ok, wish me luck guys

[r34 gtr]

alright...heres what happened:

im sitting outside my school at about 6:30pm, about to go in to the gym to watch a basketball game. when i turned the car to the acc. position and let the fan kick on i heard a noise that sounded like my fan was hitting something that was dangling in its way, so i decided to pop the hood and check if there was something coming into contact with the fan. turns out that it was just a stick or something under my car so that was all well and good. however, when i looked up i saw some liquid on top of the fan shroud (below the plastic front i/c piping). at first i thought it was nothing and was about to ignore it but then i remembered that it had not rained in a few weeks and that there is no reason for water to be there. i ran my finger through it, expecting it to be coolant, as the radiator sits right there but nooo, of course it wasnt that. what i did find was a thick film of oil that is apparently LEAKING FROM THE INTERCOOLER PIPING!! this sucks because not only does it show i have to go get new intercooler piping but it also screams "you toasted those rings when you ran it out of some various fluid multiple times".

anyway, im running a compression test on it in the morning and ill let you guys know how it turns out. just for kicks ill let you guys know how much the compression in my dad's 89 bmw 325i stomps mine, as i know it will. it has 184k on the original, un-rebuilt drivetrain (including the clutch!! god hes easy on that thing) by the way.

what range should the CA be in? 150-165psi with no more than 5psi variation between cylinders?

if i do need rings, ill probably go for the gold and throw some high-speed bearings in there while im at it just to be on the safe side. lemme know what kind to get and where to get them. thanks!

- tim

[boost_boy]

Quote »what range should the CA be in? 150-165psi with no more than 5psi variation between cylinders?[/quote] This is normal, but even as low 130psi with equal or slightly different variations.

[r34 gtr]

ok, i tested it today. heres what i got.#1: 140#2: 135#3: 140#4: 145

is this low? also seems like ive got a good bit of variation between them. i tried putting oil in the cylinders and testing again and it only went up about 2psi in each cylinder. i might run a leakdown test on it tomorrow. ill let you know how the bmw does in a minute.

- tim

[yozsi]

sounds good to me, thats like no difference in compression

[r34 gtr]

wow. now i feel crappy. ran one on the bmw. its an 89 with 185k on the untouched factory installed drivetrain. the bentley fsm for the car says it should be between 142-156psi (has 8.8:1 comp ratio).heres what it got.#1: 162#2: 160#3: 175#4: 171#5: 181#6: 170

im speechless. im gonna go cry. that little bmw OWNED me. its been the best, least problematic car i have ever seen in my whole life. it has started right up every day since 1989, the original battery lasted 10 years! never once had a problem. thats a winner if i ever saw one.

- tim

[float_6969]

I'm kind of afraid to see what mines sitting at now. I'm probabally going to test it next weekend.

[USDM_OneVia]

carbon buildup on the top of pistons will raise the compression up too. The BMW may be gummed up more than your CA.

Joe

[boost_boy]

Quote »ok, i tested it today. heres what i got.[/quote] #1: 140#2: 135#3: 140#4: 145

Sounds a bit low, but not enough to cry over or totally get worried about. I would go own there and change my rod bearings if I were you.

Dee

[r34 gtr]

dee, can you give me a ballpark figure on how much some good high speed bearings are going to run me and what kind to buy? and where to get them? clevite bearings maybe? i want something that can take a buttload of abuse (including maybe running out of oil once or twice in the future) and some sustained high-rpm driving on a regular basis so that i dont have anything to worry about. thanks!

and joe, i know its got carbon buildup. its getting a rebuild regardless of how the compression is. that or my dad is gonna drop an e36 m3 engine in it and supercharge it. he's as power hungry as i am, if not more. he kept trying to get me to drop the gtr engine in my 240 when he knew i didnt have the money, haha.

- tim

[nab911]

If you do the main bearings i have a set for you for 35 shipped.

[yozsi]

main bearings would not raise compression

[r34 gtr]

i know that but ive been on the boards long enough to know that when dee suggests i replace something, i need to replace it. ive gun it out of oil twice and im guessing they arent in too great a condition. i think im gonna try the headgasket too, but im going to run a leakdown tomorrow (well, today actually) and see if i popped it when i overheated it. it could be leaking a little bit in each cylinder causing it to have slightly lower compression. still need the reccomendations though. and nab911, ill be sure to let you know if i do the mains.

- tim

[boost_boy]

The only problem with doing the mains is if you go that far, change the oil pump as well. But then again, if you're going to be taking out the engine and taking off the head, go for it all to include rod and main bearings, oil pum, fresh set of gaskets and seals, timing belt, water pump, and new rod bolts to boot. You're looking at less than $500 for all those goodies which will ultimately guarantee you a very fresh start. Is it worth it Tim, yes! If you have another car to get you around whiles yours is under repairs, I would definitely suggest sourcing all the parts 1st and going for a complete clean-up. You won't regret it and you'll know what's in there and besides that, it's really not that hard to do except for the crankshaft timing belt sprocket.

Dee

[float_6969]

http://www.importperformanceparts.net/They have high speed bearings, and a high volume oil pump. I'm getting my stuff from here. I've heard good stuff about Toga.

[nab911]

Dee, how long does it take to replace all that and is it worth it to do it on the motor i bought? They said it had ~ 60,000 miles and when we took of the valve cover it was damn clean inside. The turbo is alomst perfect with almost no shaft play at all. Im just wondering if i should get it in. Run it till i blow it up, if i blow it up, then do a full rebuild/build, or go ahead now and place the headgasket and all the good stuff or just trust the motor as it is seeing as how i know nothing about it.

[GoofyATX240]

I would just replace gaskets and seals. Which is what im doing now dammit lol...

[boost_boy]

http://www.importperformanceparts seems like a pretty good company. If need be Tim, ACL or Clevite beariungs would work, too.

[nab911]

I know where to get the stuff... but do i need to replace it or just put the motor in as is with the turbo upgrade, front mount, and new clutch?

[boost_boy]

Quote »Dee, how long does it take to replace all that and is it worth it to do it on the motor i bought? They said it had ~ 60,000 miles and when we took of the valve cover it was damn clean inside. The turbo is alomst perfect with almost no shaft play at all. Im just wondering if i should get it in. Run it till i blow it up, if i blow it up, then do a full rebuild/build, or go ahead now and place the headgasket and all the good stuff or just trust the motor as it is seeing as how i know nothing about it.[/quote] Don't do a thing to it. Throw it in there and in about 5,000miles, inspect the timing belt. If the water pump don't start leaking, then there's theoretically nothing to worry about with your belt. Does the crank position sensor have the silver tape across the one of the screws? If so, enjoy your motor. But to answer your question about how long it takes, roughly about 7 hours if you work straight through it. I can probably do it in 3.5hours.

[nab911]

Ok, i really dont know much about these motors, i know motors in general but i gotta learn on this one. Where is the crank position sensor? Is it that silver squar box hanging off the side with all the wires on it? I know there is jap tape across the ECU diagnostics knob and a few other things but where is the CAS?

[boost_boy]

The CAS is the distributor looking thing on the timing belt cover.

[nab911]

Actualy its probly that nice little plastic circle on the cam gear cover.... The one without the tap

[nab911]

Im gonna go check it but i dont remember seeing tape on it... and i didnt hit me until now that my friend called it a distributor last night

[nab911]

EXCELLENT! There is a nice piece of silver tape with jap writing on one of the bolts on it... i take it thats a good sign

[boost_boy]

Is the tape broken or intact?

[nab911]

Intact... so i should leave my motor alone knowing some guys grandmother owned

[boost_boy]

It's both good and bad! I would say that motor has around 30-50k kms on it and has not been serviced yet. This means that it has not been molested for drifting, drag racing or whatever. Still doesn't mean that it has not been neglected either. I still say in about 5 or 10,000 miles or when the water pump starts to leak, change the timing belt and the pump as well as the camshaft seals. Like I said, don't do a thing to the motor. I mean nothing; just install it and drive. No need to even check the timing. Just make sure you run premium gas and don't be trying to pump out higher than 12psi of boost or else I will be able to supply you with a motor $$$$:D .

[nab911]

Whoa steve... lol... I was still going to replace all the fluids and belts... aka timing belt. And i was going to replace the water pump too... but you are saying wait till it starts to leak? Im going to run 7 for a while until i get an e-manage system and an e-01 then ill push it to 12 for fun driving and 7 for daily driving. Why wouldnt i replace the timing belt and water pump now?

[boost_boy]

Quote »Why wouldnt i replace the timing belt and water pump now?[/quote] If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I mean you can if you want, but if someone screws up the timing on that belt, then you won't be running your new engine anytime soon; ask Nismo1182 a.k.a. kevin. I'm still runing the same water pump the engine came with and so is all others that I've done this swap for. One of the guys finally got his leaky water pump which he still didn't need a timign belt, but he changed it anyway. the water pupmp will wear before the timing belt and this is proven on DSMs as will. I mean you can always change the drive belts, but if they are not worn, why bother them. Get to know your engine 1st before you go tying with it. And when your'e ready to really change these things, you'll know exactly what you're working with. Even if you opened up the timing cover, you'll email me and say i'm correct about the fact that the timing belt is in great condition. Leave it alone man and enjoy your motor/car. And @7psi of boost, you ain't hurting a thing.

[nab911]

Well after i get the e-manange, injectors, and an e-01 im gonna kick it to 17 a couple of times I already have a walbro fuel pump and i may get a 300 zx tt fuel filter. That about covers everything...