Well, due to issues with my zed I have decided to save the $ and pay Tom @ PZP to do a rebuild. Im planning on the full rebuild which to my limited knowledge is head gaskets, rings, those pins that hold pistons in place , head & block checked etc. I had a quick chat with Tom today who gave me a rough figure of $5500, which is a good price. I know its going to be hard to predict the issues until the engine is out but Im guessing the head gasket is definitely gone, perhaps piston rings as well. So my question to all zed guru's, whats recommended for a full rebuild without going crazy (Im quite content getting 200-250rwkw). I also dont want to spend a fortune (though $5500 is already in the ouch area). Rebore, bigger pistons & a stroker kit ? Im more curious than anything. Im also pricing shipping a rebuilt long engine from the US (they do the vg30DETT for $2750 + $650 shipping). Which obviously would still need all the accessories fitted from my motor and swapped so it may not work out a better option price wise. I considered opting for just a second hand engine, but Id rather spend the extra to have a reliable engine. My cold compression readings Code: Driver | Passenger ------------------ 120 | 90 110 | 90 130 | 150 ------------------ FRONT OF CAR
yeah man it cost around that hey. just dont go to negus auto in balcatta. learned that lesson the hard way. $1650 and i had to fix the problem myself anyway. i just did an engine swap, i had a spare Na engine so i threw that in, HAVE YOUR TURBOS LOOKED AT MATE. i should have had them rebuilt after all the work i did to the engine, cause the seals have gone and well now im spending my weekend taking them out so that i can send them to eric in brissy. while your at it, egr bypass and those under plenum water lines. piss them off. makes removing the plenum a piece of cake. also, get an S2 ptu. and maybe replace your injector and coilpack plugs. by now they have got to be a little corroded/cracked. i remember some of mine just fell to pieces when i tried to take them off. theres alot more some other kids here will be able to advise you on. hassle relieving mods you can do. my favourite is removing the cam belt cover. 40 minutes to remove a cam belt? yes please!
I like that term, I hope you dont mind if I use it as well Whats an S2 PTU ? EGR bypass was done last time tom had the engine out (fixing leaking fuel lines). Will definitely sus the turbos out as you said.
haha cheers mate, yeah the s2ptu is a series 2 power transistor unit. it runs the coilpacks if im not mistaken. the one on the left is the s1 which you most likely have. its mounted on the cam belt cover on the drivers side above where the exhaust cam gear is. lots of heat there. gets owned. which is why i relocated mine, right next to the air filter, still got to sort out a waterproof container for it... should be right for summer. also removed my cam belt covers. makes everything so much easier. i like to wire brush everything when i take it out.
Looks like everyone's definition of a 'full rebuild' is a little different. What you described, ie: new piston rings, gaskets, etc I call a freshen up. And managed to do this myself for around $500 and that includes having the heads decked and pressure tested. I'm guessing this is a drive in drive out job or are you pulling the engine out yourself and sending that off? I wouldn't use a secondhand engine unless you really know the history. Even then I'd be inclined to at least change all gaskets and throw in a new set of piston rings. To me it's not a 'full rebuild' unless you're chucking in new pistons, etc.
Here is toms list he emailed me. Code: - Block washed, painted and new freeze plugs - Oil galleries flushed and hex plugs fitted - Block measured and honed - All clearances checked - Ultrasonically clean pistons - New piston rings (NPR) - New connecting rods bearings (ACL or KING) - New main bearings (ACL or KING) - Crank cleaned and linished - Oil pump rebuilt and clearances checked. - Heads Rebuilt o Robowashed o Faced o Valves regrind o Ultrasonically cleaned and rebuilt lifters - Complete gasket kit with new OEM head gaskets - New water pump - New timing belt - New seals For me its a drive in drive out deal. Tom calls it a refresh not a rebuild (which I just noticed then by looking over my old emails). I have done head gaskets etc on fords before but I lack the equipment to pull the engine (and frankly the time). it gives me peace of mind having Tom do it, his work is good and his after sales service seems excellent from all reports. I got an email yesterday from Tom asking me to pick my colours, I went with silver for the inlet manifold and red for the rocker covers. Hopefully have some pics in a month or so and if Im real lucky I will be picking it up before I lose my license due to lack of points
i would argue the point that while the block is pulled down, you may as well use a new set of forged pistons for extra piece of mind when / if you decide you want more power from the car........might cost an extra $1000 or so, but whats an extra k on top of 5.5 already? id do it for sure
Whats listed there is a a rebuild. The motor will be brought back to original condition. all parts that need to be replaced will be. Rods adn pistons are not consumable components and do not need replacing in alot of cases. forged pistons and rods are upgrades and beyond the initial purchase price can add alot of extra cost to a build
That is ''rings, bearings & a valve grind''..... No way could you consider that a REBUILD. You might be able to class it as a "recondition", because it is (as another member put it) a "freshen up". By the time you replace "all the parts that need to be" (at additional cost), you may well find yourself doing a rebuild anyway. You'll probably find that all the inlet valves will be trashed (exhaust are inconel, so could be okay), the bore will more than likely need to go oversize, which will facilitate the need for new pistons. New head and big end bolts is always a good idea, and the list goes on. It's a sports car motor, not grannies shopping car. Then, you will probably find your turbos & injectors are "on their last legs", all your sensors are past their prime, VCT solenoids etc etc etc Suddenly, your $5500 figure is just a distant memory
Ive built 25 to 30 VG30's in varying spec. quite a number of those were to standard spec. So i know whats involved. Unless the engine has suffered a major failure, it most likely will not need to go oversize. Inlet valves are often worn out, but its a lucky dip, i get some heads that need all of them replaced, the last one i did only needed 3. Oil pumps are the same, its about 50/50 if they are in spec of not. Head bolts are a must, Studs preferable. Main bolts are ok, rod bolts maybe. Injectors cleaned yes if they have not already been done but i dont count them as part of the "rebuild" Turbo's are up the individual. First time i revuilt my motor i used the stock turbo's again, the went ok for years and iu would use them again. What you've outlined is the worst case scenario and yes it can happen. you just dont know till you open it up but like i said it can go the other way too. Im not going to get too caught up on the terms rebuild , recondition etc.
I note full gasket kit with OEM headgaskets. This leads me to believe the rest of the gaskets are non OEM. I recommend using OEM gaskets/seals all round.
This is hte engine rebuild I'm saving up for CZP have a nice rebuild kit fro $1,869.00 Comes with: -Wiseco forged pistons, -Eagle Forged Performance Rods, -Complete Nissan Gasket Kit w/ Cometic Metal Head Gaskets, -New Nissan Oil Pump/New Nissan Water Pump, -New Nissan Timing Belt, -New Nissan Rod and Main Bearings. CLICKY then just upgrade your topend e.g. cams, valves and springs ect. you got yourself a kit arse engine!
That is a nice price for the CZP rebuild kit. To clarify, Tom is building a replacement engine up to swap out for my current engine.
