Jump to content
SAU Community

Looking At Buying A Gtr With Low Compression On 3 Cylinders.

outlaw32

By outlaw32,
in Engines & Forced Induction

 Share

Recommended Posts

outlaw32 Apprentice

outlaw32

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi Guys,

I am looking at buying an r33 gtr with suspected piston ring issues, the car was blowing smoke and after some tests they found 3 cylinders had low compression but i am abit worried there could be more to this and doesnt help the car is in other state. I guess i want to be covering my own ass so to speak as i am un familiar with engines and what is involved with a car in this situation.

What would i be looking price wise for a rebuild on something like this? or is it not worth the time/money..

Edited by outlaw32
Beer Baron Grand Master

Beer Baron

Posted
Posted

move on to the next car. it's not like there's a shortage of decent 32 GTRs. why buy a dud one? it would want to be practically free.

outlaw32 Apprentice

outlaw32

Posted
  • Author
Posted

ok i have rang around seems for an engine rebuild im looking at 6k with forgies but by the sounds of it the turbos were running high boost the turbine wheel got into the engine and distroyed 4,5,6 cylinders.

but once the engine is out im guessing i have to do turbos then computer then pump... and so the list continues lol

LotusGTR Veteran

LotusGTR

Posted
Posted

If you're unfamialir with engines, why stuff around with what sounds like a substandard example? GTR ownership / purchasing is potentially difficult enough without throwing in un-necessary problems for yourself. Last time I checked GTRs were at give away prices. Get a good example, and buy locally so you can see, touch feel what you're buying and FGS get a professional opinion if you don't know what you're doing. Why is the engine kapput? What else might be nearly kapput too? Lack of care and maintenance over the life of the vehicle might take its toll elsewhere too.

A bad GTR will send you to the cleaners and then to hell.

KR4-GTR Mentor

KR4-GTR

Posted
Posted
ok i have rang around seems for an engine rebuild im looking at 6k with forgies but by the sounds of it the turbos were running high boost the turbine wheel got into the engine and distroyed 4,5,6 cylinders.

but once the engine is out im guessing i have to do turbos then computer then pump... and so the list continues lol

hi, are we able to ask what the price of the car was - out of curiosity?

femno Grand Master

femno

Posted
Posted

I dont see whats so bad about buying a car with a blown engine?

Fair enough it may have been thrashed already, but 50% of that will be taken care of with a rebuild. Yes you will be infront $$ wise bigtime.

The other 50% wear and tear is in the gearbox, diffs, wheel bearings and everything else that moves and that has taken the thrashing. Thats if it even has been thrashed..maybe the owner decided to wind up 20psi one night then BANG...maybe he babied it all other times..maybe not...who knows.

Its a bit of a toss up...I bought my GTR for 5,000 and it turned out to be an immaculate example drivetrain-wise. You could buy similar, or it could be a complete piece of shit.

Make your decision based on the condition of the interior, engine bay cleanliness and general condition of the car.

I say go for it. 14k isnt too much, try and bargain him as much as you can to get further infront.

edit: 6k for a rebuild is a joke. Try 10-15k+. If you dont get it done by professionals in RB26s then you will have troubles for the rest of your life. I found out the hard way...second engine!

LotusGTR Veteran

LotusGTR

Posted
Posted

I agree with your final comment re the price of the re-build, but add $15k+ to an asking price of $14k, plus all the hassles, plus all the unknowns......I certainly wouldn't. But that depends on your appetite for adventure I suppose.

I dont see whats so bad about buying a car with a blown engine?

Fair enough it may have been thrashed already, but 50% of that will be taken care of with a rebuild. Yes you will be infront $$ wise bigtime.

The other 50% wear and tear is in the gearbox, diffs, wheel bearings and everything else that moves and that has taken the thrashing. Thats if it even has been thrashed..maybe the owner decided to wind up 20psi one night then BANG...maybe he babied it all other times..maybe not...who knows.

Its a bit of a toss up...I bought my GTR for 5,000 and it turned out to be an immaculate example drivetrain-wise. You could buy similar, or it could be a complete piece of shit.

Make your decision based on the condition of the interior, engine bay cleanliness and general condition of the car.

I say go for it. 14k isnt too much, try and bargain him as much as you can to get further infront.

edit: 6k for a rebuild is a joke. Try 10-15k+. If you dont get it done by professionals in RB26s then you will have troubles for the rest of your life. I found out the hard way...second engine!

shaunvlc Enthusiast

shaunvlc

Posted
Posted

r33 gtr's can be had for mid 20k. the one you are looking at buying would want to be around 15k to even be worth doing. Even then id rather spend the extra 2 or so thousand and get one that is already running. Rebuilding an enginer would be a head f**K not too mention the wait and the trust that goes into the process.

outlaw32 Apprentice

outlaw32

Posted
  • Author
Posted

half of the gtrs that get imported have been wound back, false graded i dont see why i should trust an auction sheet on a car that could blow within a month and be in the same boat.

The car is very clean all over, usual things like plenum and stuff all clean and the overall body.

Worst case i put an engine from a halfcut in it which i can get for 3k and drive it for abit while i get the other rebuilt.

but the reason i am asking you guys is that i havnt gone down this road before and i want some input on what i would be dealing with and is it worth it.

thanks for all your feedback

Beer Baron Grand Master

Beer Baron

Posted
Posted

actually, i've changed my mind. it sounds like an awesome idea. I say go for it. buy this otherwise immaculate, non-wound back, good grade 33 GTR with blown engine, get the $3K halfcut or the $6K forged rebuild and please post a thread up about the process. it'll be great.

outlaw32 Apprentice

outlaw32

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
actually, i've changed my mind. it sounds like an awesome idea. I say go for it. buy this otherwise immaculate, non-wound back, good grade 33 GTR with blown engine, get the $3K halfcut or the $6K forged rebuild and please post a thread up about the process. it'll be great.

what i was getting at is that i can spend 20+ on a car at the auctions that i know nothing about which could come here with blown parts atleast if i can see the car in the flesh and it looks great all round and the engine is gone you dont think it is a good deal for 14k and have a car with a fresh engine after it all for mid 20's.

i asked a few people who had engines for sale on here and they said 3k just for the engine not for a halfcut just the engine out of one.

i rang places today in melbourne today and i hate to name drop rajab (4.5 for a standard rebuild) RE CUSTOMS (6k with forgies) so how am i talking shit you call them and ask yourself.

good to see the community supports me in this venture rather then hates on the idea.

thanks guys.

Edited by outlaw32

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
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • GTSBoy
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      This. As for your options - I suggest remote mounting the Nissan sensor further away on a length of steel tube. That tube to have a loop in it to handle vibration, etc etc. You will need to either put a tee and a bleed fitting near the sensor, or crack the fitting at the sensor to bleed it full of oil when you first set it up, otherwise you won't get the line filled. But this is a small problem. Just needs enough access to get it done.
    • suko
      J50 clock date suddenly reset to January 1

      By suko · Posted

      The time is always correct. Only the date is wrong. It currently thinks it is January 19. Tomorrow it will say it is January 20. The date and time are ( should be ! ) retrieved from the GPS navigation system.
    • MBS206
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By MBS206 · Posted

      Buy yourself a set of easy outs. See if they will get a good bite in and unthread it.   Very very lucky the whole sender didn't let go while on the track and cost you a motor!
    • Kinkstaah
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By Kinkstaah · Posted

      Well GTSBoy, prepare yourself further. I did a track day with 1/2 a day prep on Friday, inpromptu. The good news is that I got home, and didn't drive the car into a wall. Everything seemed mostly okay. The car was even a little faster than it was last time. I also got to get some good datalog data too. I also noticed a tiny bit of knock which was (luckily?) recorded. All I know is the knock sensors got recalibrated.... and are notorious for false knock. So I don't know if they are too sensitive, not sensitive enough... or some other third option. But I reduced timing anyway. It wasn't every pull through the session either. Think along the lines of -1 degree of timing for say, three instances while at the top of 4th in a 20 minute all-hot-lap session. Unfortunately at the end of session 2... I noticed a little oil. I borrowed some jack stands and a jack and took a look under there, but as is often the case, messing around with it kinda half cleaned it up, it was not conclusive where it was coming from. I decided to give it another go and see how it was. The amount of oil was maybe one/two small drops. I did another 20 minute session and car went well, and I was just starting to get into it and not be terrified of driving on track. I pulled over and checked in the pits and saw this: This is where I called it, packed up and went home as I live ~20 min from the track with a VERY VERY CLOSE EYE on Oil Pressure on the way home. The volume wasn't much but you never know. I checked it today when I had my own space/tools/time to find out what was going on, wanted to clean it up, run the car and see if any of the fittings from around the oil filter were causing it. I have like.. 5 fittings there, so I suspected one was (hopefully?) the culprit. It became immediately apparent as soon as I looked around more closely. 795d266d-a034-4b8c-89c9-d83860f5d00a.mp4       This is the R34 GTT oil sender connected via an adapter to an oil cooler block I have installed which runs AN lines to my cooler (and back). There's also an oil temp sensor on top.  Just after that video, I attempted to unthread the sensor to see if it's loose/worn and it disintegrated in my hand. So yes. I am glad I noticed that oil because it would appear that complete and utter catastrophic engine failure was about 1 second of engine runtime away. I did try to drill the fitting out, and only succeeded in drilling the middle hole much larger and now there's a... smooth hole in there with what looks like a damn sleeve still incredibly tight in there. Not really sure how to proceed from here. My options: 1) Find someone who can remove the stuck fitting, and use a steel adapter so it won't fatigue? (Female BSPT for the R34 sender to 1/8NPT male - HARD to find). IF it isn't possible to remove - Buy a new block ($320) and have someone tap a new 1/8NPT in the top of it ($????) and hope the steel adapter works better. 2) Buy a new block and give up on the OEM pressure sender for the dash entirely, and use the supplied 1/8 NPT for the oil temp sender. Having the oil pressure read 0 in the dash with the warning lamp will give me a lot of anxiety driving around. I do have the actual GM sensor/sender working, but it needs OBD2 as a gauge. If I'm datalogging I don't actually have a readout of what the gauge is currently displaying. 3) Other? Find a new location for the OEM sender? Though I don't know of anywhere that will work. I also don't know if a steel adapter is actually functionally smart here. It's clearly leveraged itself through vibration of the motor and snapped in half. This doesn't seem like a setup a smart person would replicate given the weight of the OEM sender. Still pretty happy being lucky for once and seeing this at the absolute last moment before bye bye motor in a big way, even if an adapter is apparently 6 weeks+ delivery and I have no way to free the current stuck/potentially destroyed threads in the current oil block.
    • Kinkstaah
      Jacks that fit under GTR lips that can reach the subframe?

      By Kinkstaah · Posted

      Whoops!
×
×
  • Create New...