GOD12A

Heya JET, Sorry... The GTR is a mechanically tough car. The RBs do have oil control issues that aren't cheap to rectify, but unless you're looking to do serious track work, I have an oil/air separator product specifically for the RB series that will band-aid fix the issue as best as possible without going to sump breathers etc. They're also easy to work on and modify. The computers can be tweaked independently and it'll switch to RWD with the pull of a fuse (or switch if you want to waste a few hours soldering some wires) The Evos are a little more sensitive and fragile, but their are good gains to be had from flashing the factory ECU and throwing on a nicer exhaust. It really depends on your intended use. You want a thrash car that'll take the abuse, get the R32 GTR. Want something a little more refined, albeit fragile, but still quick out of the box (and cheap to make fast) the Evo might be for you. Mark

I'd look more towards the fuel pump based on the info supplied. It's rare to drop multiple coils in a short period of time. If you fried the ignitor, it'd drop all coils at the same time. Dying fuel pumps will usually give you a hesitation or flat spot then run fine for a bit before they actually stop. I'm not sure how/why, but many I have diagnosed have done this. Remember; a dead fuel pump might flow fuel, but not enough pressure to drive or rev (or even start). To test coils, get six mates to come over and let them hold a coil each as you crank it. If they all jump back and start swearing at you, your spark should be good. Check fuel system. Testing the fuel pressure requires a gauge and some hose/fittings, which can be had for half the price of a new fuel pump. Also check any fuel filters. Goodluck! Mark

Heya JET. I had the same dilemma 3yrs back when I wanted a pre-modded tarmac rally/weekender. I was looking at the Evo6 and R32 GTR. Obviously I bought the GTR and I'm glad I did (most of the time...) Look at any tarmac rally event competitor list and it's easier to count how many aren't Evos! They're easier to drive fast and cheaper to mod/repair (4cyl and single turbo), but it might not be as robust as the GTR. My 24yr old GTR has done Targa Tassie, holds 340rwkw on OE bottom end and gets abused (I have good mechanical sympathy, but I still like to act like a dick when I can). It's never done a diff, driveshaft or gearbox. The engine was worn by 85k km but a quick rebuild (rings, bearings and cams) found me a little more power and another few more years of reliability. I'm glad I bought the 32 GTR over an Evo6. If I was looking for more of a streeter, the Evo6 might have been my choice. Also, at the time of buying their were no Evo6s as cheap as a modified GTR, that also played a part in my decision. Hope it helped. Mark

Hi Steve, Do you run a filter between the tank and carter? You can use a cheapo clear plastic Ryco one which will allow you to see how dirty it is and when to replace. The carter is a vane type pump and will not filter anything. If you have the time and CBF, maybe spend a day and flush the tank. I'd also check power supply to the 044 at idle and under load if possible (hard to do if it's mounted under the car, but you can bodge something up with some long (decent gauge) wires off the pump terminals to a mate reading the multimeter in the back seat. Needless to say, don't cross the wires...) Mark

Hi Steve, Why are you killing the 044s? They're a great pump and it's very unusual to see 3 let go in 12 months. I'd be looking to solve the problem of why they're dying rather than buy a more expensive replacement pump and hope it doesn't die. Mark

Here are some pics of work I did for the Bright Print Group R32 GTR for WTAC 2013. The main constraint was the ability to refit the full exhaust, so the dump position couldn't be changed (hence the tight 90deg after the muffler), it had to be a reasonable volume (stainless packed decent muffler to handle heat) and as much ground clearance as possible for trailer duties (this was 105mm off the ground, so it's above street legal). 3.5"dia 304SS to 3.5" straight through custom muffler with 100% stainless wool packing (for high temp) to a a painstakingly hand fabricated 3.5"dia > oval taper to the one-off oval 'boom tube' (over 4"dia capacity) Looks different and sounds awesome. Mark

Heya NK7, They won't wiggle loose if done correctly, but they're not designed to take big loads. I guess the specs would tell you different, but when you've got 100kg+ trying to rip the splitter off at speed and ripple strips slamming into the front corners under cornering, I'd prefer to use something a little more substantial (nut/bolt to chassis rails). They're a great tool to have around and your mechanical will love working on the car with less ninja self tappers through firewalls and floorpans! Those farkers will tear you open at every chance they get... Mark

Nutserts are awesome. I use them on fibreglass shelled Lotus' and Radicals often, but use the deeper inserts with a washer on the back face (before being pulled), this stops the nut pulling through the fibreglass with time. The Wurth stuff is expensive, but they do work well and are reliable. NK7 If you have a working undertray, nutserts will not do, they'll pull through easily. A decent undertray will create well over 100kg of downforce and require mounting to decent chassis/subframe supports to reduce flex. These are great for mounting stuff to sheetmetal, like boot mounted surge tanks and firewall mounted hose supports. Mark

Hey James, I have a full set of OE coils. worked fine at 280rwkw, then I upgraded for next stage of mods coz I didn't want to waste dyno time if spark broke down. I'm 10min past Penrifff in Blaxland. PM me if you're interested. Mark

Thanks for the SAUNSW guys for organising the event with Ian and Craig. It was good to finally put some faces next to the avatars and have some nerdy car chats with people. Thanks to all involved. Mark

Find how the oil is getting into the engine before you tell yourself you need a rebuild. Mark

Hey GDZLR, I'll take the twin turbo pipe if badge is in good condition. $50 delivered to Sydney? PM your bank details and I'll get it sorted. Mark

Hey HAMMY, Whitish/grey smoke can be coolant related. If you've driven the car a little bit, check the underneath of the oil filler cap for browny sludge. Also check the oil for discolouration (it should be transparent, not milky) If you see these signs, maybe start with checking the head gasket. Greyish/blue smoke is usually oil related. Could be anything from worn valve stem seals/guides to a blocked PCV. Let me know how you go. Mark

Hi SINISTA, Do you still have the front seat belts/buckles? Mark

Are the belts/buckles gone? Mark

Adapt into a V6 TT layout... OR Drive one per wheel and let ATTESA control the throttle on each engine... Mark

Hi DIRTYWAN, I haven't heard of a secret section in the Mazda Museum so I haven't looked into it further. If you do happen to find some info I'd be very interested to hear your findings! Onsens are cool, a little unnerving the first time, but nice once you get a hang of the 'process'. I didn't notice any issues with tatts. I think the Japs are more open to that kinda stuff these days. You're an import, you can get away with all sorts off stuff If someone is really offended they'll likely just leave on their own accord. Japs are waaay too nice to say anything negative. Mark

Heya DIRTYWAN I really enjoyed the Mazda Museum as I'm an avid rotary nut. I travelled from Tokyo to Hiroshima on the Shinkansen to specifically see it. It was a pretty good tour too. The Toyota Automobile Museum in Nagakute had lots of stuff in it, but I wouldn't visit again. It was more a history of automobiles rather than 'cool shit'. Definitely wasn't bad, but it was a day trip for me and I was a little 'meh' at the end of it. Do some research on the Nissan Zama Heritage Garage. It's a very exclusive storage facility for Nissan, but I've read info that suggests it may be opening to the public. If so, that'd be an amazing place to visit. You must visit Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. There's so much cool stuff there. Fuji TV, Decks shopping centre, Diver City shopping centre etc Not far away is Palette Town which features Toyota MegaWeb. When I visited they only had a GT4 rally car and a JGTC Supra worth looking at, the rest was an oversize sales yard. BUT a short walk away you'll find the Toyota History Garage that had heaps of cool stuff worth seeing. If you're a little nerdy, check out the National Museum of Emerging Science (Miraikan) in Odaiba. I scheduled my visit with their daily show of ASIMO, the Honda robot project. If you want to waste a few hours, check out SEGA Megopolis I planned to head in for an hour or so to see what it was all about and stayed for 4hrs. You may have seen their full scale Initial D game with actual WRX, AE86 and FD RX7 setup on hydraulics. If you REALLY like sushi, search for Sushi Dai in the Tsukiji fish markets. It's hard to find and you have to be there early, BUT it's amazing sushi. I was there at before 7am and waited for an hour to get in, some other people have waited 3+hrs in line to get in. The line of local businessmen shows how good it really is. If you're keen, a good walk through the Fushimi Inari Shrine is good exercise. The view over Kyoto is great. Ueno Park is nice on a weekend/afternoon with people busking and kids kinda hanging out doing their thing in groups. Shibuya Crossing is a sight to see at lunchtime on a workday! From memory, Shinjuku had a heap of ghetto electronic markets looking very post-apocalyptic with torn tarps over stalls, wires hanging down from the roof/walls, narrow walkways, rainwater spilling everywhere etc Kinda cool. I liked the shopping at Harajuku. If you hit a few back streets and make yourself lost, you'll notice some very cool niche stores appear. I found a kickass bike shop, nice little snowboard place and an underground skate shop. Also one of the best crepe shops I've ever come across was in Harajuku, don't ask where though, I was lost at the time. Akihabara is known for it's electronics stores as well as it's anime specific stores full of Gundam and other crazy stuff. I've wasted hours walking around these shops just looking! Roppongi is the Kings Cross of Tokyo. If you want to go out for a drink or check out the club scene, Roppongi is the go. If you want car stuff, check out the various track calendars. Hope it helped. I kinda got into the reply and started looking at pics of my trip. Mark

Heya SINISTA, I have a set of ARP head studs with nuts and an OEM head gasket (1.2mm), noth to suit RB26. Studs have done a few months on a competition vehicle, so barely a few hundred km before the engine went bang (again) OEM head gasket is brand new and not required from a RB26 gasket set I bought a while back. Lemme know if you're interested. Mark

Hi CHERRING, It's too hard to say without seeing the car. A possibility, based on the pics provided, is the flange on the back of the cat isn't 'clocked' correctly (the studs aren't horizontal to the ground). This will cause the tube between the front and rear muffler to rotate/sag lower than Apexi intended. Whatever the reason, if you take it to a workshop, ask them to fix the ground clearance issue rather than telling them what to cut/weld, because if they do what you ask and it hasn't fixed the problem, it's still your problem! Happy to help rectify the issue if you like. Mark

Heya CHERRING, It's unusual for an Apexi item not to fit well. Can I assume the front half of your exhaust is modified from OE? If so, the flange on the back of the cat might not be sitting in the OE orientation causing the exhaust to twist slightly clockwise (looking from the rear > front) and sit lower than it should. Extra hangers shouldn't be necessary and is likely not the cause of the problem. If that is the issue, cutting/welding the cat flange in the right orientation is the better solution as it'll allow the Apexi exhaust to fit OE in the future. If you need a hand, let me know, I'm near Penrith. Mark

Hi guys, My RX3 caused a Cordia to rear end another car in traffic. The driver and passenger were looking where the offensive rotary noise was coming from and failed to see the car in front stopping. Was only a slow tap, nothing serious, kinda funny though. Mark

Heya guys, I run a UNIMIG ACDC 200 with no issues thus far. My reason for purchasing the UNIMIG was their service and warranty versus price. Warranty is 3yrs and their head office is in Villawood (30min from the workshop). IMates told me of a MIG gun and TIG machine that were replaced next day under warranty (in Sydney), not bad service. My 200 ACDC with pedal was ~$1550 from National Welding Supplies in Wetherill Park. Mark

Heya JESTER Welcome to the modified car scene! You'll get that no matter what modified car you drive, every kid wants to see you do something stupid. I have a 32 GTR and regularly get people that just HAVE to pass. She idles pretty rough and gets a few looks from other modified car owners asking for me to 'give it a hit bro' or 'give it dose bro' hahahaaa My previous weekender was a big ported RX3 that idled at 2500rpm nearing 100db with a gilmer drive. I had every stereotype try and run me in that thing... (the unusual and most common was fathers driving Taragos surprisingly?!) Time for some comebacks: P-plater: Wanna race? Me: Yeah alright! Watcha got? P-plater: This! Me: Yeaaaah naaah, thanks though. P-plater: Wanna run? Me: Yeah OK, what have you done down the strip? P-plater: The strip? Me: You can't be too serious if you haven't dragged it before, thanks though. P-Plater: How much power bro? Me: It's just stock with an exhaust (GTR idle bounces from 900-1000rpm, Cobra seats, stripped interior, 6pt harnesses, 6/4 pot brakes, semi slicks etc) P-Plater: Oh, OK... My fave comeback of all time: V8 Commo driver: Wanna have a go? Me: Nuh maybe not. She sounds tough for a V6, whatcha done to it? V8 Commo driver: It's a V8 dickhead. Me: Oh, sorry, couldn't tell. Then the usual replies: "I'm not wasting fuel running a (insert budget car)" "Not right now, I haven't tuned the new engine for 35psi yet. You live around here? Wanna meet up tomorrow night?" "Too dangerous on the street with 35psi and no slicks, sorry mate" I've been driving stupid cars on the street for >15yrs and have laid out my fair share of comebacks Hope they helped! Mark

Heya PN-MAD, I was more thinking that if the same thread was moved further down in the block, it'd have more material above it to reduce flex. If the thread was longer it'd spread the load over more area. So if the thread pulled through, I'd go for a longer thread for sure. What do you think? Just throwing around some ideas I guess it's much of a muchness... Furthermore, if the thread was moved/extended lower into the block it'd also have less stress on the thin cylinder/stud wall from combustion. Mark