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CVT Replacement & Upgrade

113496 Views 581 Replies 28 Participants Last post by  pboglio, 
pboglio
5
I'm about to start on my CVT replacement/upgrade and figured I'd document the process in this thread. I'll layout my build plan which'll include a brand new CVT transmission replacement but also various bolt-on power mod upgrades. The list will change since I have to inspect the car. If items are worn, they'll get replaced at this point or just upgraded. This will also include a BOM for parts purchases and as many pics as possible. The CVT transmission teardown is going to direct me on where I "may" be upgrading the new CVT as there are several internal improvements to be made to increase the strength and reliability.

Goal:

Basic goal is to get the Juke AWD CVT to withstand more torque from the additional modifications I have planned. I'm realistic about the Juke CVT, it'll never be as reliable at torque levels that the 6spd RS cars are running, so the goals are going to be conservative. I could trade up to an RS 6spd, but I won't be doing that. I considered it but I'm already in another car payment and the time isn't right, plus I need an automatic for the daily. A stock CVT trans can hold 210 lb-ft @ wheels no problem for up to 75k miles and potentially longer if meticulously maintained and tuned correctly. Typically but not always a stock CVT will start slipping at the 245 lb-ft @ wheel level which isn't a good thing for CVT belt life. I suspect those with RS models may have higher torque slippage values due to differences in TCM tuning from the factory. The ECUTek flash tunes may also have some part to play but I can't verify that. Mine never slipped until the belt wear went critical due to mileage. The goal is a reliable 230- 245 lb-ft wheel torque level and it must hold trouble free for +50k miles. That is more than plenty for a daily driver.

I could pay Level10 to provide an upgraded CVT transmission, but that's not my plan. The (1) member (i.e. ARF) I know of who has completely upgraded the CVT seems to have found some reliability at elevated torque levels so it's possible. I'm going to attempt to tie-in as many of the CVT improvements as possible in a DIY project. ANY marginal improvement in reliability and torque capacity I'll take. I'll be utilizing as much of these "off-shelf" upgrades as possible. The valve-body may eventually get sent out for upgrade as well but I can always do that at a later date since it's a simple removal/install procedure on the car.

The Mamba 19T turbo, 2J Racing downpipe, High flow cat/Injen midpipe, 2J 255 LPH fuel pump, and an FMIC will get installed as well if I'm not pushed for time. There are so many parts getting removed for the CVT trans that the extra labor isn't much different. I'll also be replacing the upper & lower radiator support, & bumper crash beam due to light corrosion.

Backstory:

Back in March I started having drive-ability issues with my AWD CVT at 75k miles in terms of belt slippage and rpm hunting while driving. I had the basic bolt-on mods on my signature and was running these mods since about 2012. I'm not easy on my transmission but I also never launch it. After alot of diagnostic testing I ended up taking the risk and replacing just the CVT valve-body and switched to AMSOIL and this temporarily fixed most of these mechanical issues but a few remained. When I did it I almost knew right away I should have bought a new CVT for just another $1200 more, but it was done. Eventually the plan was to swap a new CVT anyway next year but this would buy me some time. Then at 80k miles I started getting bored at stock power levels and I decided the trans could take some upgrades, which probably wasn't the smartest idea. The additional torque going from a stock (the car was detuned at this point) 236 N-m to 320 N-m ended up being too much for my worn out transmission. It was running great for a couple days then it gave (1) massive slip during an awesome 3rd gear pull near 6000 rpms, at which point I decided to crank the boost back down. Well, 2 days later the CVT catastrophically failed while heading to work. There was no indication or slippage, just a roll into the throttle and then a "free" revving engine in all gears. I have had many transmission failures on modified cars and this is the nature of the beast. I kept my momentum up and maneuvered around a couple of cars and picked a nice spot to coast the Juke and it finally came to rest. I ended up calling a tow truck and had to make a quick decision on the side of the road to divert the tow truck to my house instead of the dealership. I had already priced out the CVT parts vs. Dealer installed and it was looking like $2500 vs. approx $4500. At my house the driver backed the flatbed up and perfectly rolled her into position neatly inside my (2) car garage. The Juke is now sitting about 20" up in the air on my QuickJack car lift with the front clip removed and the teardown process has begun.

Progress:

To start off, here is the Juke raised in the air 20" on the Quick Jack 7000SLX with wheel ramps as backup supports. The QuickJack is sitting on it's "safety-lockout bars" and not hydraulic pressure. The Lift is rated for 7,000 lbs so the 3,160 lb curb weight is hardly stressing the lift. The rating mostly pertains to the hydraulic unit as the frame itself can lift 21,000 lbs. Jack stands cannot be used as safety backups on this type of lift unless they are pre-loaded against the chassis, neither can crib blocks under the wheels. The risk of vehicle collapse is low but still there. I initially had 6" steel pedestal risers for the lift but it proved much too unstable to trust while wrenching on the car. I also had medium durometer "rubber" riser blocks but they were collapsing on the inside under the pressure load from the vehicle weight. I replaced them with solid pine wood 2"x4" to raise the high durometer "uni-body pinch-weld" polyurethane blocks enough to get correct vehicle & lift clearances. This solution is working great and the mounts are not flexing whatsoever. When the front wheels get removed the car will have wheels lying flat under the unibody to catch a potential collapse.

The other pics is my FMIC design with the Setrab CVT cooler/integrated fan. This'll go in place of the stock side mounted FMIC. I have the Nismo RS bumper grill insert illustrated to improve radiator cooling I'm going to lose with the FMIC. I may switch to the treadstone 22"x 6"x 3.5" core as an alternate as well to avoid having to cut/weld the Garrett core endtanks.

I've pulled the front clip and today I'm starting on the driveshaft/propeller shaft removal from the transfer case. I'll also be pulling the battery/intake/etc. to gain access to the (4) topside CVT bell housing bolts. The car has some corrosion so the "bottom-side" will be challenging. Next after that will be removing the right wheel, partial suspension, then drivers axle and transfer case.


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pboglio
Thanks. It was depressing for about 1 day, but the tranny was on it's last legs and it was a matter of time and I was pushing it anyway. I'll have some good links to post with sourcing, pricing, time schedule and all that. Luckily I have the equipment and tools to handle this no problem. I'm planning for (3) months or better. I'll then follow up with some good dyno runs but I might be conservative on the torque since I'd like to dyno what I drive everyday.

I actually like driving a CVT car so that's why I'm keeping it and starting the build.
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pboglio
Squirtbnr, I'll let you know if I'll put it up for sale.

Macgyver,

I'll be running Amsoil from the get go. The AMSOIL has proven on my car to hold torque very well, even on my completely worn out belt. I'm looking at the Bosch 901047 belt rated at 350-400 N-m (257 - 294 lb-ft). I need to confirm the OEM belt is the Bosch 901066 before buying anything, the teardown should help here.

I just dropped the Injen midpipe/testpipe. Doesn't sound like much but it was 2 hours of cutting off the bolts. The Injen exhaust gasket gave up pretty good causing a big exhaust leak. Injen says they used 304 S.S. tube but it looks like 400 series to me based on the extensive surface corrosion. I now have a straight shot at disconnecting the driveshaft with alot more room to work as well. The catback and driveshaft will not be dropped as it's unnecessary. This is a huge time saver as well.

However, the front subframe is going to be hell. I need to disconnect the front sway bar end links, disconnect the steering rack and tie rods, disconnect the transverse link from the front knuckles, pull the axles, swing the knuckles out of the way, etc. Then finally remove like maybe 9 bolts to drop the front subframe onto a jack. If the bolts aren't corroded in place, this'll go good. The transfer case and CVT should then be fairly straightforward. I'm figuring maybe 5-7 working days if nothing is frozen in place, then the trans is on the workbench for teardown. I usually take my time on these tranny swaps since I'm not in a rush. I'll take detailed pictures of this part since it's kinda tricky.
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pboglio
Smart move on the rust preventation. My Unibody....looks really good actually. I had to cut the mid pipe exhaust bolts, swaybar endlink, knuckle/endlink ball joint, wheel nut completly off. That was just on the drivers suspension. All the front subframe..... bolts are hanging loose at this point.....they were not rusted on and easy to break loose. The drivers axle slid right out of the hub, usually a problem area. Waiting to pop it from the transmission tomorrow. Alot worse then I expected but the dremmel... with a cutoff wheel is a huge time saver. My 500 lb-ft impact was no match for the wheel nut. I had to cut 2 slices to weaken the nut......then impact it off. Works everytime. Subframe should drop by this weekend along with the CVT trans and transfer case. I'll be getting new wheel hubs, new axles, new front end links, new tie rods, new sway bar end links and new struts/springs, new brake rotors/pads. I'll have to refurbish the front knuckles......had an end link ball joint seize up.....gotta cut that out too. I'm gonna repaint the subframe as well, moderate rust but it's thick sheetmetal and costs nearly $900 new. Overall, progress is moving along after 1 week. I need to start cleaning up the work area when the right side suspension is completed. Then I'll setup a teardown station and a separate rebuild station for the cvt tranny using some folding tables. Finally I'll put the parts order list together and start spending some money.
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pboglio
I'm down for any RS parts for sure. If you have any ideas please let me know.

There is a bunch to do but I also have 3 months. I'm looking at some suspension upgrades as well, maybe the Bilstein B14 coilovers. My EVO X runs Bilsteins and they are nice, handles tight but still has some compliance. I'd like to reduce some bodyroll but can't find any front sway bar upgrades for the Juke, do you know of any?
I like that quote, it's one of my favorite lines.:D
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pboglio
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MacGyver,

Condensor core has some bug smash goin on. Ugly but not enough for me to discharge the A/C system to replace.

Juklear Winter/MacGyver,
Interesting, I'll put the Spoon Rigid Subframe mounts on my list then if they are that good. Actually, I'm planning on upgrading where I can on the suspension if the cost is reasonable. For the amount of labor required, I'd do as much as possible if the subframe is getting dropped anyway.

The CVT cooler I had in mind is the Setrab 9-20 Row Dual Fan Pack setup (FP920M22I), very nice engineering. It's pricey at $380 but comes with the fans too. I'll have to run thru the calculations again for the BTU heat rejection and all that but the core is 6" x 14.5" so it's quite massive but fits nicely in the stock FMIC location. We know the CVT get hot as hell and this setup is primo. The airflow should be pretty good, I designed an inlet skirt to force air thru the core.

The FMIC I'd like to run are either the Garrett 24x7.9" (10-row core) or the Treadstone 22"x7.9" (TR-82) core for $271. Not too big but they have enough cooling flow for 500 h.p. I ran the Forge FMIC and the power and response are great but the cooling isn't fantastic on those long highway runs. For the Mamba 19T flow rates the Garrett or Treadstone would work pretty well while not being too laggy.


Electronics Computer cooling Technology Auto part Electronic device
Air intake part Auto part Automotive super charger part
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pboglio
Core area is too small. Trv185 is 18.5x6. The TRP82.....Is 22x7.9. That's 110 sq.in vs 173 sq. In. Great pressure drop but efficiency not so good. The forge is like 15.5 x 7.0 which is 108 sq.in., internal fin dedign is different too so not an exact match. That TRV185 is exactly the size of my STI intercooler and isn't too bad except for the heatsoak. BUT the side by side intercooler are better IMHO. Gotta try and see I guess.
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pboglio
I've got as far as pulling both suspensions off. Game plan change: Engine, trans, transfer case are getting pulled as a single unit. Was gonna be tricky to support the engine while simultaneously pulling the trans on another jack. I needed to pull the stock turbo anyway. The timing chain, crank pulley, drive belts, water pump, oil pump, oil pan, and head gasket can now get swapped. Engine needs a little TLC...to keep it alive with the upgraded turbo. Debated on forged pistons and rods but I'm not going that deep into the engine just yet. On the stand I can easily swap everything while pulling the trans off first on the engine hoist. Sounds like more work but In fact once the electrical, power steering, ac, etc are unhooked it's practically out anyway. The upper and lower rad supports, radiator, fmic, crash beam, ac condensor core get yanked and it just gets pulled forward and out.
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pboglio
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MacGyver,

Engine wasn't part of the initial plan. But what happened is that I'm at 80k miles and I would have rebuilt at 120k miles anyway. At this power level I think the motor is done at 140k miles but I gotta admit the MR16DDT is a tough motor. The plan is to make the motor bullet proof. The CVT will not be as capable as the motor, but I'd prefer to have a motor & trans at the same mileage. The torque will be checked at something like 350-375 N-m (257 - 275 lb-ft) and I'll use rpms to make the horsepower. I have to get with an ECUTek tuner that can up the shift point in manual mode from 6000 rpms to 7000 rpms.

Engine Parts will be 2j Forged Pistons, 2j Forged Rods, Cometic headgasket, new OEM crankshaft, RS bearings, etc. I'll rebuild the cylinder head but I have to teardown the power train to see what I can reuse, and what I will keep as a backup. I have to put together a spreadsheet and start budgeting, been busy with work and doing the actual teardown.

Anyway, my decision to pull the motor from the front is looking good. There is SO much room to service the entire engine once you remove the front clip/radiator supports, crash beam, FMIC/Radiator/Condensor core. I did a little work today and I have to drain the transfer case/CVT, pop the axles, disconnect the CVT shift linkage, disconnect fuel lines, heater hose, and disconnect the electrical and the power train should be completely free. I'm really loving the way the factory made front engine access possible. At this point I would do all my turbo work, timing belt, etc. by pulling the motor. This also makes inspection so much easier, I never noticed how bad the oil pan was leaking until I took the front end off.

Finally, I've been doing some research on the CVT upgrades and came up with an idea. I then did a Patent search and it looks like someone came to the same conclusion. Based on what I've already seen for wear on the pulley's I have a pretty good game plan to deal with that. The pulley axial ball bearings will be replaced with tool steel dowel pins, there are a few kits that already provide this upgrade. The balls tend to shatter and take out everything in the transmission, a very common failure mode. I had bearing chatter for the last 5k miles and I'll also be upgrading the main shaft roller bearings as well, there are numerous kits out there for this. The belt situation I have somewhat confirmed the Bosch 901047 belt had 12 rings of F6 material. The newer Bosch 901066 runs 10 rings but with F7 material having better fatigue resistance. It looks like the torque rating is the same 250-350 N-m, but that is the distributor estimate. Bosch maintains the 30mm x 12 ring steel bands are good for 350-400 N-m, but the F7 materials improves fatigue stress. I'm going to have both belts for inspection. The goal if it works is to do 10 bands of the F7 material from the 901066 belt on put them on the 901047 belt and keep the other (2) F6 bands if they even fit. This'll produce (10) F7 reinforced bands + (2) F6 bands on the older 901047 belt. This is a super long shot since everything has to be identical fitment but I'm willing to try. If it works, I should be able to get the full 400 N-m torque rating with the improved fatigue life of the newer F7 material. The pulley modification will be a nitrocarburizing process on the pulley sheave surfaces as well as the axial pulley shaft slot where the ball bearings run. The dimensions are going to grow about .0005" so I'm going to have to account for it and mask any close fit interfaces. I'll have the pulley surfaces checked for hardness before they go out and if they can be hardened, then it's a go. These surfaces I've confirmed on my transmission are hugely prone to wear and the hardening will greatly extend the life of the CVT. The belt can then be replaced periodically using a master rebuild kit, new bearings, etc. without having to replace the entire transmission.

Next post will probably be the engine/trans on the hoist. Hopefully mid-week or this coming weekend.
Cheers.

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pboglio
Thanks. Yep, learning a bit for sure. Hopefully I can get some positive results that'll maybe push the limit a little bit higher on the CVT. Right now I am in the fact finding mode. Then I'll get to the build and validation phase. I usually push my designs to failure. But in this case I can't afford that......don't have the R&D budget......lol. Nitride process will be sent out. Pretty common for case hardening gears and crankshafts. The mileage for rebuild is my estimate. A boosted 4 cylinder that is modded doesn't last long. Eventually fatigue will set in. My 465 h.p. eclipse gsx went 140k. Then it crank walked. Compression and leakdown were decent and there was no oil burn.....like zero. But eventually it had enough. The MR16DDT is nowhere near as tough being an open deck aluminum block. I was looking for a good excuse anyway to build the motor......the trans failure gave it to me. The pulley ball bearing the to dowel pin conversion was offered by TTK.....and a few others, totally not my idea. Makes perfect sense though. It is probably the single biggest weak point from my understanding. The nitride idea was mine but someone already patented it and produced positive results. Once I tear the trans down I can document everything and share the results. Than I can adjust my strategy on the rebuild.
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Been awhile. I've ordered up the sling brackets from Bay Ridge Nissan for the engine hoist pickup points, should be coming in by Friday. Then I can unhook the motor/trans mounts and the engine/trans is out. I'll post some pics of the motor on the hoist and then on the engine stand. I still need to order up some special tools for the CVT dis-assembly as well, that'll be Thursday. I broke several bolts and snapped the passenger side axle carrier housing (ie. $32 part) during the CV joint/axle removal. I had to buy an axle puller fork attachment for my slide hammer and use a die grinder to open up the tolerances a little to fit. Pulled the axles with ease. I'll never use pry bars again to remove axles.

I'll post more in a few days.
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pboglio
Well, been waiting on Bay Ridge for the sling brackets and then said, "The hell with it". I bought from McMaster Carr some extra chain, 10.9 high strength M8-1.25mm flange screws/bolts, OTC 7100 lift brackets, and some chain shackles rated for 2,200 lbs that replaced the cheap crap ones that came on the harbor freight load leveler I bought. I need to buy a wider load leveler since this one tends to pull the chains over the engine, something I'll correct on the engine re-install. I almost used a couple of the Nissan M8-1.25 bolts off the trans bracket for the engine hoist lift points...............then I remembered how many bolts I snapped during my teardown. Nissan make some of the weakest garbage screws/bolts I have ever seen. Sometimes it's an advantage as they are easier to cut since they are so damned soft or if they need to be drilled out. But for lifting a motor, I bought the 150,000 psi rated 10.9 bolts. I bolted into the front lift point, then near the front rear/top engine block just off the timing cover, and then on the (2) shift bracket mounts on the transmission case, I"ll post pictures of this later. This spread the approx. +500 lb load across (4) points in a triangle pattern. I'll then have to reposition the hoist mount off the trans to actually remove it but by then I'll have the correct rear sling lift for the engine block. Then it all goes up on the engine stand for the full teardown.

Overall, the engine removal was actually pretty easy. Basically, remove axles, tie rods, swaybar end links (not really needed), fuel feed & return, heater coolant hose (2x), engine electrical, engine ground (2x), A/C & radiator, FMIC intercooler, etc. The entire front clip once you remove the crash bar, upper/lower rad mounts, etc. allow the engine to walk almost straight out. I needed to raise the engine maybe 2-3 inches to clear the sub-frame due to the CVT sump pan. I barely cleared the fully raised hood as this was gonna be a PITA if I had to remove it. The rear firewall cowl also stayed as I was not wanting to remove that unless I had to. With the right tools, the job isn't too bad. I have maybe 4 weekends into it but I was taking my sweet time.

I'm still looking at engine options. Most likely a new Nissan OEM shortblock. Then I'll take those stock pistons/rods and use them on a rebuild for a backup motor with my existing block. The new block/crank etc. will be paired with the 2j forged pistons & rods and RS rod bearings. I'll check the block piston bores but basically it'll be a drop-in deal. The block may be sent out to a machine shop but I'll be doing my own inspection. I'm only running a Mamba turbo rated for 310-320 h.p. so I'll be keeping the open-deck block design, no sleeves here.

I'll start posting more pics once I get into the engine teardown on the stand. The plan is about a 4-6 month mini-restoration/rebuild. Budget is coming in around 10k-14k. An RS bodykit will almost certainly be done with matching gun metal grey. I need some bling to keep me going. Should look good. I've priced out low mileage Juke RS 6spds from 15k-18k. With financing and tax I would have been pushing 21k, with mods probably 24k. I'm mostly looking for an excuse to rebuild the Juke, so I'm sticking with the CVT for now. If I can get another 4 years out of it, that would be the same as buying a new car anyway based on what I would spend monthly. If the transmission blows up again, I'll probably buy a used CVT trans for $1k and sell the car off or give it to my brother.

I'll post some more once I get the motor on the stand. Cheers.

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More pics of the engine out. Finding some small quality control problems the factory screwed up. The sway bar was shifted to one side causing rubbing/rusting on the unibody, I'll probably put a split shaft collar as a stop on the swaybar. An exhaust manifold/turbine housing nut was completely unscrewed off the stud, almost falling off, could be why there was some laggy spoolup.

Organization:

I want to be a bit more organized so I'm going to be buying a ton of those small zip lock bags for bolt/small part I.D. Then each dis-assembly/assembly step will have pictures that go with the I.D. bag & plastic tupperware. All of this will get put into a spreadsheet for a build work instruction. Any parts that need rework/refurbish will also get noted so I can schedule time for it. The biggest problem with these builds is memorizing and keeping track of stuff. For special tools, I only had to buy a FWD axle puller adapter, OTC lift brackets/chains/etc. so far, along with the OEM Nissan sling brackets.

During the engine rebuild I'll also be able to do the Q.C. and document the dimensionals, along with each bolt torque sequence and all that business. Having the checklist will prevent missing anything. The stuck bolts and lack of certain special tools are annoying and are what really slowed me down.

Overall:

Progress is getting there for sure. Garage is getting scary messy but I'll get it under control. I need to start cleaning and putting my tools away to clear floor space. The engine compartment and undercarriage are going to get pressure washed and I'll probably repaint a few brackets that have salt corrosion. Engine bay looks good with only minimal rust spots which will get wire wheeled/sanded and primed. The factory does such a **** job of prime coating with final coat over-spray that I'll be able to hide any spot touchup. I'm trying to find the color code for the Nissan base primer coat so I can match it up.

Basically my CVT replacement project turned into an engine swap along with a mini-restoration project. It's all good though. This'll build my skill set up for my STi restoration project.

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Chicago Suburbs actually.
I'm looking at the TCE 13" brake setup........I need it.:D
Too bad there isn't a company that can build a CVT reliably for a decent price.
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pboglio
Looking good. The budget doesn't call for 18" rims though. Would that be a problem?
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That is too damn cool. The 14" set would be complete overkill. I run those on the EVO X with the floating rotors but that car is a 3500 lb tank and. I'll have to seriously put this on my want list. The unsprung & rotational weight reduction sounds like a bonus. You guys have all the fun toys man....lol.
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Been awhile.

Made progress stripping the motor down. Got the tranfer case off the engine, along with the turbocharger/manifold/downipe & also the Intake manifold and induction system. I did this on the engine hoist directly to lighten the load on the engine stand. The alternator, water pump, A/C compressor come off this weekend as well.

Pulled the turbo off the car and only broke (1) heat-shield M6 bolt. Those are getting replaced with 10.9 High strength 150,000 psi bolts with taller heads that don't strip like the stockers. The short bolt head height on the stockers is what makes these heat-shield bolts near impossible to remove, allowing the wrench to slip off. This should make for a very reliable turbo removal in the future since the heatshield bolts can stop you in your tracks. The 02 housing stud nut was stripped from the factory and it pulled the stud out of the turbine housing, otherwise everything came out easy. The head-to-manifold studs are being removed using the double-nut method and so far no problems. When those babies break in the head you have big problems, but so far no issues. They also are getting replaced due to heat/age and old ones are not worth the risk.

The turbine housing had a nice big fat crack running thru the wastegate port. Luckily I have the Mamba 19T sitting waiting to go in. The turbine inlet is a generous ~1.75" dia. opening and the turbine volute is quite large. I'd put it near a 6cm^2 turbine housing typical on Mitsubishi turbo's, good for +300 h.p. without too much back-pressure. The turbine wheel is still tiny but there was zero shaft play and the compressor wheel & turbine looked new. I have the 2J Downpipe on my list of things to order and it'll get Swain-tech coated for thermal management. It should make removal 10x easier than having to manage the bulky stock cat/downpipe. I'll use the Injen mid test-pipe to place a small 3.5" dia. cat to keep things ECO friendly. If I can fit my 4" CAT I'm using on the EVO X it should have zero pressure drop, but it's getting pretty tight on the fitment already.

The exhaust manifold looked in great shape but it's also getting pitched for a new one due to mileage/age. The manifold collector design is pretty awesome actually, very similar to aftermarket cast headers with the merge redirecting the flow straight shot into the turbine and grouping Cylinder 1&4 and 2&3 with a flow divider separating them. I checked quickly the wall thickness and it's just not possible to extensively port these things. The flow divider has a nasty sharp edge/overhang that interferes with cylinders 1&4 which I'll port radius, otherwise that's about all I can do. I'll maintain the fire ring step that protects the manifold gasket since porting it would yield zero results and would compromise the gasket. The manifold runners are small in size so I think there would be an improvement with a custom header on bigger turbos, but a bolt-on 19T should be fine with 300-320 h.p. Again, a 1.6L motor doesn't require massive runner diameters but I was surprised by how small they were. The manifold and turbine housing may get Swain-Tech coated but the turn-around time this time of year might be long. I'll have to order up the manifold quickly and get in before the Winter rush. This is the only Ceramic coating I'm aware of that can compete with a header wrap for heat retention and maintaining underhood temps. Comes in a thick white finish that looks like stucco. Debating on whether this might allow removing the heatshields but there'll have to be some testing done as this is risky with the firewall being so close.

Also, considering rebuilding the transfer case. New transfer cases run $1600 to $1800. There is literally nothing to them except a hyphoid gearset. A full internal replacement and rebuild is around $1k and it's worth it to get the entire front drive-train in near new condition. A little bit of bead blasting on the Transfer case housing and they'll look brand new anyway, saves $700-$800. It's such a bastard to get off that I'd rather rebuild it now and never deal with it again.

Finally, the engine side electrical harness is getting replaced, it's getting pulled anyway for the engine rebuild. I had some rodent eat thru some stuff in the engine bay and he got to my EVO X wiring harness as well. So the Juke to be on the safe side will get the harness swapped along with any ground wires and later I'll decide on a new ECM. Brand new sensors are in the plan but I may only do the difficult to access sensors and then replace the easy to access ones later. All ABS sensors are getting replaced since I'm getting intermittent ABS codes.

The plan is to pull the CVT transmission off the engine block this weekend and at least remove the valve-body to get a direct shot at the belt and see if it's still intact or not. The CVT tear-down is going to take a few weeks while I take my time looking for the failure points and also documenting items.

Overall, I'm looking at about 1 month to pull the motor, 3-4 months rebuild & refit the engine/trans/suspension/braking, 1 month for re-installation. I've been reviewing where I'm going to set the engine torque for CVT reliability and it looks like 350 N-m (257 lb-ft) based on Bosch's belt max torque rating. This'll give me about 294 h.p. @ 6000 rpms or possibly higher if I can get the manual mode shift points raised. In CVT mode I should be able to hit 320 h.p. with the turbo upgrade. Should be fun.

Cheers.
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pboglio
Thanks JuklearWinter. It's definitely been a learning experience. Taking my time and making sure the build is solid from the ground up. I want to do some fabrication work but I'm just a little overwhelmed with the actual build itself. If I have time at the end I'll fabricate the intercooler system but otherwise I'm going for full bolt-on parts that are readily available. The CVT upgrade is going to be the huge challenge so I'm trying to give myself enough time to fabricate or send to the machine shop the parts needed to reinforce it. These posts are just mainly a way to keep motivated to keep the build on track.
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pboglio
I wish. I'll probably do a glory run on the dyno but it'll be tuned conservatively for the street.
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pboglio
Found this little gem for all you Mamba 19T owners:

https://shop.mambatek.com/Mitsubishi-SAAB-VOLVO-SUBARU-9-Blade-High-TD04L-Turbine-Wheel-012-0065.htm

Looks like a direct drop-in 9-blade TDO4L high flow turbine for $139 to replace the Mamba TD04L-12 blade turbine. I'll be seeing if I can upgrade this little bad boy once I source a TD04 rebuild kit.
I ran something similar to this on a T28 turbo and it seemed to have a bit of lag but the topend wasn't too shabby, typically good to about 350 h.p. Should reduce backpressure for those crazed Jukers running +300 h.p and IMHO it would be a better match to the 19T compressor wheel. I looked at the 11-blade TD04HL turbines but the 52mm/45.6mm turbine is too big to fit in the Mamba Juke turbine housing.

I'll be getting the Mamba 2.5" compressor inlet elbow & 2" outlet elbow as well. Should provide a nice little bump to the Mamba turbo.
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