well im running a high power high boost sr20det lots of engine mods, and im very crazy about engine maintence i just wanted to know what others are using or doing to maintain there sr's. questions i need answers: type and grade of oil using, type of coolant, type and coldness of spark plug(remember im in 15psi and higher boost) and any other maintance that u would sugest (only towards motor) can i use the top end engine cleaner on my motor would it be a good idea. how about that "SLICK 50" engine flush? i like to change my oil ever 1500 miles is that ok? like i said im very crazy when it comes to engine upkeep please great info is needed! thank you
SR20DET Maintence
- Thread starter PB&J
- Start date
I don't believe in any of those engine cleaners, especially on a turbo car. Turbo's weren't engineered to have anything other than oil running through them and my turbo's too expensive to worry about ruining the bearings or something. I used one step colder plugs - ngk bkr7e. I changed them rather frequently since they are coppers. Always changed my oil on time or after an event, either mobil 1 or castrol synthetic. K&N oil filters each time as well.
drftns14 said:
NEVER USE 20 -50 in a SR20. The Sr20 was engineered and built to specs 1/1000 of an inch. 20-50 is TO THICK. It will not lubericate properly. 10w-30 Is the proper oil to use.
I personally use synthetic some dont care. As far as an Oil Filter only use OEM Nissan Filters! The rest suck!
if you ever want to "flush" your engine out then before you change your oil again buy 2 extra quarts of oil, 2 quarts of atf and a extra oil filter... drain your old oil and change the filter.... fill it up with 2 atf and 2 oils and let her idle for about 5 or 10 minutes..... DO NOT REV!!!!! . in japan almost all the japanese guys told me to do this... all it really does is push all the old oil that doesnt drain out...
NAKED MIKE
Spectator
i use mobil 1 synthetic and mobil 1 oil filter i plan to change to royal purple but redline seems a lil better
i use to dothat before on my na ka when i use to work at alhendrickson toyota because all my fluids were free back then!!! but ididn't know it was fine to do that on my turbo motor, i am also running and oilcooler and i know not all the atf will get out of the complete system it wont hurt the moto if some is left in the engine?
if your worried about trapped atf then use 3 quarts oil and 1 quart atf... if you have a oil cooler then your oil cap is a little higher....
i do that about every six months (on my ka now but i used to on all my sr)
i also get a can of carb cleaner and take the intake pipe off the TB and spray it all in there..... use you hand to open the butterfly and spray in there... it will help break up some gunk thats in your intake mani..... i use about half a can.... then wait a minute and start the car..... it might not start right away you might have to crank it for a little while but when it does it should almost want to stall... just let it idles for a few then rev or drive the stuff out.....
as for coolant if you cant remember the last time you flushed out the system then you might just want to do it..... not just drain the rad but get it all out of the block too... check the hoses from time to time...... as for coolant type in japan i used just normal off the shelf crap..... 50/50 mix..... a few times i would put a little water wetter in it but thats about if... coolant one of thoses things that you dont have to change the fluid for about 3 to 5 years..... still doesnt hurt to at least drain the Rad before every summer and refill it with some fresh stuff.... its only 6 bucks why not....
dont forget your tranny and diff to.... check the tranny fluid from time to time..... just take out the fill bolt and stick like a allen key or anything with a 90 degree bend in there.... the level should be up to the fill bolt...... same thing for the diff..... i do it about once a year.....
they way i remember to do this is once it starts to get warm like now ill do the rad, tranny, and diff..... my "once a year maint "
theres a lot of little things you can do to... check all the hoses and vac lines for signs of dry rot or blistering.
oh and i forgot brakes to..... keep it full and clean.... i bleed every 6 months or so... same with the clutch system......
long rant and went away from the sr20 a bit but hell we all should share or maint tips....
i do that about every six months (on my ka now but i used to on all my sr)
i also get a can of carb cleaner and take the intake pipe off the TB and spray it all in there..... use you hand to open the butterfly and spray in there... it will help break up some gunk thats in your intake mani..... i use about half a can.... then wait a minute and start the car..... it might not start right away you might have to crank it for a little while but when it does it should almost want to stall... just let it idles for a few then rev or drive the stuff out.....
as for coolant if you cant remember the last time you flushed out the system then you might just want to do it..... not just drain the rad but get it all out of the block too... check the hoses from time to time...... as for coolant type in japan i used just normal off the shelf crap..... 50/50 mix..... a few times i would put a little water wetter in it but thats about if... coolant one of thoses things that you dont have to change the fluid for about 3 to 5 years..... still doesnt hurt to at least drain the Rad before every summer and refill it with some fresh stuff.... its only 6 bucks why not....
dont forget your tranny and diff to.... check the tranny fluid from time to time..... just take out the fill bolt and stick like a allen key or anything with a 90 degree bend in there.... the level should be up to the fill bolt...... same thing for the diff..... i do it about once a year.....
they way i remember to do this is once it starts to get warm like now ill do the rad, tranny, and diff..... my "once a year maint "
theres a lot of little things you can do to... check all the hoses and vac lines for signs of dry rot or blistering.
oh and i forgot brakes to..... keep it full and clean.... i bleed every 6 months or so... same with the clutch system......
long rant and went away from the sr20 a bit but hell we all should share or maint tips....
i change my oil and filter and plugs once a month(if i am actually driving the car that month) i check oil and fluids b4 i start it up everyday.
mobil 1 10w30. fully synthetic
K&N oil filter - 98 nissan sentra w/ sr20de for reference.
NGK - i was using iridiums, but i think i will try coppers now that Zak mentioned that.
also i have been gapping them to 22, what do you guys run?
mobil 1 10w30. fully synthetic
K&N oil filter - 98 nissan sentra w/ sr20de for reference.
NGK - i was using iridiums, but i think i will try coppers now that Zak mentioned that.
also i have been gapping them to 22, what do you guys run?
thank you, what does the "WATER WETTER" Do? and im running open thermostat(i know not the best thing todo) does any of the coolant situations have to do with this? do i need to run synthetic oil? is it better to use an exact 50/50 coolant mix or are there a better ratio of coolant to water right now my car doesn't run past 150degrees f. it should be around 190 or so for best fuel and performance outt put. anything i can do to help. i put a thermostat in put my car would over heat. mind you all the coolant lines and heater lines are caped off but 2 they run from motor to the ivac to cool it down but thats it. did i block something i shouldn't of? whats good viscoity to use in my tranny and i have a welded diff whats good to use in that? is there any other tip to help keep motor presvation to its best. and whats the diffrence between ngk iridums and their coppers?
drftns14 said:
one is made out or iridia and the other copper..and all the other stuff you asked idk...
ill get you the wieght for the tranny and diff tommarrow.....
water wetter is made by redline... its suposed to keep temp down a little......
as for coolant and water ratio..... the reason people go 50/50 is because water can disapate heat alot better then coolant but water can cause rust and has a lower boiling point. it also wont lube the water pump enough..... coolant prevents rust and raises the boiling point.... the spin off is it doesnt cool as good... im a mechanic so i do these kinds of things everyday and if you look in most new cars (2000 and up or so) under the hood some cars even say it with a little warning sticker that a mixture of more then 70/30 can cause overheating.... you could go 40 coolant and 60 water.....
as for your thermo i have the same problem on my ka..... i took all the crap lines out and with a thermo in it over heats.....my guess is get one with a lower heat spring....
water wetter is made by redline... its suposed to keep temp down a little......
as for coolant and water ratio..... the reason people go 50/50 is because water can disapate heat alot better then coolant but water can cause rust and has a lower boiling point. it also wont lube the water pump enough..... coolant prevents rust and raises the boiling point.... the spin off is it doesnt cool as good... im a mechanic so i do these kinds of things everyday and if you look in most new cars (2000 and up or so) under the hood some cars even say it with a little warning sticker that a mixture of more then 70/30 can cause overheating.... you could go 40 coolant and 60 water.....
as for your thermo i have the same problem on my ka..... i took all the crap lines out and with a thermo in it over heats.....my guess is get one with a lower heat spring....
drftns14 said:
Coppers provide more spark but don't last anywhere near as long. Iridiums will last a very long time.
drftns14 said:
It lubricates the water basically. It is soap. You can use a couple drops of liquid dove for the same effect. I didn't believe it until I tried it. Royal Purple makes a coolant additive as well - worked better than water wetter.
z4k said:
This is absolutely coorect unless the block is built in which case the tolerences are far less. 10w-30 is perfect.
Oh and K&N filters are good, I promise!!
drez said:
Wrong. ATF has detergents in it. thus keeping the tiny passages in a autotrasmission clean and clear. So flushing a motor with ATF clean the tiny passages which only the light weight of the ATF can reach without causeing harm or low oil pressure to those areas
Choku_Dorian said:
The gap really depends on Boost level. 32 is Stock I think. I ran 28 on 10 - 13 psi
Coopers tend not to Foul as easy as Iridium.
man i use ngk coppers, ROTELLA DEISEL 20/50 full syn. oil all the time i dont trust that thin ass shit man we are in florida and it is hot all the time and you do have a turbo so thats more heat to the oil so yea man up and use 20/50. my oil temp guage reads like 220 F on shitty hot days. so be careful. that thin shit turns into water. also since the rotella is disel oil it has all the detergernts and good shit to keep your motor tip top. its all that i use and if i pull the valve cover and lover pan my redtop looks like it came from nissan like last year. a little yellow inside but no black or brown sludge.
so in short ROTELLA FULL SYN. 20/50 and ngk coppers. and for oil filters i use DOHC KA filters, but i have that relocator kit so they might not fit if you still use the original location.
so in short ROTELLA FULL SYN. 20/50 and ngk coppers. and for oil filters i use DOHC KA filters, but i have that relocator kit so they might not fit if you still use the original location.