Desean Strickland

Good advice, I’ll try that. and yeah i thought 5 degrees was a lot as well. The gates T291RB timing belt that was recommended for this engine was kinda tight when installing it and with both cams inline with the timing marks, the belt teeth wouldn’t line up with the gear. So I just turned the whole exhaust cam gear like half a tooth so the belt would go on and then adjusted the cam back inline with the timing mark, so some of that 5 degrees is from that. The actual cam has probably only changed about 2-3 degrees if that makes any sense lol also wouldn’t stuff like decking material from the block, head and different thickness of headgasket and the fact that it’s a rb30 bottom end affect the accuracy of the original timing marks?

Does anyone know what the centreline should be for the vct intake cam? On my cam spec card it just says VARI and doesn’t actually tell me what the centreline should be. I had to adjust my exhaust cam gear by about 5 degrees advanced so I’m guessing I would have to adjust my intake as well? Current intake centreline is 119 deg. Iv already asked kelford and they won’t respond, It’s the 246-A 262 cams. thanks for the help guys

Alright well now I’m confused, some people saying yes and others saying no. How would I modify my hydraulic lifter? Iv already pulled them apart to clean them so I know how to do that but what would I change inside the lifter to make it solid? And how would that work with clearance between the lifter and the cam?

thanks guys

How would i degree my cams on an rb25 hydraulic lifter head? lots of information online about degreeing cams on NEO or rb26 heads with solid lifters but cant find a definitive answer about hydraulic lifters. is the process just the same for both hydraulic and solid lifters on an rb (dial indicator on top of the lifter for measuring valve position) or do i have to mess with my lifter to make it solid for the degreeing process?

Thanks for the response. I get why line boring the block could cause issues with a spline drive oil pump but I’m just using an extended flat drive collar, u reccon it could still cause issues?

Hey lads so im finally putting together my rb30 forged bottom end and ran into an issue. I measured my main bearing clearance with arp main studs torqued to 60 ft-lbs using ACL H series STD size bearings and standard, un-ground crank shaft journals and got an oil clearance reading of about 1.3 thou measuring straight up and down and about 2.8 thou measuring at a 45 degree angle (just above and below the parting line). My machine shop said they measured the main tunnel and it was all within spec (they didnt say the actual measurement) and to go with a standard size bearing, which i have done and the clearance is too tight, I'm guessing because of the extra clamping force from the arp studs distorting the main tunnel. I was wanting to run about 2.5 thou main bearing clearance. My questions are: 1. could i just use the HX extra 1 thou clearance ACL bearings? that would fix my straight up and down clearance making it about 2.3 thou, but then would the side to side clearance be too big at around 3.8 thou? 2. what actually is the recommended main bearing clearance for measuring near the parting line / side to side. i know its supposed to be bigger as the bearing has some eccentricity built into it but how much more clearance should there be compared to the straight up and down measurement? at the moment there is about 1.5thou difference, is that acceptable or should it be less? 3. If i took the engine block + girdle back to the machine shop and got them to line bore the main tunnel (like i told them to do the first time, but they said it didnt need it) what bearing size would i buy? the STD size bearing shells already slide in fairly easily with no real resistance, some even falling out if i tip the girdle up-side-down. If im taking material out of the main tunnel would i need a bearing with extra material on the back side to make up for it? this is probably confusing af to read so if something doesn't make sense let me know and ill try explaining in a different way. My machine shop doesn't come back from christmas break until mid January, hence why i'm asking these questions here. TIA for any help or info

Sweet thanks I used moly grease for the input shaft, is that fine? Or should I be using a different grease? also where did u get your service manual? I wana get one for the r33 gtst so I can stop asking every question I have on here lmao

Hey guys, installing the gearbox front cover on an r33 gtst gearbox and just want to clarify a few things - what’s the torque spec for the front cover bolts? - should I put moly grease on the front main seal / the area behind the seal or just leave it dry - does the front main bearings behind the cover need grease smeared on before re installing the cover? (my understanding is it gets lubricated by the gearbox oil) cheers

Cheers, It must be close enough coz I can’t even tell where u painted. Did u do the whole top of the strut tower or just a patch somewhere?

Is the eccs relay the blue relay near the factory ecu mounting position? Or is that something else? and yeah it all came in the car when I bought it.

Hey guys looking for a second opinion before I send my haltech platinum pro ecu to haltech for testing. basically my platinum pro ecu in my r33 gtst was working fine up until a few days ago. The ecu power supply cable is reading 12v with the ignition on but the ecu doesn’t turn on, the lights on the ecu don’t light up and I can’t connect to it via my laptop. bit of context, the engine is out of my r33 at the moment as I’m rebuilding it. I installed a walbro fuel pump a few weeks ago and did the relay wiring mod along with it. All worked fine, the fuel pump was priming when I turn the key and ecu was working. Just recently I pulled the pump again to upgrade the factory fuel pump top hat plug to bulk head terminals, kept the rest of the wiring the same. After finish that and trying to prime the pump it wasn’t working, that’s when I found the blue ecu signal wire for the fuel pump wasn’t putting out any voltage, looked at the ecu and found it wasn’t turning on. seeing as the ecu is getting 12v but isn’t turning on I’m guessing that really only leaves the ecu as the fault but thought I would ask anyway, maybe I’m missing something. cheers for any help.

Would u happen to have a pic of the area u painted with the “double stack” if it’s close enough I’ll just get some of that

Hey guys Looking for the engine bay paint code for a KR4 r33. its silver/grey but has no flake and is definitely paint not primer. Anyone know the paint code for the engine bay or a paint code that looks fairly similar? cheers.

Tryna decide if I should get a skirt coating on my cp 2618 forged pistons that im about to order. Anyone have first hand experience with a forged RB with coated or non coated piston skirts? Is it worth it and does it make much difference? And for people who went with 2618 pistons with no skirt coating how long has your engine lasted? The engine is an rb25/30 and main concern is that It will be a daily car and will probably see a fair bit of short distance driving, have been told by my machine shop and my tuner that generally a forged engine lasts around 40,000kms before needing a rebuild. Would a skirt coating make much of a difference? cheers

Hey I’m installing some extreme coilovers in my 96 r33 gtst and the bottom of the front coilovers seem to slightly touch the upper arm? I’m guessing it’s not supposed to be like that but what can I do to fix it? Can I just put another washer on the arm side of the bushing as well as the bolt side? cheers for any help

Is there much difference in response or flow between t3 open and t3 divided? was going to get t3 divided but I can buy an open t3 6boost from a mate for $200 cheaper than it would be new.

hey tao is there much difference in flow or power between t3 open entry, t3 divided and t4 divided? am ready to get a turbo for my 25/30 and am gonna be running a 6boost mani, just dont know if i should get the open entry or divided entry 6boost or t4 divided? goal is about 450 whp but wanting good response and street drivability.

I’ll be running 98 since there’s no e85 where I live and my power goal is around 450hp

Cast pistons have a lot higher silicone content, 2618 has less than 1% silicone content and 4032 forged is somewhere in between. You wouldn’t use 4032 in a 1000hp engine since the extra silicone makes it more brittle but for my application, wanting a strong piston that will run close to factory piston to wall clearance running probably under 20psi boost it’s perfect. and the need to go forged is more to do with needing a 86.5mm or 87mm piston since I probably won’t be able to keep the stock 86mm bore size. And even if I could it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to put 30 year old scored stock pistons back in it. as for going with a 25/30, it gives a lot more low end torque and power, hits full boost about 1-2k rpms earlier and should make a lot better street car than a 25det would, the downside being it won’t rev as high which dosnt really matter for a street car.

Hey so I’m building a rb25/30 and I’m after some 4032 forged pistons but I’m struggling to find any. Has anyone here used 4032 forged pistons for a 25/30? If so where did u order them from Second question is people who went with 2618 forged pistons, have u had any piston slap on cold starts or anything like that? Iv been told it’s a possibility when using 2618. It’s not gonna be a track car and I wana run tighter pistons to wall clearance to suit a daily driver which is why I’m after 4032 pistons but keen to hear people experiences with both types of forged pistons.

Hey so i am trying to choose what pistons to use, the goal is 300kw but i would be happy with around 270-280kw, just whatever it makes on a safe amount of boost. i am fairly sure i wont be able to use my stock pistons as the bore will probably need oversizing and i'm not too keen on spending $2k on forged pistons for a power level that many people claim is safe for the stock pistons. the idea of using aftermarket cast pistons came from this post: He used Hypatec cast pistons with no issue. However hypatec now only seem to make the std size 86mm pistons for the rb30, as the oversized pistons have been out of stock everywhere that sells them for a while. Another brand of cast pistons i found was Endurotec: https://www.precisionintl.com/products/pnirb3060203e?variant=40555792498883 on the ebay page for Endurotec pistons it doesn't say where they are made, only "Endurotec® pistons are sourced from various world class suppliers. Make no mistake, these pistons are not seconds or factory rejects and are all manufactured from quality eutectic alloys with T5 heat treatment that are basically the same as many other premium brands". which doesn't exactly inspire confidence when they are saying their own pistons are "basically the same quality" as other brands. The only other brand of cast pistons that i cant really find any information on is ACL. However i cant find where to get them. I can find ACL pistons for other engines for sale, just not the 6MKRY2799 set needed for the rb30e. Has anyone used ACL pistons? are they good quality? i thought since they made good engine bearings they would also make good quality pistons? if i have to buy forged then i will, but i just wanted to get opinions on the aftermarket cast pistons first. cheers

Alright thanks

will the rb30 flywheel work with a clutch that is meant for an rb25 flywheel? I know they bolt up but are they the same?

is the stock rb30e flywheel the same as a stock rb25det flywheel? im doing a 25/30 swap in my r33 and dont have a stock rb25 flywheel because the car had a twin plate in it which im not re-using. i do have an rb30e flywheel that came with the rb30 block that i got tho. would it work? from what i can see from pics online they look identical. yes i know theres already a thread on this but there was a lot of conflicting answers, i just want a yes or no from someone who has actually held both and knows what they are talking about. cheers