Only one Eric Hsu fact for the next few months. Fact: Eric Hsu is going to pick his favorite tech questions, and we're going to hook up whoever submitted them with a T-shirt and keychain from our go-fast homies at Eat Sleep Race. Diggin' those wrench knucks? We know Philip is!
Send your best to:
questionit@importtuner.com
and don't forget your shipping address.
Monster Echo
I'm a high school student with an '03 Toyota Echo. The car was gifted to me by my grandmother and it would be disrespectful to sell it and get something with a little more power. After some researching, I decided to build the 90hp 1.5L 1NZ-FE engine into a 250hp beast, but hit a major dilemma when considering swapping the four-speed automatic for a manual transmission: I came to the conclusion that I want a C160, and not the optional C150 from the factory. Where can I purchase a C160 transmission for under about $800, and are there aftermarket clutches, flywheels, or short-throw shifters available for it?
-Dawid Fraczek
Via importtuner.com
I'm not even going to front and try to sound like I know WTF is going on in the Echo/Vitz world, but I do know that the C160 transmission is a rare transmission in the U.S. since they only came in the AE111 and AE101 JDM Corollas. You'll probably have a much better chance finding the C60/C64 transmissions from the 2ZZ-GE-powered ZZT231 '00-'05 Celica Matrix/ Corolla XRS and the Lotus Elise here in the States. But even if you did find a C160/60/64 trans, I think the other problem you'll run into is the lack of available bellhousing adapters for the 1NZ-FE engine. You might consider getting a C150 five-speed transmission in the interim and then shopping around for a six-speed alternative while you are enjoying your newly found 250 hp.
Wiring Woes
I own a '96 240SX into which I have recently begun swapping an SR20DET. The car will be my daily driver and needs to pass NY state inspection. The swap is almost done, but I'm missing an important wire from the main harness to the crank position sensor which is listed by Nissan as part number 24079-70F20. Nissan no longer makes this part and most junkyards I've called (mostly local ones) don't have the car or wire on hand. If you know where I can procure this part, or even the connectors to fabricate it myself, I would appreciate it.
-Phantom Gett
Via importtuner.com
Car manufacturers are required by law to supply replacement parts for at least 10 years in the USA. Unfortunately, it's been 14 years since they made your 240SX, so that makes you S.O.L. Making a harness from scratch is going to be a serious bitch since it's unlikely you'll be able to locate the connectors. You're probably better off getting a harness from another car with the same engine, such as an Altima or Frontier, and then modifying it. Since both the Altima and Frontier are far more common and abundant than the 240SX, you can probably go to your local junkyard and check the harnesses out. Also, you might want try some of the California junkyards since there were plenty of 240SXs in California. If all else fails, try some of the California-based 240SX/SR20DET tuners such as G-dimension, LS Automotive, Dynamic Autosports, etc. Some of these shops literally have piles of engine harnesses, engines, and parts stacked up in the corners of their shops.
Backfire
I own a B16-powered '93 Honda Civic with Stage One Skunk2 cams, RC Engineering 310 cc/min injectors, a Bisimoto header, K&N intake, an A'pexi exhaust, and Hondata S100 ECU. My problem is that every time VTEC engages, the car experiences a real bad misfire. I unplugged the VTEC solenoid and the misfire disappeared, but the car won't idle. I've taken the Civic to numerous mechanics and they've troubleshot the problem as the distributor. I've changed the distributor three times, spark plugs, plug wires, fuel filter, and even switched the ECU, but still encounter this misfire.
-Anonymous
Via importtuner.com
The reason why the shops blame the distributor is because B-series distributors are known to have worn bearings with high mileage. Are you replacing the distributor with new or rebuilt units? Installing used units won't always do the trick unless you're using known good distributors (i.e., remove one from a perfectly running car and install it in yours). There are also a number of things that could be going on, including loose terminals in the connectors of your engine harness, bad spark plugs, bad spark plug wires that leak spark, a bad distributor cap and/or rotor, or bad ignition coil inside of the distributor. If you didn't have the Hondata S100 professionally tuned, there's a chance your maps are causing the misfire. If you have a high-mileage engine, you might want to check compression and give it a leakdown test as well. Remember that man created cars, so therefore man should be able to fix cars. Just slow it down, think carefully, and take a more methodical approach to your diagnosis. Unplugging wires and sensors randomly and blindly changing parts isn't going to help you fix anything.