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Video, Sound And Music By Mathew Trinh (AKA: Happy. My 9 Year Old), Graphics, Editing, Web Design By Ryan Trinh (My 14 Year Old), Writing. Greasy/Dirty Work By Binh Trinh (AKA: Ben). 

 

FAMILY CAR/SHOP PROJECT 2JZ GTE SWAP

PERFORMANCE UPGRADE ON A BUDGET FOR A 2001 LEXUS GS 300 3.0L INLINE 6 CYLINDER, UPGRADED TO A JDM 2JZ GTE TWIN TURBO POWER PLANT IMPORTED FROM JAPAN RATED FROM THE FACTORY AT 320 HORSEPOWER @ THE FLYWEEL (THE SAME ENGINE AS THE TOYOTA SUPRA TWIN TURBO). THE ENGINE & TRANSMISSION WAS A DONOR, BUSINESS TO BUSINESS TRANSACTION DEAL. CURRENTLY THIS VEHICLE HAS A TIRED ENGINE AT 230K MILES ON THE CLOCK (ODOMETER) ON ITS STOCK FORM AND IT SINGS INDEFINITE BIRD LOVE NOTES MOST COLD MORNINGS (BELT SQUEAKS) TILL THE ENGINE WARMS UP. IT DOES HAVE ITS MANY ISSUES IN WHICH WE WILL ATTEMPT TO SHOW YOU THE REPAIRS NEEDED AND ALL OF THE MODIFICATIONS BEING DONE. AND BEING ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED AT IT, WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF SQUEEZING OUT AS MUCH POWER AS SAFELY POSSIBLE FROM THE STOCK TWIN TURBOS. TO THE END GETTING IT DYNO TESTED TO SEE THE RESULTS.

09/21/2018

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SO HERE WE ARE WITH THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION COMPLETE AS IT CAN BE. IT DOES IN FACT COME WITH THE ECM (ENGINE COMPUTER MODULE, 2 CHIPPED KEYS AND THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS. 

BEFORE WE BEGIN TO INSTALL IT, WE WILL DO ALL THE NECESSARY PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE TO IT (TIMING BELT, WATER PUMP, CAM AND CRANK SEALS, SPARK PLUGS, THERMOSTAT, ETC.) AND THE MODIFICATIONS WHILE IT'S OUT ON THE GROUND AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE. AND OF COURSE DOING IT WHEN THE TIME BECOMES PERMISSIBLE AND POST IT. MOST OF THE WORK WILL BE DONE AFTER HOURS, AS IT CAN BE VERY BUSY AND CHAOTIC DAILY.

9/23/2018

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THIS FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW HAS BEEN ACTING UP FOR QUITE SOMETIME NOW. TO THE POINT THAT MY FAMILY HAVE BEEN AFRAID TO USE IT, AS IT CAN GET VERY UNPREDICTABLE. WHEN THE SWITCH IS DEPRESSED DOWNWARD TO OPEN THE WINDOW, IT SOMETIMES GOES DOWN HALF WAY AND STAYS THERE. MOST OF THE TIME WHEN PULLING THE SWITCH UPWARD TO CLOSE THE WINDOW WHEN IT'S OPENED MIDWAY, IT GOES DOWN ALL THE WAY BY ITSELF AND WON'T COME BACK UP. NO MATTER HOW MANY ATTEMPTS ARE MADE TO CLOSE IT, IT GOES DEAD SILENT. LEAVE IT ALONE AFTERWARD FOR 4 HOURS OR SO, THEN IT BEGINS TO WORK NORMALLY TEMPORARILY.

AFTER PULLING THE PASSENGER FRONT DOOR PANEL TRIM OFF. WE FOUND WHILE TESTING THE WINDOW CONTROL MODULE WITH A POWER PROBE, WE HAD A LOSS OF GROUND (NEGATIVE) OUTPUT FROM THE WINDOW CONTROL MODULE (EACH DOOR HAS ITS' OWN MODULE) TO THE WINDOW MOTOR WHILE PULLING UPWARD ON THE SWITCH TO CLOSE. FOR THE WINDOW MOTOR TO OPERATE, IT NEEDS POWER AND GROUND FOR IT TO OPEN AND THE REVERSE OF POLARITY FOR IT TO CLOSE. IN SIMPLE TERMS, THE SAME SINGLE WIRE GOING INTO THE MOTOR WHILE TESTING WAS POSITIVE WHEN OPERATING THE WINDOW TO OPEN, NOW BECOMES A GROUND FOR IT TO CLOSE. THE OTHER SAME SINGLE TESTED GROUND WIRE, NOW BECOMES POWER (POSITIVE).

LUCKILY FOR US, WE WERE ABLE TO LOCATE A USED UNIT FOR $35. LEXUS WANTED $458 FOR IT. DIAGNOSTIC TIME ON THIS WAS AN HOUR AND A HALF, INCLUDING PULLING THE INNER DOOR PANEL TRIM.

9/25/2018

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SINCE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT OF ELECTRICAL TESTING, LETS GET A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WORK BY MEASUREMENTS. IT'S DEFINITELY GOING HELP US IN THE LONG RUN TO DIAGNOSE, MEASURE, AND APPLY NECESSARY MODIFICATIONS TO THE ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VOLTAGE (V) IS A MEASURE OF POTENTIAL ENERGY, THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY STORED IN AN OBJECT FROM ONE END TO ANOTHER, IN OUR CASE OUR CAR BATTERY (12 VOLTS) AND ITS TERMINALS. IF YOU LOOK AT A BATTERY, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT IN ADDITION TO ITS GROUP AND SIZE (AA, D, C, AND SO ON), IT WOULD BE SPECIFIED BY ITS VOLTAGE: 1.5 VOLTS, 4.5 VOLTS, 12 VOLTS AND SO ON. IN ALL AUTOMOBILES, THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE BLOCK BECOMES THE GROUND SOURCES IN WHICH THE MAIN NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLES ARE ATTACHED TO, SERVING AS CONDUCTORS. ELECTRICITY FLOWS FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE AND FROM NEGATIVE BACK TO POSITIVE, TRAVELING IN THE PATH WITH THE LEAST RESISTANCE. TO BE SIMPLISTIC, VOLTAGE CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A SPEED OF THE FLOW OF ENERGY. THE HIGH VOLTAGE, THE FASTER IT FLOWS.

THERE ARE TWO TYPE OF VOLTAGE: DC (DIRECT CURRENT) AND AC (ALTERNATING CURRENT).

AC VOLTAGE; YOU WILL FIND THAT OUR HOMES ARE POWERED BY AC CURRENT, TYPICALLY @ 120 VOLT. SOLAR PANEL INSTALLED ON SOME OF THE HOMES PRODUCES DC VOLTAGE IN WHICH BY USING A VOLTAGE CONVERTER, IT CONVERTS DC BACK TO AC, POWERING BACK FLOW SUPPLY IN OUR FUSE PANEL. THE VERY SAME CONVERTER(S) WE USE TO RECHARGE OUR DC POWERED CELLULAR PHONES, COMPUTER LAPTOPS, RADIOS, ETC HAVE SMALLER CONVERTERS THAT CONVERTS AC INTO DC ENABLING IT TO RECHARGE DC BATTERIES KEEPING THESE DEVICES OPERATIONAL. 

AND WHAT DOES AC VOLTAGE HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH AN AUTOMOBILE YOU SAY? THE ALTERNATOR THAT RECHARGES YOUR DC BATTERY IN YOUR VEHICLE PRODUCES AC VOLTAGE, THE VEHICLE SPEED SENSORS, CRANK AND CAM POSITION SENSORS, ABS WHEEL SENSOR, ETC. ALL PRODUCES AC VOLTAGE. MOST OF THESE SENSORS ARE MAGNETIC DRIVEN AND ARE PLACED WITHIN CERTAIN AIR GAP DISTANCE FROM A RELUCTOR RING. AS THE RING ROTATES AGAINST THE SENSOR, IT PRODUCES A WAVE OF FREQUENCY.

 

  

 

 

MOST SENSORS CAN GO FROM 0 VOLT TO 5 VOLTS. AS YOU CAN SEE ON OUR DIAGNOSTIC SCOPE, WE ARE LOOKING FOR A DROP IN FREQUENCY TO THE DETERMINATION OF A BAD CRANK SENSOR CAUSING AN ENGINE TO HAVE PROLONG CRANKING WITH A HARD TO START ENGINE SITUATION. THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR ALLOWS THE ECU (COMPUTER) TO DETERMINE THE SPEED (RPM) OF THE ENGINE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT IN A 4-STROKE ENGINE (4-STROKE ENGINE, WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN MORE LATER ABOUT) AND THE READINGS FROM THE CAM SENSOR TO IGNITE THE IGNITION COILS AND TO CYCLE THE FUEL INJECTORS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ALTERNATOR WHICH PRODUCES AC VOLTAGE IS CONVERTED TO DC BY THE MEANS OF 3 OR MORE DIODES BUILT IN THE ALTERNATOR. VOLTAGE IS CONTROLLED BY A VOLTAGE REGULATOR TO KEEP VOLTAGE WITHIN CERTAIN RANGE, COMMONLY BETWEEN 12.95 (VERY LOW) TO 14.95 (HIGH SIDE) VOLTS WHILE IT'S RECHARGING THE BATTERY WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. THE COMMON RULE IS THAT IN ORDER FOR THE BATTERY TO TAKE A CHARGE FROM THE ALTERNATOR, THE ALTERNATOR ITSELF HAS TO PRODUCE 1 VOLT GREATER THAN THE BATTERY.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ALTERNATOR'S DIODES WHEN THEY FAIL INDIVIDUALLY AT A TIME CAN CAUSE THE ALTERNATOR'S OUTPUT TO BE LOW, BUT ALSO CAN CAUSE DC VOLTAGE FROM THE BATTERY TO FLOW BACK TO THE ALTERNATOR WHILE THE VEHICLE ISN'T OPERATING. THIS CAN DRAIN THE BATTERY OVERNIGHT AT TIMES, TO THE POINT THAT A BATTERY GOES COMPLETELY DEAD. IGNITION OFF, ENGINE OFF (IOEO) BATTERY DRAINAGE DIAGNOSTIC ON MOST ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (IOEO) CAN BE FROM AN HOUR TO 4 HOURS, IF NOT MORE TO ISOLATE. 

WHEN AN ALTERNATOR'S VOLTAGE REGULATOR FAILS, THE ALTERNATOR OUTPUT CAN BE EITHER VERY LOW OR IT CAN SPIKE VOLTAGE AS HIGH AS 15 VOLTS OR MORE, EVENTUALLY BURNING OUT ANY COMPUTER MODULES THAT ARE MEANT TO OPERATE BELOW 14.95 VOLTS (ON THE HIGH SIDE). TYPICALLY WHEN THE CHARGING ISN'T WORKING ON YOUR VEHICLE, IT WOULD BE ACCOMPANY BY A BATTERY LIGHT INDICATOR BEING ON ON YOUR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.

will continue when time is available. bear with me, i do write these things with any open window of opportunity when time is permissible. sometime not even proof reading it to correct my own errors till later on.  --- 10/30/2018 i will continue on with this a little later on. providing you as much information as i can.

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HERE, WE HAD STRIPPED THE 2JZGTE ENGINE DOWN TO THE BARE, IN WHICH THE TIMING BELT, WATER PUMP, CAM, AND CRANK SEALS, TENSIONER ALL GETS REPLACED. AND CONTINUING ON WITH THE SURGICAL OPERATION WITH ALL THE REMAINDER GASKETS AND SEALS BEING REPLACED.

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WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING, THE OLD ENGINE IN THE LEXUS GETS DROPPED DOWN WITH THE TRANSMISSION ALONG THE SUB-FRAME.

THIS IS A NICE CLEAN LOOK OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM UNDERNEATH WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE BEING OUT AND ON THE FLOOR. IT'S DONE WITH A PALLET JACK INSTEAD OF THE BULKY CHERRY PICKER WHICH NORMALLY IS HARD TO MANEUVER AND TAKES UP TOO MUCH SPACE.

AFTER HAVING TO BEGIN DISMANTLING THE TWIN TURBOS FOR INSPECTION, WE FOUND THE REAR TURBO CHARGER TO BE COMPLETELY BLOWN OUT. ALMOST HALF OF A QUART OF OIL CAME OUT OF IT. THE INTERNAL SEAL IN THE TURBINE ON THE COMPRESSOR SIDE HAD GONE BAD AND THIS WOULD HAVE HAD A SERIOUS OIL CONSUMPTION/BURNING OIL ISSUE, WITH NO EXTERNAL LEAKS VISIBLE. ORIGINALLY, WE HAD PLANS TO DO SOME BASIC UPGRADES TO PULL AS MUCH POWER OUT OF THESE TWINS MAKING SOMEWHERE AROUND 350 TO 400 HORSEPOWER AT THE WHEEL. BUT NOW, PLAN "B" HAS TO BE MOVED FORWARD WITH.

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Suspension And Brakes Modifications:

Rev9 Coil Over Struts (Dropped About 3")

Megan Struts Tower Bars (Front And Rear)

GSP Front Upper Control Arms

Pillowball Rear Upper Control Arms

LM 19x8.5 Front Wheels

LM 19x9.5 Rear Wheels

225/40/R19 Nexen Tires

245/35/R19 Nexen Tires

Lexus LS400 Rear Calipers

LS400 Slotted Rear Rotors

GS300 Drilled and Slotted Front Rotors

Fabricated Rear Calipers' Adapters

May Be More, I Don't Remember @ The Moment?

My apologies, the car has been running for a good 5 months now, haven't had the time to update this. Lots of fabrication, re-wiring of the electrical system, relocation of certain components, welding and modifications. And of course, having the dedication, passion and the drive to make it all work.

 

Current Engine,Drive Train And Exhaust Modification:

 

Precision Turbo PT6266 .82 AR Ported S

Short Log Manifold (High Torque)

38mm Turbo Smart Waste Gate

Blitz Blow Off Valve

3" IC Piping All Around

Racing 20x12x4 Intercooler

AR Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator

Modified 300 LPH Denso Fuel Pump

3" Exhaust Down Pipe

Manzo Exhaust System

Turbo Smart Dual Boost Controller

Rev9 Waste Gate Dump Tube

540CC Side Feed Denso Injectors

2.5" Exhaust Cutout Valve 

B&M Transmission Cooler (Build-In Thermostat, Cooling Fan, And Auto Switch)

HKS FCD

Toms JDM Modified ECU

Aristo Stock A340e 4 Speed Transmission

Factory Stock GS 3.92 Gear Ration Rear Differential And Driveline

3" Down Pipe

And There Is Definitely More, I Just Don't Remember?

 

Interior and Exterior Modifications and Add-Ons:

Xentec LED Headlight Bulbs

Glass JDM Yellow Fog Lamps

JDM Rear LED Tail Lamp (Modified LS460 Style)

Yellow LED Running Lights Bulds

JVC Double Din Audio System

Depo LED Side Marker Lamps

Painted HRW Roof Spoiler Wing

Motor Cycle Handle Switch 

LED Digital Turbo Timer

Seibon DV-Sytle Carbon Fiber Hood

Momo 350mm Steering Wheel

NRG Quick Release Steering Wheel Hub Adapter Gen 3.0

Front Bumper Vent Mesh Grille

Evil Jack Shift Knob and Adapter

ProSport 52mm Wide Band, Boost And Transmission Temp Gauges

Triple Gauge Pod

Carbon Fiber 5 Switches Panel Controller

Sparco Hood Locking Pins

PDL Painted Rear Trunk Duck Tail Wing

And Again, There May Be More?

My guess is that it may be putting out at the high 400 to the low 500 WHP (Wheel Horse Power) at the moment, I haven't had the opportunity to dyno test it yet. Boost control is worked off from the Dual TurboSmart Controller and the 5 Switches Panel, depending on the type of fuel I would run, boost can be from anywhere @ 14psi to 23psi. The higher the octane (100 octane, racing fuel), the higher the boost. But at the minimum, it needs to run on 91 octane. It's definitely been a fun car to drive and the temptations to floor the gas pedal is always there.

In the next few months from now when time is available, it will again be gutted out. It will be going under the knife so that it can support the usage of ethanol fuel (E85 or better). E85-R is a blended fuel containing 85% ethanol and the 15% of the non-ethanol portion is comprised of a highly-refined race fuel hydrocarbons for superior stability and consistency that can support higher boost.

The Updated Modifications Will Be:

Precision PT6870 Turbo Charger (68mm) Twin Scroll/Divided 1.15 AR S Cover

2000cc ID Fuel Injectors Top Feed

Ross Machine Racing Dual Feed Fuel Rail

8an Push Lock Flex Fuel Compatible Fuel Lines (Dual Feed), 8an Return Line And 8an Anodized Adapters And Fittings

2 AEM 485lph Fuel Pumps

Power House Triple Fuel Pumps Hanger

GM Flex Fuel Sensor

4 Ports Boost Controller

Fuel Pressure Sensor (Up To 150 Psi)

AEM 3 Bar Map Sensor (GM Made)

AEM Water Temperature Sensor

AEM Intake Air Temp Sensor

Tial 50mm Blow Off Valve 11psi

2 Tial 44mm MV-R Waste Gate

Infinity 6/506 EMS (Engine Management System)

Infinity G37/Nissan 370Z CD009 6 Speed Manual Transmission (Modifying It At The Moment For It To Bolt On To The 2JZ Engine)

Aluminum Light Weight Drive Shaft

Lexus GS400 3.26 Gear Ratio Rear Differential 

Modified Transmission Mount and Crossmember

GM T56 Clutch Slave Cylinder

Land Cruiser 7/8 Bore Clutch Master Cylinder

Toyota Celica Clutch Pedal (Modified)

Stage 3 Clutch Kit And Flywheel (Can Withstand 500 ftlb Of Torque)

Future Fabrication Twin Scroll Exhaust Manifold

2 Radium Fuel Filters And Mounting Brackets

Front Lexus LS460 Calipers

Front Lexus IS-F Drilled Slotted Rotors (14")

Currently Fabricating An Adapter Bracket to Fit These Rotors And Calipers Onto The GS

Unfortunately since the crisis I had gone through 2 years ago, the urge to drive fast and to run away from it all has resided in me, hovering throughout my daily life. What has remained of me has manifested into an addiction to wanting to make more horse power, to run away from my troubles as fast as I can, as if I can ever escape my reality. And since I can't afford to buy a fast car, why not build one? In sense, this project has been my sanity as troublesome as that may sound.

 

Enough of me.

Here is a glimpse of some of the parts that will be installed, below. My hopes for this outcome will be somewhere around 700-900 horsepower @ the wheel and if we can obtain some C16 fuel, then I will make an attempt to push it up into the 4 digital horsepower range. I don't know just yet, but I do want to get the current setup dyno-ed to at least see where we are standing. If all goes well, this car will be in Lodi @ Kingdon Drags Strip where we will be putting it up in action for some quarter mile runs.

This 6 speed CD009 transmission is off a 2010 Infinity G37 I believe in which we are converting it to fit the GS. The front bell housing had to be cut off and the aluminum adapter plate by Collins was installed. From there, the actual front bell housing off the stock A340e transmission will then be bolted on onto this adapter plate. Towards the back of the transmission is a short aluminum shifter by CBF. The drive shaft is also made of a light weight aluminum that will be supporting the power transfer from transmission to the rear GS400 differential. As much as I can, I had elected to use the GS400 rear differential to come as close to a matching gear ratio with the Nissan CD009 transmission. 
 
Now do bear in mind that this vehicle weighs about 4000 lbs as it is from the factory, nothing really petite about it at all. While our objective is to make more power, it is with every opportunity when possible we do select lighter weighing material made components to at least keep a certain goal of putting it on a diet program. And I am sure some of you may had questioned why I had chosen this heavy vehicle to modify to begin with, versus let's say a lighter 2 door Honda Civic or a 2 door Scion as an example? Well, the simple logical answer is I needed something that I can still taxi my kids around daily in with somewhat of comfort, so it was a bit of a compromise on my end. 
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