# just blowing wind...



## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

I've had my car down for over two months now. My poor GA16 has a terminal crack in the cylinder head (due to a mishap with two feet of water over a year ago) and i've given up rebuilding her for the time being. My car has been through the following:

*a.* sitting on blocks for two weeks waiting for a 1.6 transplant.

*b.* screw the 1.6, i'm going for an SR20, waiting another two weeks.

*c.* towed fifty kilometers (31.4 miles or so...) to the only shop i could find that does swaps and actually HAS AN SR IN STOCK!

*d.* three days to have a new engine put in... all motor mounts re-fabbed and accessories plugged...

*e.* aggh... three weeks waiting for the wiring!!! can't blame the shop, though... first time they've done a Taiwanese (yup, Chinese! the shame!) B14, and we had to steal a service manual from Nissan for a day or so... because we have no B14s stock with an SR20 in this country, there is no model to compare wiring diagrams with!

*f.* today. finally running! there are problems with the temp sensor and the ABS light, but hell, i have finally heard my baby's new heartbeat, and damn is it loud!!!

*sniff* i'm finally happy. 

and for anyone in the RP, the waiting (almost over!) is just about worth it! good thing is, after this is done, i can recommend the swap to friends... as it's only the first swap that's hard... the shop already does Honda B16As and D15Bs in one to three days, and can do B13 SRs in less than a week... 

I'm hoping they can do this much more easily next time... because i want to buy another of these *Exaltas* second-hand in the near future... 

they come stock with ABS, Airbags, Parking Sensors, 12disc changer, leather, foglights, a sunroof and rear windowshades... they're damn living rooms on wheels! and i want to have at least one to keep for the rest of my driving days...


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## himilefrontier (Jan 21, 2003)

Sigh.I only wish I was that happy with my B14...


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

oh, I'm only happy when it's running... and since the engine actually turns, even though it doesn't go anywhere... i'm _sorta_ happy.


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## azkicker0027 (May 31, 2002)

so where was the shop?? is it in manila??? or quezon city?? i have some relatives also looking to do a swap.......


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

The shop is Dhom and Jing's *Parts and Shop Inc.,* It's on evangelista street in makati, just two streets past the bridge on the left. Evangelista is on the southbound side of EDSA right after the magallanes interchange, just turn right at the McDonald's.

A lot of shops in evangelista and even on banaue street can do the job, but many don't have a current supply of SR20s... i suggest you check around if you want to do this, but *the place you buy the engine should be the place that puts it in*... this helps with warranty and such... I've had two or three defective parts on the SR swap that Dhom just swapped with his other SRs (he's got a lot in stock!)

My car is taking so long because it's the first 99-00 B14 Exalta they've ever done... common (1-3day worth of work) swaps are as follows:

*Mitsubishi Lancer, Evo 6* (complete kit! fenders, spoilers, arches, trunk, hood, doors, interior, equipment, transmission, suspension, engine, turbos, etc. etc. etc)... 450t Php (kit), labor TBA.

_don't look if you hate honda..._ 
*Honda 1.4 or 1.5 to D15B (130hp VTEC)* - 30-35t Php
*Honda (any) to B16A (170hp VTEC)* - 65t - engine and brakes(average), maybe 85+++ swap (needs brakes, fuel pump, etc)

*Nissan Sentra B13 (93' Sentra, LEC body) to SR20DE (140-150hp, depends on car)* - 35t -engine, 10t labor... I don't know about the miscellaneous, but if your car is 1.6 liter, you don't need a new fuel pump!

*Nissan Sentra B14 (96 or 97' to 2000, EX Saloon to Exalta) to SR20DE* - 35t - engine, 10t - labor, miscellaneous (still counting! ).

*SR20DET Engine* - 65t - engine, when available. (very rare)

****

Available engines - don't know swap prices for everything, though.

Honda Engines - see above...
Honda B18C - on order basis, i think...
Mistubishi 4G63 - don't know what year, though...
Nissan GA15DE and GA16DE - 15t
Nissan SR20DE and DET - 
Toyota 4AGE and 4AGZE (160hp, supercharged)
Toyota 1.5 turbo (Starlet, Charade compatible)
Toyota 2.0 4-throttle (Corolla compatible)
Mazda Miata 1.6?


As for the advisability of your relatives getting an SR20 swwap, you have to consider the following:

1. If the car is a later model, the wiring is a *bitch!*
2. If the car has a 1.3 - 1.5 carb'd engine, you might have to pay extra for a fuel pump. $$$
3. The stock exhaust will choke your engine when you press the gas to the floor in gear. You will most likely need a muffler job and (highly recommended) a full-exhaust job. $$$ (might be just another 5000 to 8000 Php, if you don't care how loud it is!)
4. Warranty is short, but Dhom is honest... the SR they gave me sounds *perfect*... no rattle, no shake, no drivetrain noise.... sounds quiet as a pussy with the stock exhaust.
5. (and last)... I'm a sadistic SOB who loves writing looooooong posts... I'll update this board when we're done with the exhaust work and we put the car through its paces... by then, i'll be able to say whether it's worth it...


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

Oh by the way, other possible (but less common) swaps (they say they can do it, but the time factor is fudgy):

Toyota Starlet / Daihatsu Charade to Toyota 1.5 turbo (beautiful engines... and they have an LSD and sports clutch available!!!)
Kia Pride (Ford Festiva) to Mazda B5(???), 1.6 liter DOHC
Corolla to 4E (2.0 liter) or 4AGZE (supercharger)
Mazda 626 to Toyota 2 liter (i'm thinking about this... mazda parts are a bitch to find!)
Honda City/Jazz to B16A (SiR Engine)
Sentra to SR20DET... i've got dibs on the next one they get.


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## asnknight5 (May 1, 2002)

would you by any chance be willing to purchase and ship some items to me from the philippines? I hate to ask, it's just that I haven't been or will be able to visit the philippines for awhile..

oh and by the way, all the items will be car stuff... 

thanks,

Allan Muhlach
California, USA


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## azkicker0027 (May 31, 2002)

yeah, right now, they have the downdraft tb on the manifold similar to the mexican sentra's with the ga16.........


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

Damn,looks like you're havin hella lotta trouble with that swap.Why didnt you try having AutoPlus or some other pro racing/tuner shop do the swap?You might have gotten better results despite the fact that it probably costs more.


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

sorry, been gone! 

*asnknight*... i would try to ship, but you might have better luck getting from a japan direct supplier... remember, we are getting most of these engines (except the SR20s) from wrecked or secondhand Japanese vehicles... and i can't honor a warranty across the Pacific... the shipping takes too long...

case in point is MY car... we have replaced some minor accesories FREE of CHARGE simply because there are always half a dozen on the lot. Sure the stuff is nice, but overseas handling and warranty from a third middleman? (and that's what i'd be!)... i think less complex parts, (by that, i mean no fiddly electronics and small bits) like trannies and LSDs and such, might be possible... i'll see if my mechanic has an e-mail address or if he can recommend his japanese connection. 

*azkik*... is that the one for carb'd GAs? yah, they're here by the dozens! 

*Exalta*... i would have if i had the money, but sadly, i don't... plus those guys charge an arm and a leg! I've talked to guys who have done similar mods, and as long as you're in unfamiliar territory, the job is a *bitch*... like i've said, these jobs usually take only one day (i've seen cars come and go during my visits). And the shop is quite dependable; they've done the full evo kit conversion already, dozens of D15Bs and B16As, and a couple more... One of my acquaintances bought a B18C from them and two or three B16s and they run great!

things got complicated for several reasons:

1. Yulon doesn't just take Sentras and dress them up... they do some spot specific manufacturing... a lot of parts are different from the japanese versions. Half the wait length was due to waiting on a manual _ch they now have on hand._

2. Since this was the first time they'd done a 2000 Exalta B14, they did it quite carefully... checking and rechecking all the wiring... but still, the whole job (excluding the wait for the manual) took only a week.

3. I brought the car to them completely gutted (had it towed). For optimum results, they need to see the stock engine and wiring harness so they know which wires go where... this would've knocked five days off the job!

4. The stock exalta exhaust (as you already know  ) is tuned to be the quietest 1.6 in the Philippines... unfortunately, that chokes the decidely beefier SR20. Part of the waiting is also looking for an acceptable muffler substitute that will fit and NOT SOUND RICE. (no offense, but this is a long distance runner... my family won't put up with two hours of enraged fart noises).

****UPDATE****
Everything done... engine sounds good, no rattle, no mechanical noise... quiet as a baby...  I'm leaving the car to get a once over once it's been finished at Nodalo's Muffler Shop D)... 

So far, i've spent:
*45thou ($850)* on the job (plus maybe 2thou misc.), and am spending 

*4.5thou ($85)* on the exhaust pipe (from just behind the headers all the way down)

*7thou ($132)* for a 5zigen muffler... hope it isn't too aggro!

... plus i'm going to add my gas shocks from my (s)old B14 when i get the front wheels realigned... a must when you change engines and axles... and i'm going to have the car buffed and detailed... mucho dinero, but it will be worth it!


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

Finally matched the 5zigen to a model name! apparently it's a Border III, somewhat quiet performance exhaust (about as quiet as some stockers!) good for 5hp... i'm happy...


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

*update for anyone in the RP who is interested...*

*sigh*... turns out i need more extra than exhaust... we ran the car a while ago with a 5zig muffler and 2 1/4 inch piping, and it was nice and strong, but choked on sudden throttle applications... we tested and changed some parts (some of the tubing and the maf), and then ran it... still choked on sudden pulls, ran fine with 1/2 throttle till 400 rpm, at which point it lost all acceleration... did a little more checking and... DAMN!

turns out i need a bigger fuel pump... seems the stock 1.6 fuel pump in the B14 is smaller than in the B13 (any comments? tell me i'm wrong? tell me i'm a dumbass for not changing it in the first place? )...

no matter... *no blame*... they admitted it was semi-experimental for them when we started... it'll only cost me a little more... going back for the final battle tomorrow. 

*Updated total cost:* 
(estimated time for another virgin to go through this... 5 days)

*35T Php - SR20DE
10T Php - Labor
4.5T Php - Exhaust Piping with resonator (still looking for catalytic)
3.5T+++ - Muffler (depends on how rice you want it...)
1.5T Php - Fuel Pump (will get precise data tomorrow)
1.5T Php - Cheapass Simota Air Filter
2T? - Miscellaneous wiring and stuff...

Total Estimate... 
56 - 60 thousand*, _depending on the airfilter and muffler you decide to put on... about $1056 to $1132... _

*50 thousand* if you just go with the fuel pump and sort out the exhaust later... now that i know that it wasn't my exhaust choking the engine, i think it can be done... it will probably lower your HP to around 130-135, but it will be QUIET and CHEAP.

If you decide to go somewhere else, remember to ask them if they have done your *specific year model of sentra* first, and then ask how much all of the miscellaneous items will cost... find out about warranty and availability of spares... if they've only got one SR on their lot, *fuck it...* they won't have spare accessories or a tranny if anything is wrong with the one they have.

i will end these long messages when i finally get my car back... wish me luck!


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

50 Php = 1 US+-

Seth


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

_currently 53.xx_


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

Damn!Naka-SR20!Hey,whats da color of your ride so i wont make the mistake of tryin to overtake you.
By the way,you sure know your stuff Niky


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

I'm in a black one... yah, _naka SR20 nga!_... seriously, i only know as much as i read and what i learn from the mechanics... blowing an engine gives you a lot off time OFF the ROAD to learn. 

unfortunately, the mechanic just got back from a long boat ride from another province and can't work till monday. I've driven it around with a smile as big as my a$$... that is, unitl the stock pump chokes at 4000rpm...  ...i'll post pics of the job by tuesday night as well as the final bill for all interested EX and Exalta owners here.

I'm thinking my next car (in 5 years) will be the new B15 Exalta... the local Nissan X-Trail (coming soon!) has the QR25DE... the fully-tuned version!... hmmmh... i smell a swapfest coming when these babies get past their warranties!!!


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

Good luck dude!that swap really cost a lot of pesos..hey how about postin some pics of your ride in the members rides section.


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

Thanks! old car is here... 
my younger brother posted this on cardomains... kinda cocky, huh? the ricer was his pet project( we traded it for a 626), the exalta is mine... we exchange cars all the time.

swap cost isn't final yet... and it's pretty cheap, considering a B16A swap costs 100thou... i could knock ten-fifteen thou off the swap by trading my engine and another ten by keeping the stock exhaust... but i'm fine with it the way it is...   (will take pix on monday)


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

*Finally Done! and then some...*

Car is finally running... fuel pump in... pulls good, but the throttle is a little anemic (probably needs adjustment)... was ready to take it home, but my airconditioning... (which, BTW, is topped off with enough coolant to kill a whale)... is blowing burning hot air... we shorted the compressor and got a good blast of cool, but we're stuck on the wiring control into the head unit.

_I'm not asking advice, *but some would be helpful*_... thing is, my airconditioning head unit is a digital unit with fancy climate control, while my SR20 and harness are off a 97' altima... *wiring sucks like hell*.

 

MIGHT get it tomorrow... still have my fingers crossed.


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