is this normal?

[benefitx]

bought a set of some used pistons with rods...does this look alright??

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/8393/pistons005vj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/9518/pistons001mp2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[sr20boostn20]

it looks like detonation. definatly not a good thing.

[benefitx]

thats what i thought...

[benefitx]

are they usable or what??

[Big Bronze Rim]

Yeah it looks like detonation. That piston was really close to losing its ringland completely. I would say that they shouldnt be reused. There is obvious pitting and erosion on the surface and around the ring land area. I would budget for new pistons. For moderate power rebuild, new stock pistons (54C) should be just fine.

[benefitx]

damn........

[s13gold]

how much did you pay?

what was the sellers description of the pistons.

[Big Bronze Rim]

Well, if nothing else, get new pistons and have your machine shop install those rods onto the new pistons. IIRC when I was deciding what pistons I was going with i saw the 54C pistons were around $60 each and then you will need a ring set. I would make sure you dont need to bore before you go and order stock bore pistons.

[babowc]

stock pistons or performance pistons?

[benefitx]

how much did you pay?

what was the sellers description of the pistons.

paid 85$ for the set...

i have my stock pistons that i pulled out in perfect condition...out of the SR im building that spun a bearing...crosshatched walls and everything , just one rod is bent maybe 4-5mm...so i bought these..oh and i bought a crank from him too which is in perfect condition...

i want to swap my good condition pistons onto these rods but i dont want to mess with the snap rings, then ill just have to replace them and no one sells them individually...

[projectRDM]

Snap rings take 3 seconds to remove, wrist pin another 10. You can swap all four pistons over to the new rods in under a minute.

[benefitx]

yeah but i cant use the same snap rings right? my pistons are in real good condition...good coat of black on the top..ringlands look ok too...just one rod is bent...so i bought this set

[benefitx]

seller exchanged the rods/pistons for a different set , teehee.

[projectRDM]

yeah but i cant use the same snap rings right? my pistons are in real good condition...good coat of black on the top..ringlands look ok too...just one rod is bent...so i bought this set

Why not? They're designed to be removed and reinstalled.

[benefitx]

because maybe it will lose its snappyness and come off? johngriff said to replace them in the other thread..

[benefitx]

the rods and pistons look really good, this set had bearings already on them to see if they were spun or anything...

[benefitx]

do i plastigage the rod bearings also?

[Big Bronze Rim]

do i plastigage the rod bearings also?
Yes, you need to plastigauge both rods and mains.

[johngriff]

You can re-use them.

And the SR's are probably better than the CA's. That was ME erroring on the CA.

But remember, I am knuts. As attested to by other forum members, I over complicate things. I'll only buy hardware from McMasterCarr for example. Replacement parts only from the dealer. It can be nauseating to some people how thorough I am.

Russ is probably right, they will probably be fine being re-used. As I say "if you've got it, drop the coin for it". You'll have to remove them anyways. And lord only knows i did something dumb like not get it all the way into the groove.

[benefitx]

not getting it into the groove will probably cause problems...

i just bought some engine assembly lube made by permatex...its red in color in a little bottle...from autozone

and some blue rtv for the oil pan and water pump and stuff...

is this right??

[benefitx]

Yes, you need to plastigauge both rods and mains.

plastigauge green right...

i just lay down a strip of it on the mains , put the crank in , put the caps on and torque down the girdle... and then take it all of and measure the strip? if its between ______ and ______ its good??

[johngriff]

yeah, more or lesss, but you should plastiguage AFTER specing the crank/rod/journals.

Get permatex grey for all the everything. Chuck the blue or return it.

[benefitx]

what!! everyone has told me Blue RTV is the shit...my brother said something about some black shit because its high temp...never heard of permatex grey tho..

[Big Bronze Rim]

Yes, you will need to lay a piece of plastigage on each journal. It should be used as confirmation that your on track with the bearings you ordered and any crank work that was done. Make sure its nice and straight along the journal axis. I did my mains at the same time and each rod one at a time. You need to make sure the is NO OIL on the journals when using plastigage. You will use the scale on the wrapper the plastigage comes in to measure its compressed thickness. The tolerances are in the FSM, but I set my engine up a little loose, running .0015" on the mains and .0018-.002" on the rods.

[johngriff]

http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_Ultra_Grey_Rigid_High-Torque_RTV_Silicone_Gasket_Maker.htm

Nissan stopped selling/stocking/making (whatever), their grey RTV sealant, and simultaneously Permatex released this. It is certified by Nissan.

Blue is only supposed to be for Thermostat housings and waterpumps iirc, but it fails at all of those. PLUS grey looks the cleanest on a build, much more so than orange/blue etc...

**edit** or this, but its more expensive, and the can dies if you dont use it a whole lot.
http://www.permatex.com/products/automotive/automotive_gasketing/gasket_makers/auto_Permatex_the_Right_Stuff_Gasket_Maker.htm

[Big Bronze Rim]

Yea, please don't use the blue, it isn't the shit and will look like butt. Get Permatex Grey like johngriff recommended.

[benefitx]

ahh. alright..should of posted it earlier before i went out

[benefitx]

when i go to buy plastigage ill get some ultra grey. thanks for the info

[projectRDM]

Ultra Grey or Ultra black is fine, black is high temp but you won't see a need for it anywhere except the oilpan. Grey is sensor safe, so you can use a dab of it on the CTS or other sensors/switches that thread into aluminum to seal them without the need for teflon tape. I use both for each purpose, then wait a day and go back with a razor to trim any excess off. Nothing looks worse than a gob of RTV hanging out between two parts.

[benefitx]

thanks...so i need ultra grey AND black??

[projectRDM]

Your call. I use both on my own engines because I'm anal, grey is more than fine though for all applications.

[benefitx]

ill just get the grey

[DOOK]

uh oh, I see someone I know

[benefitx]

hahaha wussup!!! finally made your way from IA to here

[DOOK]

yup, didn't even know this place existed until savanna told me.

[benefitx]

yeah i used to be on 240sxforums but here is alot better...man dont sell your 240

[benefitx]

what do you guys think of this headgasket??

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-NISSAN-SILVIA-200SX-TURBO-S14-HEAD-GASKET-SR20DET_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33665QQihZ007QQ itemZ170115550827QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

its 30 bux...buts s14 sr is the same as s13 sr??

[HellonFire]

Wait wait..

I SCREWED you over? Hah!

I told you that I had 2 sets. I told you to come get them. I told YOU to pick which ones you wanted.

Who was too lazy to come do that? You. So I just picked a set, without even paying attention. Didn't even look at them becuase it was 12am when you decided you wanted me to bring them down. Couldn't find the other set at the time, but you had to have them that night.

And then, who exchanged them later when you said there was a problem? Me. So how exactly did you get screwed.

Good luck finding parts cheap from me again.. LoL..

Tyler

[benefitx]

well i mean im sure you had to have known that the top of the pistons were basically melted...you told me those were the ones from corina's engine which was bored...why?

tyler dont take offense in any way but i mean you had to have known that the original set were pretty messed up.

[HellonFire]

Are you kidding me? You obviously were not paying attention.

Carina's engine is still in her car. Still running.. Its not running without any motor in there.

I knew one set of pistons came out of a spare motor I had, and I said they were in good shape. I bought another block, that was bored over, but it didn't come with anything else. So I took apart the spare motor, to use everything from it. I just had a bare block, pistons, etc.

So, I had two sets of extra pistons. Did I, or did I not tell you to come check them out and pick which ones you wanted? I did. So don't get on here and bitch. Thats stupid. Especially when I did you a favor and brought them to you. Plus, you fucking owe me $10. I'll be expecting that shortly.

Thanks.
Tyler

[HellonFire]

Plus, why the hell are you on here asking people questions that I already thoroughly explained to you?

And, I also tried to explain you could remove the wrist pins, but your dad tried to say something about how they can't be removed. LoL..

Tyler

[benefitx]

ah man, im not sitting here and bitching...i probably should have came over there which i had to anyways...85$ for pistons , 100$ for crank...check for 200$. just let it drop. i will delete my post's because i know you really didnt screw me over because i know your not that type of guy.

[benefitx]

Plus, why the hell are you on here asking people questions that I already thoroughly explained to you?

And, I also tried to explain you could remove the wrist pins, but your dad tried to say something about how they can't be removed. LoL..

Tyler

my dad said they are snap rings and they will come off. wrist pins were never mentioned. I said they shouldnt be removed because of what another zilvia member said in the other thread...re-read this thread also...wrist pins are never mentioned. i just thought you cant re-use snap rings...

[HellonFire]

No. You fucked up. Good luck with your build, but expect no help from me.

And also, no. You owe me $10. You offered $200 for pistons and rods becuase I had to find one for you. Simple math, but I'll do it for you. $200+$10 (Gas)=$210. Check for $200. $210-$200 is $10.

Tyler

[HellonFire]

Wrong again. Your dad was worried if they had been removed before, becuase if they had they couldn't be used again. Whatever, I don't give a fuck.

Tyler

[benefitx]

so what happened to the 15 in the 85+100 equation. and i mean if i payed for your gas for you to deliver parts to me why did i have to come to your house?

[HellonFire]

Oh jesus.

Phone convo.

You - Hey can you find me a crank?
Me - Probably.
You - How much?
Me - $100
You - Ok cool, well if you find one, I'll do $200 for the crank and piston/rod set.
Me - Alright man, sounds good.

I know that it wouldn be hard for you to actually remember something against you. But think hard, you'll figure it out.

Tyler

[benefitx]

there was something about "Delivering" in that conversation too. which really didnt matter because i had to pick it up anyways. let it drop!!!