How much maintenance does a R33 need? Periodic maintenance items

Periodic maintenance item requirements for an R33 Nissan Skyline

How Much Maintenance Does a R33 Need?

The 1995-1998 R33 Nissan Skyline share lots of parts with other Nissans. Many of the suppliers are the same, and the parts have similar replacement cycles.  Most cars without service records, you will have to assume that no maintenance has been done.  Plan on at least a fluids, spark plugs, and timing belt change.

R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R Buyers Guide: 1995 to 1998 : BCNR33

Maintenance Requirements for RB26DETT/ R32

Air filter element	Fram CA4309 K&N 33-2031-2	Every 36,000 miles
Oil	A 10-30 , 15-50	3,000 miles or 6 months
Oil Filter	OEM 15208-60U00   OEM R32  AY100-NS007  K & N HP-2008  MOBIL M1-208  WIX 51361  OEM(R34, smaller filter) 15208-9E000	Every 3,000 miles
Spark Plugs	NGK PFR6A-11 BCPR7EIX (one heat range colder iridium)	Every 60,000 miles
Timing Belt	OEM 13028-20P25 Tensioner- 13070-42L00 Idler- 13074-58S00 Tensioner Spring- 13072-58S10 Water Pump - 21010-21U26 N1 Water Pump - 21010-24U27 Oil Seal- Camshaft (x2) 13042-16V00 Oil Seal - Crankshaft Front - 13510-19V00	Every 60,000 miles
Suspension ball joint grease	Grease	Every 72,000 miles or 4 years
Manual transmission fluid	GL-4 75 –90 OR Redline Shockproof Heavy (we recommend)	Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
Differential Fluid - Front	GL-5 85W-90 or Shockproof Heavy Front diff fill plug - 00931-2121A  .   Front diff drain plug (has a magnet)  32103-01A01	Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
- Center	Nissan Automatic Fluid D	Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
- Rear	LSD GL-5 80W-90 or Shockproof Heavy and LSD additive	Every 60,000 miles or 2 years
Fuel Filter	OEM 16400-72L00, 16400-72L05, 16400-72L15 Purolator F44663 same as 1996 Infiniti J30	Every 15,000 miles
Wiper Blades	Right Front Left Front Rear	xx inches xx inches xx inches
Radiator Cap	OEM – 21430-4B700
Brake Pads- Front	41060-12U87  OEM FMSI D960 HB181	As required
- Rear	44060-12U87  FMSI D961 HB180	As required
Brake Rotor - Front	324mm x 30 mm	As required
Rear	300mm x 22 mm	As required
Power Steering belt AC belt Alt/ WP /Fan	4PK 969 4PK 910 4PK 875	4PK= 4 rib  969= 969mm

Nissan Skyline GT-R Basic Information
RB26DETT Myths and Truths
Advanced Notes
What Kind of Gas Should I Put in My Nissan Skyline?

GT-R Alignment Specifications

	BNR34	BCNR33	BNR32
Front Camber	- 0deg 50’  +/-45’	- 0deg 50’  +/-45’	- 0deg 55’  +/-45’
Front Caster	3deg 55’ +/- 45 ‘	3deg 55’ +/- 45 ‘	3deg 40’ +/- 45 ‘
Front Toe (mm)	2~1	0~2	1 +/- 1
Front Kingpin	15deg 20’ +/-45’	15deg 20’ +/-45’	15deg 25 +/-45’
Rear Camber	-1deg 15’ +/-30’	-1deg 05’+/-45’	-1deg 05’ +/-30’
Rear Toe (mm)	4~0	0~5.2	2 +/-2

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Index and Start Page

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Fuel Pump Control Module : FPCM on a Nissan Skyline GT-R

Nissan Skyline GT-R uses a FPCM to slow the fuel pump down at idle or low speeds

The fuel pump control module (FPCM) slows the fuel pump speed down at idle/low speed. It is one of those OEM parts that sound great on paper, but in real life, when they fail, car no go. It provides a ground to the fuel pump and is controlled by the ECU.  The FPCM is a silver ECU box that is located in the interior of the car, in the drivers side quarter panel, beside the rear seat.  Once you remove the rear seat, and remove the interior panel, you will see the module. 

Modulator - Fuel Pump Control

• 17001-05U01 (Alt 17001-05U00)

ECCS Diagram, including fuel pump relay, FPCM, and fuel pump

The fuel pump relay is controlled by the ECU to turn on.  When you key the ignition, the fuel pump should prime for approximately 2 seconds.  Don't confuse the ATTESA pump, and the fuel pump. They both prime at start up, so make sure you actually verify that it is the fuel pump.   The FPCM is also controlled by the ECU, and it slows the fuel pump down at low speeds, to quiet it down. However if it fails, the fuel pump will not run.

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Fusible Link : My R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R Doesn't Have Power : Wont Start

R32 GT-R battery terminal, cap, and fusible link

Most modern cars use a large fuse to provide power to the vehicle accessories.  On the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, there are two terminals from the positive terminal of the battery.  One has a easily replaceable fusible link.    Even though the lid of the fusebox under hood, shows a 75 amp Main fuse, it is not in the box of an R32 GT-R.

Cap - 24345-51E64
Terminal   -24347-51E64
Fusible Link - 24022-F6100

R32 GT-R ECCS Wiring Diagram

A fusible link is a type of electrical fuse, made from a piece of wire, smaller than the wire it is protecting. The fusible link, can and will deteriorate over time.  We have seen some that look fine externally, but you will have odd things happen if the wires are bumped, or if the car is driven.

If you lose the fusible link on an R32 GT-R, you will lose the dash lights, you will lose the ignition coils, but you can still have ECU, fuel pump, and the car will crank over.  It just won't start.


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How Do I Upgrade the Brakes on My Skyline?

Test fitting some 390 mm  R35 GT-R rotors and a 6 piston caliper in a 18 inch BBS wheel #bluecar. They don't fit. 

Brakes are bullshit. All they do is stop the car. We don't need that kind of negativity here! Here are some things to know about brakes, and a braking system before you go all HAM, and get that 14 piston, CCM rotor brake upgrade.

The tires really do the stopping. and here is why you should consider the tires you use:

The tire is the only thing touching the road. When we race, we can see different types of tires, effecting the temperature of the braking system components. Just about any brake caliper/rotor combination can lock up a tire.  Locked tires have a tendency to really not stop that well. They also go a little square, or flat spotted. So you do want to avoid that. A better, stickier, tire, will help you stop better.

The best newest Brembo R35 GT-R Nismo 410mm CCM rotors, and 6 titanium piston caliper brake setup, is still only as good as the tire used on the car.

Now with that said, the next thing to know about brakes is that heat is the enemy, and sometimes the requirement for the braking system to work.

The parts to the braking system:

1. Tires
2. Brake rotors
3. Brake calipers
4. Brake pads
5. Brake lines
6. Brake fluid
7. Master cylinder
8. ABS unit
9. Brake ducting
10. Steering Wheel Gasket

Brembo "F40" 4 piston Caliper. This car has a 343 mm rotor on it. Also notice brake ducting #bluecar

Tires

Like shoes, pick the tire for the occasion.  Some are really sticky and don't last long. Some are made for the road course, some for drag racing. Some are for 50,000 miles of life on your minivan. Look at the treadwear rating to get an idea. Decide what you do with the car.  If you want all around, then you have to pick the compromises that work best for you.

16 inch tire options for stock wheels
Drag Radial vs Street Tire - Motive DVD
What wheels fit?
How to properly select tires for performance

Brake Rotors

Bigger is better?  The reason that you go to a bigger/larger/thicker rotor can be two fold. One is for more heat capacity.  The friction of the brake pad rubbing against the rotor heats up the rotor, and the pad.  Once those items get outside of their operating range, they tend to degrade quickly, and not work as well.  The next factor is the brake torque. A larger disk will allow for more brake torque.  Brake torque is the force applied at the pad, multiplied by the distance from the center of the wheel.

Sean Kirby said that I forgot his favorite brake rotors. So here they are, Sean. 

Stock R32 GT-R - Non Vspec

• Front -296 mm x 32 mm
• 40206-05U02 Right Front OEM Cross Drilled
• 40206-05U10 Right Front OEM Plain
• 40206-05U03 Left Front OEM Cross Drilled
• 40206-05U11 Left Front OEM Plain
• Rear-  297 mm x 18 mm
• 43206-05U13 Rear OEM Cross Drilled
• The OEM rotors are cross drilled. Eventually in the GT-R racing range they went to a solid rotor, because cross drilled rotors crack. For racing use, usually a different kind of surface treatment is popular(Plain, slotted, J-Hook). Cross drilling looks good, and works well enough on the street. I like a two piece rotor as they weigh less than a solid disk. You can save several pounds per corner by going to a aluminum hatted rotor.
•  DBA has their 5000 series of rotors but not in the stock 296 mm size, just the 4000 series rotors (Front DBA 4926 296MM   4000 Series Heavy Duty.)(Rear DBA 908)  Have to see if I can come up with anything, or do something like a bracket to put a larger rotor on the car. Larger rotors mean larger wheels, and I think I am sticking with the 16's. (I lied, I'm on R34 18" now)   Brake Weights - R32 GT-R  
• EBC Brake rotors ~$250 to $350 for a set - Front RK1226  ~$85-120 for a set  Rear RK699

• Std Brembo R32/R33/R34 rotors are 324 x 30 mm front
• Std Brembo R32/R33/R34 rotors are 300 x 22 mm rear
• Vspec N1 Brembo R34 rotors are 322 x 22 mm rear
• F40 Front and Rear rotors are 332 x 32 mm 
• F50 Front rotors are 355 x 32(34?) mm
• R35 Early - Front 380 x 34 mm
• R35 Late - 390 x 32.6 mm (they went thinner)
• R35 rear - 380 mm x 30 mm

Brake Calipers

• Brake Caliper Rebuild - NICO has a good guide on rebuilding the calipers. It is always a good idea to go though the calipers about once a season if you are taking a car on a track.  
• Rear Brake Caliper part numbers - R32 GT-R 
• 44001-43P00 - RH   Alternate - 44001-05U00
• 44011-43P00 - LH Alternate - 44011-05U00

Brembo Caliper Guide

P/N Description
First Digit: Kit Type			Third Digit: Disk Type	Fifth to Seventh Digit:
1 = Street Front Kit			0 = No Rotor in Kit	Kit Revision Designation
2 = Street Rear Kit			1 = Drilled 2-Piece Rotor	001 - 999
3 = Race Front Kit			2 = Slotted 2-Piece Rotor
4 = Race Rear Kit			4 = Drilled 1-Piece Rotor
			5 = Slotted 1-Piece Rotor
			7 = Smooth 1-Piece Rotor
Second Digit: Caliper Type	Piston Sizes		Fourth Digit: Rotor Size	Eighth Digit: Side Designation
0 = No Caliper in Kit			4 = 11.5 to 12 inches	A = Both Left and Right Sides
1 = Lotus-Type 4-Piston	36 - 40		5 = 12 to 12.5 inches	L = Left Side
2 = F40-Type 4-Piston	38 - 44		6 = 12.6 to 13 inches	R = Right Side
3 = F50-Type 4-Piston	40 - 44		7 = 13 to 13.5 inches	Ninth Digit: Caliper Color
9 = Porsche 4-Piston	36 - 44		8 = 13.6 to 14 inches	Blank = OEM Colored Caliper
A = GT2 4-Piston (Lotus-Type)	36 - 40		9 = 14 to 15 inches	1 = Black with White Logo
B = GT1 4-Piston (F50-Type)	40 - 44			2 = Red with White Logo
C = GT3 4-Piston (Mini Jag)	28 - 30			3 = Silver with Red Logo
D = Mechanical Parking Brake
E = OEM Cast		(Cobra has 36/40 mm pistons)
F = BMW / Lotus -Type 4-Piston	36 - 40	(Black Only) (Different mounting then std lotus calipers.)
G = GT8 Street 8-Piston		(Cast Mono-Block 4 pads / caliper)
H = GT1-S 4-Piston	36 - 40	(F50-Type)
J = GT6 Street 6-Piston		(same pad as "N") (SUV Cast 2-piece Caliper)
K = Billet Race Caliper
M = 6-Piston Cast Mono Bloc Caliper		(Xa571m4 pads available as "Narrow Mount Mono 6" from Porterfield.
N = 6-Piston Cast Mono Bloc Caliper		for Tall Annulus Rotors like EVO VIII (207.9551.13 pad)
P = 4-Piston Cast Mono Bloc.		(F50 Pad)

Brake Pads

Everyone that tracks their car, has a favorite. If there is someone you know that runs a certain pad and likes it, works well for them, by all means try it out.  A street pad generally has a good mu or coefficient of friction at low temps, but then the mu decreases as the heat goes up. Great for a street car. Great for the freeway or around town. However coming at 140 mph into turn 1 every couple minutes can overwhelm that pad.  

Brake pads use a reference number to refer to the shape of the pad. For the regular R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R the front shape is a FMSI D460, D647, D1182  HB178  with a .564 thickness. At the rear the shape is a  FMSI D461 HB179 with a .630 thickness(although I have seen a thinner thickness listed from Porterfield).

R32 Vspec/R33 GT-R black Brembo brake caliper

• R32/33 Brembo Brake pads- 
• Front
• 41060-12U87  OEM
• FMSI D960
• HB181
• Rear 
• 44060-12U87 
• FMSI D961
• HB180

Brake Lines


Brake lines. I like high quality brake lines. Stainless steel brake lines expand less than the stock rubber lines, and have extra abrasion resistance.  

Goodridge makes good brake lines. They list fitting 1989-2002 cars. The Vspec R32's and R33/R34 all have the same Brembo caliper, but the early car has Nissan(Sumitomo) calipers. The part number is listed as 22160. Phantom SNN0800.

R35 GT-R rear brake caliper and rotor

Brake Fluid

• Brake fluid. We ran Motul 600 on the Scion tC World Challenge race car. Worked out fine, didn't need to bleed it often. On the R34 GT-R when we used Motul 600, we had to bleed it often, like every session. Switching that car to Castrol SRF(in 2006) was the best thing we did for the brakes all year. Its expensive, it was worth it. Look at the wet boiling point. Consider any system has some water in it. Don't mind the exact numbers much, I know what we had, and what we saw.  From Pegasus Racing. 

Racing Brake Fluid Comparison Chart
Brand Name	DOT Rating	Dry Boiling Point	Wet Boiling Point	Compatible with Conventional Brake Fluids*	Qty Fl Oz	Part Number
Motul RBF 660	4	617	399	Yes	16.9	MT660
AP PRF 600	4	608	311	Yes	16.9	3338-17oz
Motul RBF 600	4	594	421	Yes	16.9	MT600
Castrol SRF	4	590	518	Yes	33.8	3343-Liter
Prospeed RS683	4	583	394	Yes	16.9	3340-201
AP 600	n/a	572	284	* No *	16.9	3309-17oz
AP 551	3	540	284	Yes	16.9	3305-17oz
ATE Super Blue	4	536	396	Yes	33.8	3326-Liter
ATE Type 200	4	536	396	Yes	33.8	3327-Liter
Castrol Advanced Performance (formerly GT-LMA)	4	509 (was 446)	329	Yes	12	3308-12oz

• Speed Bleeders - 639560 10mm x 1.0 front and rear are the same bleeder. I have heard some good and bad things about Speed Bleeders. I tried them out, and so far I like them. You can bleed by yourself, and everything is A-OK so far.  I also want to install them in the clutch line. Eventually I am going to change the slave cylinder, and bleeding the Nissan Skyline GT-R clutch is a pain in the ass. 

Silver Brembo calipers with a big one piece front rotor

Master Cylinder

• OEM Sumitomo R32 GT-R
• BM44
• Nabco 
• 15/16" piston
• 46010-02U20
• Rebuild Kit
• 46011-52F26
• Alternate 46011-22P26
• BM50
• 1" piston
• 46010-05U20
• OEM Brembo R32 GT-R Vspec/R33 
• BM57
• 1 1/16" piston
• 46010-05U02
• 46010-0V600 
• Stagea Master Cylinder - BM57

• R32 GTR (Non V-Spec) BM50
  
  

  Master Cylinder diam (mm)	25.4 area 506.71mm²
  Front Caliper Piston(diam x qty)	40.4×4 = 5127.58mm²
  Front rotors (diam x thk)	296×32
  Rear Caliper Piston(diam x qty)	38.18×2 = 2289.78mm²
  Rear Rotors (diam x thk)	297×18

• R32 GTR V-Spec / R33 / 34 GTR with Brembos BM57
  
  

  Master Cylinder diam (mm)	26.9 568.32mm²
  Front Caliper Piston(diam x qty)	(44+3Cool×2 ... leading pistons smaller then trailing 5309.29mm²
  Front rotors (diam x thk)	324×30
  Rear Caliper Piston(diam x qty)	40×2 2513.27mm² ratio FR = 2.1125
  Rear Rotors (diam x thk)	300×22
  Brake to master ratio	13.76

ABS Unit

ABS Wheel Speed Sensors for R32 GT-R

• Front
• Right Side  47910-05U00
• Left Side  47911-05U00

Group A R32 GT-R rear brakes

Brake Ducting


Brake ducting or deflectors. Air is free. Getting air to where you want it to go isn't free.  The stock Nissan GT-R has brake ducts, that put air into the wheel well, but its not directed to the rotor.  Brake rotors are cooled from the center outward. Most rotors pump air to the outside edges to cool. Over at MotoIQ Khiem Dinh made some pretty cool brake ducts for his S2000

Steering Wheel Gasket


How you use the brakes is an important consideration. Some people seem to be really hard on brakes, some people much easier.  Depending on what you are doing with the car, you can effect the longevity and performance of the braking system.

Brembo monoblock brake calipers on the R34 GT-R World Challenge car. This car has 72 vane Brembo 355 mm rotors on the front. 

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