question for rickskylinebnr32gtrjp ? (common problems)

[thumper]

rick... from your experience as an owner, can u tell us what are the problem areas for a r32 skyline? ie. gtr and gts-t?

[Unlucky Menace]

Good Question!

Moving to FAQ
UM

[spikeone]

should have just posted "question for R32 owners" because there are more then 1 owner

I think Nick and Sean can answer this question as much as Rick

[turbo_steve]

How come no one asked me? LOL :wink:

[thumper]

sorry i wasn't trying to dis anyone else... i had asked nick before but he never answered back, and everyone else is relatively new compared to what i read in rick's profile... he is into his 4th skyline! what a glutton for punishment

[spikeone]

sorry Steve, just aren't used to having a guy in Canada with a skyline yet

[thumper]

damn i got bumped into the FAQ... this thread will never be found

[rickskylinebnr32gtrjp]

Regarding the R32 GTR, I can only tell you from experience. Maybe at a later date I can tell you about problems others have had.

The RB runs HOT:
Keep up with your cooling system. When the water pump goes out, it will most likely be the seal and will slowly drip out coolant until empty without you knowing. Also, change your coolant often...user water wetter...you may want to consider switching to dual electric fans. Don't overheat your engine. Turn it off if you see the temp creeping up past where it normally sits. Don't risk it. Your head will warp and you will need to get the head removed and decked. You will also require a full gasket kit and new head gasket as well. Consider yourself lucky if the block doesn't crack. Just keep an eye on the water temp!

PS Fluid Level:
PS reservoir is only 0.5/0.6 liters. It boils easily and boils/evaporates out of the reservoir cap (even a new one...I tried changing it!). Watch this especially in the summer or in a lot of traffic. The problem is that when the fluid level gets too low and you run your R hard, your PS will get stiff (because the fluid boiled or not enough fluid)...then it will set off your "4WD" light and your 4WD system will only work in 2WD. This will also set off an error light code on your 4WD computer underneath your rear deck (in between your speakers). You must refill your PS reservoir and all will be good! There are aftermarket aluminum PS reservoirs available that hold 1.2 liters. Most likely you will not boil the fluid with a decent sized reservoir.

Speedo Cable:
I fragged the speedo cable shortly after purchasing my R32 GTR after doing a full boost run from 1st-4th gears...after going about 250km...in under 15 seconds, I slowed down to find that my speedo didn't work. I thought...hmmm...no big deal. I will just get the speedo fixed. Well, the speed sensor on the back of the speedo sends a signal to the computer for the PS to work properly. The PS is real tight until you get your speedo cable replaced. Then all is good!

HICAS System:
HICAS lines leak and HICAS is generally a problem waiting to happen. Get rid of it. You don't need it! Remove all the HICAS crap and replace with a lock bar in the rear. You will save at least 30-40 lbs for the whole set up. Cap off the two HICAS lines coming off your PS pump or get a smaller, lighter, non-HICAS PS pump from an R33.

Enjoy your Skylines and stay on top of your maintenance!

[thumper]

any $$$ figures for parts/labor?

rick, what is the ideal mileage for a 15 yr old skyline? i've seen as low as a questionable 70k kms, to 300k kms+....!

also, i see in some descriptions stating "timing belt and overhaul done"... what is involved in the overhaul? complete teardown? or just stuff like head gaskets, water/oil pump, etc....?

have u any experiences/comments with the gts-t? steve's gts-t is scaring me... wondering now if i should hold out for an r33 instead. buy a low-mileage one now and find someone in japan to bury it under their parking space in the carpark in a sealed time capsule or something...

thanks for replying...

[rickskylinebnr32gtrjp]

Replies below:

any $$$ figures for parts/labor?

Anything that requires the head to be removed or your engine overhauled is expensive. Most replacement/maintenance type parts on the outside of the motor are relatively cheap.

rick, what is the ideal mileage for a 15 yr old skyline? i've seen as low as a questionable 70k kms, to 300k kms+....!

For an 89/90 model, anything under 100,000K is very respectable. That's 62,000 miles for a 15 year old car!


also, i see in some descriptions stating "timing belt and overhaul done"... what is involved in the overhaul? complete teardown? or just stuff like head gaskets, water/oil pump, etc....?

Timing belt is pretty cheap and easy. Good idea to change your water pump if you are going to do this or vice versa. Change the idler and tensioner pulleys and all your belts as well. All said and done...relatively cheap for the parts.
Overhaul is a tear down and rebuild. Rering...bearing...all new gaskets. This part is very expensive. Min price for a basic rebuild of stock parts for a GTR is $3000 here in Japan. You want forged pistons? Crower rods? Balanced or Billet crank? Aftermarket oil pump? Head tune? Cams?...you will pay for it. A well built RB26 for high horsepower is a minimum of US$20,000 all said and done.

have u any experiences/comments with the gts-t? steve's gts-t is scaring me... wondering now if i should hold out for an r33 instead. buy a low-mileage one now and find someone in japan to bury it under their parking space in the carpark in a sealed time capsule or something...

RB20's break easier than RB26's...enough said. Don't go over 350HP on a stock RB20...it won't last.

thanks for replying...
Welcome.

[thumper]

thanks very much rick... i hope u don't mind this. this FAQ section is a little impersonal when compared to a living, breathing longtime skyline owner

u mentioned "PS pump" often.. what does "PS" mean?

also... this "lock bar" for disabling the HICAS... what exactly is it? does it replace the rear steering arms? is it expensive or complicated to do for someone like me here with zero experience in HICAS?

u also did not mention anything about the turbos. steve's gts-t has a bad turbo, but i consider him lucky because he has only one to deal with since a gtr has 2... what can i expect at the mileage typical of a 15 year old skyline? broken ceramic blades? excessive shaft play? should i be looking for rebuilt stock or something aftermarket? if aftermarket, will i create a new problem in the sense i have to find some sort of electronic tuning assist to run it?

what are the brakes like? i've watched too much initial-d... are the gtr brakes that bad?

are there any other websites for used skylines outside of what little we know here, ie. auctions and yahoo?

lastly... what kind of people own a 15 year old skyline in japan? are they like 2nd or 3rd owner on a shoestring budget? hard racers looking for something cheap to thrash and dump after the inspection expires? or people like u who love and cherish it?

[98ss]

I dont want to talk for Rick but I believe "PS pump" means Power Steering pump.

[turbo_steve]

Yes PS is Power Steering. And good questions thumper. As far as brakes go, mine were the worst I and the shop have ever seen. I will take pics if the shop didnt throw them out already. There was probably 1/4 inch lip on the top that the pads had worn down. Yikes. But ya, I think my timing belt was last changed at 80,000 kms, and now I'm at like 138,000 kms, should I look at changing it?

-Steve

[thumper]

that's what i thought PS meant... but how is it tied to the HICAS and speedo cable?

i thought that, when a service schedule was unknown, the general rule of thumb is to replace the timing belt every 5-7 years or before 100k kms, whichever comes first?

[tyndago]

Yes PS is Power Steering. And good questions thumper. As far as brakes go, mine were the worst I and the shop have ever seen. I will take pics if the shop didnt throw them out already. There was probably 1/4 inch lip on the top that the pads had worn down.

This is not what people mean when they talk about brakes. They are talking about the cars in general braking system. Not the indivdual braking system on your personal vehicle.

As far as improving braking. The best things you can do for normal street driving - good set of pads with not too agressive of a compound. Good set of tires. Braided steel brake lines help with good brake feel. Flush the brake fluid.