Status 16 April 2000

I'm finished with the engine so my dining room can turn from a garage to a dining room again :)

What have I done? Well, here's a summary. Starting with engine top:

New NISMO 555cc injectors, fuel pressure regulator, fuel dampener, fuel lines, water lines under the plenum. Painted the plenum and the black metal tubes. Synchronized throttle bodies.

Right side of the engine:

Rebuilt turbo. Primespeed 3" down pipe (not shown). New alternator harness and engine mount. Oil pan gaskets changed. New vacuum lines. New oil line for the turbo.

Left side of the engine:

Just like the other side and also notice the Dual POP drivability upgrade fitted on the idle air tube (end of T-fitting plugged with blue plug). I didn't cut the tube as the manual said. I fitted the T-junction at the end of it instead.

Rear side of the engine:

New EGR and detonation sensor as well as O2-sensors. Al rubber hoses replaced. IAA unit solenoid connectors reconditioned. I painted the pins with conductive silver paint to keep them from oxidizing to fast. I cleaned the IAA thoroughly too.

Front of the engine:

Replaced cam oil seals, thermostat, timing belt and timing belt cover gaskets. I swear I've never seen so many gaskets in my life! There were ~30 gaskets for the cover!
I also painted the cover black with a kind of paint that's supposed to be used on plastic. I just hope it'll hold... I painted the water pipes silver. Replaced the brushes in the alternator and took off the AC-compressor to replace the front seal (not done yet). I'm converting the system to R-134 freon.

Overall comments:
As you see I'm replacing all the old "rubber" that I can. Some hoses were in a very bad shape (one was leaking). This is cheap insurance since they don't cost a fortune. I ordered all specially shaped hoses from Courtesy but other straight ones were replaced with a hose I bought at a local store.
As I'm also replacing the old EFI/EGI harness (between the ECU and the engine) I'm using a special kind of grease in all contacts to prevent them from corroding. The grease withstands high temperature (200ºC) without melting. I got it at a local electronics store.

I also painted my AVC-R black to fit the interior better.

So, now I'm moving to the garage! I'm removing the front fascia right now. I have to do some modifications to fit the Dual POP. I'll be cleaning the intercoolers and the engine bay as well.

Look out for a new report after Easter.

Happy Easter!
Maciek