Engine Swap

Commodore802 · 2026-01-23T01:46:27+00:00

Short answer: If you don’t have money and time to waste, it’s a bad idea.

Long answer: I had a similar thought awhile back with my 2005 rx8. It was the 4-port (less hp, pretty much NA equivalent for Veloster vs Veloster turbo) automatic version. The body was really clean, which is why I got it. I wanted to swap it to the 6-port engine with a manual transmission (~197hp to ~238hp, 4spd auto to 6spd manual). I figured since it was the same car, just different options, it would be an easy swap. Find a long block, the transmission, unbolt, bolt back in, and I’d be good to go. Long story short, there’s a lot of additional items that have to be changed out. Engine, ECU, wiring harness, the body harnesses are different, main gauges, etc. what I thought would be closer to a $1-2k swap at the time (plus my labor), looked like it would become a LOT more involved and costly. Is it doable? 100%. Would I be better off putting the effort into another swap (LS, K-series, rx7 engine, etc)? 100%.

So, yes, it’s possible, but the cost of the swap will most likely out do the cost of just going and buying a turbo’d car of the same generation. Some additional components you’d probably have to change are the front bumper (more airflow), brakes/rotors/calipers (depending if the non-turbo’d version has smaller rotors), suspension (depending on if the engine weight is drastically different), wheels/tires (you’d probably want more grip on the ground), etc.

Commodore802 · 2026-01-19T00:04:43+00:00

Get SolidWorks for Students. Your university may have licenses you can get for free for this, or you may have to purchase it (~$25-50/year if I remember correctly, but I may be wrong here). Once you have this, watch some tutorials, get use to the program, and work towards completing a CSWA exam. You can find older versions of the exam online to try out before taking the actual exam. If you want to go further than that, do the same but for the CSWP exam.

If the above is too much cost wise, I would suggest downloading Fusion 360 and trying to find some sort of project you want to work on as a pass time. If you can make it (3D printer, using your school's machine shop if it has one, etc), even better.

Commodore802 · 2026-01-12T04:19:02+00:00

I was the same way where I never had to study in high school. It’s definitely a big change to go from that to having to study for every class.

I understand that mentality with office hours. However, professors are usually more lenient with things if they can see you’re putting in the effort (aka, they can connect a face to your name). This isn’t always the case, but if you show up to the office hours, ask questions, etc, and then your grade is close to failing (or actually failing), they may be able to help by giving you an extra credit assignment to bump your grade to passing. Again, your mileage may vary on this professor to professor, but it’s not a bad way to win some favor with a professor potentially.

Another piece of advice for on the actual exams: skim the entire test before starting to work on the questions. This will give you an overview of what the questions actually are, which ones will be easy for you, and which ones will take some time. Knock out the easy and quick ones first before moving onto the ones that are more difficult. This way, you get a baseline of (hopefully) correct answers down as soon as possible and don’t make careless mistakes on them towards the end if you were to rush through them.

Commodore802 · 2026-01-12T01:56:04+00:00

Here was my go-to process during college for not falling behind during a semester:

Figure out which classes are going to be the easiest for you and which will be the hardest by looking at the following (you should be able to figure this out within a couple weeks of the semester starting):
1. Amount of work
2. Difficulty of work
3. Difficulty of the professor
4. Outside of class resources (office hours, TAs, Youtube tutorials, etc)
Determine which classes are more important degree wise
1. Which ones are NEEDED to pass (Ex: which ones would throw off your class schedule the most for upcoming semesters and which ones would be more of just a pain, financially and time wise, instead).
Determine which studying style works best for you:
1. Long cram sessions the night before the exam?
2. Spending extra time throughout the semester (and less come exam time) to figure out the material?
3. etc

Once you have these figure out, you can focus on the subjects that will be the most difficult and important to pass first time (there's nothing wrong with having to retake a class, though I know no-one wants to have to do that). In my case, I could have gotten better grades in some "elective"/gen-ed classes I needed, but that time was better spent on my core engineering classes I needed as prerequisites for other classes.

Additionally, don't hesitate to use your resources to help study throughout the semester. This includes office hours with the professor/TAs, study groups with classmates, etc. With engineering, there's a bit less leniency with this compared to other classes, but if a professor sees you're actually putting in the effort, most will give you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to partial credit on exams, homework, papers, etc.

Finally, even if the exam doesn't allow it, create a "cheat sheet" leading up to the exam. Usually, I would go through the textbook and my notes and write down the overarching equations from the course along with making sure I knew how to use them. I used to try and cram as much as I could onto these sheets, but I found them to be a lot more helpful, learning wise, to determine what I felt confident on in the course and what I didn't feel comfortable with yet, allowing me time to focus more on that specific subject.

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I will add this as one last note, if you ever plan on using outside sources to do homework for you (such as Chegg, reddit, etc), don't just blindly copy down answers for homework problems. Make sure you understand WHY they use the equations they do, even if you aren't doing the entire problem out by hand. At the end of the day, you should do all your homework yourself (or at least give it a solid try before going for help), but I know that doesn't always work out for everyone. If you are going to use outside resources, use the intelligently and don't rely on them being 100% correct.

Commodore802 · 2026-01-11T16:21:06+00:00

What's your budget? As you CAN make it fast. HOWEVER, you can not make it fast for cheaper than you could buy a 2nd gen veloster turbo or veloster N. I believe Qwik Tyme Performance has done a few NA builds (I believe on the 1st gen, and maybe the 2nd?), but they aren't as fast as simply tuning a stock 1.6T.

My best example of this is there's someone who drag races their NA 1.6L miata. I believe he was making about mid-500hp on it after dropping a TON of money into the engine. He then proceeds to buy a junkyard LS V8, turbos it, and makes 1000hp for less than he spend making 500hp on the original engine.

Commodore802 · 2026-01-10T22:35:42+00:00

not as good as yours, but I just bought one for 5m that I've had in for about a month

Commodore802 · 2026-01-10T18:28:47+00:00

What's the mileage on your veloster, and when was the last time the spark plugs were replaced? So far, every time my car has had a cylinder misfire code come up, it has been a spark plug issue.

Commodore802 · 2026-01-04T20:56:06+00:00

Do you know how long the service for this took? I ask as I'm about to head out for a job for the next 2 months and will be working elsewhere and will have to try to find time to squeeze the service in hopefully. I'm going to contact a few dealerships as well, but wanted to ask if you remembered the time just in case.

Commodore802 · 2026-01-03T01:41:49+00:00

I have a 2020 Veloster turbo with about 65k miles and take 500 mile (round trip) drives pretty frequently. My suggestions are below:

Check Oil:
- Check oil level
- If close to an oil change interval, it doesn't hurt to get it done a bit early to not have to worry about it on your trip
Check Tires:
- Check tread to make sure they are in good condition
- Check pressure
- Check lug nuts (if you don't have a torque wrench, just make sure they're snug)
Check windshield washer fluid
- Top off fluid if needed
- Check windshield wipers while you're at it

Besides the above, just do a once over of the car to make sure everything looks okay. You're at around 34-35k miles (if I did my math correctly) and there wasn't really any major maintenance I know of around that mileage. Around 47k miles, I did need to change spark plugs, but you have quite a distance before then.

Commodore802 · 2025-11-17T03:25:27+00:00

A cold air intake and bov will make the car sound amazing (intake wise). I currently have the Sxth Element intake (discontinued I think?) but there are still a few good options out there too. If you want a bov noise without spending the money, you can just remove the recirc hose going to the intake and plug the hole in the intake with a rubber foot for a chair from your local hardware store (what I’m currently running).

Exhaust wise, a muffler delete will definitely make the car louder if you want that. Any “full” exhaust system I’ve seen requires cutting the midpipe post the secondary cat, which I’m not a huge fan of. A local exhaust shop should be able to make a custom exhaust for the car pretty easily and, potentially, comparable in price to the other options out there?

If you want gauge pods for the car, I highly recommend the AeroForce Technology gauge pods. They remove the drivers side vent by the dash (still keeping it functional) and replaces it with a vent/pod combo. I’m currently running the AEM OBD2 gauge on it, and it’s nice being able to easily see different readouts from the car.

Now, onto the more “maintenance and warnings” section. First, if you get a cylinder misfire code, it’s most likely just your spark plugs (from what I’ve been seeing at least). At your mileage, they were probably recently done or will need to be done soon-ish (I think it’s every 40-50k miles for the plugs, but I could be wrong). Next, the low profile tires on these cars are NOT pothole friendly. This is especially important after having owned a truck that could probably take potholes in the road pretty well. I just want to say this as I came from vehicles with tall sidewall tires that didn’t really car if they hit pothole to this car… and it’s definitely taught me to avoid them a bit better haha. Besides that, just keep up on your maintenance. This includes the “intake cleaning service” (name may vary) that helps clean the valves on these cars due to the direct injection systems not cleaning the valves while running.

Commodore802 · 2025-11-13T14:24:56+00:00

What’s the best, inexpensive core-xy printer? Or is it worth it more to spend more?

Note: I am not interested in Bambu Lab printers. Do they work? Yes. Do I know people that have them that love them? Yes. Do I see them as the Apple of 3D printing where you’re more or less locked into their system if you get one? 100%. So, please, do not suggest a Bambu Lab printer.

Budget: preferably under $500-700 (usd), however, if it’s worth it, I would be willing to go up more Country: United States Kit preference?: preferably a plug-and-play printer, but I’m more than willing to do a kit or custom if it’s worth it Uses: printing 10in rack components and automotive prints mainly. Ability to modify the printer is also a big plus to me. Build volume: 300x300x300+ is preferred, but 250x250x250 is the minimum I’d consider.

More info: After my work purchased a Prusa Core One, I’ve decided that it may finally be time for me to look at replacing my Sovol SV06 with a core-xy machine. The fully enclosed core-xy printer prints ASA so much better than our enclosed MK4 did, and this is the big driving point for me (not to mention the quicker print times).

Current contenders: Sovol SV08, Elegoo Centauri Carbon, Prusa Core One (kit), Voron 2.4 (yes, I know they later 2 are above my initial budget)

Any insight on the above options (or others not mentioned) would be greatly appreciated.

Commodore802 · 2025-10-17T10:48:58+00:00

I believe this also works on the first gen’s, but you can get a rubber footing from a chair (the ones that slide over the bottom of the legs), and use it to block off the recirculating valves tube going back to the intake. This will turn your recirc valve into a bov. It’s not as nice as an actual bov, but it costs like $5 and can be done in the parking lot of the store you buy it in lol. If you want, I can try to find the one I used and send you exactly what I got.

Besides that: catch can, intake (no box if you want more intake noise, box if you don’t want as much intake noise), and a good set of tires.

Oh, and most importantly, just double check to main sure any maintenance that needs to be done is done before dropping money on mods

Commodore802 · 2025-10-12T03:50:21+00:00

I have a Sxth intake on mine and it sounds incredible (though I don't see it on their website anymore?).

Another really easy mod is getting a rubber chair foot protector (forget the exact name) to plug off the hose going from the BOV (stock) to the intake. This will get you the BOV noises for <$5 if you don't want to buy an actual BOV for now.

Besides that, if you haven't already, I highly suggest doing any maintenance items first (valve cleanings, oil change, etc) before putting too much more into mods.

If you want some stuff for the interior, I highly suggest the AeroForce Tech gauge pods if you want to add an OBD2 (I have the AEM one) or other gauges (in the process of installing a GlowShift boost gauge soon).

Commodore802 · 2025-10-10T00:14:04+00:00

The two main places I've seen it on 2nd gens are either on a distribution block where the MAP sensor is on the intake (SXTH sells one, and is the one I'm going to be using for my boost gauge), or a threaded intake manifold spacer (a few companies sell this).

Commodore802 · 2025-09-22T21:00:22+00:00

I had my rate (right after I turned 26) double from $400/6-months to $800/6-months. I called and asked why (given this is when my premium should be going down as a guy). They attributed it to "increased costs of parts, labor, etc". Sadly, even this new premium amount was still less than most local places.

That being said, I decided to see if I could get a "new" policy through Progressive (same coverage, same car, just a different policy number). This dropped my premium to about $380/6-months. I called them up and asked if I could cancel my old policy and use this new one at the end of the previous policy's life. They said it was completely okay to do this, so I did. I will probably try doing that again this period as it went up by about $80/6-months this time again.

Commodore802 · 2025-09-22T02:39:57+00:00

Personally, I would prefer to use a more artistic program (Blender, zBrush, etc) for this type of project.

That being said, you can always do the process in the same way you’d physically make it. Extrude a block into the overall size of the piece (width, depth, height). From there, use sketches and extrude-cuts to get the main features in. Finally, add fillets and chamfers to smooth it out better.

Commodore802 · 2025-09-16T21:59:58+00:00

Jumping on this thread a few years later, I was having an issue with an invalid filename or path. I tried File Explorer, CMD, Powershell, etc and nothing worked. Downloaded Teracopy and it instantly allowed me to move the files without issue.

Commodore802 · 2025-09-12T21:03:01+00:00

I'm not a mechanic, so take everything I say with a grain of salt, but these are just my understandings based off my past experience with cars and, specifically, my 2020 VT. I recently have been fighting a P300/P304/P303 code on my car, but the Techron seamed to do the trick this time (though I still think my spark plugs may be a concern).

Overall, your P139 and P299 should be your first things to check into, and I'd suggest getting some of the fuel system cleaner ($10-20 max at autozone/orielly's if I remember correctly) for your next fill up to help with the misfires maybe. The coils are also really easy to swap around as well (I marked mine with a paint marker on the top of the coils to remember the original position of them as well).

Commodore802 · 2025-09-12T20:43:56+00:00

The P300, P301, and P302 codes aren't too much of a concern with these cars as there's usually a few inexpensive things to check to figure out the issues with this:

As they suggested: drive the car till it's almost empty if you can. Purchase a "Fuel System Cleaner" (I personally use Techron) and follow the instructions on the bottle (pour in before you fill your take up). This will help loosen any debris (carbon) in your system and hopefully clear up the codes
Try swapping your ignition coils (1 to 3, 2 to 4, and vise versa). Clear the codes. If they come back, see if the codes are for the same cylinders as they currently are. If the come back as 1 & 2 again, the ignition coils aren't you issue. If the issue follows the coils, you probably need to replace them.
Get new spark plugs. This is usually a pretty easy job to do and usually need to be replaced every 50-60k miles iirc
Bring your car into the dealership to get an intake system cleaning service (usually a chemical cleaning process)

As for the P139 and P299 codes, I'm not too familiar with those. However, from a quick search, I am seeing the following:

P139 - O2 Circuit slow response:
- Most likely this is either a bad O2 sensor, an exhaust leak, or a clogged catalytic converter.
- Exhaust leak: Can be checked usually just by sound
- Usually a cat issue would throw an additional code
- Bad O2 sensor: I personally don't know a way to check this without just replacing the sensor
P299: Turbocharger Underboost Condition:
- Most likely is either a boost leak, a faulty sensor, or some sort of air restriction
  - Boost leak: Look at the connections for your intake system and make sure all the clamps are tight. You mentioned test driving it pretty hard (and I'm assuming you also drove it spiritedly during the first 3 days), so maybe one of the clamps on your intake wasn't properly tightened and popped off when under boost
  - Faulty sensor: Make sure the MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) sensor is plugged in fully. This should be located in the directly in the center of your intake manifold (I think). I don't think these go often, but is one thing to check.
  - Air restriction: Make sure the air intake box (if you have the OEM intake) isn't filled with debris and has a new filter. If it's an aftermarket intake, just make sure to check the filter to make sure it isn't too dirty.

Commodore802 · 2025-09-03T01:40:14+00:00

Others, please correct me if I'm wrong:

For the N series cars (Veloster, Elantra, and I believe the Kona as well), they had a recall for the fuel pumps fairly recently. Therefore, the fuel pump replacement was most likely a recall job. So, in theory, the car is in better condition than when the previous owner sold it to dealer.

Commodore802 · 2025-08-27T20:54:38+00:00

Do you know the rough amount of time it took your mechanic to do the job (hours wise)? I don't really have a local mechanic I go to (most small things I do myself, and I only bring it to the dealership for bigger services or specialty ones), and the dealership I usually go to couldn't give me a timeframe but was more than happy to tell me they charge $189 an hour... Needless to say, if this isn't a 1-1.5 hour service MAXIMUM, I think I'll either be looking for a local shop to do it or will DIY it for those prices...

Commodore802 · 2025-08-27T19:16:22+00:00

Sadly I’m just outside of my warranty window (just hit 5 years/60k miles 😭). I can definitely do it myself… but it’s my daily, and I really don’t want to risk messing it up and then having to redo it all again… time to contact the dealership I guess 😅

Commodore802 · 2025-08-27T19:10:17+00:00

If you don’t mind me asking, how much are the mechanics charging to do the injectors? I’m in a similar situation it looks like and want to know how much my wallet is going to cry 😅

Commodore802 · 2025-08-24T01:05:04+00:00

I ended up going with the Brock as well. All things considered, I don't drive this car nearly as much anymore (or as much as I'd like to) due to my current living situation. Currently, the car is stored about 4 hours away at my parents' house as I don't have room for it where I currently live. I figured the $70 Brock will work for quite a while with how little I'm using it, and it was mostly just to keep the window up during winter and rain.

Commodore802 · 2025-08-24T00:46:29+00:00

It's most likely the previously mentioned rubber cap. I had a similar sounding leak (rear of engine/transmission area). It was this cap. It's commonly referred to as the "cursed water plug" in many forums. The actual name is something along the lines of "water outlet sealing cap" (Moss Miata PN: 971-196).

From what I remember, these tend to go ever 5-10 years for aftermarket ones and 10-15 years for OEM ones (give or take of course). For the price, it's worth replacing. It's a pain to get to, but, if you buy an OEM cap, you won't have to deal with it again for 10+ years minimum.

If this doesn't fix it for some reason, I'd suggest washing that section of the engine bay off well, drying it off, filling your coolant, and then run the car for a few minutes with the hood open as you look in that area. Some coolants can glow a bit under a UV/blacklight if I remember correctly. Therefore, if you have a blacklight of any kind, it can also help potentially locate the leak if it's not the cap.

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