Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T (RB25DET) : Buyer’s Guide

Engine :

Oil & Oil filter every 4,500-5,000 miles.
Only use Super Unleaded 97-98 octane fuel (To avoid potential detonation problems which can damage pistons.)
95 Octane can be used, but avoid high RPM’s until back on 97-98
Regularly inspect spark plugs
Standard platinum spark plugs are recommended, unless you start tuning the motor.
Before turning on the engine, turn the key to ignition and make sure that the following lights are ON.

Make sure you do a cold start. On a cold start, the oil pressure should read about 4 bars. Once warmed up, it should go down to 2 bars. At 3,000 RPM, it should be at 4 bars. (Pictured below)

While driving at about 70 km/h (45 mph), make sure that the HICAS light is off. (Yellow light pictured below)

Check for misfires between 4,000 - 5,000 RPM. Could be a sign of coil pack problems.
A misfire over 5,000 rpm would be fuel related. Timing should be 15° advance for 95 Octane and 22° originally in Japan.
When warmed up let it sit there for 10-15 mins to let heat get at the ignition amplifier (4" black plastic box at back of rocker cover). Then drive off and see if it's missing a cylinder.
Boost should start to come on at 3000 RPM and should be peaking at 0.7bar at 3500 RPM and pull strongly all the way to the redline. (Peak power is @ 6400 RPM)
Check for tell-tale signs of previous overheating by rust coloured water stains around the engine bay, the water pipes going to the heater matrix tend to give up over time.
Check for fluid leaks; i.e. Clutch, brake, power steering and ABS. Check under the engine for oil leaks paying attention to area around sump/oil pan plug.

Cluster / Dash Lights :

Exhaust :

Make sure that both catalytic converters are still installed. Depending where you live, catalytic converters may be necessary for annual inspections and emissions testing.

Transmission :

The stock transmission on the R33 GTS-T is nearly bullet-proof. Neither the manual or the auto have common issues. Additionally, the vast majority have a limited slip differential (LSD)

Steering :

The vast majority of the GTS-T’s come equipped with Nissan’s HICAS rear-wheel steering system. It isn’t known to cause issues, but people tend to buy and install a “HICAS-delete” kit, which disables the rear-wheel steering system.

If you are able to, jack up the front of the car and play with the tie rods. You want them to feel stiff.

Suspension :

The stock suspension does not have any major common problems. The most reported problem, was worn bushings in the rear subframe, going soft.

Body :

Like any other car, look for unusual panel fitments and panel gaps.
Bring a relatively strong magnet, not a fridge magnet, obviously, but something strong enough in order to test panels, looking for extensive bondo/body repairs. Look around fenders and test, especially rear fenders. If it suddenly stops “sticking”, then it indicates a repair job big enough that there is very little to no metal under the pain in this specific area.
Going under the car, right under the doors, you can see the chassis legs that run down either side of the floorpan from front to rear. In the middle they are joined by a small weld that often pops open if the car has been hit with any force.
Inspect underneath the car for signs of corrosion. Surface rust may be brushed off and treated.
Another thing that might look bad is a scuffed or cracked lower splitter on the front lip. This can potentially give you an idea of how the car was driven by the owner. Then again, this could be from parking or how the car was handled during its shipping. It is still worth mentioning, since if the rest of the car gives the same impression, then you might want to walk away.
Some R33’s tend to have leaky trunks, which is an easy fix. It is generally just the seal on the right rear light which lets water in when you wash it.
Check the window trims. Those cars are old, so the plastic and rubber tends to dry, crack and eventually break off.
Stand 10-15 feet away and look at the paint. Try to spot mismatching panels, which could be a sign of accident.
Check wing nuts for signs of removal and the front support bar to see if there are any signs that car has been in accident.
Check all windows for cracks/chips. Replacing a window on a Skyline can be expensive.
Check front suspension strut tops for corrosion, which starts from underneath where you can't see and works its way up into the engine bay.
Check rear arches for corrosion.
Do the odometer readings appear consistent with any service stickers found on car? Stickers are generally located in door jams or engine bay. Is the interior wear (seats/steering wheel/gators etc) what you would expect in relation to the mileage?

Test Drive :

Refer to the “Engine” chapter for the checklist when starting the car.
Listen out for whistling noises whilst accelerating as this can indicate turbo problems or air leaks.
Listen out for detonation (or pinking) under load. Detonation can be indicative of poor ignition setting, low quality fuel, excessive boost pressure or a badly maintained engine.
Watch out for hesitations or misfires. Often these don’t reveal themselves until around 5k rpm so accelerate through from 3k rpm in third or fourth gear to see if the car experiences any violent hesitation, misfiring or holding back at this range.
Check for blue smoke under hard acceleration and during deceleration. Can be sign of engine wear or turbo problems.
Make sure that the operation of clutch, gearbox and brakes is smooth. Ensure that the gearbox is not whining and that there are no crunching synchros on gear changes (it is normal for the box to be stiff when cold).
Check for any vibration through steering when driving and that the car doesn’t pull to one side under breaking.

Notes :

After the test drive, leave the car idling and check for;

Blue smoke = can indicate a variety of turbo or breathing related problems.
Black smoke = can indicate fuelling issues.
White smoke = possible engine damage, head gasket or cylinder head problems.

Lastly,
The most important advice given to me when buying a Skyline was “If you have never driven a Skyline before then even a bad one can feel good so make sure you test drive lots of cars.”

If in doubt, leave it out.

Good luck with buying your Skyline.

Quick “Q & A” :

Can I retro-fit R33 GT-R headlights on my R33 GTS-T ?

Short answer : Yes

Long answer : Yes BUT ONLY if you have a Series 1 R33 GTS-T

What are the differences between a Series 1 and a Series 2 ?

There are several differences.

The front end of the series 2 is sharper, slimmer headlights, different front bar (indicators and fog lights are round and located at the bottom of the bar). The bonnet has much sharper ridges.
The "skyline" panel at the rear of the car is body coloured on the series 2.
The interior of the series 2 has been updated including different trim, a passenger airbag and the dash facia has been updated.
Mechanical differences include an updated ECU and a ceramic turbo.
The series 1 was in production from late '93 through to late '95. The series 2 ran from early '96 through to early/mid '98.

What’s the most horsepower I can get on stock internals ?

An RB25 that was kept well, should cope with around 450hp before you'll need to switch to forged internals and updated parts.

I installed a Dump Valve and now I keep stalling, why?

Most Skylines have been fitted with Dump Valves or Vent to Atmosphere/VTA or Blow Off Valves/BOV as they're called (mainly for the noise) and some can suffer from stalling when dipping the clutch (when coming to traffic light etc).

This is due to the design of most of the BOV’s, which can fail to seal properly when the engine is idling. The only type that seems to work well is the HKS SSQV. Although the standard BOV can cope with 1.2bar and doesn't cause stalling so, unless you're buying it for the noise, there isn't much point in an aftermarket BOV.

I want to fit new wheels, what PCD & offsets should they be?

The PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter) is 5x114.5 and the offsets are :
Front : +30 to +32 for 8 inches
Rear : +35 to +38 for 9 inches (10 inches = +20 but it will need the arches rolling as they'll stick out 55mm more)

What are the best Brake Pads & Discs to use?

Pads : EBC Red Stuff/Ferodo DS2500/Mintex 1133 are all good
Discs : DBA discs are the best replacement ones. GTST discs are 280mm, GTT ones are 310mm

If you want better Callipers fitted cheaply then you can fit GTR Brembo Callipers or, for more money, Tarox/Ap Racing/Hi-Tec/KAD are all good makes.

The biggest size discs you can fit behind your alloy are :
16” wheels can take 310mm discs
17” wheels can take 330mm discs
18” wheels can take 355mm discs
19” wheels can take 380mm discs (although Volk TE37’s Alloys can fit 1 size up, i.e. 17’s can use 355mm)

Note : All pictures inside of this guide contain a link to a high resolution version.

Sources :

http://www.gtroc.org/2011/10/10/gts-gtst-buyers-guide/

https://www.driftworks.com/forum/threads/skyline-r33-buyers-guide-info-and-opinions-please.83595/

http://www.skyline-owners-club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36

https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/132103-are-your-r33-gtst-s2-dash-lights-all-working/

SaabKyle04’s Video of the Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R

Formatted by MrOwnageQc for reddit.com/r/Skyline

For any suggestions on something I missed, send me a message !