just as title says i'm looking for advise from the guru's, i have a jdm fd i imported last year, not really sure of engine milage as car has 160km when i got it, can't imagine it being original but who knows, as for condition of engine it has good compression, no coolant seal problems [yet] good vacuum, was totally stk when i got it, now i plan on going single turbo as my twins are on the way out, still need pfc etc, not looking for big hp for now, so i guess the question is would you pull apart & rebuild now, or do my other mods & watch for signs of failure later, runs strong now, no hot start issues etc, trying not to dump 10k all at once if i dont need to, thanks

 

anyone? come on guys just lookin for advice or what i would be looking at aprox cost of nec parts while it still runs good, i would do the rebuild myself, 1st time but gotta start somewhere

 

by the way you're describing your engine it seems you can get away with only replacing the seals which is ~1200 from the dealer. if you have the time to do it now. you might as well do it because when it does blow you might not have that time.

 

I would just replace the engine while your doing everything else.

 

i would definately like to replace the engine at the same time as other mods, but as most ppl i have some sorta budget i'm trying to follow, unlimited budget would let me replace everything, but my budget is far from unlimited lol, so i am going to rebuild as nec for now, so as for internal mods what would you reccomend as reliable mods internally? thanks

 

Do you have all the proper tools for doing a rebuild?

I contemplated rebuilding my engine but opted to just buy a new one and my reasoning for this route was:

1.) I was on a budget
2.) I lack experience and I did not want to worry about trying to save $500, doing it my self, having it blow and then I have invested $2000.00 after you include the gasket / seal kit needed to do an overhaul (roughly $1500.00), the tools you had to buy to make sure things are in spec, the time it took to clean all the parts properly, de carbon all the parts etc.
3.) Warranty --- a motor from Ray Crowe comes with a 1 year unlimited mile warranty so if something did happen, you get a new motor, where as if you do it your self you are **** out of luck.
4.) Cost --- if you run a shop, have tools and parts laying around that you can use for the rebuild that are readily available, you can probably save a good chunk of change. Doing it your self is a different story in most cases unless you take a lot of time and have the patience to wait and look for good deals on the forum or locally and collect parts (rotors, housings, gasket kits, etc.)
5.) Time --- while rebuilding an engine and doing it right does not take long for a veteran, the time I would have to divulge in cleaning, shipping parts off if they needed to be lapped, and just doing everything correctly would heavily out weigh the time I would need to just pull and drop an already built engine.


You need to consider the total cost of doing an engine rebuild in regards to both monetary value and your own personal time... I think the warranty is the biggest benefit / bonus of sourcing and engine.

When I am a bit more financially flexible and have a surplus of cash to toss around, I will buy a good core and rebuild it just for the sake of learning and enjoyment. Right now, I do not have the money, time or patience between work and school to do so.

As for internal parts, I have heard from some individuals that the ceramic apex seals are great but a down side to them is that if one does in fact become dislodged, they wreak havoc on the housings and rotor faces often rendering them ( the rotor + housings ) useless... that is just what I have heard

 

If your engine is strong,leave it in and start saving for a new one should your old one die.Ceramic apex seals do kill your plates and housings.My old engine had them and when it was stripped it worked out cheaper to get a new engine than rebuild mine.