VVTI Feedback Needed: NA-T or GTE
VVTI Feedback Needed: NA-T or GTE
I posted this on the SC forum, but figured this would be a good place to get feedback as well.
My 2000 SC300 recently severely overheated when I failed to reconnect the coolant line to the throttle body after changing spark plugs. Needless to say, the head gasket failed and the cylinders are full of coolant. I've always intended to turbo the car once I got through with some other projects, so this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The motor has 210k on it and I intended to do a full rebuild using OEM GTE internals and adding a mild (350-400whp) setup to the mix. Given the motor overheated as bad as it did, I'm skeptical about reusing the head at all.
Saying all that, I'm now leaning towards just getting a jdm GTE VVTI motor, resealing it and doing the usual water/oil pump, timing belt, etc... and simply dropping it in with the jdm ecu and a BPU setup. I live in a non-emission county, so I never worry about inspections and I believe the jdm ecu will fit the bill, given my goals. I'm thinking this would be the most cost/time effective and reliable solution for me. I would have the harness redone by Doug at WireGap, who is local to me and has done solid work for me in the past, and also make provision for an FIC while at it. Losing VVTI is not an option and the car needs to be simple and reliable. Additionally, I can fab, weld, install whatever is needed myself.
I've read tons of VVTI GTE threads and they seem extremely reliable and simple, if emissions is not a concern. I also like the uniqueness of having a 2k model with a true GTE VVTI in it. What are your thoughts; am I leaning in the right direction? TIA
My 2000 SC300 recently severely overheated when I failed to reconnect the coolant line to the throttle body after changing spark plugs. Needless to say, the head gasket failed and the cylinders are full of coolant. I've always intended to turbo the car once I got through with some other projects, so this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The motor has 210k on it and I intended to do a full rebuild using OEM GTE internals and adding a mild (350-400whp) setup to the mix. Given the motor overheated as bad as it did, I'm skeptical about reusing the head at all.
Saying all that, I'm now leaning towards just getting a jdm GTE VVTI motor, resealing it and doing the usual water/oil pump, timing belt, etc... and simply dropping it in with the jdm ecu and a BPU setup. I live in a non-emission county, so I never worry about inspections and I believe the jdm ecu will fit the bill, given my goals. I'm thinking this would be the most cost/time effective and reliable solution for me. I would have the harness redone by Doug at WireGap, who is local to me and has done solid work for me in the past, and also make provision for an FIC while at it. Losing VVTI is not an option and the car needs to be simple and reliable. Additionally, I can fab, weld, install whatever is needed myself.
I've read tons of VVTI GTE threads and they seem extremely reliable and simple, if emissions is not a concern. I also like the uniqueness of having a 2k model with a true GTE VVTI in it. What are your thoughts; am I leaning in the right direction? TIA
I know this is late - I've been a little absent on the forums lately.
The head should be fine - just have a machine shop check it for trueness. If anything, have a few thousandths decked off of it.
Only problem with the swap is you are paying good money for turbos that you may not be able to use if you want to make any real power. The ceramic turbos that come on the swaps are not very reliable past 350 whp.
I put pistons and rods in mine and never looked back.
The head should be fine - just have a machine shop check it for trueness. If anything, have a few thousandths decked off of it.
Only problem with the swap is you are paying good money for turbos that you may not be able to use if you want to make any real power. The ceramic turbos that come on the swaps are not very reliable past 350 whp.
I put pistons and rods in mine and never looked back.
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From: KY
I know this is late - I've been a little absent on the forums lately.
The head should be fine - just have a machine shop check it for trueness. If anything, have a few thousandths decked off of it.
Only problem with the swap is you are paying good money for turbos that you may not be able to use if you want to make any real power. The ceramic turbos that come on the swaps are not very reliable past 350 whp.
I put pistons and rods in mine and never looked back.
The head should be fine - just have a machine shop check it for trueness. If anything, have a few thousandths decked off of it.
Only problem with the swap is you are paying good money for turbos that you may not be able to use if you want to make any real power. The ceramic turbos that come on the swaps are not very reliable past 350 whp.
I put pistons and rods in mine and never looked back.
x2 just make sure you get a standalone that can handle VVT-I AND traction control to have the best (lag-less) time driving it. I got the SRT kit with the Haltech Sprint 500 only to find that it didn't offer these capabilities :-( Now I have the Platinum 2000 and am rebuilding for 350/650 wheel. Tuning with multiple boost pressures available via boost controller is a nice trick for winter driving :-) Sorry to respond so late just didn't know if you had taken the plunge yet. Good luck with your build.
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