3T GTE Tech

[7t5-27]

I know you can custom order from ARP and have studs built, if enough interest was around maybe the price would be affordable. I know I would like a set for my buildup, Just a thought. Be safe

Greg

[turbotoy]

I tried that too years ago. It can be done but the initial investment would be high. Then you have to get people who are used to finding things cheap in the junk yard to cough up $250-$300 U.S. per set. To make it affordable one would have to order like 10-30 sets. You might try giving them a call. Sometimes they have stuff lying around they have made for other people. I tried that also and they had some stuff that was real close.

[YelloRolla]

Go with what the manufacturer of the head studs recommends. Generally it is higher than stock though - like I have noted; the factory bolts are piss weak.

[79GT]

hey guys, did we come to a conclusion about what oil we should be using in the 3t (or 4t in my case)

Is HPR15 out, or is that still the go....let me know guys need to buy some NOW. cheers.

[79GT]

hey all, i ended up going for hpr 30, but have noticed that the tappets have become slightly noisy when i dont believe they where before...(i may not have been able to here when i had no exhaust...) is there another oil that will be better suited...??

and i am pretty sure the hydrolic tensioner needs to be tightened. can anyone give me a how to in this regard...I really dont want to overtighten it. thanks guys....let me know.

Jamie

[YelloRolla]

I have run all manner of oils in the 3T GTE. Lately I have been using a Fuchs full synthetic 10w-40, although that oil is probably too light for the 3T (or 4T GTE). The factory recommendation is 20w-50 (from memory), although a lot depends upon the bearing clearances and situation that the engine is subject to.

edit/ this time when I pulled the cam cover off, the Fuchs had cleaned a lot of the soot and ash previously found inside the engine off the engines internals. Royal Purple comes highly regarded, although I have yet to run it; I did buy some but my engine went BANG.

For adjusting the No 1 tensioner, refer to the manual - the procedure is the same for the 18R-G, 2T-G and the 3T-G, so I dare say that it will be the same for the 4T.

jas

[79GT]

thanks for the info jas, I have heard somewhere that you shouldnt go any thicker than a hpr 30 in a turbo car...is this the case, or would i be fine putting some heavier oil in it....in your opinion.

thanks again, i will look up that tensioner info....cheers

[turbotoy]

I use Valvoline racing 20w50. I tried Amsoil and didn't like it my pressure went down and temperatures went up.

[YelloRolla]

Simon,
The oil viscosity depends on turbo type, engine clearances and operating temps (and probably a myriad of other things, like temp as mentioned by turbotoy). The turbo can actually be slowed quite a bit by going to heavier oils (ie it won't spool as quickly). Thinner oil may not provide adequate film strength, thicker oil may not flow enough.

SO - to sum it up, the engineers who designed the engine did the hard work, so stick as close as possible to the recommendation set forth by them, (even if going to full synthetic).

You can run thinner for a small performance advantage, or a heavier oil if you're going to punish the engine repeatedly. I like to talk to the guys who are racing to see what they're running as nothing tests your oil like long distances at full engine loads and the associated heat loading.

FWIW - when my engine popped, the conrod bearings looked perfect. I was actually running a 10w-40 at the time. The engine failure was due to hydraulic lock which was not oil related.

[turbotoy]

The engine failure was due to hydraulic lock which was not oil related.

Head gasket pop?

[YelloRolla]

Yes, head gasket pop. I was running a new intake manifold and then upping the ante to race fuel, F2R 102, which is a 102 octane unleaded. We realized 14kw more with the manifold with more power right across the rev range. Then we stepped up to the race fuel and put some more boost into it, the car would spin the tyres from 4500 and 85% load. We were missing out on loading the car enough. After placing lots of heavy shit in the boot, boost crept by 2PSI, + we had a whole bunch more load against the engine, it rattled, this lead to a gasket failure and an engine that went bang!

[turbotoy]

I have been threw a few head gaskets myself.

[rke_011]

just out of curiosity, what mods would be best off on the 3t without cracking open the motor for forgies?

would a fuel only ecu make a difference?
are there any other external jobbies you can do other than turbo, cooler etc.

can any mods be done to gain power on stock ecu? injectors? etc.

i need to get some cheaper power.. if possible

cheers
Mat

[YelloRolla]

Stage 1 - crank the boost - they will handle 12-13 psi, but there is more power to be had by fitting an intercooler.

Next - Fit the CT26 and front mount, then you will definitely need larger injectors and aftermarket ECU, wind the wick up a bit and have some fun. Stock pistons will live, but they are completely dependent upon the state of tune, and this is more a matter of the tuner, rather than the choice of ECU.

Then there are some improvements to be had with intake manifold, larger plenum, larger runners, bigger throttle body - these mods take into account improving IC pipe layout as well as better airflow.

[rke_011]

ok, my car has a dual stage boost control and the high setting is on about 12psi and i do have a front mount intercooler, but it really doesnt seem to make that much difference to the power, im thinking that i might need a big dump pipe as im only running the standard one at the moment and 3" pipe from the cat back.
also the car has a rough idle and is running quite rich (judging from the black mark on my rear bumper), can this be tuned out using the factory ecu or should i get my wolf 2d installed and tuned?
im on a very tight budget here and im trying to use bits i already have.
as it is it did 88rwkw.