Spec-V info.

[Jon Pennington]

Hammer Down said:

> Looks like a cadidate for a Cat removal... Uhhhhggg!  Okay, maybe jsut a
> replacement with one of better quality.

You misunderstand...I'll come back to it...

> Since Mike Jez brought up tthe topic about failing Spec-V engines, I
> asked DC aqbout it.  Here is his comments:

Yeah, and Jez is an EXPERT on QR engines.  So is Andreas Miko.  Both dudes
spend plenty of time around Nissans to have seen more than a handful
grenaded, but the QR is really a much better engine than people give it
credit for.  First year issues sucked...I bet first-year SR20s were no
joy, either, but THAT happened TWO YEARS before they made it to the
States.:P

> "Mostly a problem with the catalytic converter disentigrating and
> getting sucked back into the cylinders, causing the obvious havoc.

This is the infamous close-coupled-cat, not the main cat.  The CCC is
precariously positioned post-port, not more than 18" away from the valves
themselves.  The cat overheats, fragments, and gets sent into the piston
like angry gravel.  You know the best fix for this?  A Hot Shot header.
Keeps the main cat in place, too, so you can pass most federal inspections
(though not all visual inspections, since ONE cat has been removed, but
the MAIN cat is still in-place and 100% functional).

> They also seem to break in slowly, so they consume oil for a while, and if
> people don't check it often enoguh...

Breakin still takes more time than a lot of engines we've dealt with in
the past.  Just keep an eye on it for the first 10k, and you'll be fine.
The midyear ('02) switch between ring suppliers seemed to fix almost all
of the long-term oil consumtion issues, too.  There are some rumors about
the six-speeds being nutty, but those, I'm sure, are just rumors.  It's
the same transmission (with different ratios) used in Maximas and Primeras
with WAY more power and torque than a "lowly" Spec-V makes.

--
-=|JP|=-        "Stew my foot and call me Susan!"

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