Im sure this has been covered but i couldnt find anything. Are the turno II motors from JDM anygood? Because that sounds like a really good deal motor, tranny, ecu, turbo, intercooler, a/c pump, etc for $1400. plus one other question what is the hp for a J spec turbo II. they all say 200hp, but dont the J specs have more? Thanks

 

I thought it was 200hp for either jdm or usdm s5 turbo 13b. The motors can be good, especially if they come with a warranty. I bought mine from www.got-jdm.com with a 3 month warranty and everything was straight except the turbo was blown. There is always the chance it could be blown, I would check it over as soon as I receive it next time in case I need to send it back.

 

From my limited experience:

You aren't going to find one definitive answer to your question. Way too many variables to predict how your experience will turn out. It'll be hard to compare one person's experience to another. The engines that are being imported are most likely unknown condition and with the reputation rotary engines have as being mysterious and unreliable you'll have a hard time getting a warranty on the engine. (don't flame me, not saying it's justified)

What most experienced RX guys will say is that JDM engines are fantastic for rebuilds, and before you spend money you should plan for the worst. You should have money set aside to rebuild the engine as soon as you get it. Because you don't know what the seller will do. If you are in the US and buy from a Canadian importer you may run into increased legal problems trying to get an out of country company to honor their product. On top of that with many miles between you it'll be difficult to inspect the engine first hand before you buy.

I speak from experience in that I bought a JDM 13B to swap into my vert over 3 years ago. I was foolish and in over my head buying my engine. I had a great shop owner in Indy to do my swap. I went with a reputable rotary shop for my engine. And I was very fortunate in that I was able to have my engine swapped with no rebuild and drove it years with only user errors.

As a whole my experience has been one of running to catch up and learn. I'd do it again as I'm the type of person who doesn't mind failing, getting my hands dirty and learning as I go. But it has been more expensive than I expected or even needed to be if I had more experience.

My advice is not to do it. If you have to ask for something with this many variables then you aren't ready or aren't connected enough to have a reliable source for the engine.

 

how do you know the difference from a jdm and a usdm engine?

 

Send a PM to Japan2LA, pretty much everyone I've seen buy one from him has been happy with it, including me.

 

What differs from j-spec and usdm spec engines is, emissions.

 

From a majority of places, getting a JDM motor is a crapshoot. Even if they say they have a warranty, many places won't honor it (just look in the gg/bg section for horror stories.) They can be excellent for a rebuild, but you really shouldn't plan on just dropping one in. Most places have no idea how to test the motors properly, and even if they do many will sell them anyway just to cover their losses.

That said, PM Japan2la. He is well know on the forums for providing a good product. I just bought one from him this last month and got it running last weekend. It runs great and pulls like a freight train.

Also, as JustJeff said, even if it doesn drop right in this is a major undertaking. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have someone with experience to help you.

 

There are some other minor differences. My S5 UIM and BAC doesn't have an opening or screw for idle adjust screw. IIRC there is no AWS either.

To the OP you didn't specify S4 of S5. At least with the S5 ECU it's not a given that the JDM ECU (N374) will work in your car. There are differences between the USDM (N370) and JDM (N374). There is a mysterious black box on the N374 who's function has been debated. I don't remember the specifics of what I have read, but I seem to remember people not being able to get either their primary or secondary injectors to work. If they toss in a JDM harness it's not plug n play either. The length of wires is different because of the RHD and LHD setup.

And I seem to remember there being like a 5-10 hp difference in ratings between JDM and USDM 13B turbos. Perhaps the emissions stuff frees up a few hp or maybe it's just a difference on paper only.

 

well the intercooler only says "Turbo" and not "Turbo II" also, the fuel flows thru the secondary fuel rail 1st, and the pulsation damper is there instead.

like Jeff said though, its mostly minor stuff

in the end, your probably better off getting a domestic t2. someone is always parting out in the classifieds.

for the record, i drive an 88 GXL jspec t2 swap

 

the jspec motors may be a good rebuildable core but running them as-is may not last long.

 

ill pm you

 

My previous post wasn't a question, it was a statement. Also there's nipple ports on the usdm intercooler. While the j-spec does not.

Also with the N374 it cuts fuel to the front rotor. I've tired a stock N374 ecu, didn't even want to fire up. Plugged in a TII ecu N370, fired up. Plugged in N350 N/a ecu fired up. The knock sensor is also on the front housing on s5 motors, while s4 had them on

 

I can also say that I am a very happy customer of japan2la. The engine I got from had great compression in both rotors and runs really strong with no problems. If I were you I would contact him and if he doesn't one in stock wait till he gets you one. It's worth the wait.