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I plan to check the valve clearances and replace the rod bearings today just to be safe. I have already done a compression test and double checked the gaps on my spark plugs. The compression test came out with 160-180 psi on all cylinders. I am using NGK copper plugs gapped to 0.028.

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Jan 22, 2017 - 11:42 AM

Do not you have disassembled the engine before putting it on the machine?
Obviously, this had to be done. check the status of the pistons, rings, liners, rubber seals.
Before installation, set the valve clearances.
You just set it and run?

I dropped the upper and lower oil pan. Then I checked the bearings. All the bearings are in great condition. Phew! Here are some pics of some of the bearings. They all pretty much looked the same.






Once I get the bottom end back together I will check the valve clearances.

Why sealant black? At Toyota it is usually red.

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The Toyota FIPG is black. I get it from the local Toyota dealership. I believe the Toyota transmission sealant is red.

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Jan 24, 2017 - 6:51 PM

That engine looks squeaky clean.

All you gotta do now is try to put it all behind and drive the hell out of it.

Every time someone comments on my driving style, my response is: I fix them hard, I drive them hard.

The car is now back together and running. I just finished burping the coolant system and plan to take it out for a drive tomorrow. I switched back to my 2 row radiator and got rid of the aftermarket fan shroud. After doing some research an aftermarket fan shroud needs to be 1.5 inches deep or else the radiator will not get enough air flow. I decided to mount the fans directly to the radiator because that is the best option if you cannot find a quality shroud. I noticed the car cooled down even better than the stock radiator with the stock fan shrouds. Also the fans kicked on sooner and moved more air than the stock fans. AWESOME! Here is a pic of both radiators side by side:


This post has been edited by HardHead93: Jan 25, 2017 - 11:22 PM

So I have engine #2 in the car and running. Here is a pic of it:

I decided to put an oil catch can on this motor so no blow by oil would get into the turbo and the intake. The catch can I bought has the option to be run either with or without a filter on it. What is better, a sealed catch can or one with a filter on top?

So I found this old thread on oil catch cans.

http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showto...65248&st=20

It still isn't clear if a 3sgte should have a sealed or vented catch can.

I'm not sure if I have this topic completely understood, but here's where my thinking lies at the moment:

I would do sealed (and am going to when I to finally installing my catch can).

You have two hoses:
VC to manifold, with a check valve in between
VC to vacuum side of intake (after filter), no check valve

Under vacuum, airflow goes intake - vc - manifold. Vacuum is higher in the manifold than further up the line in the intake, so the pressure differential causes the air flow through the PCV system.
Under boost, check valve in first hose closes (so as not to pressurize the crankcase) and air goes VC to intake pre-turbo vacuum.
The second scenario is where most of the oil covering your intake and intercooler comes from (assuming turbo isn't leaking). Hence, I'm going to put the catch can on the VC to intake hose line.

Vents I believe are for either NA cars or older systems that were not closed loop from the factory. If you put a vented catch can on 3sgte you will have eliminated the vacuum pulling the crankcase gasses and would just allow the crankcase pressure release on it's own - a less effective system, if you ask me.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Couldn't get it out of my head, kept researching. Turns out, if you "vent" the catch can to atmosphere, you'll have essentially created an unmetered vacuum leak under vacuum. Now, this would've been an issue with Gen2, which had the A/F meter, but probably has much less effect on MAP based Gen4. Still, something to consider for EFI systems.

This post has been edited by slavie: Jan 31, 2017 - 3:30 PM

Sealed catch can it is. Thanks for the help!

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So I was losing my mind trying to figure out where that ticking noise was coming from because it is still happening. I have ruled out the valves and the rod bearings. I drove the car around for a while and I noticed the sound was not happening while driving. Then while at a stoplight in neutral the sound came back but as soon as I pushed the clutch in, it went away. I knew that it could not be the throwout bearing because I just replaced that too. After doing some research I found that it was the lightweight flywheel. "Light bulb!" I forgot that lightweight flywheels chatter. I was panicking for nothing.

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Feb 1, 2017 - 10:30 PM

had fun reading this thread, sad to hear you are now selling the car but did you get both 4rth gens from the same company? looking to source a 3rd gen soon

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Not from he same companies, the first 4th gen came from a company out of California called West Coast JDM. I have e-mailed and called them when the motor went bad and got not response. It was outside of the 30 day warranty period so I wasn't expecting anything but one could hope. It is hard to get a 4th gen into our cars within 30 days because the sending the wiring out takes 2-3 weeks by itself. The 2nd motor that was good came out of the east coast from a company called MD JDM Motors Inc. The 2nd company was very good. They do thorough tests of their motors and will send you compression test videos upon request. When I was worried I may have had a bad 2nd motor they worked with me to ensure that we found the root of the problem. It ended up being lightweight flywheel chatter. If I buy another JDM motor, I will go through MD JDM Motors Inc again. I am parting out my 1st 4th gen on Ebay so I most likely get most of my money back from the first motor. MD JDM Motors Inc told me the big challenge they have with 4th 3sgte's is that a lot of them come out of Japan with spun bearings so they make sure that is not an issue before they sell it. I liked how transparent that company was.

As for selling the car, I am selling it with the idea of moving into something RWD. I think 90's Japanese cars are the best tuner cars ever made and I am currently look at the Lexus SC300 and the Nissan 300zx. Once I sell my Celica I plan to jump into one of those. I loved working on my Celica and it has taught me a lot. Before I upgraded the suspension and put the 3sgte in the car I took it to the track and fell in love with track racing. If I want to continue tracking a car, a RWD platform is more suited for that. I have gained a lot of experience and gathered ALOT of tools from this project which will make my next car that much more enjoyable.

I decided not to sell my Celica because I drove it with the top down over the weekend and fell back in love with it. Now I am looking into what little tweaks I need to make to get it perfect. I just order an electronic boost controller. It is an Innovate Motorsports SCG-1. I decided on that boost controller because it allows me to tap into the RPM signal and control the boost based on RPM so I can reduce spinning the tires. Also, it combines my AFR and boost gauge into one so I can get get rid of the gauge on the steering column. I do not like how the steering column gauge blocks the tach. I also see an upgraded CT15 turbo, 5 gear Camry swap, and some good wheels and tires in the near future.

I am not sure if it is a good idea, but I am thinking of holding onto the block, crank, and possibly the cylinder head off the bad 3sgte. It would be good for spare parts plus I am throwing around the idea of using it to build an engine with a forged bottom end. This will let me build the engine without having a lot of down time for the car. What to you guys think?

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Feb 14, 2017 - 10:23 PM

With as much time and work you've put into the Celica you're really better holding onto it. If you want a RWD track rat find a Miata for two grand or so and then you don't have to worry about it unlike the Celica you have a lot into.

As far as holding onto the other parts that'd allow you to build another motor and swap them over the weekend, then you can sell the motor in there now after doing such. Could even line up selling the engine beforehand and you could take interested serious buyers for a ride in the car to show it's a good running engine.

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So if you were in the same situation (money and time allowing) would you keep the spare motor and build it?

Also, as far as RWD, I am looking at the Lexus SC300. The 2jz motor has the Toyota reliability and crazy power potential, plus most importantly, I fit in it. I am 6'4" and I have tried to sit in a Miata and no bueno. The Miata is a great car, it is just too small for me.

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Feb 15, 2017 - 8:44 AM

Well best case scenario keeping the spare motor allows you to build on the side and swapping an engine for one just like it is straightforward so downtime could be nearly nonexistent, plus you can sell a whole running motor instead of parts. Really if you want to minimize downtime it's the only way to do that, so yes if it were me and money allowing that's what I'd do anyway.

Yeah I know what you mean about not fitting into a Miata. I'm only 5'10" but my shoulders measure 21" across and I'm knot kneed, so my left shoulder and knee were always buried into the door panel but that's easier to cope with than your head sticking through the top I suppose. The Mazda B6 and BP are good motors as well and are very reliable, so that's more of a wash in that regard but undoubtedly the 2JZ has more power potential. I too was looking into the SC300 but finding 1/3800 with a factory 5-speed is a royal pain and I just couldn't be bothered with swapping an auto car due to time, space, and physical constraints. The Z32 300ZX is another good car as well and I saw you already mentioned it.

glad you're keeping it. I've been reading this thread and rooting for you the whole time. I wanna see you succeed just as much as u do.
besides, it's a celica, it won't sell for much, especially with all the money you've thrown into it.

for RWD, aside from my 1st gen celicas, I would love to have a 2jz cressida.

Everyone, thanks for all the encouragement. This has definitely been a tough project.

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I understand where you are coming from, I started looking for SC300s and I mostly found automatics or ratted out manuals. If I were to get one, I would get a 97+ because they come with the VVTi motor and do the 350z manual tranny swap but because I am keep my Celica, I will wait on that project. I am leaning away from the 300zx because for it to be the way I want, I would have to do a LS or 2j swap on that car. I keep hearing horror stories about the V6 in that car.

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Feb 15, 2017 - 3:41 PM

The VG30DE is a good motor, and so is the VG30DETT for that matter, but I've read where if anything goes wrong with the VG30DETT it's almost always an expensive fix and if you need a rebuild you're multiple thousands of dollars for even something basic. The biggest issue with the Z32 and most any car are ignorant owners that don't take care of them properly. When I was looking into them I was looking at N/A models, only way to get a hardtop anyway, but I would've been fine with mid 200's hp at the flywheel and there's always Procharger for easy power if so desired. I'd love one that's been LS swapped though once you get into stuff like that I'd be more keen to swapping a FC RX-7 I think. Each car has their pros and cons and it's hardly ever clear cut on which is best. If you're wanting high power that's reliable and don't want to delve into involved swaps then the SC300 is probably the way to go.

I got my Innovate SCG-1 Boost Controller in last Wednesday. Here is the un boxing:




I just finished removing my old wideband O2 and boost gauge and installing the Innovate gauge. I looks pretty slick. I like how you can configure all the settings from the gauge or from a laptop. I did it on the gauge this time but I connected a serial port for the computer option in the future.


I really like how this eliminated one of my gauges. I had my boost gauge on the steering column and I did not like how it partially blocked the view of my tach.

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Feb 19, 2017 - 5:38 PM

So I have been playing around with my electronic boost controller, trying to get the setting right. I am shooting for a stable 12-13 psi to start. There are some good windy roads (lightly travelled) that are not that far from me so I used those to get everything dialed in. I ended up setting my wastegate duty cycle to 28% and my gain to 20% and it hits 12.3 psi every time. I may have to play with the gain a little more because once I go over 5K rpm, the boost drops into the 10's. That should be an easy fix.

Now I have another problem, now that I am running more boost, under full throttle, in 2nd gear my tires won't hook up and they struggle to hook up in 3rd gear. It is crazy because it feels like the front end of my car is ice skating. I knew this was coming with me sitting on stock wheels and tires. I guess my next purchase will be some wheels and tires. After talking with a couple people on this forum, I am looking to grab some 17 x 8.5 + 35 offset rims. I really like the way 17 inch rims fill our cars' wheel wells. I am still unsure about the tires but I want something I can daily but will do well when I push them. A couple people have given me some recommendations on tires so we will see.

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Feb 26, 2017 - 12:30 AM

I currently have 275/40-17 BF Goodrich Sport COMP-2 on 17x9.5 front and back on the Firebird and they do pretty well for daily driver use year round, but Alabama winters usually at worst drop into the 30's though I imagine that's probably the case in New Mexico as well. Great dry traction, good in the wet, and ride nicely. Cooper Zeon RS3-S are another good tire, I've heard good things about the Continental Extreme Contact DW as well. Rather or not any of those are in the size you need I don't know, but I can recommend the Sport COMP-2's and RS3-S off first hand experience and I'd consider the Continentals based on what I've seen. Between the COMP-2's and RS3-S the COMP-2's seem to grip better with it cold out by a fair amount and warm up faster but the RS3-S is a little quieter, both summer tires but the RS3-S really means it and personally I'd go with the COMP-2 between the two in a year round tire.

The function you want is boost by gear, but it doesn't looks like the SCG-1 supports it. You'll have to tune the nut behind the wheel, and calibrate the amount of lead in your right foot

Grippier wheels solve a lot more problems than they introduce - definitely a worthwhile trade for any enthusiast.

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I can be a nut job behind the wheel when I have a new toy to play with. It is nice to finally have a working engine. Definitely need some tires and some right foot tuning.

well if you're getting new tires/wheels anyways, you might as well burn up those old ones and be sure to take a video too.

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Not a bad idea, just need to make sure I don't kill my tranny.

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I will second the BF Goodrich Comp-2's. I have a set of g-Force Super Sport A/S's on the Supra that do a good job of putting the power to the ground until temps drop into the 30's, and they've beat my expectations from an all season tire. I just picked up a pair of g-Force Comp-2 A/S's for the Celica. The Comp-2 A/S's are an all season tire but they're listed as an UHP A/S and I haven't seen or heard anything negative about them yet. For you and Box, with warmer climates, the regular Comp-2's should be an excellent tire choice for the money.

I've been really happy with mine and how they've performed since I got them back in June or so? Of course I can still break traction easily if I choose to do so, but that's where throttle control comes in. Easing into the throttle I don't have any problems, even in the cold or rain. The steering feel, handling, and braking with them is also great. The only complaint I've heard about them is people say they're noisy, but I really haven't noticed anything appreciable and my exhaust is nearly silent when idling down the road.