Red And Silver Eccs?

[Jago]

I've read that there is a red rocker cover ECCS RB20 and a silver rocker cover ECCS RB20, can anyone tell me the differences between the two? (i don't care how small and insignificant)

[blind_elk]

The RED one is a NICS engine. It is the earlier of the 2. And has less power.

The NICS has 2 inlet runners per cylinder, 1 of which has a butterfly that opens and closes depending on the requirements. These tend to jam, so that the engine is either terrific down low and crap up high, or crap down low and terrific up high.

The heads are different, but interchangeable (I know the inlet manifolds are not interchangeable).

That's my limit. Anyone else add or correct.

[SteveL]

  blind_elk said:

The RED one is a NICS engine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Greg you are correct in your description of the early NICS engines, but there was also a red-top ECCS version of the RB20DET which was used in HR31's from about mid 1987. The red ECCS uses a very similar manifold setup to the R32 silver type - in fact it looks largely identical, but there might be detail differences. The (rough) power output of the three types is:

NICS - 140kW

red ECCS - 150kW

silver ECCS - 160kW

Probably the main differences between the R32 ECCS and the R31 ECCS is that the R32 used a ball-bearing turbo (R31 used plain bearing) plus the R32 had a more refined engine management system. That said there are probably internal detail differences, but I haven't compared them.

To complicate matters somewhat, the silver ECCS engine was also used in some late model Cefiro's, but for some reason the Cefiro version used a plain bearing turbo (like R31's) - well that's what I'm lead to believe, anyway.

[FATGTS-R]

Nics and red eccs are both 12 port heads and silver is 6. The red eccs actually also has the same inlet butterflies as the nics but has a 6 runner manifold like the silver.

There are many minor differences between the silver and red eccs like injector sizing, impedance, fuel rails, throttle body sizing, sensors, ecu etc. Do a search as it was covered very recently.

[SteveL]

  FATGTS-R said:

Nics and red eccs are both 12 port heads and silver is 6. The red eccs actually also has the same inlet butterflies as the nics but has a 6 runner manifold like the silver.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mine must have been unique then.

[FATGTS-R]

In what way? I have a red eccs in the GTS-R and its 100% a 12 porter and it 100% had the butterflies as I removed them.

Its not uncommon for people with red top eccs engines to ditch the butterflies and manifold and use the silver top gear instead. If the head was never removed they would never assume it was a 12 porter.

I myself never knew it had 12 ports untill the manifold was removed.

The below pics are butterflies and a head from a GTS-R which has a red eccs as standard.

[rarebird]

  FATGTS-R said:

In what way? I have a red eccs in the GTS-R and its 100% a 12 porter and it 100% had the butterflies as I removed them.

Its not uncommon for people with red top eccs engines to ditch the butterflies and manifold and use the silver top gear instead. If the head was never removed they would never assume it was a 12 porter.

I myself never knew it had 12 ports untill the manifold was removed.

The below pics are butterflies and a head from a GTS-R which has a red eccs as standard.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are exactly right Jayson.I too had the head removed from my old red top eccs Rb20det-r and it looks exactly the same as your picture(12 ports),even though it had the 6 runners on the plenum.Cheapest power upgrade for top end power has to be to remove the butterflies.Shit job though.

Does someone have a picture of a silver top Rb20 head,i would like to see the difference.

[FATGTS-R]

LOL Pete, that IS (was) your head in the pic!

[rarebird]

Thought it looked familiar.

[Cillham]

the more people that know there are two verisons of redtop rb20s the better, im sick of explaining it lol. Yea i ripped my butterflies out.