something to know before buying a jdm engine. - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

golfer17 · 01-23-2006, 10:39 AM

ok, here is why i recommend that you always see a front clip or motorset in person before buying (or at least be more careful than i was).

back in august, i had decided on getting an s14 sr clip to put in my s14 and so i checked around and after hearing tons of horror stories decided to go with a reputable company (and pay more) that happened to have one in stock at the time because when we talked to them on the phone they assured us they got first pick of the best clips shipped over here and that everything was in great condition and showed us how the leakdown was good (although the compression wasnt quite ideal) on the s14 sr they had in stock and so we pretty much told them we wanted it, we just wanted to see pictures first. well, they sent us some pics of some really random stuff, including three pics of what looked like the pedals, but we were had already been convinced that this was a great motor and so we went ahead and bought it.

well, anyways, when we got it, we noticed it was extremely dirty, which was to be expected, but this thing was more than dirty, it had dirt and grime caked on to the block and was definitely not what a 60k mi. motor should look like (if it had been sitting in a junkyard for less than a month or so like they said). we immediately noticed the bent and taped up charge pipe for the smic, the hole where an fmic went through, and the smic was not in the best of shape (although it was tested to hold water). also, there was a custom bracket left over where an afpr most likely was, and it was very noticeable that a lot of things had been removed and replaced often as there were different color bolts (some definitely not stock) on everything and the turbo was definitely not on the car before (even though it was the right turbo). we come to find out that a lot of bolts and such that should be tight were loose (engine mounts, turbo, etc.) and we had a bent turbo oil drain, a wastegate actuator that had to be bent because it was welded onto the wrong place, and it had s13 intake piping (which later required a custom power steering line, custom bov recirculation and a custom routed vent hose), and gave us some trouble after startup while we figured out the intake manifold bolts were loose and one was missing. also, we spent a ton of time cleaning the motor and cleaning/replacing bolts and boltholes etc, and lots of time/money replacing parts and such that you would expect to still be good on a 60k or even 100k mi. motor, but were definitely junk and old on this one. the oil pan was also smashed in as well as the pickup tube, but it was a good thing to replace that and enlarge the pickup anyways. our cams were also extremely worn and almost in need of replacing, most likely from hard use and the fact that the oil squirters for them were a little clogged (we unclogged them). also, the vacuum lines had been spliced into many times in many places and put back together, so there was most likely a boost gauge and controller put on the engine at one time (of course, i mean we already pretty much know it had a different mani, turbo, and ic before it went to the junkyard). and also the fan shroud had been severely damaged and unusable(probably in shipping though). basically, the only good thing we got out of the clip was a like new exedy stage 1 clutch as everything else worth anything was of course stripped off or in too bad of condition to be used.

well, anyways, thats all i can think of at the moment that was wrong with our clip (and one of the reasons why the swap took so long and was not what i would call a "bolt in" affair even though it did bolt in of course). just make sure you either look at all this stuff first before buying a motor or at least get really good pictures of all of this and dont just trust a company because they have a flawless rep on forums and good luck.

sr240mike · 01-23-2006, 10:59 AM

Um, yeah. Another I got a shitty sr20det thread. Don't you know there are no more good motorsets/clips? Never buy what you dont see. That sucks that you spent your hard money on crap though.

andrewmp6 · 01-23-2006, 03:52 PM

you gotta watch who you buy from some companys will piece together a engine and sell it to you just remember your buying a junkyard engine dont get your hopes up high

blackflag_Rms13 · 01-23-2006, 05:49 PM

Who'd you buy it from?, if you don't mind me asking...

OnlyZenki · 01-23-2006, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackflag_Rms13

Who'd you buy it from?, if you don't mind me asking...

i would also like to know as im in the market for a s14clip

SochBAT · 01-23-2006, 06:31 PM

"Would you buy a car without testdriving it, and just knowing factory specs?"

Be tedious with the inspection. Emphasis on tedious.

gotta240 · 01-23-2006, 09:17 PM

WHO sold it? don't let it happen again....advertise those fuckers in a negative way!

Dousan_PG · 01-23-2006, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlyZenki

i would also like to know as im in the market for a s14clip

i got my kouki clip here
runs like a goddamn champion. never any problems 100% tip top shape

http://www.g-dimension.com/

andrewmp6 · 01-23-2006, 11:32 PM

i just bought a rb25det im glad i pulled the head off before i used it had some bent valves and a blown head gasket i always plan a rebuild on any jdm engine since there used

Agamemnon · 01-23-2006, 11:38 PM

The poster is referring to Phase2. This is the first time I have heard of anything bad from them.

kazuo · 01-24-2006, 12:23 AM

Always remove the valve cover at the very least, to see if you're getting some oreo cookie dough along with that motor.

You should ALWAYS be thorough when buying a motor... don't take their word for it, een if it is a reputable shop... you get it home, and if the motor's bad, its bad, and you just wasted a trip.

janko · 01-24-2006, 08:23 AM

I got mine from Rickey's auto on ebay. Paid $2300 shipped for a 94 - 96 180sx blacktop (I know this because of the ECU). The motor was beautiful when I received it, I felt bad tearing it down. It was missing the CAS since he removed it so it wouldn't be damaged and forgot to include it, he promptly sent it to me next day and everything has been great since. And BTW there are still good motorsets left, maybe very few redtops which is why I opted to pay a little extra for a blacktop. Obviously cheapest is not always best.

janko · 01-24-2006, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

The poster is referring to Phase2. This is the first time I have heard of anything bad from them.

From what he originally posted on FA before they started crying that he was name dropping, we pretty much came to the conclusion that the clip was assembled from parts motorsets. He got the motor with several bolts loose, including the intake manifold bolts which he did not find until after starting the car up.

phreze · 01-24-2006, 08:49 AM

I have had good and bad with phase to my motor was sent with no ignitor chip and no spark plug cover. The radiatior was on its last legs, so brittle it was falling apart. They did send out a spark plug cover the next day, but by the time I noticted the ignitor chip was missing they best they could do was offer to sell me one for $150. The motor runs strong and I did get a free jdm gauge cluster.

Although they sold the engine I orignialy picked out and instead of letting me choose another one they just sent me a diff one of their choosing.

*exitspeed* · 01-24-2006, 09:19 AM

It's easy for you Cali guys to say, "go look at the clip first". But for people like myself that live in the Midwest there just isn't an ubundance of shops with SR's laying around to go check out first.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I fear this like no tomorrow when i go to do one.

andrewmp6 · 01-25-2006, 08:10 AM

exitspeed i fell ya i always buy a motor set dont need a clip or want to pay for the extra shipping

nissantuner22 · 01-25-2006, 10:03 AM

I cant support that enough too. Know what your buying. Even from reputable dealers, its hard to know for sure what your getting. Whenever possible, inspect the motor yourself, peform a compression and leakdown test, take the valve cover off, etc. I recieved my motor from JHOT exports in Georgia, and I couldn't be any more pleased. The motor was spotless, complete, and more importantly, mechanically sound.

If your going to make an investment like an SR20DET, always do your research.. unless your stinking rich, in which case you should be driving a nicer car haha

*fliprayzin240sx* · 01-26-2006, 12:59 AM

Well what sucks now is SR20s are starting to be in short supply. When we first did our swaps...we used to buy nothing but automatic engine sets with 5
speed trannies. Figured that auto...less likelier to have been ragged on in japan plus the lower ECU shift point. Now is damn near impossible to find one. Lately its been harder and harder to find redtops, mostly blacktops now.

But like said before...do the basics if you can. Compression atleast 150-160, check the turbo for shaftplay, pop valve cover and see the status of the head *specially the cams...they'll tell alot as far as how much abuse the engine has been put thru*

01-23-2006, 10:39 AM	#1
golfer17 Zilvia Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Colorado Age: 39 Posts: 215 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	something to know before buying a jdm engine. ok, here is why i recommend that you always see a front clip or motorset in person before buying (or at least be more careful than i was). back in august, i had decided on getting an s14 sr clip to put in my s14 and so i checked around and after hearing tons of horror stories decided to go with a reputable company (and pay more) that happened to have one in stock at the time because when we talked to them on the phone they assured us they got first pick of the best clips shipped over here and that everything was in great condition and showed us how the leakdown was good (although the compression wasnt quite ideal) on the s14 sr they had in stock and so we pretty much told them we wanted it, we just wanted to see pictures first. well, they sent us some pics of some really random stuff, including three pics of what looked like the pedals, but we were had already been convinced that this was a great motor and so we went ahead and bought it. well, anyways, when we got it, we noticed it was extremely dirty, which was to be expected, but this thing was more than dirty, it had dirt and grime caked on to the block and was definitely not what a 60k mi. motor should look like (if it had been sitting in a junkyard for less than a month or so like they said). we immediately noticed the bent and taped up charge pipe for the smic, the hole where an fmic went through, and the smic was not in the best of shape (although it was tested to hold water). also, there was a custom bracket left over where an afpr most likely was, and it was very noticeable that a lot of things had been removed and replaced often as there were different color bolts (some definitely not stock) on everything and the turbo was definitely not on the car before (even though it was the right turbo). we come to find out that a lot of bolts and such that should be tight were loose (engine mounts, turbo, etc.) and we had a bent turbo oil drain, a wastegate actuator that had to be bent because it was welded onto the wrong place, and it had s13 intake piping (which later required a custom power steering line, custom bov recirculation and a custom routed vent hose), and gave us some trouble after startup while we figured out the intake manifold bolts were loose and one was missing. also, we spent a ton of time cleaning the motor and cleaning/replacing bolts and boltholes etc, and lots of time/money replacing parts and such that you would expect to still be good on a 60k or even 100k mi. motor, but were definitely junk and old on this one. the oil pan was also smashed in as well as the pickup tube, but it was a good thing to replace that and enlarge the pickup anyways. our cams were also extremely worn and almost in need of replacing, most likely from hard use and the fact that the oil squirters for them were a little clogged (we unclogged them). also, the vacuum lines had been spliced into many times in many places and put back together, so there was most likely a boost gauge and controller put on the engine at one time (of course, i mean we already pretty much know it had a different mani, turbo, and ic before it went to the junkyard). and also the fan shroud had been severely damaged and unusable(probably in shipping though). basically, the only good thing we got out of the clip was a like new exedy stage 1 clutch as everything else worth anything was of course stripped off or in too bad of condition to be used. well, anyways, thats all i can think of at the moment that was wrong with our clip (and one of the reasons why the swap took so long and was not what i would call a "bolt in" affair even though it did bolt in of course). just make sure you either look at all this stuff first before buying a motor or at least get really good pictures of all of this and dont just trust a company because they have a flawless rep on forums and good luck. __________________

01-23-2006, 10:59 AM	#2
sr240mike Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: California, Norcal biiaatch Posts: 1,185 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Um, yeah. Another I got a shitty sr20det thread. Don't you know there are no more good motorsets/clips? Never buy what you dont see. That sucks that you spent your hard money on crap though. __________________ TWO IN THE COOT, ONE IN THE POOT

01-24-2006, 08:23 AM	#12
janko Leaky Injector Join Date: May 2005 Location: NY Posts: 141 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I got mine from Rickey's auto on ebay. Paid $2300 shipped for a 94 - 96 180sx blacktop (I know this because of the ECU). The motor was beautiful when I received it, I felt bad tearing it down. It was missing the CAS since he removed it so it wouldn't be damaged and forgot to include it, he promptly sent it to me next day and everything has been great since. And BTW there are still good motorsets left, maybe very few redtops which is why I opted to pay a little extra for a blacktop. Obviously cheapest is not always best. __________________ '92 G20 '96 240sx

01-24-2006, 08:49 AM	#14
phreze Zilvia Addict Join Date: May 2005 Location: Murder City Age: 42 Posts: 673 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I have had good and bad with phase to my motor was sent with no ignitor chip and no spark plug cover. The radiatior was on its last legs, so brittle it was falling apart. They did send out a spark plug cover the next day, but by the time I noticted the ignitor chip was missing they best they could do was offer to sell me one for $150. The motor runs strong and I did get a free jdm gauge cluster. Although they sold the engine I orignialy picked out and instead of letting me choose another one they just sent me a diff one of their choosing. __________________ "If you rock knock-off, you are part of the problem" -myself

01-24-2006, 09:19 AM	#15
exitspeed aWingThing.com Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Milwaukee, WI Age: 45 Posts: 20,900 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	It's easy for you Cali guys to say, "go look at the clip first". But for people like myself that live in the Midwest there just isn't an ubundance of shops with SR's laying around to go check out first. Sorry to hear about your troubles. I fear this like no tomorrow when i go to do one. __________________ What I do for a living...www.mhrussell.com

01-23-2006, 03:52 PM	#3
andrewmp6 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: kentucky Posts: 376 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	you gotta watch who you buy from some companys will piece together a engine and sell it to you just remember your buying a junkyard engine dont get your hopes up high

01-23-2006, 05:49 PM	#4
blackflag_Rms13 Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,133 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Who'd you buy it from?, if you don't mind me asking...

01-23-2006, 06:31 PM	#6
SochBAT Post Whore! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Abilene, TX Age: 39 Posts: 6,428 Trader Rating: (9) Rides Gallery: SochBAT Feedback Score: 9 reviews	"Would you buy a car without testdriving it, and just knowing factory specs?" Be tedious with the inspection. Emphasis on tedious.

01-23-2006, 09:17 PM	#7
gotta240 Post Whore! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: so cal Posts: 3,496 Trader Rating: (21) Feedback Score: 21 reviews	WHO sold it? don't let it happen again....advertise those fuckers in a negative way!

01-23-2006, 11:32 PM	#9
andrewmp6 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: kentucky Posts: 376 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	i just bought a rb25det im glad i pulled the head off before i used it had some bent valves and a blown head gasket i always plan a rebuild on any jdm engine since there used

01-23-2006, 11:38 PM	#10
Agamemnon Post Whore! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Lake Stevens, WA Age: 42 Posts: 2,667 Trader Rating: (20) Feedback Score: 20 reviews	The poster is referring to Phase2. This is the first time I have heard of anything bad from them.

01-24-2006, 12:23 AM	#11
kazuo Post Whore! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Posts: 2,762 Trader Rating: (3) Feedback Score: 3 reviews	Always remove the valve cover at the very least, to see if you're getting some oreo cookie dough along with that motor. You should ALWAYS be thorough when buying a motor... don't take their word for it, een if it is a reputable shop... you get it home, and if the motor's bad, its bad, and you just wasted a trip.

01-25-2006, 08:10 AM	#16
andrewmp6 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: kentucky Posts: 376 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	exitspeed i fell ya i always buy a motor set dont need a clip or want to pay for the extra shipping

01-25-2006, 10:03 AM	#17
nissantuner22 Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Gainesville, Fl Age: 40 Posts: 1,056 Trader Rating: (-1) Feedback Score: -1 reviews	I cant support that enough too. Know what your buying. Even from reputable dealers, its hard to know for sure what your getting. Whenever possible, inspect the motor yourself, peform a compression and leakdown test, take the valve cover off, etc. I recieved my motor from JHOT exports in Georgia, and I couldn't be any more pleased. The motor was spotless, complete, and more importantly, mechanically sound. If your going to make an investment like an SR20DET, always do your research.. unless your stinking rich, in which case you should be driving a nicer car haha __________________ Current Project: Operation: N/A SR: 93 Silvia Q SR20DE Engine with go fast goodies. , "Common problems 240sx's suffer from are curbs, trees, ditches, and other immovable objects."thx247 "on the tounge... there is no guardrails."- citizen

01-26-2006, 12:59 AM	#18
fliprayzin240sx Man w/ CTSV & a Car Seat Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Tampa Posts: 17,998 Trader Rating: (19) Rides Gallery: fliprayzin240sx Feedback Score: 19 reviews	Well what sucks now is SR20s are starting to be in short supply. When we first did our swaps...we used to buy nothing but automatic engine sets with 5 speed trannies. Figured that auto...less likelier to have been ragged on in japan plus the lower ECU shift point. Now is damn near impossible to find one. Lately its been harder and harder to find redtops, mostly blacktops now. But like said before...do the basics if you can. Compression atleast 150-160, check the turbo for shaftplay, pop valve cover and see the status of the head specially the cams...they'll tell alot as far as how much abuse the engine has been put thru __________________ If you think Zilvia has too many assholes... CLICK HERE!!!