what should i do?

[AEeighty-six]

i bought a AE86 with a 4A-GE 20v "Silvertop".
the car wasn't running properly.
the previous owner said it only needed to be tuned.

well. just got a estimate on how much it will cost to fix.
the shop says around $1500us.

the swap wasn't done properly.
a lot of unnecessary wiring. ghetto rigged.
header leaks. two outside bolts aren't in. wasn't ever modified to fit.
needs air filters. so would want stacks with filters.
and of course. needs to be tuned with the SDS system installed.

now. the what should i do..?

should i spend the money to fix her up?
or
should i swap the motor out for a 4A-GE 16v?

if i went with the 16v, i could enjoy her on the streets.
if i stay with the 20v, i am told if i pulled over and my hood gets popped, she could be impounded. : (

i had bought her to enjoy on the streets and for some weekend fun.

[Jan Pedersen]

Quote:if i went with the 16v, i could enjoy her on the streets.

Sure!

However I would fix the 20V up. Search and ask and it not all that hard. $1500 will go a long way with a bit of diy

[Apolan]

wow with 1500$ you can buy another 20v and convert it to run in a hachiroku. If the engine is intact, you'll jsut need to buy megasquirt or someother standalone ecu, and tune the engine. Thats definatelly not 1500$.

But if its true that it can get impounded, now thats some harsh laws there! Note taht 20v is the same family group as teh 16v - 4age!

But for me, im a purist, 16v all the way! You could probably swap the silvertop with somebodys 16v along with ecu and harness, with even some money your way, so it might be a good deal.. then you could use the spare money to really make this 16v run strong.

[AEeighty-six]

Jan Pedersen Wrote:However I would fix the 20V up. Search and ask and it not all that hard. $1500 will go a long way with a bit of diy

well. see. the thing with diy is this.
i don't know much about working on motors.
i have a friend that does, but he doesn't have much spare time anymore and so i can't always rely on him to help out and be there.

Apolan Wrote:wow with 1500$ you can buy another 20v and convert it to run in a hachiroku. If the engine is intact, you'll jsut need to buy megasquirt or someother standalone ecu, and tune the engine. Thats definatelly not 1500$.

But if its true that it can get impounded, now thats some harsh laws there! Note taht 20v is the same family group as teh 16v - 4age!

But for me, im a purist, 16v all the way! You could probably swap the silvertop with somebodys 16v along with ecu and harness, with even some money your way, so it might be a good deal.. then you could use the spare money to really make this 16v run strong.

it is currently running on a standalone ecu. SDS.
the wiring was done incorrectly which is the current main problem with it.
that along with the ae86 header never being modified to fit correctly on the 20v and the intake not having any filters.

it being impounded is because it won't pass smog nor being able to pass being ref'ed in california because it doesn't have all original 'smog parts'.

and about the 16v. that is pretty much what i was thinking. and it would be a great relief not having to worry about any major problems if my hood got popped by a officer of the law.

[Apolan]

well if 20v wont pass, neither will 16v. Besides, you can always put on a cat-

[AEeighty-six]

well. i actually talked to a few smog techs.

found out that the Silvertop won't pass smog.

reasons were...
1) a motor swap also requires the swap of all emission parts. only have the motor. the reason for this is, the car would be smogged as the car the motor originally came from.
2) it is a jdm motor. emission laws are different/more strict in california. so no guarantee, even with the emission parts, that she'll pass smog.
3) it is a jdm motor. so has no history. so passing a state ref would require jumping through a lot of hoops.

so. it looks like i will be either selling the motor soon. or possibly the whole car.

if i were to just sell the motor i would swap back to the 16v.
either bigport or smallport.
and as long as i can follow number one (above) i should be okay.

now. i just got to find where and which motor i want and for what price i can get for it.

[NoHachi]

1500$?

Wiring problem/ghetto rigging: wiring is not that hard..just takes an awfull lot of time. Sit down with the EFI manual and the wiring diagram and figure it out.

Headers? Didn't the ordinary 16V headers fit?

If those are all your problems, might as well fix em before you sell it.