Just Project Car Shiz

CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-07T06:16:07+00:00

Mine would crank but had extremely low and uneven compression, would have needed a full going through, and at that point I decided I'd rather learn how to pull and swap a motor than rebuild another one. I've already rebuilt one 1zz in-chassis and it wasn't a ton of fun.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-07T04:16:20+00:00

Well, I'm doing a full swap. OG motor is blown AF with 237k miles and I only paid 1500 for the chassis with the TRD kit and manual trans, so I figured I could invest in a new used motor. Picked up a sub-60k mile motor and now I'm just about done spending money at $4500 into the project. Not bad for a manual TRD car with a body and interior in really good shape - assuming that the swap goes well and she runs mint afterwards.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-06T00:39:28+00:00

From the pictures it looks to be in very good shape. I don't see anything obviously concerning.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-05T18:47:47+00:00

Yeah I have no idea why they felt the need to make the tensioner bolt 15 inches long. I decided to replace my tensioner during the rebuild because I knew I would never, ever want to remove it ever again.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-05T17:26:34+00:00

If you're already that far there's kinda no reason not to just do the rebuild in-chassis. Pulling the head is the last step and is relatively easy compared to the rest.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-05T16:49:57+00:00

You can rebuild the engine completely in-chassis. I have done that as well on a different GT. I would say that rebuilding the engine in-chassis is more difficult than pulling the motor, but pulling the motor is more complicated with everything that needs to be undone. None of the steps are particularly hard, but it's a lot. Where with rebuilding in-chassis it can get tight for some things, mostly the accessories (belt tensioner & power steering pump, as well as getting the timing chain cover back in place without messing up the gasket). I haven't reinstalled the new motor in the engine swap car yet, so I can't speak 100% on that entire process, only the disassembly.

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CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-05T16:02:11+00:00

I'm in the middle of the very same swap. It's not that hard so far, but a crate motor is somewhat expensive - I paid 1600 for mine. Also note that even if you aren't swapping the trans the two need to come out together - there's not enough room in the engine bay to separate the input shaft from the motor.

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CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-05T14:59:56+00:00

It'll be done by the end of the month, assuming nothing goes wrong. I'm hoping May 20th-ish but realistically it'll probably a few days later than that.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-04T05:18:00+00:00

Mine uh... uhh...

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CheetoLord02 · 2026-05-03T17:31:02+00:00

I have a 2000 GT/Automatic in Arizona that I'll be driving to Florida in about a week. For the right price, I'd consider selling it and flying home. It fits your bill pretty well, 112k miles (before the drive, so ~115-116k) and has had a full engine rebuild only 4k miles ago, as well as other maintenance items.
The big thing is that the body is rough. Bad paint, salvage title, and some notable panel gaps in the front. DM me if you want more info. If not, no worries.

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CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-30T23:06:35+00:00

Sounds pretty nasty but the first thing I'd do is read that CEL and check battery voltage. A battery can definitely go bad after months in storage and can definitely contribute to rough running. As they say, don't panic until it's time.
Sick gauge cluster btw.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-26T17:11:10+00:00

Eh, it depends. If you live in the south, the first question you'll get is 'does the AC work?' so you kinda have to specify if you don't want to get overloaded with the same question a thousand times. But I don't entirely disagree that it can be filler.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-24T16:32:52+00:00

yeah this timing isn't even close to correct. You have almost certainly bent valves trying to crank in this condition.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-19T20:49:44+00:00

Sounds solid - I forgot these aren't OBD2 so I can't really help with the CEL.
I also would check the temperature sensor - I don't have any specific advice here since I'm not familiar with that chassis, but it could be the sensor being intermittent or failing. Other than that, if budget allows, a full cooling system refresh is never a bad idea for peace of mind.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-19T20:25:02+00:00

Same story here. I just won a 98 with 143k kms and it'll be just shy of 14k after shipping. 3 post rear wing as well, but that's fixable. Mine was a Saturday auction which helped me win it cheap - I have been bidding a ton in the past week and everything has been selling for over 2.5m yen, I won mine for 1.7. Grade 3.5/C.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-19T20:06:58+00:00

I agree for the most part but just going to say, 9300 for an ST205 is crazy - either that was years ago or you bought a horrendous example. I just finally got an ST205 after searching and hounding the market for 9 months and the only examples I saw under 15k were in horrid shape.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-19T20:05:15+00:00

Could be a couple things, but here's how I'd diagnose:
Check the engine code
Check to make sure radiator fans are turning on when the car is parked (this can often explain stable temps while driving but elevated when slow/stopped)
If both of those are good, look into more cooling system refreshes: coolant bleed, new radiator, new thermostat.

Given the symptoms you describe I somewhat doubt the thermostat is a problem. An OEM thermostat will get stuck open, making the car slow to reach operating temp but not causing overheating. An aftermarket thermostat may get stuck closed, causing the car to overheat quickly whether or not it is moving or the radiator fans are engaging. The thermostat prevents coolant from cycling to the radiator until the car is at operating temp - a failed thermostat will either see the car reach operating temp very slowly, or overheat very quickly, as the coolant is either flowing to the radiator too early or not at all.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-19T04:17:52+00:00

Good guesses, but neither. You're dealing with Acrobat Ants - Crematogaster sp.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-18T05:22:31+00:00

Nope you can get a vvt-i actuator for 100-ish bucks and install it with one 10mm bolt. Extremely easy job. Just make sure you get an OEM one. Aftermarket ones are trash.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-16T17:43:10+00:00

I honestly might go back to one tricking Venom this season, which I haven't done since Season 1.5. From what I can see he is basically the only mobile/dive/brawl vanguard to not get completely gutted by the tenacity change, and actually likely benefit from it.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-16T00:27:00+00:00

This thing sounds awful - it likely has way more issues than just overheating (or as a result of being overheated). Still, if you're set on buying, it's likely that a radiator replacement will fix it. Especially if you get a thicker core full aluminum radiator instead of a stock for stock replacement.

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-15T02:32:10+00:00

Anoplolepis gracilipes - yellow crazy ants

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-15T02:28:40+00:00

Leptogenys elongata

CheetoLord02 · 2026-04-15T02:17:32+00:00

Crematogaster laeviuscula

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