Hey guys, I have an 88GTU and I recently found a guy who has a 10th anniversary s4, and is pulling the JDM t2 motor out of it. Is there a difference between the regular t2 and the JDM motor?

He said he'd give me everything I need for the swap into my NA for 1500. Good price? He doesnt know how many miles the motor has on it, but the motor appears to be in good shape.

Also, everything for the swap would include what? I tried to search for a list but a lot of this stuff is very vague.

 

There are only minor differences between the 2 motors.

I wouldn't pay that much for a JDM motor. God knows how old it is and how much abuse it has taken. It, like many other JDM motors, could be ready to blow at any time. However you could be luckey and it could last a long time. Kinda like going to a casino... who knows you might win.

 

Does it run and will he let you check the compression? This will give you an idea at least. If the engine is crap it's not a good price.

 

Check compression!!!! Dont waste your dough on a motor with less than 80 compression on both rotors.

JDM motors Ive heard, have slightly more pull than a USDM unit...as to why, I havent quite researched.

 

to make the motor work in your NA, youll need the turbo ECU from your series, custom driveshaft which you can purchase at mazdatrix. boost pressure sensor. turbo AFM and a few other things. I have a JDM motor that was imported straight from japan and i havent rebuilt it yet. THen again i am using a stand alone ecu, but other than that it runs pretty healthy. stay in the same series though or else your screwed unless you wanna throw down mega bucks.

 

Is he giving you the tranny? Even then, 1500 is asking too much, especially for a JDM motor.

 

I picked up a jspec long block & transmission for $1200 a few months ago. $1500 is high for a motor w/ more miles on it than most (he put miles on it after the import). Is he giving you more than the motor and trans? ECU, boost sensor, fuel pump, driveshaft, rear end?

Definitely test compression and see it run. 80 PSI is low, you want 100+ PSI on both rotors. That will give you an idea of how many miles are on it.

 

Pray regardless. My J-spec had OK compression, but a completely shot front water seal. Obviously I didn't know that when I picked it up. It fired up and immediately drank all the coolant and nearly melted.

Oh well.

 

if the motor has good compression and you are getting everything (tranny, ecu, wire harness, afm, etc.) and the motor is good then 1500 is a good price for the swap. make sure you turn it over by hand and listen for solid compression. make sure the turbo is in good shape with no shaft play. jspec motors also have a simplified emissions system which is good.

 

Well, he said he would give me the motor, trans, and then all the electrical components such as the ecu, afm, etc. I would not get the driveshaft.

So here's what i was thinking I could do....

Just buy the motor, plus all the dressings ecu afm and all that, and pair it up to my N/A GTU tranny. I know that's not the STRONGEST transmission, but right now it's all i can afford and I really don't want to have to replace something like a driveshaft. The rear end in the car should be fine, (88 GTU had LSD).

I figure I could offer him 900 for just the engine and the electrical parts.

 

Save your cash and get everything you need. Don't skimp, do it right. The USDM and JDM motors are almost identical, and unless the JDM one was modified, should have the same amount of power. Also, you're going to want to plan for the worse, and that is the rebuild. Make sure you have enough set aside to rebuild the engine if you are planning on doing this to your DD. Otherwise you'd have an engine in a car that doesn't work and that means you're not going anywhere til it's fixed.