Self install on the vortech kit.
#1
#2
#3
The kits are set up really nice and should be really easy to install. I kinda regret having someone else install mine, but they only charged $800 for the installation and they installed a bunch of other stuff also at the same time (headers, clutch, flywheel) that I wouldn't be able to mess with without a lift.
#5
Originally Posted by G352NV
Ok whos done it? My buddy owns a performance shop and said he will help but I would like to do it myself, like all my other mods. I plan on taking it in to get tuned. So who has done it? Were the instructions pretty good?
Yeah I installed my own kit. I'm mechanically inclined so it took me about
8Hrs all by myself. I should start charging people to just bring it to my house on Saturdays. 700.00 Installed. My kit turned out perfect. Looks
factory installed. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
I'll help ya out as much as I can.
Thanks
#6
me, feel free to ask questions.
some pointers, only install the top 3 bolts on the scer, buy some longer oil return hose, keep the 2 supports under the intercooler, connect all the piping losely then tighten it all down, buy the smaller K&N filter, tap the oil pan lower, dont overtighten the tensioner pulley, make SURE the fuel fittings are tight, uh i think thats all for now, until i remember some more.
some pointers, only install the top 3 bolts on the scer, buy some longer oil return hose, keep the 2 supports under the intercooler, connect all the piping losely then tighten it all down, buy the smaller K&N filter, tap the oil pan lower, dont overtighten the tensioner pulley, make SURE the fuel fittings are tight, uh i think thats all for now, until i remember some more.
#7
Watch your dip stick from getting too close to the cog gear, watch the polarity on the fuel pump (if you have a compressor, simulate boost and listen for the relay to click near the fuel pump), 6 threads showing on the BOV. Take it easy on the test drive and let the boost creep up, don't floor it and hope it's all working. Good luck, and post back here....
Trending Topics
#8
Here's what I'm doing because I don't have a lift and don't want to screw up the two most difficult mechanical steps. I'm doing my install backwards by wiring up the SS timing box to a ECU patch harness (this is a must IMHO), doing all the piping and aftercooler installation, installing the bracket and blower with oil lines attached and stopping there. As long as the cogged SC belt is not attached, the car can be driven as is (I'm leaving the patch harness in place behind the kick panel but haven't hooked it up). This Saturday, I'm driving up to Avalon Racing in Londonderry, NH to have their expert installer do the oil pan tapping, install a JWT spacer, do all the fuel system stuff, three gauges, and then the final hookup. This way, I'm involved in the build up but I'm not lying on my back staring up at dripping oil and dripping gasoline. Plus, Avalon will check the whole thing before firing up the engine. Also, my install costs are significantly decreased.
#13
I would not attempt the wiring yourself without getting the AutoSport Wiring patch harness. This enables you to cut off 6 inches of wires from the end of the timing box harness and solder each individually to the patch harness wires which are color coded and lengthened. You can do this at a table with excellent lighting and make perfect solder joints with no errors. Then, you install the timing box next to the battery, run its harness through the main harness grommet behind the battery area and out through the right kicker panel. Then, on your back inside the passenger side front, you just match up all the wires color-for-color and solder right there. When you're ready to hook up, the patch harness connects on one end to the car harness and the other to the ECU with OEM Nissan connectors for a perfect result. Also, if you ever need to return to stock, you can do it immediately without any un-soldering.
BTW, I would not attempt to install the Vortech without help from a friend who has already done it. The pictures in the manual leave a lot out and it is extremely easy to make a mistake which can damage your car and/or the kit. I installed the bracket, blower, belts, wiring (which was perfect) and intercooler with all the piping. It took me about 12 hours of struggle and still had to be corrected by the installer I went to to do the harder stuff--oil pan drilling and aux fuel system. I had routed a downpipe on the wrong side of an airconditioner hose and would have eaten through it, unknowingly, in a few months.
I'm glad I did the install, but I was lucky to have a skilled installer correct my work and finish it off. The problem, aside from the very limited instructions, is the absolute lack of working space in the engine compartment. You hit snag after snag, and if you aren't working with a lift but on your back on the floor of your garage, it can be very frustrating.
BTW, I would not attempt to install the Vortech without help from a friend who has already done it. The pictures in the manual leave a lot out and it is extremely easy to make a mistake which can damage your car and/or the kit. I installed the bracket, blower, belts, wiring (which was perfect) and intercooler with all the piping. It took me about 12 hours of struggle and still had to be corrected by the installer I went to to do the harder stuff--oil pan drilling and aux fuel system. I had routed a downpipe on the wrong side of an airconditioner hose and would have eaten through it, unknowingly, in a few months.
I'm glad I did the install, but I was lucky to have a skilled installer correct my work and finish it off. The problem, aside from the very limited instructions, is the absolute lack of working space in the engine compartment. You hit snag after snag, and if you aren't working with a lift but on your back on the floor of your garage, it can be very frustrating.
#15
You can get the patch harness directly from the person (Richard) who hand builds them at www.autosportwiring.com or through http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchan...ct_Code=ASW180 . I paid $250, although I've seen them now at $300. It's worth every penny. Richard is very accesible by phone for tech support on getting the wiring right. It's important, when working with the plug layout diagram, to know that it's the view of the interior of the ecu plug when looking straight into it. If you get it backwards it will seem like the color-coded wires are in the wrong place. Or, just ignore the diagram and go by the color coding instructions that come with the patch harness.
One more thing--don't make the mistake I made: the end of the patch harness that goes into the ECU is the male end. The female connects with the main harness (I did the opposite and then had to unsolder and resolder). When you cut the colored wires in the patch harness to solder in the 6" wire ends that you cut off the timing box harness, you've got to know whether you're soldering a particular wire to the wire going into the ECU or to the wire going into the main harness.
One more thing--don't make the mistake I made: the end of the patch harness that goes into the ECU is the male end. The female connects with the main harness (I did the opposite and then had to unsolder and resolder). When you cut the colored wires in the patch harness to solder in the 6" wire ends that you cut off the timing box harness, you've got to know whether you're soldering a particular wire to the wire going into the ECU or to the wire going into the main harness.
Last edited by gersteinp; 02-21-2005 at 05:54 PM.