Hi guys, soon to be S15 owner

[sevy]

Well yeh the title says it all really, my last cars were 2 Nissan Exa's with the CA18DE and another with the DET. But I got tired of the CA and FWD cars so I decided to get the sexy S15 as my first rwd car. But please lets not get into how good the SR is over the CA, i've seen it all too much before . Anyway I live in Melbourne, Australia (thought i mention that since the forum seems quite multicultural)

I did come across one S15 which might I add seems to have a lot of work put into it.

2001 Nissan Silvia s15 Spec R
Trial Full Bodykit (Front,Side,Rear)
M1 Style Bonnet
50mm D-Max Front Fenders
60mm Custom Rear Fenders
Full Spray House of Color
19" GT-AV Volks Racing Wheels
Sunroof
Custom Seat Trims
Custom Roof Lining
Ganador Side Mirror
Viper Alarm
Alpine DVD Player
Hybrid Intercooler
Full Exhaust
-Fujistubo(Cat-back)
-Tomei(Dump and front Pipe)
Blitz BOV
exedy twin plate clutch
nismo flywheel
blitz guages(oil press,temp,boost)in vent holes
blitz boost controller
Apexi rsm
Tien Coilovers
Cusco Rear Camber Arms
Garrett GT2560R turbo
jdm steering wheel
jdm apillar
jdm climate control

the above pretty much what was listed

I guess my question is to you S15 owners is, what to watch out for when buying an S15. I mean stuff that is unique to the car that really should be working. I could let a mechanic take a look at it but even some mechanics don't understand our engines alot.
As for the engine how much does it usually cost to do a recon on the engine? ballpark figure will do.

Here is a list of what I can think of, some basic stuff:

Misfiring
Gearshift, if there is crunches or grinding
Accident damage (obviously)
Now as far as I know the SR engines carry timing chain instead of the timing belt. However what is the maintenance issues regarding the timing chain?
I have also heard that the 6 speed box breaks down quite often in these, is this the case? or does it all depend

I know if I did a lot of search i would find what I need, but I would really appreciated if you guys can give me some guidance or direction about buying a S15.

 

[Trial_S15]

Welcome to the club Sevy. The chain just doesn't need to be replaced as often as the belt but if you were to rebuild or recon the engine it might be an idea to change it while your at it, but it would really depend on mileage... It's also meant to be more restrictive than a belt but not really an issue in a Spec R!!!

2001 Nissan Silvia s15 Spec R
Trial Full Bodykit (Front,Side,Rear)
M1 Style Bonnet
50mm D-Max Front Fenders
60mm Custom Rear Fenders
Full Spray House of Color
19" GT-AV Volks Racing Wheels
Sunroof

Got any pics of that car? I'd like to see one with the wide fenders & bonnet (my car has the 4 piece Trial Tryforce kit with standard fenders etc - the pewter one with bronze Nismo's in the S15OC header...)

Oh, you need to look out for VVT rattle with the SR. The VVT Sprocket can start to indicate its on its way out when the engine is cold. When you start it in the morning, if there is a slight rattle when you go to move off from being stationary it could be a sign. And if its already fubbared you'll know all about it! Theres plenty of threads on it here...

 

[sevy]

http://img54.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12899920081214441.jpg

http://img54.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12899920081214511.jpg

http://img54.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12899920081214061.jpg

Sorry I dont have any other images unfortunately.

He said that it just hit the 100k limit on the odo

I just looked at some articles about the VVT (NVCS), lol it sure is an ugly sound but quite easy to fix it seems, correct me if Im wrong.
Damn if this is the only thing to watch out for, I really want a S15 right now lol.

The CA use to have so many problems (it had a reconed engine as well) , I spend more time with the bonnet up then bonnet down.

 

[Trial_S15]

Lol, well I don't have a spec R so wouldn't be familiar with some of the issues your asking about (I've an n/a JDM spec S so the internals & drivetrain are different in mine)

That looks very nice, I don't know that I like the white interior but the Silvia logo etched into the seats is a nice touch. Is that midnight purple????

 

[s15andy.s]

welcome along...

 

[Nicely]

I've said on here a few times now that the VVT rattle at startup is VERY common and nothing to be concerned about. Its more annoying than anything else. You only need to be concerned if it does it at other times, particularly if the engine is warm. Fixing it IS straightforward, though not necessarily easy price-wise. Its usually either the solenoid or sprocket. If its the solenoid (first thing to try), it'll be fair cheap. If it the sprocket, its fooking expensive.

Its fairly accurate to say that there are more SR20DETs WITH VVT rattle than without. If yours has it and the solenoid doesn't fix it, just live with it unless its severe.

Welcome BTW :wave:

 

[sevy]

Yeh Im not a massive fan of the white interior either but he has done lot of other stuff to the car that im impressed about.

I would probably change interior when it starts to get well I dont know......a massive stain of some sort lol.

The base color is purple (not sure if its midnight purple or not) and its got a top layer of 'house of color'. When the light reflects of it you see different colors. Yeh I know whoop-de-do.
I am in trouble if the panel gets damaged and needed a respray but I would just respray the whole car with a different color I think.

Other than that thanks for the warm welcome, I look forward to our endavours.

 

[naha_music]

WTTC! That is one bright interior! I bet the windshield has a really bad glare when in the sunlight...

 

[sevy]

Yeh lol you can already see the massive glare from one of the pics.