Before I start, I must stress that I'm relatively inept mechanically speaking, I understand the concept of internal combustion engines, power trains, gears and all the rest, but I'm one of those people who fail miserably at making the jump from theory to practice outside of basic oil changes and the like. Everything I touch either explodes or short circuits. This this is more of a "which boxes do I tick at the performance shop" thread. <flame suit donned> I'm having a TT engine dropped into my NA shortly, I realise a sell and buy is cheaper, but I've got some extra cash to throw around and I love my present setup. I'm wanting to keep performance relatively stock, as it will be a daily driver, so crazy upgrades I have no interest in, I may have a few things tweaked down the track, but that's for another day. Basically, I'm wondering what I can do to keep the engine as robust and reliable as possible. I'm guessing braided lines and an upgraded cooling system would be the first two most logical steps. What are the weakest points in the turbo engine? What signs of failure should I be looking out for? Any advice would be very much appreciated.
The safest way to make it last longer would be to get the engine along with the turbos rebuild and you will be safe for a while atleast...thats if you drive sensibly lol Abraham
Even cylinder compression on the engine Cooling system (as said A/M temp gauge is a must) Regular oil changes Keep modest boost levels Get injectors ohm tested/ultrasonically cleaned If the above are okay it will serve you well!
1. Get yourself an ECUTalk, the alarm features for overheating etc are a must and it's very reasonably price considering how many features it has. 2. Learn as much about the car as you can (tech section is great). 3. Lots of preventative maintenance.......belts, fluids etc. 4. Find yourself a good religion and spend an hour a day preying
Best practice is to let the car warm up before driving off (allow the pistons to expand - this is at least when your idle drops to 750) Avoid short drives (to make sure any crankcase vapours are burnt off) Keep modest boost levels Change oil and filters regularly (try to keep it transparent) Use magnetic oil filter and magnetic oil drain plug to pick up any metal shavings and prevent them travelling around the motor causing faster wear Use Synthetic or partial synthetic oil - they have suspenders and detergents added Use premium fuel (higher octane will combust cleaner- you will get better fuel economy as well) allow the turbos to cool down / release any pressure on the bearings before stopping the motor and particularly after having the motor under a workload/ racing Follow the maintenance charts/ intervals religously weak points in the motor is normally rubber water/ fuel hoses (its 20 yrs old) so if the rubbers havent been replaced - it is well and truely time to replace them all - the one to watch is the fuel hose top front centre of the block (about 8cm long) and the two water hoses next to the pump (the smaller ones about 3cm wide) - the nissan rubber is thin - use dunlop.202 - it is much thicker, some people have had them blow many times. Many a Z has been burnt to a cinder from a leaking fuel hose - they can be notorious given their age, always check them and use quality injector hose only. Investigate any unusual noises immediately - dont ever put it off. Run a seperate water temp gauge unless you get a ECU talk cable - Z's can often have coolant problems, use only distilled water and antifreeze/anitboil Make sure you dont have a S1 PTU!
Quote - "Seeking some advice on how to give a TT engine a long life". DON'T DRIVE IT....!! Trailer it to Tech Days! Pray OFTEN...!
The weakest point by far is the owner. He turns the boost up and does all sort of mods to get the power up. He also can't be bothered with maintenance - a big stereo and led lights is more important. Wide wheels and body kits are also on top of the list Change all water hoses. Change all vacuum and fuel hoses. Clean all electrical connectors. Change timing belt, water pump etc as per 100k service. Make sure you always use good coolant. Change oil every 5000k. Install a TWD or ECU talk so you get a warning IF it overheats. Engine will last forever
Long life is all about maintenance man. Make sure your cooling system is a+. Hoses, radiator, etc regular oil changes with the right oil make sure your on top of the timing belt service (has it been done and when) Don't drive hard cold, once it's warmed up, a stock VGTT with stock boost is more than happy to cop a bootful everynow and then.
