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R33 Gts-t Having Rings/ Pistons Replaced. What Would You Do At Same Time?


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So my new R33 GTS-t is going in to have the rings replace and pistons, rebore done, if neccessary. (Compression problem).

What would you do at the same time while this is done?

Does the stock head need any work?

It's still running stock turbo (rebuilt 12m ago) but has a cat-back stainless exhaust (or maybe turbo back, still tbc). No other mods at this stage - manged to find a good, untouched one.

Does the RB25 head need ported or polished?

Anything else that's worth doing to the block for future bolt-ons?

Obv it will need run in after it's been done, so I wont be slapping a bigger turbo etc. on there right away but maybe a few months down the line. Just wanted to think about the chance of related work.

:-)

Set of forged rods maybe, good set of bearings, if they wanted to do a very small port on the head while its off then it wouldnt hurt.

while the motors apart its a good chance to do as much as u can... obviously all comes back to how big your wallet is and how you drive and what you want to do in the future.

Yeah piston rods and a light port might be an idea... reading a bit more it doesn't seem like people do much to the block until way down the line. I'll just be really happy that it's gonna be as new and (I would hope) more reliable for a while. Bloody lucky he's an honest dealer and good bloke.

Keen to let him do a few enhancements for cash since he's paying for it eh.

So my new R33 GTS-t is going in to have the rings replace and pistons, rebore done, if neccessary. (Compression problem).

It's still running stock turbo (rebuilt 12m ago) but has a cat-back stainless exhaust (or maybe turbo back, still tbc). No other mods at this stage -

manged to find a good, untouched one.

Well i would highly argue the points above given you are rebuilding it, and it's also had a stock turbo rebuilt (which sounds retarded from the start).

Either way, without stating your budget - none of us can really help fix your lemon.

Yep crank collar for the early ones, definetely series 1 gtst and i think 1.5 is in the same boat!!

what are you talking about, all 33's are a boat :P haha jkn

GTR rods, ARP rod bolts, ARP head studs, ACL bearings.

good post.

no one has suggested the valve guides, especially the hot side. They will need replacing if the engine has a few klm's on it.

So my new R33 GTS-t is going in to have the rings replace and pistons, rebore done, if neccessary. (Compression problem).

What would you do at the same time while this is done?

Does the stock head need any work?

It's still running stock turbo (rebuilt 12m ago) but has a cat-back stainless exhaust (or maybe turbo back, still tbc). No other mods at this stage - manged to find a good, untouched one.

Does the RB25 head need ported or polished?

Anything else that's worth doing to the block for future bolt-ons?

Obv it will need run in after it's been done, so I wont be slapping a bigger turbo etc. on there right away but maybe a few months down the line. Just wanted to think about the chance of related work.

:-)

Running in will only take half an hour. Get your new turbo now in case you need modifications to the front pipe. Get a full set of bearings GTR or neo rods (they are the same) and better rod bolts. Porting and polishing is not good value for money at this stage - spend the money on an ecu. Check the valves and valve seats, seals.

So rods, bearings and bolts seem the consensus eh?

I'd be keen for something that gives more torque across the midrange rather than peak power. Seems to me that's what lighter/ stronger rods would bring. So this wouldn't require more fuel, right? Just makes the engine more efficient, right?

Whereas bigger turbo etc is simplymore fuel for more power eh?

So what would a set of rods bolts and bearings run at? Gtr or neo ones?

Where would you get these from, Nissan? I can only seem to find other brands on a few searches.

At this stage I was hoping to not spend anything but it's an opportunity, so maybe I could find $1000.

The car is pretty untouched probably too untouched, as for good then maybe not so good as it appeared but hoping to remedy this now. What could cause rings to fail? Too much abuse? Not changing oil? Dirty fuel?

So forged pistons, rods, bearings, bolts and head bolts would be about $2500 it seems. I'll have to think very, very carefully about spending that.

What kind of gains could I expect to get from that alone? assuming it gets tuned etc. when built.

Would anything else need done along with that to take advantage or will it just work better and be able to handle more power down the line?

I'm still keen to know what would cause the rings to fail on an 85k motor, just 1 cylinder, and what else I should look at.

I'll ask them to check the head and the valve guides etc. while they are pulling it apart.

Answer the question - what is the BUDGET?

Given you are saying "maybe $1000" leads me to believe you really cant afford anything other than a standard rebuild.

All stronger rods will do is allow you to run harder boost..

No need for rods unless u plan on sticking a huge huffer on it. You said your looking for midrange so its needed

Pistons, rings and a good bearing kit would keep it running great for a fair while, no need to go overboard.......unless your planning big boost.

If it is rings could mean someones been pumping high boost into and generally thrashing it..but in one cylinder im wondering if its been running overly lean on that cylinder or something

Are you sure the low comp isnt caused by a valve issue ..which cylinder is it?

Edited by Arthur T3
Answer the question - what is the BUDGET?

Given you are saying "maybe $1000" leads me to believe you really cant afford anything other than a standard rebuild.

Look, all I'm trying to do is work out if there is anything else that is really worth doing while having a rebuild done. If there was something that say wasn't designed properly or is likely to fail etc. and people would like to fix this but not rebuild the engine just to do so, then I would consider that.

Something like forged pistons/ rods etc. after having researched the parts is out of my budget just now, If it was the next thing people do after sorting out the exhaust, intake, ecu and a bigger turbo - then maybe I would do it now while I have the chance but it doesn't seem worth it to me right now.

Justjap seems to have a kit for about $350 which includes belt, water pump, idler bearing/ pulley etc. so rather than do that again in 6 months i'll probs just get that done now. I might just end up doing is getting all the parts that you do at a 100k service since it's 10k off that and ask him to fit them at the same time.

Is it worth looking at N1 water and oil pumps? Are the standard units worth upgrading for a fairly stock engine that will run in the QLD heat? Seem to be bout $400 each.

So this kind of thing is within budget and to me, would make sense to do now rather than pull it apart in 6 months again just to do so.

I'd love to be able to say here's $5,000 do all you can with that but given I've spent most of my budget on a new car I don't have that lying around. Otherwise I would have looked for a GTR in the first place. :-)

A factory motor is more than fine - depending on the application.

Hence if you tell us how much you have to spend, what your intended use of the car is etc etc - people can help rather than just keep throwing ideas around that might not offer you any real benefit at all.

Stock heads are fine, stock bottom ends are also FINE if you only want say 250rwkw.

So why put forged pistons, rods, N1 pumps etc etc spending cash on the head and all sorts of stuff in there?

All you need is a new turbo, dump, injectors, AFM, ECU, clutch etc - That's 5k just there.

Dont forget suspension, most likely some attention to brakes and then suddenly its 7k-8k-9k

All stronger rods will do is allow you to run harder boost..

No need for rods unless u plan on sticking a huge huffer on it. You said your looking for midrange so its needed

Pistons, rings and a good bearing kit would keep it running great for a fair while, no need to go overboard.......unless your planning big boost.

If it is rings could mean someones been pumping high boost into and generally thrashing it..but in one cylinder im wondering if its been running overly lean on that cylinder or something

Are you sure the low comp isnt caused by a valve issue ..which cylinder is it?

Thanks, that seems good advice. Not looking to whack a bigger turbo on it for a while, happy with reliability first and it seems there's a few other things that would benefit more first and be a little cheaper. I'm not gonna be racing this or chasing huge power but anything that's going to make it more responsive under non-track conditions would be good. :-)

As far as I'm aware, it's the stock turbo on there which was rebuilt 12m ago probs cos of the unburnt oil coming out of the duff cylinder. So it seems the previous guy didn't look into the cause or didn't wanna spend the money. I'll know more Monday when they start on it properly but at least I know a few questions to ask now.

I know that they will fix it properly but given it's at their cost they're not gonna do more than they have to so I at least want to be able to ask the right questions and understand the problem too. So when they come to me with discussions about what to replace and what to re-use I can have a proper think about it and decide what I want to pay for.

Is it a car yard? Im guessing they will give it a quick hone in the car, new rings and slap it back together. If the piston is damaged, they will only replace one with a factory item(they are $80) Thay really arent obliged to do any more if it is covered by warranty.

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