Representative: Robert
AIM: ZLR0bert
Email:
[email protected]
Vendor Information:
Zerolift Autolab
100 Security Dr.
Fairfield, OH 45014
513-874-2508
This is my formal review for zerlift.
I purchased a sr20det blacktop engine
I contacted zerolift and had immediate replys the same day though rob by pm on zilvia. He asked that we switch to emails for faster replys. He at the beginning was very imformative and helpful. This is not my first swap I specifically asked for a blacktop s13 that has no modifications and hasnt had the headgasket or any work done to it. Rob told me he had a redtop that had the headgasket done and I told him I wasnt interested. Then he told me he had a clean untouched blacktop and gave me a good price. I said That works and sent the payment black friday, 11/21/11. They took my money. A couple of weeks went by cause of the holidays and I finally got the engine.
As soon as I got the motor home I started to unpack and inspect it. Shipping quality was ok. They took off the maf, clutch, ecu and had it boxed up. I cut the plastic and did an initial inspection. Even though I asked for a unmolested swap. I imediatly noticed the headgasket had been done and replaced with a metal one. I contaced rob and he said this was the cleanest motor and the only blacktop they had even though I asked for one that was not touched. He assured me to throw it in. If I was not happy they would replace the engine.
By
flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
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flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
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flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
Picture of the blown out turbo manifold gasket. You could shake the turbo. How do they expect a swap to run with that.
By
flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
Valvecover, the oil pan looked worse.
The motor was very dirty. It had tones of carbon deposits in the intake manifold. Ive had 3 other swaps and have never seen one this dirty. They oil pan was destroyed when shipping and zerolift had some how forgot to send the transmission bolts. So I contacted rob and told him they forgot the bolts and I needed a pan. He said he would get one out to me. After 3 weeks went by. I called and emailed and no response I finally got a hold of rob and he said it was packed up and ready to ship. After another week I called again and he said it was going out that day. By then it was a month that went by and a week before christmas and I still didnt have the bolts or a pan. Well it came a week before christmas. I put the engine togeather and put the motor in in 2 days. Got the harness done and replaced the waterpump, belts and thermostate. I got the engine in and ready to go. Went to hook up the maf and low and behold. They sent me the wrong maf sensor.
By
flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
This is a maf for an s14 na sr20det.
So furious I called rob and asked for a maf. He said he would imedatly ship one out. After 2 weeks and no maf I kept calling and he kept telling me they didnt have any and would have some this week, then friday, then next week, then friday, then beginning of next week for sure, then friday. After a couple weeks I found one locally for $40 so I bought it. Put it in and the then, Nothing. The car wouldnt turn over. Ive worked on a bunch of sr's so I know they had set the cas timing wrong. If you dont know what your doing its easy to screw it up. So I went ahead and per frsport. Took the valve cover off to set tdc and look at the head bolts and they had used stock headbolts with a cometic headgasket. Its been dont but not very perfessional. I also noticed that they had lost a bunch of the washers for the cam caps. It made me relize they cut a lot of corners. So I talked to rob and he assured me to just get it running. So I reset the timing and it started up the first time. Running extremely ruff. I looked at the ecu and the light stayed on. So I asked a buddy to come over and we hooked up his redtop ecu, a 62. It ran pretty good but rich, We drove it around for a couple of days and I leaned on it to set the rings. Final compression numbers came back around 150psi solid accross the board. I was pretty happy. But up to this point I still had no maf or a working ecu. I contacted rod and eventually his partner mike and they told me week after week they were working on getting me a maf and ecu. It took me a couple of days to find both. Here we are the first week of febuary and they still have not sent me a working maf or ecu. Heres an email where I asked rob about the stock headstuds and the wrong maf and he went and he went to forward my message to another zerolift person and basically called me stupid but mistakenly sent the email to me to. I was pretty furious and insulted.
By
flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
So months went by no maf and no working ecu. I finally got fed up and did the research and got it running and hundreds of emails and calls to zerolift. I talked to rob after sending multiple emails to rob and mike and no answer after two weeks I called he said they had no blacktop ecus and had a maf but they were waiting to get me a ecu before they sent the maf. I said ok. I got one anyways and as long as I get an ecu we were even. So I look on zilvia and zerolift is advertising that they have 3 blacktop swaps and have sold one since december. Im fed up with them so I left them negative feedback and wrote this review. I searched google and they have been screwing over people for years this way. They just put you off for 6 months til you go away. Rob and mike have lied to me multiple times. They just want your money and for you to leave them alone.
So after nothing to loose and a running swap I pulled the ecu apart and low and behold.
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flashorlightning at 2012-02-05
The ecu was chipped with a daughter board. Scares me to think that they deal with tons of swaps at zerolift and do this but the techs there took the eprom chips out of the ecu and sent it to me and thought it would work. So I went a head and moved the resisitor to put it back to a stock ecu and it works perfect now.
I just hope that some people read this and think twice. I wish I had driven a couple of hours and picked my motor out so I know what Im getting. Zerolift treats their locals well but they will screw anyone who orders a motor from them and has it shipped. Think twice its not worth going though all the stuff I went though. I no longer trust zerolift, mike or rob.