acediac

Mase, when you say your turbo "went", did you eventually find out what was wrong with it? Did the turbine scrap against the housing? or the bearings started siezing? I guess yours was a gradual failure, but did you keep driving the car when you noticed that?? Duncan, Actually I do have an R33 GT-R which is why I'm dead broke now Hence my paranoia about not breaking anything. I have driven Eastern Creek before, but in my previous cars (only N/As), and that first kink is damn fast with a long period of sustained G's... just the ticket for oil starvation even on road tyres, don't you think? And what's the point of going on the track if you don't try reasonably hard? Wish I could go to EC, but I'm not around Sydney anymore, for the moment.

Thanks JimX for your very informative and thoughtful response! As you can guess, this is the first time I'm actually owning a turbo car, and I knew there were more things to look out for, but I'm now finding out just how much!! Oh well, part of the fun I guess I had also been planning to take it out on a few track days, but now I'm reading about sump baffles and oil coolers being mandatory for ANY track work at all... sheesh, my wallet is really dreading the worst now !

Hi folks, I've been reading about turbos blowing up, and I'm trying to get more details: 1) How do you tell if a turbo is blown? What kind of noise is there? Or is it just no power, with no boost showing on the boost gauge? 2) If you don't use the car "in boost" often (ie. keep below 3-4000 rpm, hardly anything showing on the boost gauge) does that help the turbos' longevity? (My understanding is that they spin regardless whether you're "in boost" or not, right?) 3) How many k's are turbos expected to last, assuming I use factory boost settings, and change oil regularly and cool it down properly after hard driving? 4) How do you tell a turbo is on the way out, apart from actually inspecting it physically? Does a worn turbo smoke? (why?) Does it make some kind of noise? Will it just blow up without warning? 5) Is the car drivable when turbos are blown? Will I risk further damage if I drive it? As I understand, most of the Japanese R33 turbos were ceramic, and someone told me that this means they could shatter and be sucked into the engine causing major damage... true or false? If true, why weren't the stainless steel ones that were made for UK used instead? Cost savings? Thanks in advance for imparting your experienced wisdom.

Hi Dave, I'm in the Lismore area but I also stay in Brisbane quite a bit. Speaking of which, do you know any good mechanics who know Skylines very well in the North Coast area? I know places in Brisbane and Gold Coast, but if something major goes wrong in NSW I need to have a backup plan... Cheers, Andrew

Now that I have a Skyline I'm thinking of joining SAU, but the problem is I live in North Coast NSW, so was wondering if I should join the Queensland chapter or the NSW chapter, since I would probably be turning up more for Brisbane/Gold Coast events. I'll cross post this in the QLD forum for all perspectives

So I assume it's way too late to sign up for this? Why only 12 people? 4 hours is a long time, couldn't we take turns?

Now that I have a Skyline I'm thinking of joining SAU, but the problem is I live in North Coast NSW, so was wondering if I should join the Queensland chapter or the NSW chapter, since I would probably be turning up more for Brisbane/Gold Coast events. I'll cross post this in the NSW forum for all perspectives

Like the Subject heading says, anyone know of good mechanics who know Skylines and will not rip you off in the Lismore / North Coast area? I've seen skylines around here, so there must be some of you who come on the forums! Cheers!

I think I seriously need to start learning Japanese...

Ya my car certainly doesn't behave like it has a front LSD. I've seen a GT-R Japanese magazine that talks about Cusco LSDs for front and rear though.. I wonder if I can just buy an LSD for the front. I wonder if the front transfercase/driveshaft will handle a front LSD load though... obviously it wasnt designed to... When I get my scanner I should scan that page for you to interpret, Rezz BTW which GT-R bible are you reading? Cheers!

Hey Rezz, Are you sure there is a clutch-type LSD for the FRONT diff too? I just got ahold of the R32 workshop manual and the front diff seems to be an open diff... maybe it's different on the R33? Thanks!

This is something that is not often made very clear even in the specs: For a NON-VSPEC R33 GT-R, do they still have an Active-LSD? (different Attesa computer, I know, but still an active one?) As in, power can be transfered from one side of the rear wheel to the other electronically? Also, do the FRONTS have an LSD? Active or mechanical? Anyone know for sure?

Bloody brilliant, 32godzilla! Just what I was looking for! Just out of curiosity, where is that Attessa computer? Looked like it was behind the rear seats? Looks like those fins on the rear LSD is what I should be looking for.

Great suggestions guys! I guess the flared guards, RB26DETT, chassis no. and front driveshafts should tell me that it's probably a GT-R, although as Airzone and WarR32 said, nothing is a guarantee. However, I still don't know how to tell a real V-Spec from a non-v-spec... Airzone you said a V-spec has an active LSD, but I thought so do normal GT-R's, its just that V-Specs have it tuned more aggressively (the LSDs I mean)? Anyone know if the ribbed rear diff housing is a key? BTW, what is the "C" in the chassis number? Why are R32's BNR32, but R33's BCNR33? I believe R34's are BNR34 again (no C) What is the difference in the numbers between a non-GT-R chassis number and a GT-R chassis number?

Thanks for the replies guys. I already saw the jbskyline article, I think I know a little about what R33's and V-specs are about, I just need more details about the "known problem areas" to look for when scouting one out, and how to tell if it's REALLY a GT-R, not just one with a GT-R body kit and stickers. I guess the twin turbos should be a tell-tale sign eh? And I suppose driveshafts to the front wheels means it's a 4WD... Is there like a step-by-step article someone has put together on taking the engine apart or something? That would be informative. What about how to tell the V-Spec from the non-V-Spec though? Anyone can put a V-spec sticker on it, but how do you tell which Atessa is the REAL thing? Oh, and I agree the Autospeed article is complete bollocks. Talking about WRXs beating GT-Rs with an exhaust mod is ridiculous. He obviously does not know about the fake 280ps rule in Japan, and the fact that WRXes are front-biased AWD pieces of shit that understeer like a pig without a lot of work. Oh well, less people know about GT-Rs, more for me

Hi all, I'm thinking of buying a GT-R, preferably R33, but I'm having a hard time finding a good buyer's guide. Specifically I want to know: 1) What are the problem areas/ things to look out for or test when I'm looking at one 2) How to tell the difference between a REAL GT-R and one with a body kit!! I don't want to be ripped off into buying a fake! I know a little about engines and stuff, but am not at all familiar with a skyline's engine bay, anyone got some good detailed pictures of STOCK engines, since modified engines can look quite different? 3) How do I tell the difference between a V-Spec and non-Vspec, and one with a V-Spec body kit!! I dont mind either, but obviously dont want to pay V-spec price for a non-V-spec. Any help / links appreciated