Nissan Sunny / Pulsar GTI-R FAQ v10e

 

FAQ's - hate them or love them, here's a selection but remember, these are other people's experiences: question these answers yourself. If you know better, discuss it and get the change made if you think it's wrong. It seems strange to be starting a FAQ 'cold' more 8 years after a car went off the model range but progress has been made in this time on tyres/oils/cleaning fluids etc. If you are buying a GTI-R for the first time and you want to know some of the basics - read on!

 

Many thanks to Kevin Renouprez for re-organising all this info and formatting it as an easy-to use Web page.
 

 

0)       Amendments list

 

1)       Purpose of the FAQ, lists and netiquette

2)       Breakdowns

3)       Underbonnet

a.      Engine

b.      Turbo & Intercooler

4)       Fuel and exhaust systems

5)       Ignition

6)       Clutch

7)       Gearbox

8)       Driveline

9)       Brakes

10)   Suspension & wheels

11)   Bodywork

12)   Body electricals

13)   Aftermarket gadgets, ICE, mods, odds and sods

14)   What to look for if buying one and FAQs that wouldn’t fit anywhere else

15)   Appendixes

 

 

To find the latest amendments, search for "V10"

V10 amendments cover;-

* complete re-organisation of the faq list to read more like a help manual
* how to send a message to an individual rather than the entire (300-plus) list membership
* standard colours ... and the specials

* ICE related problems

* NGK spark plug numbering

* a word about the gearbox and choices available

V9 amendments cover;-

* IMPORTANT UPDATE to charter - new item 14 (suppliers please note)
* more FAQ's

V8 amendments cover;-

* IMPORTANT UPDATE to charter item 7
* more FAQ's
* inclusion of the new list website address

 

Top

 

 

The purposes of this list are to exchange news, views and information about Nissan's small four-wheel drive masterpiece - the Nissan Sunny/Pulsar GTI-R.

Club websites are(V10):- http://www.gti-r.com/ and www.driveto.com/GTI-Roc

(V8) There are lots of helpful files (text/pics/Acrobat docs etc etc on the Files area http://www.groups.yahoo.com/groups/gti-r/files so spend some time looking around. There are additional files (LARGE - you've been warned) including pics, vids etc.

There are two other email lists dedicated to the GTI-R. They are "gtirukmeets" and "gtir-chat". Check out the descriptions on the yahoogroups site.

1) The Nissan Sunny/Pulsar GTI-R is a rare beast. It has been out of production since 1994(*). So, a major benefit of the list will be to exchange useful information about servicing, parts availability, interchangeability and sources. The international Group A & N homologation for the GTI-R runs out in 2001.

(*) "...we would like to inform you that the N14 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R was manufactured from August 1990 to December 1994.

Sincerely yours,

Kazuhiko TANIZAWA
Manager
Customer Relations Department
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd."

2) Links are being added to this charter (see Appendix A) and will be re-published periodically.

3) The main reason the GTI-R was discontinued was that it didn't sell because it was too expensive, new. In time, second-hand values have meant that the GTI-R is now within reach of lots more people - me included - and now values compare favourably with other cars. The only problem, is availability of good examples. Many GTI-R's were converted to rallying, which reduces the overall number that can be found in road worthy condition. Good road-going examples are rare - and getting rarer by the day as time moves on. Fortunately, they haven't yet become a collector's car nor are they priced as such, yet. My car cost me GBP4,000 less (with 50% less miles on it) than a similar model-year (MY) Subaru Impreza.

4) Point 3 leads on to a golden rule of this list. No-one should put down any other make/model or praise it up over the GTI-R. There's no need. We've made the decision so there's no point telling each other what we already know. We have one of the most potent point-to-point vehicles suitable for everyday driving or sporting use. So, it's ok to publish facts (like the Impreza one above) but it's not ok to say that Skoda make overpriced, overrated, defective heaps of parrot droppings. Whether it is true or not, that's your personal view which you're welcome to hold, just don't publish it here. There are other lists that I can advise you about where similarly-spec’d cars to the GTI-R are discussed.

5) Foul language and personal abuse/derogatory remarks of any other list member(s) or the police will not be tolerated. No illegal activities will be discussed. A grading system of punishment will be imposed culminating in a lifetime ban. If anyone wants advice on whether a posting is legal and/or acceptable, they should send it to one of the list moderators in the first instance (Ray/Caleb/Chris).

6) No trade/business advertising will be permitted. If you know of a trader who has a car and/or bits for sale, say so but get the deal(s) off-list. It's ok to say "My GTI-R is for sale - if you're interested, contact me on <tel no>/<website>/<email". It's not ok to say "We are Fred Bloggs Ltd and have a selection of fine cars like the GTI-R for sale blah blah blah". We don't want the list cluttered-up with ads that no-one's interested in. Strictly, the yahoogroups communities ban all forms of advertising. Also, if you're a dealer, there's no point pretending to be a genuine list member - we have ways of finding you out.

V10 clarification: it's ok to mention trade names - e.g., Mobil 1 0w-40 is unsuitable for turbo engines in mild/hot climates, Mobil 1 Motorsport 15W-50 is ok. Colder European countries/climates may well suit 0W-40 ... in mails. Otherwise it would be very clumsy to get your point across.

7) Experience of servicing/dealers: for the time being, only post positive items. We don't want to open you up to the risk of libel. If you have had a bad deal or have been treated poorly/ripped off, then say so (but no names, though) and invite anyone who's interested to contact you off-list. That way, it's a private conversation. (V8) Post stuff only that you, as a list member, have first-hand experience of. So, definitely no postings about "a mate who knows a bloke whose car was screwed by XYZ Co Ltd".

8) Remember that this list is a worldwide collection of people. We're all interested when something goes wrong/gets fixed or new alternatives/sources become available for spares etc. We're not interested in the "I did nine hundred and thirty miles in twelve hours last week, it was awesome" tales, nor the "Overtook thirteen Ferrari's in a three-day stint at the Nurenburgring last summer, one was driven by Michael Schumacher" fantasy. If it's relevant to the rest of the list members around the world, post it (twice if you think it'll help). And please, no "Yeah, right" postings. If you agree with someone's view, tell them personally, not them and every other list member. If you have more to add, do so. If you disagree, say why. "Rubbish" is not a reasonable contrary view. Be polite, even if you strongly disagree. Hard on the problem, soft on the person, please.

9) No attachments of any kind. If you have photo's, spreadsheets, 'funny' programs or screen savers etc. then tell people buy all means but keep it off the list. This is the commonest way that viruses are spread and not everyone is a PC nerd (yet).

10) Feel free to post messages about the GTI-R list to other lists but don't send the same message to multiple lists. If your message is specific to the GTI-R, post it here!

11) Post all messages as "plain text only" i.e., if you have the option to send in HTML, turn it off (that's another way in for viruses). Why - and how?

When you set up your mail account, one of the options you can select is to send messages as "plain text" or "HTML"

If you select HTML, the message is sent but it takes up about 3 to 4 times more space than plain text. This means that people get a longer message (although it looks the same size as a plain text message).

If everyone used HTML, all the messages sent to yahoogroups, and sent on to each list member, would occupy loads of space. Which is unnecessary, because the message is still the same: it just looks different - coloured text, fancy background etc.

Also, although it has not been done yet, future hackers could theoretically send a virus in the HTML code.

To switch to plain text in Outlook Express, select Tools/Options/Send and click "plain text".

12) It's ok to post a message saying <car description> seen at <time>/<place> are you on the list" but please respect the fact that some people may not want to have their registration no (license plate?) advertised here.

13) Please do not post "street" race-type adventures. Thankfully, we have agreed without hassle, to ban this kind of post. Why?

I have no way of knowing what the daytime jobs are of the list members. It is feasible that we have list members who are from the motor insurance industry. References to unsanctioned racing on the public highway are just the kind of thing we want to keep from the insurance industry. One list member is already paying more than GBP1,100 per year to be able to drive his car. Some performance cars in the UK are, this year, are having their rating hiked and one guy I know had his premium more than triple (without a claim on his part).

A number of list members do officially race/drag/rally their cars and telling us all about this is fine.

Obviously I want you to enjoy your car to the max. But please, post no reference on this list to racing adventures on the open public highway.

(V9) 14) Suppliers of parts and/or services are reminded of the common commercial practice of not slagging off each other. If you are in business, this is not the place to try to undermine someone else's business. The list members comprise owners, fans and people with a commercial interest in the GTI-R who are mainly trying to help each other without, primarily, profiting at the expense of others. As always, if you are unsure about a particular item you wish to post, mail me first III-ray.w@virgin.net-III and I will do all I can to help.

 
if you have a web site and want to add a link to make it easy for other people to subscribe to the list, add the following HTML code to your page ...

<center<a href="http://www.egroups.com/subscribe/gti-r>
<img src="http://www.egroups.com/images/join.gif height=36 width=72<br>
Click to subscribe to GTI-R</a</center>

(don't know if this works - feedback please?)

If you're going on holiday and don't want to receive any mail from us nice people for, say a couple of weeks, connect to http://www.yahoogroups.com, enter your email address and the password you used for yahoogroups, go to GTI-R subscription and change it to "No Mail - Yes". When you get back, same but change it to "No Mail - No".

V10 Q How do I send a mail to just the author and not to the entire Yahoogroups list?
============================================================
I'm sorry that I'm telling most of you what you already know but some people on this list aren't very familiar with computers, email etc, etc ...

I've seen people asking this kind of question loads of times ...

So all you need to do is:-

1a Go into you inbox/deleted items/sent items and open a message sent by the person you want to send a message to.

1b Alternatively you can do a find items search from the tools menu and just type in a name you are after..(this then looks in all messages and even if that person isn't the sender if he sent something contained in one of the threads you can cut & paste the address anyway)

2. Right click on the sender name and a dialogue box appears, click on copy

3. Start a new message then right click in the "To..." box and click paste ... the copied email address will now appear..

hope this helps

James

Top

 

 

Q What happens if I break down - how do I get it towed?
=======================================================
Thanks to Carolyn for this ...

NISSAN recommends that the 4-wheel drive vehicle be towed with all wheels off the ground as follows:

1. Using a flat-bed truck.
2. Using a combination of a tow truck and a dolly.

Towing with four wheels on ground, observe the following restricted towing speeds and distances.
Speed: Below 50 km/h (30 MPH)
Distance: Less than 65 km (40 miles)

Never tow a 4-wheel drive model with front or rear wheels raised and rear or front wheels on the ground as this may cause serious and expensive damage to the transaxle. If it is necessary to tow the vehicle with the front or rear wheels raised, always use a towing dolly under the rear or front wheels.

 

Q What should I do if I drown-out or have to cross a flood/ford?
================================================================
From Craig Rogers - On the clutch housing, there is a rubber plug, after driving through water that is over the height of the housing (not very deep if your car is lowered), then you are supposed to remove this plug to drain [everything] off, then put the plug back in. This is from the Nissan handbook that comes with the car! - Craig

Q How can I get a Workshop Manual
=================================
Order part numbers Part # SM1E-1N4BG0 (Vol 1) and SM1E-2N4BG0 (Vol 2) from your local Nissan dealer.

In Australia get workshop manuals from Bookworks in Sydney. This mob is the supplier for all Nissan manuals.

Contact: Bret Shadwell
56 Bonds Road, Punchbowl NSW 2196 Australia
Phone: 61 2 9740 6766
Fax: 61 2 9740 6591

Vol 1 - Aud$395
Vol 2 - Aud$295 (just mortgage the house)

There is also a supplementary book which just covers airbags, airconditioning, seatbelts for an extra Aud$90.

Huge thanks to Carolyn Peterson for that info.
 

Q My car has developed a fault and I need help
====================================
First off, there's no such thing as a stupid question - only a stupid answer. So don't feel as though you only need to ask tough questions!

There are ways the list can help you … (V10)

* look at the archives http://www.yahoogroups.com/messages/gti-r for anything similar

* post details as a mail asking for HELP in the Subject e.g., "HELP flat battery" and record as much as possible about the problem in a structured way.

Top

 

 

 

Q What's the oil capacity?
==========================

3.7 litres with a new oil filter, 3.5 litres without

Q Oil - what's the best and what's to avoid?
============================================
Aside from the obvious (use branded before it's too late, and change it as frequently as you can afford) there is a debate raging on every car club site about what to use for turbo's. If the oil you want to use meets the specification in the handbook, you should feel confident that it will perform. If you're buying an oil on a mate's advice - can he/she prove that the oil won't damage your motor? If in doubt - ask your local Nissan dealer. I have used 0W-40 and 10W-50 with no problems, both are fully synthetic.

Q What's the water capacity?
============================

6.6 litres including the reservoir tank

Q Have I got a problem with my turbo?
=============================
My reference for this piece is Car Mechanics magazine. I've limited it to a description of how turbo's work and Faults/Diagnosis.

How does it work - this is fairly basic stuff, so skip if you already know. The turbo has two distinct (and in terms of gasses, separate) sides, inlet and exhaust. The turbo is driven by the hot exhaust gasses being passed over a turbine before exiting the turbo housing to the exhaust system. The shaft that the turbine is attached to also drives the inlet side, the impeller. The impeller sucks fresh, FILTERED air in, compresses it and forces it through the intercooler. The path over the impeller raises the fresh air to about 98C above ambient: the intercooler tries to reduce this back to an acceptable level (not very successfully on the GTI-R because the air/air radiator sits on top of the hot engine - bad design!). The turbine/impeller shaft has a hard life and the only relief it gets from spinning at up to 200,000 rpm with one hot end and another not-so-hot end is via the cooling oil bath forced through an oilway in the center housing between the turbine and the impellor - in at the top and out at the bottom. Without anything to control it, the turbine would spin up excessively. This would soon destroy the turbo - and the engine - so a bypass is incorporated into the exhaust side to vent away excess gas to the exhaust before it can drive the turbine to excess.

What can go wrong - turbo's aren’t in the rocket science league: there's not much to go wrong. But when it does it will be either a gradual loss of efficiency or a catastrophic failure. Here's a list of common faults;-

A1) Oil starvation: not just "no oil", but possibly also "the wrong oil" (see this topic elsewhere in the FAQ). "No oil" can be caused by blockage in the inlet OR the exit oil feeds, or in the oilways in the central housing. "The wrong oil" could be poor quality/wrong SAE (see this topic elsewhere in the FAQ) or contamination i.e., not changed frequently enough, read "normal service intervals".

A2) Damage to the impeller caused objects introduced by unfiltered air. This will rapidly exacerbate the problem because the impeller will break-up and self-destruct.

A3) excessive build-up on the impellor or turbine blades. The turbine/impellor unit is dynamically balanced during manufacture to very fine tolerances. Anything that attaches itself to one or the other will un-balance the unit and create (or accelerate) wear.

A4) I want to repeat the bit about oil contamination, here. The turbine/impeller shaft runs on phosphor-bronze bearings. Yes: solid metal. You can get replacement roller bearing turbo's and yes, they are expensive. Anyway, whatever the bearing, you get a bit of junk in there and ... instant bearing wear. You don't get a second chance.

A5) deliberately excessive overboost - the turbo is designed to run at the manufacturers' settings on the wastegate actuator. If this is exceeded by any huge amount - you'll have fun for a while, but it will cost in the long run. What will eventually happen is that the turbine will "lose" bits off the fins which in turn will hit other fins and so on. I've seen pictures of this effect where 50% of the turbine blades are just not there any more. Better to fit a different turbo more suited to the boost you want to run.

A6) fragments of worn engine! Yep it can happen. So, if the engine is in that bad a state that it's donating itself out the exhaust, these bits will hit the turbine and break it up.

A7) faulty actuator - sticking closed can cause excessive overboost (see above).

Q How can I tell if my turbo is broken?
=======================================
Lack of power, strange noises, excessive oil consumption, oil leaks and blue exhaust smoke. If that all sounds like the symptoms of any other engine problem - you're right. So, check the rest of the engine first. Get the cylinders pressure-checked, make sure plugs and electrics are good etc etc.

If the shaft is worn, oil will find it's way past the seals and exit either into the inlet or the exhaust compressor: result - heavy oil consumption and blue exhaust smoke.

If the oil exit from the center housing is blocked you'll get the same result.

If you're not sure - there are specialists who can give you an inspection and report.

Q How long will a turbo last?
=============================
Properly serviced - and that just means oil/filter changes regular intervals with the right grade/quality oil and a _proprietary_ filter (don't save pennies here it's not worth it and the Nissan unit is cheap anyway) - expect between 75,000 and 150,000 miles out of the turbo depending on how it's used.

Q How much boost can I run safely?
==================================
The more, the less. That is - it depends what you want to do with the car. If you're out to post the fastest time on a drag strip and can afford a rebuild afterwards, then I've seen figures of 450bhp from a well-overboosted car. That owner has gone through a couple of gearboxes, too. Standard boost is 9psi (give or take 1psi) and if the usual engineering tolerances are built in, then up to 10% extra might be acceptable for everyday use, hence varying 'standard' boost quotes up to e.g., "about 10.6psi". If you run anywhere near 300bhp you'll probably fry the standard clutch. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

Q What does the intercooler do? Can I get rid of it?
====================================================
When air is compressed heat is generated. The air compressed by a turbocharger can easily reach 250F or more. At that extreme, the air density is down, and so is power. For best engine efficiency and optimal power, the ideal air temperature is at or below 160F.

Some intercoolers cool down the air from 250F to 160F, but suffer a large pressure drop in doing so. This can cost 20-25% in power. On the other hand, some intercoolers do a good job of retaining pressure but at the expense of cooling.

What's needed is a super-efficient intercooler that maintains boost pressure and slashes charge temperature. Free-flowing intercoolers help the turbocharger, especially at high RPM. Done right, intercoolers also reduce engine-threatening detonation.

There's often not enough room to fit an intercooler of sufficient size: some employ what they call an "inner-fin" design.

Another rule of thumb - the more boost you run, the hotter the compressed air.

An old rule of thumb used to be 1bhp per degree C. A recent quote said "The expected figures should be 1bhp per 3-5 degrees C that you can lower the intake temperature by".

So, don't throw the intercooler away, unless you want less power and are trying to destroy the engine.

 

 

Q Can I add liquid power (additives)?
=====================================
Toluene - see http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=74720&tocid=0&query=toluene and decide for yourself!

Methyl Benzene (aka toluene). If you take Premium unleaded as having an octane rating of 95, then a 10% mixture of Methyl Benzene will raise it to 97, 20% to 99 and 30% to 101. They [Shell Oils] do not recommend a mixture of more than 30% due to volatility constraints.

Q Can I run leaded petrol?
==========================
One has to ask why, but yes you can so long as the catalyst and lambda sensor have been removed. If you live in the UK, removing a catalyst is illegal on cars "manufactured after 1 August 1992" (J-plate). This may be true in your country, too. A lambda sensor will rapidly fail if leaded fuels are used. A failed sensor will cause erroneous (possibly catastrophic) fuelling in your engine. Still want to do it?

Q What's a Lambda (?) sensor, then?
===================================
The Lambda or O2 sensor measures the amount of unburned oxygen in the exhaust. From this the ECU can fine tune the fuel mixture. This helps to improve efficiency and is absolutely critical for the operation of the catalytic converter. Peak operation of the cat is only possible at an air fuel ratio of 14.7:1 referred to as "Lambda". An air fuel ratio of Lambda is great for low emissions and fuel consumption, but bad for high boost and engine speed. Consequently the ECU ignores the lambda sensor at high boost and RPM. Therefore they cannot be depended on for fixing fuel system problems.

Then there's the following thesis by a Subaru owner which includes comparisons of engine management systems ... "First off having carried out a great deal of comparative work using the standard ecu and the Link ecu I would say that the standard ecu works under close loop lambda control until the throttle is moved significantly and then the ecu goes open loop and follows a pre-set map. On my car it provides for an air/fuel ratio of approx 12.6:1 that coincides with max performance.

Under cruise or idle the air/fuel ratio is maintained at approx 13.6:1 by the closed loop system. David’s comments about the principle of operation are therefore supported by the checks I've done. For ideal economy the afr ought to be 14.7:1 (stoichmetric point).

The lambda sensor being a galvanic oxygen concentration cell containing solid-state electrolyte becomes conductive for oxygen at approx 350 deg C.

Basically it reacts to the state of the exhaust gas and, without boring everyone with the tech detail, produces a variable voltage dependant on the amount of oxygen present. (It needs NO external power to do this) Rich mixture will produce voltages of circa 800-1000 mv and lean mixtures will produce circa 100 mv. The transition from lean to rich is in the 450-500 mv range. The sensor operates best in the temp range of 350 - 800 deg C. If 850 deg is exceeded then the life of the sensor starts to be seriously shortened.. Most sensors are heated so that they can be used after a few seconds. (that’s why there are three wires exiting them) The Bosch engine management system rocks the ecu about the ideal (transition) point to achieve ideal emissions and best economy, the Subaru does the same but does not "seem" to use the ideal point hence (I believe) the richer running and poor consumption.

As a definition Lambda equals the "actual inducted air mass" divided by the "theoretical air requirement" and is an indicator for the "excess-air factor" The stoichmetric air to fuel ratio is the mass ratio of 14.7 kg of air to 1 kg of fuel "theoretically" necessary to complete combustion.

So output can obviously vary from sensor to sensor but exhaust gas temperature can have just as great an effect on the readings, so can poor electrical contacts, so can the ecu tolerances, fuel grade, contamination, too rich a mixture map etc etc. The fuel consumption of an individual car is far more likely to be related to its mapping and component tolerance than a variation in sensors. I know of an instance where a sensor was seen to be malfunctioning (inconsistent output) and was changed without giving any improvement in consumption. Also don't forget that each time you move the accelerator whether on boost or off the ecu provides extra enrichment to the engine so driving along with no boost and moving the pedal frequently will result in increased consumption. Engine revs are obviously a significant factor. Lead will kill a normal sensor, it destroys the platinum coating, some sensors are more resistant to contamination than others ie Nissan and some Bosch ones. For interest I ran a 270bhp Vauxhall Turbo and used to regularly achieve mid 30's in enthusiastic use. With care I could get high 30's.

Since alterations to the afr must not be abrupt there is a time constant built into the ecu which ensures that the adjustments are made progressively ... imagine what would happen if mixture was adjusted instantaneously ... the car would jerk around and become very uncomfortable not to mention the extra strain placed on transmission etc.

So swapping sensors may bring a change but, if it was me I would not be betting on it.

BTW they are also very fragile and can be expensive to replace dependant on type." Phew!

 

Q Can I replace the standard catalyst with a high-performance one?
===================================================
There have been no reported problems with doing this.

Q What's this pinking/pinging/detonation stuff and have I got it?
================================================
Pinking/pinging is where the ignition is too far advanced … the burning in the combustion chamber happens too early and actually tries to push the piston back down before it's reached the top.

Detonation is where the temperatures inside the combustion chamber are so high that the fuel/air pre-ignites before receiving a spark. Same effect as pinking i.e. burning occurs too soon.

98RON "resists" detonation better than 95RON.

This is why cars running high boost need methods of lowering the temp inside the chambers - Water Injection is one method.

Nitrous injection also has very good cooling properties.

And I believe the grade of spark plug is important ... one that runs too hot will likely pre-ignite the mixture?

 

 

Top

 

 

Q What spark plugs should I fit?
================================

"The Book" says platinum-tipped NGK PFR7B with a gap of 0.8-0.9mm. These plugs have successfully been used on cars running over 320bhp (223kw) at the flywheel ... with correct fuelling etc as set on a dyno/rolling road. The plug gap may be reduced depending on the boost you're running. For example, 1 bar(14.503PSI) seems to favour a tad less than 0.8mm.

Other plugs are available e.g., HKS Iridium, Champion RC8PYP (colder platinum-tipped plugs for hotter-running engines) and Splitfire Triple electrode.

 

V10 Latest received wisdom from Chris Lloyd …

 

PFR6B's are what Nissan UK recommends, and what they fitted to the UK GTiR - (one of the few differences between UK and Japanese GTiR). They are supplied ungapped (i.e., you must gap them correctly yourself).

PFR7B's are what Nissan Japan and NGK recommend. They are supplied ungapped.

PFR7B-9 were the original Japanese equipment, gapped to 0.9mm, now discontinued and replaced with above.

PFR8B recommended by tuners for running more than 1 bar boost

PFR9B unknown

The PFR7B plugs should be gapped at 0.9mm for stock boost. For 1 bar boost, they should be gapped at 0.8mm or 0.75mm.

BTW - if you go to a Nissan dealer and ask for GTiR plugs you will be given PFR6B plugs which are too hot.

 

V10) addendum (from the NGK website … standard power) Always set the spark plug to the engine manufacturer's specified gap setting. A gap that is too small means that the spark duration will be very quick and the spark will be thin and weak. The consequences of this may be bad starting and high exhaust emission levels. This will result in an increase in fuel consumption. If the gap is set too large, the ignition system will not be able to cope with the demands and a misfire situation will occur. Some wide gap spark plugs have a longer ground electrode to accommodate a wide gap setting. These must be used where specified, as opening up a standard plug to a wider gap setting may result in the electrodes not running parallel to each other. This
could result in abnormal and premature electrode wear.

V10 Q What do all those letters and digits mean then?
=========================================

NGK spark plugs.

Part Number Representation:

P F R 7 B - 9

P - Double Platinum Plug
F - Thread Diameter and Hexagon size : 14ø x 19mm Hexagon 16.0mm
R - Resistor type
7 - Heat rating
B - additional symbols ??
9 - Spark gap (9 denotes 0.9mm although this has been dropped from recent
packaging)

More info ...

THREAD DIAMETER
A 18 mm
B 14 mm
C 10 mm
D 12 mm
E 8 mm

BC 14 mm (Hex size 16mm)
DC 12 mm (Hex size 16mm)

CONSTRUCTION
P Projected insulator nose type
U semi-surface or surface discharge type

R Resistor

5 Heat Rating, from No. 2 (very hot) to 13 (very cold)

THREAD REACH
E 19.0 mm
H 12.7 mm

CONSTRUCTION AND FEATURE
S standard type
Y V-grooved centre electrode
V centre electrode made of precious metals
VX Platinum plug
P Double platinum plug (ground & electrode)
K Two ground electrodes
T Three ground electrodes
M Two ground electrodes (for Rotary engines)
Q Four ground electrodes (for Rotary engines)
B For CVCC (compound vortex controlled combustion) engines
J Two oblique ground electrodes
A Special specifications
C Oblique ground electrode

SPARK GAP
9 0.9 mm
10 1.0 mm
11 1.1 mm
13 1.3 mm

-L intermediate heat rating

-N Ground electrode with special dimensions

A 5k (Ohms) CERAMIC resistor suppresses radio frequency noise protecting Car
radios, mobile phones, cellular phones and Engine Management Systems. So, pretty
interesting stuff if you’re using the wrong type of plugs without resistor,
it'll stuff up your ECU tuning.

Courtesy of the "NGK Spark Plugs guide"

 

Q What's the ignition wire resistance?
======================================

13.6 to 18.4 k/ohms per metre

 

Top

 

 

Q Is the standard clutch ok. How can I tell (answers from Dean Brown)
=====================================================================
Clutches are rated by how many kg's they can handle. A standard road car will be able to handle 400kg. Most NA 4 cylinder cars have 400kg clutches. A hypo 4wd car will have a stronger clutch because there is more weight to push around in the drivetrain. The Nissan Pulsar GTI-R has a standard 600kg clutch, this will and does feel heavier than a standard road car. Nismo make upgrades to 880kg and a special 960kg (almost a 1 tonne clutch).

Also when upgrading clutches try and get a carbon kevlar clutch as these will last 3 times as long as the standard unit. I am upgrading and will be getting a real mix and match job done. 1 side will be copper for total grip, and the other side will be kevlar for a bit of slip. One other thing to note is that kevlar grips better the hotter it gets.

Top

 

 

V10) The standard gearbox is reliable enough in an unmodified car (227bhp & 200 lb/ft @ 0.65 bar). Other options now (August 2001) include Quaife, Becker and Nismo – the latter comes sealed on an exchange basis for your old gearbox, with a guarantee to be able to take big power: but it’s not cheap. Obviously, if you’re running over the standard power figures, the lifetime of your gearbox will shrink accordingly. There have been many cases of stripped 2^nd gear in these circumstances. Other options include gears from Xtrac etc.

 

Top

 

 

 

Q The GTI-R uses a system called ATTESA! (bless you) - what's that, then?
=========================================================================
Here are a few mails received on the subject ...

Thanks to Dean Browne for the following;-

ATTESA - Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-terrain

Yep, that’s what ATTESA stands for and that’s what it does, except it is not so advanced. One thing to note about the ATTESA system in the GTI-R is that it is not electronically controlled. The R33 and R34 Nissan Skyline GTR have the electronically controlled version of this but that system has the actual name of ATTESA-ETS. The R32 and ["luxury"] GTI-R Nissans have a mechanical system based on so called clutches

GTI-R Rear Diff and front diff: It may not be called an LSD by most people but in fact it's design and function are very similar. The basic function of the limited slip diff is to distribute power to the wheel with the most traction. The GTI-R ATTESA set up is built to do this. The rear and front diffs have clutches in them (well almost), these look like a CDROM disc with the last 1-2cm of the CDROM bent out on an angle. These clutches work in a surprisingly easy way. When the person driving the car puts the foot to the floor so to speak there are a several events that happen.

1, The power to driveshaft increases.
2, The spider gears push the side gears away from the diff towards the wheels.
3, This increased load(push) causes the clutches to straighten and lock.
4, The lock increases the power to that wheel (remember this happens to both sides of the car).

What happens when a wheel loses traction? The clutch on that side of the diff will lose its lock and therefore power will be forced onto the other wheel. Simple??

The centre diff on the GTI-R:
There are 2 type systems used on GTI-R’s, If you own a rally version you should be able to see the centre diff underneath your car. If you own a road version the centre diff is actually incorporated inside the gearbox housing. The reasons for this are obvious as the rally cars may have needed to have the centre diff changed during a rally and the easiest way to do this is to have the centre diff on the outside of the gearbox. These 2 systems function in the exact same way though.

I have heard stories about the centre diffs in the GTI-R about whether they are a fluid/gel based unit or just another locking unit with clutches. I don't know which one it is yet but they both do the same thing it will sense (not really, it's mechanical) the loss of traction and distribute power in the other direction.

That is as simple as I can make it and about as much as I know at the moment. When I get more information I will pass it on. There is nothing really advanced about this system and most other 4wd vehicles have a very similar system. As for the 50:50 torque split, it is well known that this split is best used on gravel or wet roads.

Hope this enlightens some and helps others. Any feedback or other ideas about this system will be appreciated. Dean

Anthony Dix adds ...

The rally cars (Group A/WRC car not the homologation version) have an active centre diff (hydraulic clutch), just like a R32 GT-R. I assume they also had electronic control using g-sensors and wheel speed inputs. ATTESA is totally rear wheel drive until wheel spin is detected, then the centre clutch is engaged to feed torque to the front. ATTESA E-TS is the same but can also electronically control torque split between the rear wheels.

Joe Peterson says (and I believe him!) ...

The ATTESA 4WD system is not a true all time 4WD. The rear diff has a viscous coupling permitting both wheels to drive under power, if one looses drive it is then transferred to the opposite wheel locking the rear drive shafts as one, the front is a conventional spider gear diff with no viscous coupling inside thus power is lost when one front wheel loses traction, the front viscous coupling sits between the transfer case and drive shaft to the rear diff, which would allow a certain amount of slip to the rear diff. Drive from the gearbox is always available to the rear wheels through the transfer case. If 4WD was to be maintained all the time i.e., 4 wheels truly under power you would not suffer from oversteer as GTI-R 's do because the car would be pushed and pulled through a corner not just pushed. If you look at the homologated GTI-R its a totally different ball game, as it is a true all time 4WD dependant on what diff and transfer case combination you choose. It had additional electronic torque split and controlled slip diff with an automatic rear torque releasing system. In race or rally cars all time 4WD is feasible as with wheel spin or lifting off one or more wheels during hard cornering you don’t suffer from diff bind as you would in a road car. Hope this helps without getting to technical, (all this is out of the w/shop manual & the original FIA GTI-R Homologation Grp A Forms)

Finally (for now) from Anthony Dix ...

I have been in contact with Protech Developments in Melbourne re the GTI-R 4WD system.

The Nissan WRC car based on the GTI-R had an active centre diff under computer control. This car is far from the 'Rally' version available to the public. (i.e. your car.)

The two versions available to the public (luxury and rally) had the same* 4WD system:

- viscous limited slip diff at rear
- viscous coupling at the centre (passive)
- open front diff

v10) *addendum The Rally (GTi-R B) spec came with a viscous front LSD in the Close Ratio G/Box

 

Top

 

Q Are standard brakes adequate? If not, what can I do to improve them?
======================================================================
It depends on what you define as adequate. What do you want to use your car for? Is it a full-out circuit car or a cruismobile? That's the deciding factor. How often will maximum braking be required? If the answer is "only in emergencies" then the standard brakes are probably "adequate". More than that and the question is more difficult to answer. Why? Well a bit of theory won't go amiss, first, in helping you to decide what to do.

Few cars can exceed 0.8g deceleration. The limit is the tyres breaking grip (locking). Full braking from 120kph on a GTI-R generates enough energy to bring 2 litres of water to the boil from ambient temperature. This heat has to be eliminated. Nearly all the energy lost during braking is turned into heat in the disk. The pads heat up, of course but it is also their job to insulate the caliper from heat. A small amount of noise is unavoidable.

Size matters! If the disc becomes too thin, wear will increase exponentially, because heat cannot be eliminated into and from the mass of the disk during braking. The disk overheats and stresses form in all components. As an example, the surface temperature of a worn, 4mm thick disk increases by almost 3 times that of a new 10mm thick disk. At a depth of 2mm below the surface the temperature can bu up to 800oC. The minimum thickness of a disk is indelibly marked on the outside edge. Final surprise: the disk melts during braking. Not much - but just a few microns under the surface, the temperature exceeds the melting point of cast iron.

So how can the brakes be improved? Well, under maximum braking the load is transferred to the front axle, so the front brakes are the most critical.

If you want to retain standard running gear the only options available are improved pad material and braking fluid.

There are four major components of a braking system;-

a) disc
b) pads (or more specifically, the pad material)
c) caliper, piston(s) and seals
d) brake fluid

If you want to use the car on the track, you'll probably need to change everything, including your budget.

i) bigger diameter discs inside bigger wheels
ii) cross-drilled and grooved disks (ventilated, of course)
iii) competition pads that only work after they have need brought up to temperature (dangerous for road use)
iv) competition brake fluid that resists boiling better than standard fluid
v) lighter, open, multi-pot calipers in aluminium to get rid of heat and keep it away from the brake fluid
vi) full stainless steel braided hoses

Failures can be characterised in any of these components, however, catastrophic events due to high-energy use will generally only occur in either the disk or the fluid. Brake fade due to vapour lock in the fluid is usually progressive, so that just leaves the disks.

Failure commonly arises from;-

1) poor fitting (over-torque/dirt on the braking surface/mis-alignment/no running-in/caliper movement)
2) incorrect theory (disk is too small/thin/poor design/non-homogenous/wrong mix/under-specified)
3) wrong or poor pad material (vitrified disk/excessive pad wear/scoring)
4) excessive wear/cracks (not checked before use)

There are many other elements embodied in the brake system: the pad material can comprise up to 20 seperate components. Most surprising (to me, anyway) are the inclusion of marble and graphite! The discs contain 93-94% grey cast iron. Carbon, silicon and manganese make up nearly all the rest but there are 9 other elements which are mainly impurities of manufacture and are impossible to eliminate.

Conclusion: generally, bad brakes are ones that are just plain being asked to do more than was intended in the original design or are not properly checked/fitted. A 1974 1.5 Golf weighing 780kg uses the same disk as a 1030kg MKIII - because they got it right for normal, everyday use.

For the really brake-addicted, add water cooling. Fog water into the back side of the rotors with a separate windshield washer motor. This pump can run continuously on the track. With these simple modifications you can vastly increase your stock brake's performance without spending huge money.

Top

 

 

Q what are all the suspension bits? What do they do? Must I fit a strut brace?
=========================================================================
Rather than try to answer all this, I've ducked out - look at http://www.geocities.com/chrislonghurst/ for all your answers.

 

Q Wheels & tyres - what size will fit?
======================================
The stud patters (PCD) is 4 x 100mm (Golf fitment)

 

Generally 7" x 17" is no problem depending on how much the car is lowered but if you want to roll the arches (the arch shape "L" becomes a squashed "J" ... but you'll probably muck up the paint ... I hear it's possible to persuade the lip of the arch into the right shape with a wooden baseball bat! I won't be trying this) then you might go to 7.5" x 17. However, I also hear that when stretching the limits it's possible to get fouling against the damper. Caleb has 17's on his, the SE-R net list shows 17's too. One is shod with 215x35 profiles: this example also has "Nulothene" bushes so it's possible that the owner has no sense of feeling in his/her body - or it's a circuit car. People have fitted 18's but not entirely successfully.

Tyres are a moot point: generally, tyres that are good in the wet are not as good in the dry (e.g., more wear) and tyres that are good in the dry are usually hopeless in the wet. No tyre is "the best" at everything. There may be an excellent compromise tyre, but is it too expensive for your budget? Also, in the UK, it is rare for the air temperature to rise over 30c. On the two days a year when that happens in the UK (like 1998) a certain tyre may give the best 'bite' and 'feel'. It's more likely to snow than that. If you do track days, get a pair of spare rims, check the weather forecast (hahaha-UK only) and kit them up with suitably grippy low-profiles. More debate on this one I feel certain!

V10 If you are using coil-over shock absorbers you may well have to fit spacers. Beware ... alloy spacers and alloy wheels = weakness. Use properly-designed spacers where the spacer bolts to the hub and the wheel bolts to the spacer. See http://www.egroups.com/files/gti-r/Ben+P Alternatively, get full-spec hubs made that will do the job properly.

 

Q How low will it go?
=====================
-35mm (1 1/2in) is probably as far as you'd want to go for everyday use: but check first that your car hasn't already been lowered! After that - it depends on whether you want to use all four (five) seats at the same time.
Chris Lloyd adds ... UK spec Eibach lowering springs drop the back by about 30-35mm, but the front is down a good 60-65mm but when you've got your mates in though it sits fine.

Caleb uses Spax springs for the GTI which has a lighter front end therefore the front end goes down 75-90mm but only drops the rear by 35mm. Spax are currently working on a fully adjustable kit with the right springs for the GTI-R.
James Kazim (off-list owner and Nissan Service Manager) says it's possible to go more than -100mm!

Q What are the best geometry settings?
======================================
Horses for courses - go radical and buy tyres twice as frequently as you should. That is, too much camber (positive or negative ) will give uneven wear. So will too much toe-in/out. But if it's for the track - you'd want the settings that give the best performance and to heck with tyre wear.

Thanks for the following from Chris Glassock (fritzsGTI-R@hotmail.com)

From Nissan in China for a N14 / 4WD / SR20DET
----------------------------------------------

Where d = degrees

Front
-----
Toe-in (mm) 2 +/- 1
Camber (degrees) -0 d 05' +/- 45'
Caster (degrees) 1 d 15' +/- 45'
Kingpin inclination (degrees) 13 d 15' +/- 45'

Rear
----
Toe-in (mm) 1 +/- 2
Camber (degrees) -0 d 10' +/- 45'


From a Wheel Alignment Machine Handbook in Sweden
---------------------------------------------------

For a 1991 - 1993 Sunny / Pulsar GTI-R N14

Where d = degrees

Front
----- Min Max
Left Toe 0 d 03' 0 d 09'
Right Toe 0 d 03' 0 d 09'
Total Toe 0 d 06' 0 d 18'
Set Back ******* ******

Left Camber -0 d 39' 0 d 50'
Right Camber -0 d 39' 0 d 50'
Camber Diff. ******* 0 d 30'

Left Caster 0 d 30' 2 d 00'
Right Caster 0 d 30' 2 d 00'
Caster Diff. ******* 0 d 30'


Rear
----
Min Max
Left Toe -0 d 03' 0 d 08'
Right Toe -0 d 03' 0 d 08'
Total Toe -0 d 06' 0 d 16'
Thrust Line ******* *******

Left Camber -0 d 55' 0 d 34'
Right Camber -0 d 55' 0 d 34'

Also see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gti-r/files/ALIGNM1.jpg as tested on a Sun 4-wheel alignment machine ... the handwritten note is by the machine operator, not me!

On front camber the Chinese and Sun (handwritten) data agrees, the Swedish figure differs although this setting is, strangely, within tolerance of the other data.

Q How do I keep my wheels looking like new?
===========================================
Oh no! My wheels got dirty. Sorry, but for me there's more to life than worrying about minor scrapes and smudges. If they're originals and they're bad you can get them re-manufactured at almost any wheel/tyre outlet (they'll forward it to one or two specialist wheel restorers): the current price is about GBP35-45 (GBP = Great Britain, Pounds). I've seen some that have been done like this and it seemed to me that a lot of meat was taken off, making the rims more susceptible to further damage. Note that some tyres have a built-in 'shoulder' to help prevent damage.

If you must use a toothbrush to clean them, here's what works for me (every 2-3 years, I really hate this work). Wait until they're cold. Clean them out of the hot sunlight - it just makes life easier. Wash with a wax-free shampoo: not a washing up detergent - that will seize your calipers. Don't dry. Rinse and agitate with a nylon bristle brush. Dry. Remove tar with a proper removing fluid. Use Wonder Wheels or a similar product, as directed. Wash again. Dry. Wax - no, seriously! But don't spray the wax, drop some onto a rag and rub vigorously. Buff the polish off and that's about the best you can do. (Colour Magic is good e.g., black for dark-pained wheels, because it has a slight de-oxidising effect. That is, it takes a layer of paint/lacquer off ... not enough to make any difference to the paint but a big difference to the finish). I would never use power tools to do any of the above.

Maybe toothpaste works, I've never tried it but I hear it will make your wheels smell better that your average polish.

Top

 

V10 Q What are the standard colours?
================================

In descending order of popularity (read common! ;-) )
Black
Grey (not that common, but I've got one – now purple - so it must be easy to get!)
White (I've only ever seen pics of a dozen)
Red (I've only ever seen pics of half a dozen)

Special colours - from the factory
Ivory white (The Dakar version - 500 ever?)
Green (20 ever made - it's a predominantly silvery colour, made to commemorate a company event in Japan)

Non-standard
Blue (a Subaru-like colour scheme with gold wheels)
Green (a pastel, bluey-green)
Silver (on the GRW page)
Sorta purple/flip (Cashy's current car)
Yellow (Tich's mota)

Pics are available on http://www.gti-r.com/

 

Q (UK-specific) I want to fit small number plates to my car - what's the score?
==============================================================================
From the EVO list ... by David Johnson ...

"The laws relating to figure size and spacing are as follows:

Group 1: For a single line-Characters 89mm(3 1/2") high.
64mm(2 1/2") wide-"1" width-16mm (5/8")

Spacing: Either end of the registration-25mm(1")
Top and Bottom----------------13mm(1/2")
Between letters-----------------13mm(1/2")
Between the groups of figures--38mm(1 1/2")

For two lines: Same rules but space between upper and lower line-19mm(3/4").

Group 2 : For a single line- Characters 79mm(3 1/8") high
57mm(2 1/4") wide-"1" width-14mm(9/16")

Spacing: Either end, Top and Bottom--11mm(7/16")
Between letters----------------11mm(7/16")
Between the groups-----------33mm(1 5/16")

For two lines: Same rules but space between upper and lower line-19mm(3/4").

A major minefield then-don't forget that there is a fine of up to £1000 and the possibility of having your registration withdrawn-especially relevant if, like me, you've got a personalised reg. Mind you, from the figures above I think we are all crossing the line. A five figure reg even including a "1" needs a plate 13 5/16" long ( i think!!)-pedantry maybe but some police live for that."

Top

 

 

Q I want clear side repeaters?
==============================================================
Demon Tweeks part no : ABCN-300, description : Side repeaters SUNNY/PRIMERA clear pair (even says sunny GTI-R on the back).

V10) Pics of how to modify them without damage for the GTI-R are on http://www.gti-r.com/misc/misc.html - instructions are there too!

Q Should I keep using the climate control in the winter?
========================================================
Yes. It keeps the pump seals lubricated.

Top

 

 

Q I want to upgrade but I'm confused - what do I do first?
==========================================================
Here's my 8-step upgrade path ... it's just a suggestion. You can do as much/little as your budget allows but step number one ...

A1) Plan it.
A1.1) Decide what you want to do and cost it - then double the cost, 'coz that'll be more comfy for you if it costs less! Include Insurance increase too, to stay legal.
A1.2) When deciding what you want, for each part you're replacing ask yourself two things
A1.2.1) Will I be replacing it again in six/12 months? Selling new bits secondhand hardly used can be heartbreaking - you rarely get what it's really worth.
A1.2.2) Is it the best I can afford? You gets what you pays for - but be sure that what you're getting is _really_ worth it by shopping around
A1.3) Be realistic with your plan. Aside from "can you really afford it" (you always will if you _really want to achieve the goal), by starting with a bits list plan, budget and timetable you won't be frustrated because you always seem to be waiting forever for the next thing to arrive. Speak to suppliers; one I contacted recently was working off an 8 to 10 week order book.
A1.4) When you plan what it is that you want, take into account insurance premiums being hiked. Ask them _in writing_ first. Do it _before_ you start.
A1.5) Get the info. Ask everyone, don't be put off and disbelieve everything unless it can be proven (within reason).
A1.6) Get hold of the experts. Find out who they are. Get their commitment. if it's a "couple of pints" job then be prepared to be disappointed.
A1.7) Insurance again - if you're getting anything done for you make sure the fitter has got a recognised qualification. You might be asked, so it's worth checking out.
A1.8) When you're budgeting, include labour charges.
A1.9) Finally, be honest with yourself: will the end product really be what you want. Will it be "fit for your purpose" or will it be an expensive folly?

A2) Brakes and tyres (& wheels).

To quote a recent magazine - what do you want more brakes for? They only slow you down! Yep.

That's the whole point. You _will_ slow and you _will_ be able to brake later (deeper into the corner). Follow this, saving 0.5 sec because of _relatively_ cheap, better braking system would cost a huge amount to increase BHP by an equivalent margin.

If you're not upgrading to bigger disks then tyres are first on your list of upgrades.

If you are fitting bigger disks, first comes the wheel size. Max practical is 7.5x17 (with a little fouling if combined with lowered springs). Then come tyres. Then the brakes.

Don't go more than 4-pot as the standard brake master cylinder can't cope: re-work that and six-pots are back on your shopping list.

Don't forget to upgrade the brake fluid and the flexible brake pipes.

Do a proper brake ducting job: get fresh air directed onto the disks/calipers.

NB Full-house brake pads don't work very well if they're cold. You might fail the MOT (UK)! And you _will_ scare yourself in an emergency if they're not hot enough.

A3) Ok, it stops, but it wallows, understeers - and I want to lower it too!
For the best - get a fully adjustable (rate & height) set of shocks. Uprate the springs but balance the increased spring rate with comfort (back to the "fit for purpose" tactic). Anything else will be a compromise and you might end up getting the whole lot re-done to another compromise setting that - if you'd planned - might have cost the same amount as the fully adjustable kit. Don't forget to add _properly_ spec'd anti-roll bars. Get these wrong and you could finish up with a wurlitzer instead of a roller skate. Max race spec demands Nulothene bushes, too. The extra stress on standard rubber bushes will put the alignment out and you will (that's WILL) eat tyres much quicker than normal.

For a full "road" suspension setup, see dEcKs article on the shared file area of the yahoogroups site.

A4) Increase your oil capacity. This is beneficial no matter what else you do to the engine.

The two stages are, in order;-
A4.1) Fit a second* oil cooler & thermostat. It should add about 2 litres to your total capacity - that's nearly 60% over standard (3.7 litres)
A4.2) Money no object? Add a baffled sump. Prices are astronomical given the low-tech result but if you're going racing or plan regular track days it's a serious piece of kit.
A4.3) Next is a surge pump: it squirts extra oil around when required and (I think) sucks it back when the panic's over. Sounds a bit iffy?
A4.4) Instead of the baffled sump and the surge pump, get it dry-sumped. It'll probably cost less in the long run.

* the standard GTI-R already has a water-cooled oil cooler built into the oil filter housing

A5) If you're upgrading in stages, maybe because you can't get the whole kit straight away, go for the exhaust next and get a mild steel system from the turbo back. That way, you'll get a relatively cheap increase in performance. If you're not planning any more major engine work, get a stainless job done instead. When you can afford it, after any big engine upgrade, replace the mild steel system with one more tuned for the final result. you might want to do the manifold to the turbo if things are really serious.

A6) Things will be getting hot at this point. So a front-mounted intercooler will be a good idea. It's complex and you will probably want to remove the air conditioning kit anyway (Northern Hemisphere climates or race/rally spec). Notice the original fit. Rubber hose is kept to a minimum. Don't "do the python" with metres of silicon hose: keep the rubber to an absolute minimum. Top quality kits use aluminium pipe.

A7) A simple next step - let it breathe. Steps are;-
A7.1) Fit a flat race filter in the existing airbox instead of the standard one - but check that it won't fold up under max boost
A7.2) Replace the existing airbox with a cone-type
A7.3) Re-do the whole thing with a fresh air system plumbed in from a well-protected front-facing duct or better yet mount the air cleaner outside the engine bay

A8) If you're planning the job, you'll get to this point and say - but I haven't made it go any faster yet. Wrong: you should get anything up to 265bhp without touching the engine, boost or ECU. So, which will it be? Frankly, engine components that affect power should not be changed independently. Why - well, here's a simple rule. Too much of any one thing is bad for you.

(Hear about the vegetarian that ended up only eating carrots? Dead. And orange.) Go for balance. This is where mega-bucks start. Too much boost and the engine/turbo will lunch. Over-chip and it could be the most expensive couple of hundred you'll ever spend. So, that leaves the engine. Eh? Yep, the engine. Japanese engines are world renowned for quality.

Under stress-free conditions, that is. I recently heard of one carefully looked-after standard Japanese engine that lunched itself after a full running-in and TLC. Owner took it for it's first track day. Ok, there was a fault. But that's my point. Getting the engine reworked _properly_ should enable race conditions without nightmares.

Before you start doing anything with the engine, decide what size you want it. 1998cc? Fine.

But you can go to 2.2 litres with a stroker kit. If that's what you want, do it now. Not later. Now. But it'll cost the thick end of £3,500. Just for the (new) parts.

Staying with 2 litres: well any significant increase in boost will mean an uprated clutch and one or all of the following ... forged pistons (included in the 2.2 stroker kit), water injection, special low-compression head gasket, modified turbo ... think ceramic ball bearing at the top end of the scale, cockpit-adjustable bleed valve (aka adjustable boost valve).

A9) To complete (?) the shopping list add quick shift, six-speed straight-cut close-ratio gearbox, LSD's (mechanical diff locks), throw all the weight out and replace the standard seats with Kevlar jobbie(s). Going racing? There are regulations to cover, but in general, fireproofing, a roll cage and fully plumbed-in fire extinguisher are necessary for anything above night events (UK).

I've run out of ideas at this point - what's missing?

Q What's a turbo timer and must I use one?
=================================
Last point first: no. You can go without a turbo timer but after a period of on-boost running, wait for at least a minute before switching the engine off or else the turbo will be damaged by oil overheating in the bearings/shaft. You can guess from this it's the purpose of a turbo timer to automatically prevent the engine from being turned off and avoid consequent damage to the turbo. Note that it is illegal to leave a car unattended with the engine running, even if it's locked, in the UK.

Here's what one user says using an automatic unit ...

"I have a Blitz TT and it automatically works out the "OFF" time as to the pressure that the turbo has been using i.e., at 70 mph and an instant power off this will require 4 min's. At 90 mph and an instant power off will require 5 mins but if hitting traffic and then a town and then a power off this will require any time from 10sec to ????? The average for most trips i.e. town/fast/parking is 1.30 mins. The most dangerous time for the turbo is fast motorway then stopping at a service station ... loads of boost, loads of heat ... thus cooked oil on the turbo."

Q What's the best alarm system?
=========================
How about a very big, angry dog wearing a bullet-proof vest? It'd make me think twice! Seriously, there's a golden rule about theft of any kind. Thieves, if they want it, they'll get it. The better systems give you a chance of getting it back at some later date e.g., Tracker (for details, see later FAQ q & A). The better the (non-canine) system, the more it will cost. Currently, the Disklock is popular in the UK. It fits over, and completely covers, the steering wheel. My insurance demands a Thatcham (Association of British Insurers) Category 1 Alarm plus Immobiliser. That, to me, is the bare minimum I'd contemplate. With a rare (and getting rarer) model like the GTI-R all spares are hard to get, legally. And like any work of art they have a relatively high price on the street. Shame, but that's just the way it is. There's a popular story about a high-performance car that the owner parked in his converted garage - in pit lowered by a four-poster lift, all locked up. He'd had the work done because he was fed up with it being nicked all the time. One morning he went out his front door to see the car parked outside his house. With the keys on the driver's seat. The tealeaves did it just to prove that it could be done.

Thatcham approved alarms are listed at http://www.thatcham.org.

 

Q is there a cunning way to link the ECU to a pager to permit/restrict access to the vehicle?
=========================================================================
"It seems to me to be a really good and inexpensive idea to provide decent security. I suspect that in the long term the problem might be that the cunning thief will already have bypassed the ECU etc. to get the car started. In that case it might be important that your pager system was totally unconnected to and remote from the ECU. Something simple like it controlling a relay in the power supply to the fuel pump might be the way to go."

"Some time back there was an Escort Cosworth taken in Belfast despite hi-tech protection. The thief brought his own "ECU" type device with him and replaced the one already in the car. He then got in and drove off. There were also cases of people owning desirable cars finding that their cars were broken into in order to steal the ECU and it was thought that this was to produce "hacked" units which could then be used to steal cars of the same model."

"In such a situation if [the thief] was able to get some distance before you shut down the fuel pump then he would assume, hopefully, that his ECU had a fault/bad connection etc. and might abandon the car."

"In Belfast this system, like Tracker, is little use unless you could activate it very quickly as the police do nothing about car crime. There are over 9000 cars stolen every year in Belfast and almost all are found burnt out/wrecked in one very small area of the city. Due to politics (i.e. it would be termed harassment) the police can't go into this area to halt the problem and so they just ignore all car crime. If you didn't activate the system within a very few minutes of the car being taken then you would probably find it burnt out in the same area as all the rest."

Q What's a Tracker, do I need it and what'll it cost?
=====================================================
24hr tracker, they fit the car with motion sensors, so if the vehicle is moved an alarm sounds at the tracker head quarters, they ring you immediately and activate the tracker. The car has to move forward or backwards, not like the interior sensor of an alarm.

Cost: £778 fitted no yearly subs or £434 with a yearly sub of £95.

Example - £130 saving on insurance.

It's a bit pricey but ... it's cheaper than a new car?

Q I've heard about intercooler water sprays - what does it do?
=============================================================
The aim of the exercise is NOT to wet the intercooler.

By spraying an atomised mist of water into the stream of air entering the scoop, this air is "air-conditioned" by your evaporative air-conditioner, and is thus cooled to below ambient air temperature, effectively creating a wind-chill. An Australian turbo owner (non-GTI-R) has done tests with heat probes and found that a good water spray (not a fire hose!), plus air scoop splitter, will reduce the outlet temperature from a Subaru intercooler by 10% or 8 degrees celcius. This is horsepower for (almost) nothing, and is also a really "cool" trick. A useful addition is a small LED which lights up when the pump (switched on by boost) is pumping.

 

Q What's a dump valve and what does it do? What are the different types of DV?
=============================================================
When the boost is increased on a modified turbo car, the standard dump valve usually cannot cope with the extra air it has to release when the throttle is shut. This can lead to permanent damage to the turbo as the air is forced back through the inlet blades.

The following three related topics are utter steals from another Turbo site - no apologies ... it's common knowledge as long as you subscribe to every potentially related list!

"The purpose of a dump valve is to allow the turbo impeller to carry on spinning, when the throttle is lifted. If one was not fitted, the impeller would stall against the pressure that would build up, when the throttle butterfly closed, blocking the passage of intake air. Without a dump valve, the turbo would have to spool up from near standing, after every lift or gear change and the lag would make the car very difficult to drive."

"If any dump valve is working properly, it will be fully closed when the car is on boost and there will not be any performance advantage from changing it."

"When the throttle is lifted, the vacuum in the inlet manifold pulls opens the dump valve diaphragm and the valve should open quickly and offer the minimum resistance to venting intake pressure. "Vent to atmosphere" dump valves (the noisy ones) offer slightly less resistance than re-circulating ones (as fitted to Scoobies), but will allow air to enter the intake manifold through the valve when driving off boost... giving false air mass sensor readings. This is because the amount of air passing the air mass sensor is not the total amount of air that the engine is breathing in."

"In a re-circulating system, the dump valve still allows air in, through it, when off boost. But that air has passed the air mass sensor."

"As for sequential dump valves... hmmm. The best dump valves are the ones that go fully open to fully closed as quickly as possible."

"Even with vacuum in the manifold there is positive pressure in the intercooler side of the throttle body. At a brisk cruise off boost you could get up to 0.4 bar pressure. (and you could have up to 0.4 bar of vacuum, so 0.8 bar differential) If the dump valve opens at approx 0.4 bar the differential will definitely keep it open if the
spring is too weak. If you want an externally venting dump valve then the Bailey Motorsport EVO one is the way to go. It has a double piston in it. The bottom one stays shut and allows the top one to open under the conditions I've described. The two open together when you come off hard boost so doing their job. It ensures there is no air leakage from the system except under proper dump conditions. Spent nearly 6 months trying different types on my Cav turbo. When this one became available ... worked first time with no probs."

 

Q I'm just a bit unsure about what happens in part throttle, on-boost situations where the turbo is blowing more air than is being allowed past the throttle. Is it possible for the dump valve to open here? Might it explain the 'blowing over a bottle top' noise I get in these part throttle situations (but never under full boost)? Or is my standard valve faulty?
=========================================================================
In these situations, the inlet manifold will register positive boost and the valve will be shut. At a steady throttle, at say 70mph, the car is off boost. Move your foot down an inch and the car will go on boost.

The valve has a spring and the pressure of this spring will determine at what negative pressure the valve will open.

Q And I don't fully understand why a 'vent to atmosphere' dump valve should leak air back into the inlet manifold. Surely that is more down to poor design than a fundamental problem with this type of valve?
=========================================================================
The "plug" will be held open by the negative inlet manifold pressure and air can pass both ways. I have heard of VTA dump valves that have a non-return system, but the more complicated you make a dump valve, the less reliable/efficient it will be.

Q My HKS SQV makes a high-pitched "chirping noise" - how can I get rid of it?
=========================================================================
The squeaky noise is normal for a standard SQV. If you want to lose the high pitch noise HKS do a replacement vane for the unit. It makes a huge improvement over the Japanese sound of the original. The replacement vane is widely available for about 12 gbp. The vane allows the valve to dump pressure without any whistle, which sounds great when used with a cone filter (super powerflow etc...).

Q Header Tank? What’s that?
==========================
Surge Tanks (Also known as expansion tanks, fill cans, header tanks)
Using a surge tank as part of a race car cooling system is a very good decision. Any proper race car cooling system will incorporate a surge tank. If used properly it is the very best way of filling your system, trapping air, and taking the cap out of the vulnerable areas where pressure surges can lift the cap off of the seat momentarily.

On the return side of your cooling system, pressure can surge as high as 45-50 psi. This is due to abrupt changes in water pump speed (RPM related) and characteristics of the heat cycle and circulation in your system. When the radiator cap is on the return side or anywhere on the radiator, it is susceptible to this condition. A surge tank isolates the cap from these areas.

The other advantage to a surge tank is, when mounted properly (high as possible and highest point in cooling system,) it serves as an air trap and means for expansion. By running a -10 AN line to the water pump and a -6 line from the highest point of the radiator to the top of the surge tank, this will draw air to the tank and trap it. By keeping a given air space in the tank, it allows for temperature expansion.

To totally optimize your cooling system, use a swirl pot In the return water line along with the surge tank. This will insure that all the air is purged from your system.

A sight glass can be fitted and is usually an optional extra.

 

V10 Q I have fitted the dogs ICE system and my roof plays a tune how do I dynamat it?

==================================================================

To remove the headlining, do the following (from memory)

 

* Take off the front L & R plastic inner pillar covers. Start pulling from the top inwards, only held in by clips, you will not break these.

* Unscrew both sun visors and locking holders. (easy enough)

* With the rear view mirror, it's tricky. You can just pull the mirror with the arm down, it should snap (won't break, designed to come off if the mirror is hit in an accident) off. There are 3 screws which need to be removed and then 4 screws (or bolts) which also need to be removed to remove the mirror holder frame off the inside roof.

* Take the cover off the interior light, and unscrew the few screws holding the assembly to the roof. These will be hot if your light has been on for a long time, so be careful.

* The 'Jesus' holders for the passengers can come off now. With a small flat screwdriver, pry open the plastic flaps from each end which will reveal a Philips head screw. Unscrew them.

* Go to the inside rear side windows now. The black plastic surround needs to be unclipped at the top section (near the roof line). You might need to remove part of your inner rubber door moulding first. Unclip both sides of the black plastic surround. It might be easier if you unbolt the front seat

belt top bolt (from the inside A pillar).

* Once you have gone this far, the roof lining is held by 4 snap plugs (which you might break, depending on your technique) which 2 are located near the rear and 2 near the centre sides.

*Once the clips have been removed the roof lining is now probably sagging a bit. Support the whole roof lining with your head. * On the drivers side 'Jesus' handle location (not physically there at this point) you will notice velcro holding the roof lining in place. Pull down to release the velcro, while holding with your head, and now slide the whole roof lining forward to release it from the rear panel covering the tailgate hinge nuts.

* Remove the whole headlining through the rear tailgate (that is how I did it).

 

Now you will be able to see the bracing for the roof. Find out which is loose and re fix it with polyurethane or similar. Actually might as well do all of them, just to be sure. You can also add either sound deadener spray stuff inside the roof panel or sound deadener fabric. Installation is the reverse of how you took it out.

 

**Be careful when installing the mirror. You need to unscrew the large screw at the end of the arm (this was very tight on mine) and install the metal plate that has 4 fingers (like on a clutch pressure plate) and then screw that screw back on before you start bolting the mirror frame assembly back to the roof. Otherwise you will never get the end of the large screw through the 4 fingers (trust me on this). Do the job once (unlike me).

 

Also if you only want to do 2 feet at the rear of the car it is quite possible to unscrew all the clips at the rear and sides so that the headlining sags down. You can then get your sound deadening material and heat gun in no problem.

 

Q What's the best upholstery cleaner?
====================================
This one could save you some money ... there is no "best". A recent survey in the UK declared no outright winner. And, that _all_ the products tested made the fabric come up the _same_. Even after long-term trials. Buy the best value for money and the easiest one to use.

 

v10) Q – Is there a website for aftermarket ECU instructions

===========================================

Lots of installation manuals for your electronic what d'yer ma call it whirley gig things – Kevin Renouprez says “go here!” http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/how-to_engine_computer.html (link doesn't work as at 27/10/2005 - more here http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=400043&page=1&pp=15)

Top

 

 

Q What do I look for when buying a car?
=======================================
Received and posted on to us by Craig from a guy in the states ...

"Things to look for on GTI-R’s when purchasing, I will assume it is a fresh Japanese import to the UK. First check for the basics, smoke out of the exhaust, oil colour, water colour in radiator. If it is smoking don't buy
it, if the colours are off see if it will be fully serviced. Check the hoses under the intercooler for cracks, they dry in the heat and will crack after about 3-5 years, makes them very weak. While the intercooler is off check for oil on either side of the endtanks, If there is oil in the intercooler this can cause the car to smoke and is most likely caused by a lack of oil changes or a broken/blocked oil separator. Start car and listen to idle if is rough O2 sensor could be gone, also check the dump pipe on the turbo to see if it is moving/shaking against the turbo, this is caused be some loose nuts and is easy to fix.

When driving the car don't test the radio :-), listen for clunking/thudding noise when driving straight/around corners these noises will be the wheel bearings, if the car has 16-17inch mags the wheel bearings will not last as long as they should. These are easy to fix if you have the tools otherwise it takes about a day to do all four and will cost about 50 pounds for each one excluding labour.

Check boost level, if it goes off the gauge it will have some sort of computer/chip upgrade of boost controller. These computers and chips are ok as long as you can get 98 octane gas which is what they use in Japan. Using a chip/computer/boost controller on low octane gas can cause collapsed pistons, bearing wear, smoke, and dead engine in the long run. See if it will be easy to reprogram the computer or buy a reprogrammable one.

Check the glove box for holes and the dash for sticky residue, this can indicate the placement of other controllers that would suggest the car has been running a [lot] of boost and like most young guys in Japan the car may have been raced. A roll cage is also a good indication of this :-)

Again in the car, listen for whines from the drivetrain, if there is any whines from the rear of the car the rear diff is stuffed. If the whine is from the front of the car it can be the gearbox or the front diff. If the whine is all around the car it could be both diffs and gearbox or the centre viscous LSD. any of these will cost a packet to replace. Try over 1000 pounds for any new diff. When in first gear there is most likely to be whine, I haven't worked out if this is from straight cuts gears or if my bearings are [worn-out]. Any other whines in different gears will most likely be the gearbox bearings or diffs.

Check all the electric windows if it is the road version these seem to break easy and will be held up by wood in the door. Check the chassis number it should be something like RNN14-xxxxxxx. I can't remember if it is 7xs or
6xs. The rally versions will not be numbered or will have no rear wiper, [cheap] vinyl seats, manual windows, and mirrors. These are very limited but normally sell for the same price as the road version."

Appendix A - Links

Moved to http://www.gti-r.com/ - the official site for the GTI-R yahoogroups community

Appendix B - Yahoogroups stuff

If you’ve joined the group by mistake, unsubscribe - go to http://www.yahoogroups.com/subscribe/gti-r

V10) Appendix C – More stuff!

 

If you haven’t found the answer to your question(s) here, remember – the email group that you have joined can help. First, look through the Files section of “gti-r” on http://www.yahoogroups.com, then in the message archives in “Messages”, then try http://www.gti-r.com and http://www.gtiroc.com  ... and of course the original ... http://www.godzillR.com. Each of these sites has loads of info and will have links to many other GTI-R owners’ websites. It’s likely that someone, somewhere will have! If you have found something that no-one else has (and yes, it’s still happening!) then mail your findings.

If you can add any more detail/correction(s) to this FAQ, please let me know.

Ray Williams III-ray.w@virgin.net-III
gti-r Yahoogroups owner

Special thanks to Kevin Renouprez for re-arranging the FAQ into something sensible!