nissanracer

Whats up guys, I have a problem with my 94 TT. When I am driving it around for a while and then I turn it off, I let the car sit for a little. When I checked underneath the car, I saw oil leaking. i took it to my mechanic and he said that it was leaking from the turbos. if I let it sit for the whole night after driving it, It will only leak about ten oil drops. My boost gauge seems to be working fine too. I just replaced the engine with a Jdm and I barely even drive it. Could there be something wrong with my turbos or could it be something else. If it is leaking from the turbos, wont it continue to leak? Thanks

jfairladyz

It could be the oil feed or return line. I doubt it's a seal cause if it was then that would mean that the oil would have to be leaking from the intake tubing which means the piping would have to be loose which would mean you wouldn't be boosting smoothly if at all. A loose pipe could very well just pop off under boost. But the oil supply or return could just be loose or have a bad gasket. I realize it's not a walk in the park to get to the turbos but if your mechanic is SURE thats where the oil is coming from then just check to make sure everything is tight and that no gaskets or hoses are leaking in that vicinity. This most likely isnt a catstophic leak meaning you have to replace your turbos. But you'll want to take care of it before the leak gets out of hand and the turbo in question isn't getting any oil.

nissanracer

Will it show up if I pull up the codes

entropy31

no. and when you say you turn it off after driving a while, do you give the turbos a little time to cool down? not related to your problem, but a good idea nonetheless.

ZLover4Life

I found your problem...

entropy31

agreed. most deffinately the cause.

nissanracer

Are you saying that the JDM engines are bad? Yes, I do let the car sit for like two minutes before i turn it off.

japanz

JDM engines are no worse than anywhere else. So that is simply tawkin out yer butt.

But you are buying a guesswork item that you really know nothing about which can happen from anywhere. If you did not do as much as possible before putting the engine in then you are responsible for that. Personally anyone who buys a JDM motor should replace everything they can without a full rebuild and do a 120k service to the engine. This all before you decide to put it in. This time when it is out you may wish to do that.

nissanracer

Thanks for that reply. I spoke to a Nissan specialist about my problem and he said that he is going to check it out tomorrow. I will keep you guys updated.

entropy31

thats kinda where i was going with the comment about that being the problem. i assumed the engine had not been completely refurbished before being swapped in. i guess my butt remains silent.

ZLover4Life

Exactly. There is no Japanese equivalent of carfax or any other records of the details of the engine. It could have 200,000 miles on it, but if they tell you it has 40,000 miles, you will never know otherwise. If you actually believe it's a low mileage engine, and just drop it in without replacing all sorts of stuff, you're a fool.

Not to mention, in my experience, JDM engines are beat to ****. They know they have to replace their engines every 100,000 kilometers (or 60,000 kilometers?) for emissions reasons, so they don't exactly take the best care of their engines.

When I worked at Ultimate Z, we would not warranty any JDM engine swaps (the only time we'd install them is if they were provided). When someone needed an engine replacement or wanted a TT swap, we only used USDM engines that we had information on.

japanz

And that is why you should only buy from someone you trust or who can check the car it is coming from directly. That little bit of insurance goes a long way. Even that, I would still do all the maintenance before installation.Here in Japan if I decide to switch motors in my car, I will buy the whole car after I check it myself and do the work before swapping it. But I don't think every motor is beat to hell but think of it more like Russian Roulette.

Mousier158

[QUOTE=ZLover4Life]
Not to mention, in my experience, JDM engines are beat to ****. They know they have to replace their engines every 100,000 kilometers (or 60,000 kilometers?) for emissions reasons, so they don't exactly take the best care of their engines.[QUOTE=ZLover4Life]

Yo i live in Japan. That is not true . think about it...If you had to replace your engine after only 60,000 miles would you buy that car?
not worth it in my opinion. FACT: japanese emissions inspections are every year (for Japanese National). I'm sorry, no one in Japan puts 100k clicks on their car in a short time frame. This island isnt that big . ok now do some people beat the **** out of their cars...yes!(poor rental cars). Is is just Japanese Z drivers that beat the **** out their cars---No.
FACT: the highest posted speed limit in Japan is 80kmph. thats only on the Toll roads. Have you seen beat up JDM engines---most definately i bet you have. Are they beat more than USDM engines---that is case by case, but understand they are importing the JDM engines from a junkyard not from NASCAR . That is one of the biggest misconceptions with JDM engines. Actually, why someone would by a JDM engine (minus the low milage) i am still trying to figure out. why would you want to downgrade your cams? So i agree with buying USDM because of documentation and less restricted performance specs. Especially if you are buying to rebuild first---mileage dosent really matter in that case anyway

P.S. this wasnt meant to be a personal shot at anyone, but only to clear up a few things and suggest a more logical approach.

Mousier158

This is true! However, the equivalant is information given by a certified mechanic. Now understand Japanese Government is currupt. If I were to give a certified mechanic money under the table to bypass part of the system---wether it be to pass emissions, for example---it is done around the clock. Because their is no history on a vehicle here are you taking a gamble when you purchase a JDM engine---YES! Beware! Personally i was in a vehicle accident which shot my insurance rates through the roof! What did i do---went next door to a different insurance company and got a clean insurance record .

CanyonCarver

All the more reason the JDM engines are hammered. 100 clicks of stop and go driving in a tropical climate is way harder on an engine than doing a 100 clicks at 100 clicks an hour. I hear it's common for people to not change the oil in their engines since they're only going to get so many miles on them. That's worse yet, since every heat cycle in the engine produces more moisture inside it. Of all of the JDM engines I've looked at, not one looked like the oil had ever been changed. To top things off, when the cars are finally cut up and shipped over here, they seem to be weathered like they've been sitting outside in the open for a years or so.

I've stated in other posts that the only used engine that I'd buy would be one that I expect to rebuild. And I would pay accordingly....... Like my $100 engine with 159k miles on it that was running fine at removal.