Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone. I'm pretty new to this forum, although I've read it for quite some time before I finally registered since I've been researching about Cefiros.

I'm a Brit living in Thailand, and I've just bought myself a 1991 Cefiro with a 1JZ engine. I've driven a couple of the RB engine Cefiros too. I have to say that I opted for the 1JZ because of the current performance and the ease of future upgrades [and costs of those upgrades here in Thailand] compared to the RB20 or RB25 options....

However from reading through some of the posts here, it seems as though many posters don't tend to endorse the 1JZ as a good option..... I'd be interested to know a few details why?

All comments welcome....... even pi$$-take about the cricket or rugby if you Aussies must!

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/
Share on other sites

Guest a31rb25

the 1JZ is a damn good engine and a an awesome swap into anything it will fit into. i think the main reason that it's not dropped into cefiros here is because ppl either aren't aware of how good the engine is, can't be bothered or would simply save the time, money & hassle and just buy a Toyota with a 1J in it.

as far as cricket or rugby goes, i don't care atm, still enjoying the 'football' victory from last night!

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2253367
Share on other sites

yeh ud get that bias considering its a skyline site.

realistically the 1Jz is probably a better engine than the RB25 in general, not the RB26 i dont rekon. Very strong engines with tonnes of torque, thou not fantastic on fuel (from what i have been told).

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2253393
Share on other sites

Oil control is better than both RB25/26. Stock pistons are teflon coated and stock bottom end is all round stronger than RB25.. 26 is probably a little stronger again??

1J bottom ends are much cheaper when things go kablamo..

Down side is they are'nt as rev happy as RB motors.. Gearbox's are around the same price for both.. R154's from what I've heard are a lttle more notchy than the nissans.

1J's will be bad on fuel with a heavy foot and stock turbos on boost all the time..

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2253938
Share on other sites

what it boils down to is availability and familiarity. RB engines are a dime a dozen here, compared to good 1JZ's.

Most workshops know how to do RB20 - RB25 swaps pretty quickly. You have to keep in mind that in thailand you don't have RB20DET engines in stock ceffies like we do over here. So if you're gonna go to the effort of say for example upgrading the RB24S or CA18i to a better engine, then you can go either to an RB25 or a 1JZ just as easily... wheras for us its a lot easier to go from RB20DET to RB25DET by just changing a few things in the loom and dropping an engine (and minor ancillary upgrades) in.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2254388
Share on other sites

AlcoholicA, post some engine pics, man. And can you get some info on the 1jzgte swap ? Like what things should be changed ? Hows the wiring. It would be great info in general and very precious for me. As I'm planing to get a cefiro in China. And 1JZ will be a bit cheaper I guess.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2254424
Share on other sites

If I could have bought one pre 1jz'ed I would have. As that would have been resonably cheap. But I couldnt :D

I reckon you went the smarter option. To smash one of those things you need to be doing something wrong.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2254482
Share on other sites

Interesting to hear the comments so far.....

AlcoholicA, post some engine pics, man. And can you get some info on the 1jzgte swap ? Like what things should be changed ? Hows the wiring.

Here's a picture of the engine.... it looks very basic and standard at the moment since only just acquiring the car I haven't yet had chance to "pretty it up".

post-29700-1150239531.jpg

I have to admit that the conversion has been done very well, and really the only thing that gives any indication that it doesn't really belong there are the Toyota markings on the engine and that the battery has been relocated to the boot/trunk of the car.

As for your question about what has to be changed, I'm not too sure other than the items that I've read on here and a few other places. I did actually look at a number of BMW 3series' with 1jz's before I settled on the idea of a Cefiro, so its a fair conclusion that it's possible to squeeze them into nearly any car that has an engine bay with suitable dimensions.

I finally chose the Cefiro over the BMW based on the fun I had driving my girlfriends brothers RB20DET. I have to say that I feel like I made the right choice in that area, and its good to hear the comments about the engine choice that I made too.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2254597
Share on other sites

wow, looks awesome! the 1JZ is said to be better than the equivelant nissan engine, with stock internals holding up with 350rwkw... thought i havent been around these engines too much. there was actually an article in ether HPI or zoom a while back, where they did an article on 1JZ vs. RB26, a very interesting read indeed. the results were much closer than u would expect, ie within 5 or 10kw from stock through numerous stages of tuning (both with the same mods of course)

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2257700
Share on other sites

AlcoholicA, man. Really. I'm new to the forums too. But I yet to see a guy from Thailand and who came here by himself to share his stuff. Rspct !

There is only one thing that would be really cool, though. Contribution it is.

As you are in the land of 1JZ cars there, maybe you can ask the folks who did it or who are familiar with the install. How to do it. Or like what things to change , and what to do with the wiring. Genereal INFO will be ok too.

Maybe you could get your hands on some wiring diagrams there :) hehe.

And pictures man. Make lot's of pictures. 1jz in a cefiro is a rare breed after all. :blink: Thanks in advance, man !

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2258287
Share on other sites

another reason why i don't think alot of ppl here don't use them is the legalities of putting one in. i know in vic to put one in would require a engineer's cert, and because of the exhuast been changed sides, fuel lines, engine mounts etc etc would be more hassel then just swaping for a rb25 which basically bolts straight up with very minimal issues.

but yeah i'm still with the others, if u could get some info the transplant that would be sweet!

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2263614
Share on other sites

What Ecu are you running?

I'm not sure which ecu is being used... I haven't really looked yet - I'm still getting acquainted with everything in the engine bay - trying to figure what is part of the 1JZ conversion and what is still original Nissan.....

As for details of the conversions, I haven't found many details about "how to" do the conversion on websites in English, but I've been told that it is covered on the thai website www.cefiro-thailand.com although of course the majority of the content is in Thai. I know a few Thai engineers whos english ability is ok - I'll try to see if they can translate some details for me to post up.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2265456
Share on other sites

Just incase you didn't know.. :)

The most cost effective mods you can do to a 1J running stock CPU is to fit well designed twin dump set up and SAFC... Can net 50+rwkw AFTER a good exhaust has been fitted.

Cheers for the advice.... would like to hear a bit more on recommended parts and configuration for the twin dump setup, and which is the best free-flow exhaust that is recommended - the middle section of mine catches on the massive speed-bump at the entrance/exit to my apartment building, so I figure a refit is due soon, and a possible replacement in the next 6 months if it lasts that long.....

Since I haven't actually posted one yet, here's a pic of my car for anyone who's interested....

post-29700-1150660756.jpg

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2267048
Share on other sites

Man that is a hot looking cefiro. I would have to say i would rather a 1j to a rb motor. Only thing is like driftlimo said is they dont rev enough. But with a stadard motor they can make so much more power on a regular basis. I havent had much to do with toyota motors but what i do know is they seem to be much stronger.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/122141-newbie-alert/#findComment-2271690
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Surely somebody has one in VIC. Have you asked at any shops?  Is this the yearly inspection or did you get a canary?
    • This is where I share pain with you, @Duncan. The move to change so many cooling system pieces to plastic is a killer! Plastic end tanks and a few plastic hose flanges on my car's fail after so little time.  Curious about the need for a bigger rad, is that just for long sessions in the summer or because the car generally needs more cooling?
    • So, that is it! It is a pretty expensive process with the ATF costing 50-100 per 5 litres, and a mechanic will probably charge plenty because they don't want to do it. Still, considering how dirty my fluid was at 120,000klm I think it would be worth doing more like every 80,000 to keep the trans happy, they are very expensive to replace. The job is not that hard if you have the specialist tools so you can save a bit of money and do it yourself!
    • OK, onto filling. So I don't really have any pics, but will describe the process as best I can. The USDM workshop manual also covers it from TM-285 onwards. First, make sure the drain plug (17mm) is snug. Not too tight yet because it is coming off again. Note it does have a copper washer that you could replace or anneal (heat up with a blow torch) to seal nicely. Remove the fill plug, which has an inhex (I think it was 6mm but didn't check). Then, screw in the fill fitting, making sure it has a suitable o-ring (mine came without but I think it is meant to be supplied). It is important that you only screw it in hand tight. I didn't get a good pic of it, but the fill plug leads to a tube about 70mm long inside the transmission. This sets the factory level for fluid in the trans (above the join line for the pan!) and will take about 3l to fill. You then need to connect your fluid pump to the fitting via a hose, and pump in whatever amount of fluid you removed (maybe 3 litres, in my case 7 litres). If you put in more than 3l, it will spill out when you remove the fitting, so do quickly and with a drain pan underneath. Once you have pumped in the required amount of clean ATF, you start the engine and run it for 3 minutes to let the fluid circulate. Don't run it longer and if possible check the fluid temp is under 40oC (Ecutek shows Auto Trans Fluid temp now, or you could use an infrared temp gun on the bottom of the pan). The manual stresses the bit about fluid temperature because it expands when hot an might result in an underfil. So from here, the factory manual says to do the "spill and fill" again, and I did. That is, put an oil pan under the drain plug and undo it with a 17mm spanner, then watch your expensive fluid fall back out again, you should get about 3 litres.  Then, put the drain plug back in, pump 3 litres back in through the fill plug with the fitting and pump, disconnect the fill fitting and replace the fill plug, start the car and run for another 3 minutes (making sure the temp is still under 40oC). The manual then asks for a 3rd "spill and fill" just like above. I also did that and so had put 13l in by now.  This time they want you to keep the engine running and run the transmission through R and D (I hope the wheels are still off the ground!) for a while, and allow the trans temp to get to 40oC, then engine off. Finally, back under the car and undo the fill plug to let the overfill drain out; it will stop running when fluid is at the top of the levelling tube. According to the factory, that is job done! Post that, I reconnected the fill fitting and pumped in an extra 0.5l. AMS says 1.5l overfill is safe, but I started with less to see how it goes, I will add another 1.0 litres later if I'm still not happy with the hot shifts.
    • OK, so regardless of whether you did Step 1 - Spill Step 2 - Trans pan removal Step 3 - TCM removal we are on to the clean and refill. First, have a good look at the oil pan. While you might see dirty oil and some carbony build up (I did), what you don't want to see is any metal particles on the magnets, or sparkles in the oil (thankfully not). Give it all a good clean, particularly the magnets, and put the new gasket on if you have one (or, just cross your fingers) Replacement of the Valve body (if you removed it) is the "reverse of assembly". Thread the electrical socket back up through the trans case, hold the valve body up and put in the bolts you removed, with the correct lengths in the correct locations Torque for the bolts in 8Nm only so I hope you have that torque wrench handy (it feels really loose). Plug the output speed sensor back in and clip the wiring into the 2 clips, replace the spring clip on the TCM socket and plug it back into the car loom. For the pan, the workshop manual states the following order: Again, the torque is 8Nm only.
×
×
  • Create New...