Preswap Checks....any suggestions

[Jofus]

Ok, I've bought an engine/transmission combo from Nagasaki motors on Ebay. I have a 95 tsi awd manual. My old motor was blown already and it had so many things wrong with it...well I just went the replacement route. According to their website the engines won't have more than 40k miles on them. It looks to be in good condition, I mainly have to bolt the tranny and engine together and drop them in. Before I do that though, anyone have suggestions on things I should check or perhaps maintenance type things I should do while the engine is out? Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[kahl23]

Check the valves if you got an entire longblock. It isn't unheard of that when buying Japanese engines the seller will take engines that suffered a timing belt failure and has a totally screwed valvetrain. Also, just pull the valve cover and see what kind of condition the engine appears to be, like if there is a layer of sludge in the head or if it looks brand new, just to get an idea of what you're getting. Good luck, hopefully you got a good unit.

 

[turboking15]

also no would be a good time to do all the belts, plus, wires and general maintenance while it is out. also if you wanted to now would be the best time to remove the balance shafts as it is the easiest to do with the motor out of the car.

 

[Jofus]

Sounds good guys! Thanks!

 

[ayount]

make sure you keep all the bolts that connect motorto tranny and motor to car cause those companys never send you them also i would run a can of seafoam through the engine once its in to get rid of the carbon buildup from previous owner

 

[teamdsm95]

i bought a motor from them and the first one i got was bad once i got it in it sounded like a rod knocking. but they sent me a new motor. my car is a 95 and i had buy a new ecu from a 97. then we had to test and rewire from the crank position sensor wires into the cam angle sensor. other than that the cams are a little detuned. the motor is actually from a minivan in japan i cant remember the name of it though. i had to use the throttle body and stuff from the old motor because the throttle cable on the motor they sent was on the other side between the throttle body and the intake manifold. and a few other odd and ends i had to use from the old motor like a/c pump and power steering pump. and the alernator and all the brackets from those things.

 

[teamdsm95]

i forgot to mention that it took me 3 weeks to get that new motor situation figured out with them. after numerous phone calls a day and many hours on the phone. and i still had to pay shipping on the next one. but the good part is that they let me keep the first one. and here i am a few months later with my car down again because of cam angle sensor out.

 

[Jofus]

Wow man, I hate to hear that, both for your sake and mine. Thats enough to make me want to throw up.

 

[KazooGS-T]

Why didn't you buy a 6-bolt so that you wouldn't have to worry about the dreaded c-walk? Good luck with your swap though, just take your time and be patient. Also you might want to go ahead and do a new timing belt and water pump while the motor is still out of the car.

 

[Jofus]

I probably should have bought a 6 bolt. I'm going thru a divorce though and not thinking too clearly at times.

 

[Jofus]

i bought a motor from them and the first one i got was bad once i got it in it sounded like a rod knocking. but they sent me a new motor. my car is a 95 and i had buy a new ecu from a 97. then we had to test and rewire from the crank position sensor wires into the cam angle sensor. other than that the cams are a little detuned. the motor is actually from a minivan in japan i cant remember the name of it though. i had to use the throttle body and stuff from the old motor because the throttle cable on the motor they sent was on the other side between the throttle body and the intake manifold. and a few other odd and ends i had to use from the old motor like a/c pump and power steering pump. and the alernator and all the brackets from those things.

Man, I finally got some time to go out and start wrenching on this new deal, and you are right, it's totally different. Man I'm pissed, I've emailed them about returning it. If it was nothing but the block I could use, well I'd have just rebuilt my old one. Wish me luck, .

 

[teamdsm95]

hey jofus just wondering if you ever got your situation figured out and got your car running

 

[Jofus]

Nope, they went out of business supposedly. Now Nagasaki is Osaka motors and they politley told me tuff sh*t. Guess I'll have to swap the intakes and all that good stuff over . I was waiting on Ebay's system to maybe go after them, but after the 10 day dispute is over, they just levy sanctions on their ebay account. I looked for them but they are no longer listed as a seller. That just blows all around, I could have gotten my block rebuilt for a couple hundred dollars more, and I'm a bit worried about the internals of this new one as far as how much boost I can run safely. I'll probably keep it around 8 psi for funning around town. Since I can't use the newer turbo, I might have to rebuild my old stocker, 'cause it has a bit of play in it...maybe I can take it to a shop and they can tell me if it's still good or not. Oh well, guess thats an $1800 lesson in what not to buy online, and I suppose if thats the worst thing that happens to me in life, I'll be alright. Time has been pretty short here lately for me though, I'm half tempted to put the whole set (both engines/trannies and car) on mautofied for $2500 and see what kind of hits I get. I'd definately list that the block and some hoses are all that can be used from the newer engine though...damn crooks, .

 

[laserspeeddemon]

Sounds like a scam. However, if you buy out a buisness then you are buying whatever past transactions they had. If you paid with a Credit Card or Bank Transfer via paypal, you can dispute the charges with the financial institution. You bought an long block for a 95 Talon and they sent you a motor for the mini-van. Contact Osaka and tell them this. Once the money comes back from Paypal, paypal will take the money from them. You make get a "shame on you" mark from paypal, but at least you got your thousands worth of cash back.

Trust me I've done this a few times before.

 

[dale187]

I would do everything to the motor before it is dropped in. Plugs, wires, the whole 9. Even water pump and if you have the money oil pump assembly. You never know what failed on these motors. I had a honda civic i swapped a jdm motor into it. It came to my house cleaner than a whistle. I bolted it up and it ran and then shut off and wouldnt start. Well tested fire and wasnt getting it. Changed the dist. cap and it fired right up. Now the current problem i have with it is the water pump is going in it. Telling you.... do it now while you can. Every little thing. Good luck man

 

[fatherbubble]

Jofus did you pay with a visa or other credit card? Even with your checking account card. U can call your bank or the credit card company an file a dispute an youll get your money back an the bank an credit company will go after them. Also if you did the paypail they will go after them too. I learned the hard way an found that loop hole an saved my ass.

Also when you goto tell them. Say they sent you the wrong engine an wouldnt except a return an then they sold the company. Mention that you think there scam artist too. alot of small business on ebay will do that. Since there not in the US they can get away with that but not if you pay be credit cards since there worldwide companys.

 

[teamdsm95]

by the way these motors dont have distibutor

 

[dc90ms]

dude you may want to take ## 7 bolt injectors and put them on the 6 bolt one ### i had that problem haha car didnt want to stay on or start just a heads up

 

[Jofus]

Unforntunatley, I paid with a Certified Cashier's check. Any recourse for those?

Also, thanks for all the advice n whatnot, I really do appreciate it!