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I
wanted to start off with the basic principles of turbo charging, but
I receive quite a few enquiries on what will be needed to do the
SR20DET Engine Swap. So here goes...
This is
entirely based on MY experience with regards to the engine swap.
I started
off with a 1.6 engine. When I decided to do the swap, I did some
research, but it was not enough. I was unprepared for what was to
come. This is not a weekend job, this will take some serious time,
and I found that out the hard way...
My biggest
problem was the little unexpected things I needed to replace. I
couldn't find engine mounts, a flywheel, CV's etc... This was after
my car went in, and that took up most of the time.
Make sure
you have EVERYTHING before you start, coz looking for parts is
difficult after your old 1.6 gets gutted and you have no transport..
My car went in on the 5th January 2004 and I only drove it for the
first time in August, then October the engine hit bearings and it
went to a different mechanic that took another six weeks to fix it.
That's when I decided to start working on it myself. If I had to do
this over again, here's how I would do it:
-
Buy the stock SR20DE (STi)
engine, and make sure it is in excellent condition. You can go
for the Bluebird SR20DET engine if you can find one in a good
condition. Personally I find the price difference too much, as
you would most probably want to change the turbo at a later
stage anyway.
-
Open the oil cap and look
at the cam lobe. Feel over it and make sure it is not worn. Then
stick your finger in there, that should give you a good
indication on the condition of the oil. You will be able to tell
if the engine was looked after. Also look at the water passages
to determine the condition of the engine. If you're still
uncertain, have a mechanic check it out for you. I had to
rebuild my GTiR engine that cost me R9500 to start off with, and
the rebuild cost about R3000.
-
Make sure the fuel rail is
not damaged and that all four injectors are still in place. If
you plan on changing injectors, you might as well get a high
volume fuel rail too, so then you can disregard the last
comment.
-
Make sure the engine has a
flywheel, coz they are very scarce. You will seldom find a shop
that will strip the flywheel off of a complete engine. I was
lucky to find one in a BMW scrap yard, believe it or not...
-
If you do not know the
difference between the Stock and LSD gearbox, then make sure you
can return it if your CV's wont fit. If they do not fit then you
are the lucky owner of the LSD box. This box uses different
splines on the CV's. I was lucky enough to buy a box with the CV
still stuck in it. If you can find a box with the CV still in,
then go for it. You will need to get the STi side-shafts as
well, but that you can get from a place called Propfection in
Boksburg for about R1500 with CV's. Now that I think about it,
he can most probably make up some CV's for you. If you have the
Stock STi side-shafts with the LSD box, then you need to shorten
the passenger side side-shaft with 40mm. This is because the LSD
box is thicker than the Stock box. Propfection can also shorten
the shaft. I paid R300 including a service on the CV. Not a bad
deal, I would think. I'm not advertising for Propfection, but
I'm merely stating that the work can be done. Remember if you do
go for the LSD box, to replace the oil seals with those from the
Stock STi box. I forgot and now I need to take the box out
again...
-
Get engine mountings. I
don't know where, so you will need to call scrap yards. I was
lucky enough to get mountings from the guy that bought my old
1.6 engine. I would suggest to buy it new from Nissan, but they
are about R3500 for the set. If you can find second hand mounts,
you can have them redone in Poly-Urethane.
-
Decide on a proper fuel
management system. If you are able to find the standard SR20
harness and computer box, then that will be the cheaper option,
while still having peace of mind on the quality! A proper chip
should be able sort the fuelling along with an extra injector. I
know some people believe that is not adequate, but I have
researched the theory behind it, so wait for me to write the
damn article before you comment. I have a Mr. Turbo EFI
management, and it pretty much sucks. It does the job, but I
would like to change a few things on it. If you want to buy a
management system, then do it right the first time. Go for
something like the Perfect Power or Dicktator systems. They can
be tuned far better than Mr Turbo.
That
should be it. If you have anything constructive to add, then please
e-mail me at
nick@abnormala.com
Next
Article: Complete step-by-step write-up on removing the gearbox with
illustration pics...
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