DaveB

Congratulations Gerry! Sounds like the hard part's over. Agree with you that the wait is a killer! PS: now would be a good time to post PICS...

Are the headlights xenons?

Sorry Jamie been busy will try to get around to calling you this weekend. I found out I need a rebuild so my attention has been on engine parts this week lol

In Adelaide and all... such a pity it doesn't have the AWD sump. and you don't say how many K's are on it?

I run the same turbo on the same engine, but in a stagea. If it's going to be laggy in anything, it should be that The stock turbo is a ceramic-turbine job, which is fantastic for early spool. But everything that runs big boost seems to use steel blades, and there must be a reason; that means it has to spool a bit later than stock no matter what turbo it is (unless it's smaller I guess?). But with exhaust, a decent electronic boost controller (I use the jaycar IEBC) and a tune, I don't find it laggy at all. As SK said somewhere, looking at the dyno charts, there is more power everywhere than with the stock turbo. That's a damn good price; my turbo cost me ~$1,800 to get high-flowed. Edit: ashneel do you have an FPR? are 500cc injectors really a limiting factor at that power level? The stock ones are only 370cc and some guys making over 220kw with those...?

Anyone know if they fit series 2 RSV?

I don't know but I'm guessing that in the manual stageas the ECU wouldn't know what gear you're in? (unlike the auto, where the auto ecu sets the gear) therefore no boost limit in gears... except probably reverse (that has a switch and I think a connection to the ECU).

aaand of course, better to take the solenoid out-of-circuit all together I guess, rather that having it on all the time... I just bypassed it with a 4mm-4mm barbed fitting. Careful though - if you don't make a good connection, and boost leaks out... you'll get over-boost or worse still 'infinite' boost!

I would talk to all of the above; I don't know how the system works in your particular case but it's eventually up to the workshop doing the compliance whether to remove the xenons or not. So I would talk to them and make sure that you have a good understanding that the xenons are - your property (you paid for them) and - not to be damaged or taken I guess that in an extreme case they may refuse to comply the car with the xenons on (like mine did), in which case it may be up to you to do the (temporary) halogen conversion. Just see if you can borrow a halogen bulb adapter plate or do like my compliance workshop did and cut one out of a milo tin lid with a pair of tin-snips (no I'm *not* kidding). It only has to see you through compliance... I got my xenons butchered and I'm now stuck with crap looking lights which are focused all wrong and too high, are yellow and frosting up badly (and I can't take the lights apart to clean them because apparently the b*stards glued them together) and the sh*tty milo-tin-lid bulb adapter is hopeless - it doesn't locate the bulb properly at all - and as a result I am blowing a H1 globe about once every 1-2 weeks (sometimes they last a few weeks, depends on whether I replace them with a $5 globe or a $15 one). </end rant>

How do they know the belt is "on its way out"? re. the xenons... they can be butchered in so many ways... make sure they don't cut any wires. They're dead easy to put back if you don't cut anything (and as long as they don't keep any parts, ie. the globes or the ballasts, which are the boxes which drive them - one per headlight - and removable separately to the headlight unit).

Hi been a while did you find a set? I have a set if you still want one (upgraded to splitfires recently) PM me.

You still have the engine? I may be looking for just the head shortly (as in within a week). If you've still got it and willing to separate, PM me... otherwise no worries.

Thanks guys. Lol @ the RB26 idea that entered my head... for a fleeting moment... but 2 x everything and the worry about needing to get it engineered (?) so expensive... Thanks Rob yeah from tappet rattle to rebuild... it's not the way I would have guessed things would go. Hope those estimates of yours are good... 'cause that sounds more do-able. Labour is so expensive though, and difficult to change (without having bulk time on my hands, without a car). I could pull the engine, and yes it does have a pretty new timing belt (about 18,000k's old though I guess), but that's only about $100 worth. Also has new water pump and tensioner bearings too, same mileage. Going to get in contact with the workshop next week about prices for options (best case/worst case type scenarios), but basically we started out talking about them pulling the engine out and checking bottom end bearings (which can be done without pulling the pistons out, apparently - how the hell can you tell the condition of a bearing though without plasti-guage or something?). But if it goes that far... then I think I should replace bearings and rings while I'm there. But then do I need new pistons? New rods? ARP studs/bolts? Even a freakin' head gasket is about 200 bucks. Yikes... Plus I need a new head anyway; ideally I'd find a second-hand NEO head in good condition with no cams. Meaning I'd need a set of cams... thinking a set of pon-cams... I think actually rebuilding the head would be expensive labour-wise... Tangles has done it and I think from memory the head work was about 3 grand including pon-cams. Hmm. I want to rebuild the block though... = at least 6 grand plus labour methinks... hmm.

Thanks Iain; yeah definitely have to consider that option. Looks like it was probably already too far gone. Maybe Chook was right.... but I can't say what came first: the rattle or the damage.

Another update... and it's bad news unfortunately. A rebuild is looking more and more likely. After getting it into the workshop, they pulled the tappet covers and said that there is some wear on the cam lobes and that the tappets have worn in the guides. Not just a little wear, either - some 2mm of it. Because so much metal has gone missing they thought it a good idea to pull the sump and check the main bearings (I change the oil often so there's probably nothing in the filter). That means engine out. Plus in either case I need another head (anyone have a second-hand NEO head w/out cam's going cheap?). So I'm up for: - a second-hand (neo) head - labour/parts to rebuild, face and test head - labour to reinstall head - labour to pull engine out, drop sump, remove bearing endcaps and check bearings etc. I'm starting to wonder at this stage if it might make financial sense to simply rebuild my bottom end while I'm at it. I've apparrently had some sort of oil starvation problem which has shagged my head. And I didn't consider that missing metal could mean destroyed bottom end (although I don't know if that's the case). The only thing I can think of which has been changed, is that the new turbo oil line had to have a couple of restrictions removed from the banjo bolts. Surely that wouldn't cause a significant change in oil supply to the head? Everybody who fits a turbo does it, sometimes even more drastically. Anybody with any suggestions on how to get out of this one for under 10 grand please chime in and let me know... oh well, I'll just build it better I guess. I've never had a car with a new engine (though this one felt bloody new when I got it at ~88,xxx)

really wtf??? Gotta read that...

That's right only red LED's will show through, or standard incandescents (yellow/amberish). Only choice is to replace the guage faces...

Hmm I never asked but is the SMIC piping on these coolers all 2.5" or is it 3"?

Whoa, now I see them in both posts... I must be going mad thanks Dave for the how-to. The jack under the rear shock is clever... no spring compressor (hate those things)... but is where you've got the stands supposed to bear the full weight of the car? Guess it's ok?

bayslideblue I don't see any pic's in your post?

had another look and I see now Timmeh! said but there was a lot of "they probably washed it off" and "they must have used a harsh chemical" so I thought I'd just clear it up

Guess they're side-feed so wouldn't suit RB25 NEO. But with rail would they adapt?

thanks Andy

So how's the yellow stag' going Tom? Just thought I'd add something to this rather ancient thread... which should probably die... but I have made an observation about the NEO engine covers which I *think* is correct but can anyone confirm this... on '99 and earlier models the embossed "Turbo" and "NEO Straight 6" etc. writing is painted red, on '00 and later models they're not (just plain grey, like Tom's.

No I doubt it's a better car to drive But it is weird that we get so little, stock. Could be they were worried about the longevity of the front CV's (SK mentioned too much castor would be a bad thing... but I'm not sure how much 'too much' was... more than 10 degrees I think it was?). Just wondering if those "Ikeya Formula" tension rods (the bush ones) on Nengun (http://www.nengun.com/ikeya-formula/tension-rod) are adjustable? The picture is so small it's hard to tell... but at the price they should be surely. Oh yeah, and from what Simon said in post #7, I take it the bushes in them can be replaced with the original Nissan part when they wear?