My Love For Rb's Has Been Rekindled

[shakotan-cefiro]

hey guys i own a 1990 cefiro with engine mods as follows:

rebuilt rb20det

worked head

front facing plenum

fairlady t/b (unsure what model)

high mount mitsubishi td06-19c (part no on front 4917952000)

z32 AFM

huge coola of unknown brand

3inch exhaust

high flow bosch pump

rising rate reg (some chinese shit brand)

mines ECU

ATM im not driving the car atleast untill iam confident its happy,

besides that its ready to drift i have upgraded suspension, brakes, bushes , 2 way diff, 25 gearbox ,clutch

i just need to fix these few problems

while iam good with suspension , brakes and bolt on mods i dont know sfa about engine internals except noise is bad hahaha

ok so heres the questions;

1) iam getting a rattling from the engine over about 3000rpm she drives fine very smooth, i thought it was coola piping on the engine bay but nothings loose or moving

what signs would point to knocking detonation or engine damage? (last thing i need with a rebuilt motor)

2) how much power could this turbo produce ? (when all is proven safe)

3)i have very heavy steering i have checked for leaks and topped up fluid and the belts tight im wondering could it be the pump how would i tell?

4) whats the mines computer like is it worth keeping or should i get a stocky with a remap?

5) it looks stock and sits quiet high .... but will front coileys stop me from getting RWC in QLD (i put stockys in the back already for RWC but i dont have stock front struts)

6) does anyone know a reliable TRUSTWORTHY mechanic on the gold coast

thanks for reading

[Brent]

Is the rattling coming from the head or bottom end?

Rattling sound could just be lifters. Did you replace the oil recently? Is there enough oil? Run it for around 20minutes and see if gets quieter/goes away.

This is a pretty common problem.

-Brent.

[shakotan-cefiro]

hey ,

nah it doesnt go away im worried its the bottom end ...

im gonna replace the oil on the weekend and get under the car if its something simple il find it

what other warning signs should i be looking for??

if it is the bottom end il go for a 25det

but i hope not as that will set me back atleast 6months and no new wheels

[russstuff]

hey

unfortunately i have just been through a very similar noise...

for me it was a very slight but dull knock/rattle that only came on at 2800rpm and all the way through the rev range after that (until exhaust and other noise drowned it out) it turned out to be the big end bearings.

this problem was caused by oil starvation (having a high volume oil pump and standard sump)

if the noise its still only this slight there is still a chance you can just pull the crank out to get machined and replace the bearings but you must get the bearing crush checked when its refit to make sure the rods havent become a slightly oval shape due to the hammering noise that you can hear as the rod goes up and down.

oh and take it to as many places as you can for quotes as you'll find half the mechanics will just tell you your up for a full rebuild even when your not..

hope this helps, good luck with it it sounds like it'll be a fun ride when its running right

[shakotan-cefiro]

thanks russtuf

i think this could be the problem as the reason for the rebuild was a oil pump failure

what would cause this to happen a second time?

as the 25det is not an option atm due to funds

and i do end up having to pull the crank out is it worth it or should i buy a new bottom end ??

how can i ensure that this does not happen again as it is a drift car and it will be reved hard most of the time

and yea shes a fun ride puttin out nearly 190rwkw and its skatey yet very predictable best drifter ive had yet

[shakotan-cefiro]

if i decide to get the crank pulled out and get it fixed does anyone know a good mechanic on the gold coast QLD that would do this cheaply??

[russstuff]

i'm not too sure what could make it happen again..

have you had the head off whilst the car has been with you? reason i ask is there is something going on (not too sure on what models) with the oil pump sending all the oil up to the head at high rpm and it cant get back down to the sump fast enough, which gives you oil starvation again. they fit oil restrictors to the oil galleries to slow it down a bit. has it got a high volume oil pump?

once i saw that i had oil starvation, i had a high volume baffled sump fitted. the larger volume of oil speaks for its self and the baffles slow the surge of oil moving from one side of the sump to the other which is good for high rpm and turning!

the price difference for me between getting the bearings replaced and a full rebuild was huge so i chose to get the crank done. it was $1000 labor to do the crank + parts, but would have been $3000 for the whole rebuild + loads more for parts.

to stop it happening again if you just get the crank done get the sump and look into oil drain back lines from your head that connect into the sump.. ( i got them to plumb my oil catch can into the sump)

not sure if getting the crank collared is applicable + high volume pump

and always give it plenty of warm up time before you even start moving that way the oil isnt as thick and can flow back to the sump faster

and spend a little more if you have to for a highly recommended mechanic (thats what i didnt do and they cost me my motor)

oh and find out exactly what sort of warranty they'll give you before you give them the car!!!

oh and how long after the build did the noise come back and had you been giving it a hard time leading up to the noise?

best of luck hey, i hope for your sake its ok.

(oh i got given the all clear with my existing oil pump whilst doing the build so i have a bran new N1 oil pump in the box if your interested..)

[shakotan-cefiro]

ok so i guess it comes down to finding a mechanic il get the oil pump checked but il probably take u up on that n1 pump just tossing up wether to buy a new bottom end or get this one fixed anyway thanks for your help mate