch I followed one of the guides and got rid of the stupid damper box because it was giving me nothing but trouble. I bent the hard line over to the slave and bled it in 2 minutes. Problem solved

Fired it up and went for the maiden voyage around the block, which if youve never driven a powerful rear wheel drive car on snow is quite the adventure, but everything seemed to work pretty well. Still a few bumps to smooth out but I cant complain.

Heres a pic with the front finally back on the ground:



And on a separate note, I got my old cd deck installed a while back with an ebay mounting kit that fit perfectly:



Thats all for now. As usual input and suggestions are always welcome!

Up next is battery relocation, proper intercooler mounting and bumper reassembly, and electric fans.

[positron1]

Good job!

[s13gebala]

good stuff here, those plugs look horrible :[

[TheBigS_42]

Aright, mega update time. And as usual, some questions:

Over the last few weeks I had time to get a battery box from a store in town and I got that all mounted up in the trunk. Unfortunately the box setup was near impossible (or at least to my knowledge) to mount on the right side of the car with the gas tank and all, but I won't be doing any track driving so its not too much of an issue weight wise. Here are some pics of the finished install and kit I used:

Installed

2 gauge wire running to front

Taylor battery box kit box

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I had a chance to put the interior all back together and although my seats and floor mats are bagged its all there now:



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I got the intercooler properly secured and managed to fit it in with the bumper all nicely:Top view

I then attached the refurbished bumper cover and new signal lights:Front view



Popped the fender liners back in

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I also bought a flex-a-lite fan thermostat controller and got that all wired up to the dual fans:Wiring mess still to be dealt with

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Heres a top view of the engine bay as of last week:

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As of now thats the major progress I've made. Next on the list is to install these puppies:

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As for questions I have a few. I've had it running for a few weeks now and put about 800km on it. The motor runs pretty good, still sorting out the odd thing, it idles pretty good at about 950, maybe i pinch high but nothin to complain about. My first question I have is about the clutch. I've followed the break in procedure ACT included as best I can and the clutch itself grabs great. However, when letting it out when not accelerating, like when slowing down and downshifting for example, if i let it in slowly there is a slight shuddering feel. Its not super noticable but it is there. I did a quick search and found quite a few people have this problem but most say its nothing too much to worry about. Just curious what you guys think.

Second, this may sound like a bit of a stupid question, but when you guys check your oil after the engine is warm say after a long drive, is it ever above full? Im fairly certain I put the right amount of oil in when i changed it as I got paranoid about it and measured it out, but it seems that its a little but over the full mark on the dipstick. Also related to that im wondering if i didnt get all the gas out from when I flooded the engine badly a while back if youll read a few posts back, because theres still a hint of gas smell in the oil. Im assuming piston rings or something of the sort might be the culprit? Bearing in mind my budget has essentially hit zero due to school and the other joys of life, Im hoping theres a simple solution for the issue, or at least a short term one that will last a while.

Lastly, ive got rid of most the fluid leaks ive found so far but I still seem to have one left, im in the process of trying to figure out whether its power steering fluid or oil, its odd because the drops on the garage floor are a pale murkey clearish color with a tiny drop of brown in the middle so ill probably try and climb under the car when im finished final exams and see if I cant find the source of it. Also, the engine doesnt appear to be burning much oil as when I accelerate or idle theres no big blue clouds, but every once an a while if i come to a stop sign I catch a smell of what smells like oil, unless im mistaking the exhaust now that theres no cat on the exhaust?

Any and all comments/solutions/suggestions are welcome as usual!

Modified by TheBigS_42 at 9:45 AM 4/10/2009
Modified by TheBigS_42 at 9:46 AM 4/10/2009

[positron1]

Looking good man. Where under the car are you finding the drops of fluid?

[TheBigS_42]

Somehow I had the same picture 4 times, got that fixed.

Im fairly certain now the leak is power steering fluid, just have to find the source of it now. Any input on the other above issues would be great too if anyone has any.
Modified by TheBigS_42 at 10:14 AM 4/14/2009

[silentsoul]

Nice car with no rust! Nice engine bay!

Keep up the good work!

[dc1984]

first off, congrats. always like to see someone taking matters into their owm hands when doing something like this. as many times as ive had someone ask me wher i got my motor swap done, i never get tired of saying "i did it myself".

a few posts back when ur turbo went out, u mentioned u had ur wastegate actuator hooked up to a vacuum source. vacuum is not good for an actuator. surprised nobody on here caught that. u need to get it hooked up to a boost only source, something with no vacuum. this needs to be before the throttle body.this is what i used for my car. tap this fitting into the silicone hose coupler that connects ur turbo to the intercooler pipe and walla!!!

http://www.frsport.com/Turbo-Q....html

i wish i knew about frsport when i did this though, i spent almost 30 bucks on that same thing through option imports. not dogging them though as they are still a good site to order from.

anyways, for your intercooler piping, i would recomend u getting rid of those puny little clamps and get some solid t-clamps. it will help significantly to prevent ur intercooler piping from poping off again. something like this. they are kinda spendy but they are worth it.

http://www.qualitycustomparts.....html

good choice on fans, they are spendy but they work real good. i have the same ones. i used to use their thermostat but after a while i just hooked it up with a switch and i leave them on all the time. that works good for me though cause i live in cali and it is always hot and with stop and go traffic.

anyways, thought id add my 2 cents and good luck